Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a quiet afternoon in New York City. At Midtown High, countless students were finishing up their final assignments for the school year. The first to finish was one of Midtown's best and brightest, Peter Parker. Once he was done, he grabbed his book bag, handed in his test, and walked out the door. He didn't make it too far before he heard the door open and close again, prompting him to look back and see a blonde-haired girl with an orange headband walking up to him and waving.

"Hey, Gwen," Peter greeted as she walked up. "How do you think you did?"

"Pretty good. How about you"

"I'm pretty sure I did ok."

"Of course you did. You're Midtown High's second brightest student after all."

"Second best?" Peter asked in a mock surprised tone. "You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure," Gwen replied, giving him a smirk.

The two then walked outside, slowly being followed by several other students.

"I can't believe it's finally summer vacation," Gwen commented. "I cannot believe the year we've had."

"That's for sure. Supervillains, gang wars, monsters-"

"Not to mention everything that's been going on with Harry."

"Right… that…" Peter recalled, his face dropping a bit before resuming his previous mood. "Uh… so, what are you up to this afternoon?"

"I was going to head over to the Coffee Bean to meet up with MJ. She has this new book she wants me to check out."

"Sounds like fun."

"Yeah. how about you?"

"Gotta head into town to pick up a cake for tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, it's… Uncle Ben's birthday…"

That got him to pause, prompting Gwen to take his hand. He turned towards her and saw the sympathetic look on her face.

"I know it's been hard for you."

"I just… really miss him, you know?"

"I know."

Peter took a breath before regaining his composure.

"Well, I'd better get going. Wanna get there before the bakery closes."

"Then you'd better get going," she prompted before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Talk to you later."

"Later!" Peter called out, heading off in the opposite direction towards the bike racks.

He unlocked his bike and stashed the lock in his book bag before climbing on and riding off.

...

Meanwhile, the lights of Times Square shined as bright as ever as people went back and forth about their everyday lives. One such person, dressed in a black hoodie and keeping his face down, made his way over to the center of the square and knelt near some electrical cables covered by a grate. He grabbed it, resulting in him getting electrocuted, though not at all phased by it, as he pulled back the grate and grabbed the cables.

All the electricity in the area kept going in and out. The screens in the square were majorly on the fritz, and everyone was baffled as to why. One police officer present took note of the man grabbing the cables and approached him.

"Sir!" the officer called out reaching for his gun. "Sir get your hands away from the cables!"

The man slowly looked up to reveal his blue and seemingly electric face. The officer recognized this face as Max Dillon, also known as the electricity-based villain, Electro

"Is there a problem officer?" he asked, smirking maliciously.

Just then, the power started surging out of him, shredding the hoodie and sweats he was wearing to reveal his black bodysuit underneath. The officer and several civilians ran for cover as the villain wreaked havoc on the area.

…

A few blocks away, Peter rode down the street towards the bakery, glad to see he was making good time.

"Bakery is around this next block," he noted. "Gotta say, while swinging is fun, it's nice to take it slow and ride for a change."

He then rounded the corner, seeing the bakery just ahead. He smiled as he pulled up, coming to a stop before kicking out the kickstand.

"Made it. And seem to be making good time. That's gotta be a first for-"

Just before he reached the door, however, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw power fluctuations coming from Times Square. Having a pretty good idea of what was going on, Peter let out a sigh of resentment before taking off.

"Why is it every time I think things are gonna go smoothly, something like this happens?!" he commented before running down an alley.

He quickly shed his outer clothes, revealing a red and blue bodysuit with red and blue gloves and a mask with tinted sunglasses frames for the eyes. This was the signature look for New York's own Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Once he was suited up, he put two fingers together on each hand, shooting out two web lines that connected to the roof, allowing him to pull himself up and launch himself into the air. He then placed a hand on the roof, flipping forward so he could shoot another web line and swinging off into action.

...

Times Square was in a state of panic. People were running for their lives as Electro shot out one bolt of electricity randomly after another.

"What's a guy gotta do to get some attention around here?" he yelled.

Inside a nearby building, an elderly man in his 70s with glasses and a mustache walked out only to just barely dodge a bolt of lightning.

"Yeesh, supervillains these days," the old man griped. "No respect for anyone."

A police car came racing to the scene sirens blaring. Electro noticed this and blasted right under the car sending it flying in the air. One police officer tried to run away from the collision but tripped and fell to the ground. Fortunately, Spider-Man had just arrived and landed on top of the flying cop car. Once he was close to the ground, he landed on his feet and caught the car, much to the cop's surprise.

"Glad you're not one of those cops that ride a horse," Spider-Man joked before putting the car down. "Need a hand?"

The officer looked back at Electro causing havoc.

"Yeah, knock yourself out."

Spider-Man then shot out a web and swung onto another car near Electro.

"Yo sparkles!" he called out, getting Electro's attention.

"Spider-Man," Electro responded, turning to face his long-time enemy. "Just the freak I wanted to see tonight."

"Aw you missed me," Spidey responded sarcastically.

"Yeah I missed you," Electro replied, charging his hands. "I also remember saying I'd do something if I ever saw you again."

"You mean aside from bore me to death?"

Electro then shot Spider-Man, who quickly jumped up to dodge it and shoot a web to swing on while Electro shot one bolt of electricity after another at him.

"Nice aim," Spidey commented, deftly avoiding another shot. "A few more years of target practice and you might actually hit something."

"Yeah keep joking web head," Electro replied. "That way I'll know where to zap ya!"

Spider-Man quickly dodged the blast, landing on the side of a building before shooting a web line and swinging off. Electro simply fired two bolts onto the ground, launching him into the air so he could fly after Spider-Man. The two carried their battle down the street, with Spidey doing everything he could to stay ahead of Electro's blasts. As he landed on one building, he fired two web lines and pulled on them hard before leaping him up, allowing him to slingshot himself up towards the roof. Once he reached the top, he fired another web line to zip away just as Electro rose and fired at him again.

"Finished running yet?" Electro asked, more than a little irritated.

"Well, I wanted a private matchup," Spidey explained. "Away from innocent bystanders!"

"Hey, don't sell them short Spidey," Electro taunted, hovering above the roof. "They were able to bring you to me."

"So what, you used innocent people as bait?" Spidey shook his head, clicking his tongue in dismay. "That's low. Even for you."

"Hey, you do what you do," Electro responded. "And I do what I do. Simple as that."

"Okay then. Well, what I'm gonna 'do' now is make sure the first thing you see after the coma I'm about to give you are the steel bars of a jail cell."

Electro charged up his hands with electricity.

"Good luck with that," he responded before firing at Spider-Man.

Spidey back-flipped out of the way of each shot until he flipped off the edge of the building. Electro was quick to follow. Spider-Man shot another line and swung off, with Electro hot on his trail.

"Alright," Spider-Man said to himself. "Think, Spidey, think..."

He looked around, searching for anything that could help in his fight. Suddenly, he caught sight of a sign reading "Tire Barn", giving him an idea.

"Bingo," he noted before turning back to Electro. "Hey, sparky! Your wattage running low?! I'm just getting warmed up!"

Irritated, Electro let out a scream, causing electricity to shoot out of his mouth toward Spider-Man. It hit him dead on, causing him to fall out of the sky and hit a chainlink fence.

"Ok… ow."

Shaking his head, Spider-Man quickly climbed up the fence and made his way inside. He didn't get far before Electro landed on the ground, shooting at him. Sensing his every attack, Spider-Man leaped and dodged around the lot, staying one step ahead of his attacks.

"Won't escape me that easily, web-slinger!" Electro called out.

"You think this is easy?!" Spidey commented, climbing up a pile of tires. "You and I are clearly watching different fights."

Electro just kept shooting at him, causing Spidey to dodge frantically and knock down some tires. Thinking fast, Spidey shot a web at one of the tires and flung it toward Electro. He blasted it, causing it to melt at his feet. Spider-Man then started kicking some more tires down to Electro, prompting him to keep blasting.

"This is your best shot?" Electro noted. "Pathetic."

"Will you please look who's talking," Spidey taunted, slinging some more ties down his way."

"At least I'm standing my ground and not throwing trash at my opponent," Electro retorted, blasting more and more tires.

"Yeah, well, I believe in fighting smarter, not harder," Spidey replied, kicking another stack of tires at him.

"I wouldn't call this smart," Electro noted, still blasting away. "Eventually, you're gonna run out of tires, and then I'm gonna-"

Electro tried to take a step forward but found his foot was stuck. He looked down and saw that the melted tires were trapping his feet on the ground.

"Gonna what?" Spidey asked. "Take me out for a spin?"

Spidey then leaped up, webbing a stack of tires into the air before kicking them one by one on top of Electro until he was completely covered. Energy surged out of Electro as he tried to free himself, causing the tires to melt on top of him and encase him in hardened rubber. Spider-Man leaped down and knocked on his makeshift prison.

"I have to say, that coat, or should I say, coating, looks amazing on you," he commended. "Nonconductive you say? Gorgeous."

Electro growled in frustration as he tried to free himself.

"Hey, don't worry," Spidey reassured. "I'm sure the police will be by to bust you out soon. In the meantime, I have other things to-"

Just then, a clock started chiming. Spider-Man looked up to see a nearby clock tower chiming six, causing his eyes to go wide.

"Oh no, the bakery!" he let out, firing a web and swinging off. "No, no, no, no, no!"

…

After quickly changing back into Peter Parker, he rushed towards the bakery as fast as he could.

"Maybe it's not too late," he tried telling himself. "Maybe the guy's still there. Maybe I can talk to him. Just please don't let me be-"

Just as he reached the door handle to open it, he saw that the inside was dark and long closed up, with no one inside.

"Too late…" he let out, lightly hitting his head on the glass. "Perfect."

….

Later, Peter was riding home, mentally kicking himself regarding his failure.

"Ever since I became Spider-Man, I've just been trying to do the right thing… So why does it always keep blowing up in my face? I take down a supervillain, five more take his place. I bring down the Kingpin of Crime, he gets off on bail. And Osborn… well, what can't I say about that. I can't even pick up a cake on time… what's it take to get a win around here?"

Finally, he pulled up to his house, walking his bike the rest of the driveway.

…

Inside the house, May Parker was putting the last touches on dinner when Peter came inside.

"Uh, hey Aunt May," he greeted nervously.

"Oh, Peter," she replied. "You're back just in time. Dinner's almost ready. Just put the cake in the fridge and we can get started."

Peter winced a bit as she mentioned the cake, trying to find the words to tell her.

"Right… the cake…"

"You did get it, didn't you?" May asked, turning towards him.

"I… I tried… I just…"

May sighed, then pulled Peter into a hug. "Let me guess, the Bugle wanted photos of Spider-Man in his latest fight?"

"Uh… yeah. I know it's a bad excuse, I just thought we could use a little extra-"

"Oh Peter, I understand." She pulled back, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead. "These things happen. Besides, I'm sure I can scrounge up enough to make a cake for Ben."

"That's… that's great. Thanks."

"Of course. Now you go ahead and wash up."

Peter nodded before heading to the sink, his face dropping as he thought to himself.

"Sorry Uncle Ben…"

…

Back at the Tire Barn, several police officers arrived to pick up Electro. A metal hook was attached to the rubber cocoon, preparing him for transport.

"Alright, move him out!" Captain Stacey called out. "But handle with care. Electro's still dangerous."

"Captain Stacey," a new voice spoke up.

Captain Stacey turned around to see a man in a black suit and sunglasses walking up to him.

"Can I help you?" Stacey asked.

"I'm Agent Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."

Captain Stacey let out a whistle.

"That's a mouthful," he commented.

"You can call us SHIELD. Your prisoner has been designated a level seven threat. We're taking custody of Mr. Dillon and transporting him to a designated facility."

Stacey paused for a moment, taken aback by the request, but he did like the idea of qualified individuals handling a case as serious as Electro.

"Alright," Stacey relented. "Just be careful. Dillon is not to be underestimated."

"Don't worry Captain, we're trained to handle guys like this. It's what we do."

Chapter Text

On the streets of New York City, numerous black vans with yellow hexagons on the side drove down the road. Inside each one was several men dressed in yellow suits reminiscent of beekeepers sat in the back, all arming high-caliber weapons in their hands.

"Ten minutes until arrival," one of the men reported.

"Right," another replied. "Mind telling me why we're wasting all this time on a college egghead?"

"Because this 'egghead' has been working on a top-secret project the Scientist Supreme believes could have tremendous potential for us. Whoever controls this discovery, could control the future."

"It's that powerful?"

"Oh yeah. Scary, powerful."

…

At Greyburn University, a multitude of students, school officials, and representatives from various companies were all taking their seats in front of a massive stage. Peeking out from behind the curtain of the stage was Janet Van Dyne, a well-known fashion designer, socialite, and financial backer for the day's big presentation.

"How are we looking out there?" a voice asked.

"It looks like a hell of a turnout," Jan commented. "I think every student and faculty member is here.

She pulled back and turned towards the source of the voice, Dr. Henry Pym. He had his lab coat buttoned up to his neck, covering most of his clothing aside from black boots and black gloves.

"Well, that's only slightly daunting," he commented.

"Hey, you're gonna knock 'em dead out there," Jan reassured, walking over to him. "You've worked too hard to fail now. We've run every simulation there is to run and performed every safety test. This is going to go well. I promise.

"I know, I'm just… this is something I've worked towards my entire life. Creating something that could change the world for the better."

"And this is going to do that in spades." She gave his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Have a little faith in yourself, ok?"

Hank let out a sigh, smiling back at her.

"If you're so sure…"

"I am," she reassured, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Though, might not wanna lead with that thing with the ants."

"Why not?"

"It's… a little silly. Just… focus on the other thing for now."

Hank just rolled his eyes in response.

"If you say so."

"Great. I'll go warm 'em up for you."

She then turned back towards the curtain and went outside, leaving Hank to get ready for the demonstration.

…

Outside the college, the black vans began pulling up, circling the main building. Once they were all parked, the men inside climbed out, with two men for each van carrying a rather large metal device. They carried these devices toward the building and placed them along the walls. Once they were placed on the ground, the agents turned knobs on the top, causing them to power up.

"Devices are set," one of the agents reported.

"Setting timer for five minutes," another agent chimed in.

"Once the devices go off, make your way inside and retrieve the technology. No mistakes."

"Understood," a third agent replied.

"And if there's resistance…" the lead agent raised his weapon. "You know what to do."

…

Back inside, Jan walked up to a microphone at the front of the stage, tapping it to make sure it was working.

"Hello, can everyone hear me?" she asked, her voice getting everyone's attention. "Thank you. Thank you all for coming tonight. What you are about to see today is an advancement in science the likes of which the world has never seen before. In this crazy world of superpowers and monsters, it can be easy to feel small and helpless. However, today's speaker believes there are advantages to being small. To be down at that scale can allow us to see the world in a new and unique way. That what some might consider being small and insignificant can actually be a window into how wondrous and beautiful our planet can truly be."

From backstage, Hank couldn't help but smile at her words as he slid off his lab coat and prepared his presentation.

…

Outside, the devices started glowing up, one after another. Each one was primed to go off.

…

"And so, without further ado," Jan continued. "I am proud to present to you-"

Before she could finish her speech, however, the devices outside go off, shutting down the power to the entire building. The audience was shocked by the sudden happenstance, as was Janet, but she tried to keep a level head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm."

Just then, a laser beam shot through the side wall, causing everyone to panic as it proceeded to cut a circle out of the wall. The chunk of wall fell to the ground, allowing the agents to enter one after the other. Once they were all in, the lead agent made hand motions to signal the others. Half went to secure the room and make sure no one would leave, while the other half stormed the stage.

"Where is he?" the lead agent asked.

"Who?" Jan asked.

"Dr. Henry Pym! We know he's here."

"Never heard of him."

One of the agents held Janet as another went behind the curtain. His demeanor only worsened when he found no sign of Pym, say for his lab coat on the ground. Enraged, the agent stormed back onto the stage.

"He's not here. Fan out and search for him!"

The other agents nodded before spreading out around the room and beginning their search. The audience members all cowered in fear as the agents moved through the rows of seats. One of the patrons was beginning to feel nervous, his eyes darting towards the nearest exit. Finally breaking, he bolted towards the door. One of the agents looked up, saw the man running, and opened fire on him. The blast hit him in the back, causing him to instantly drop to the ground and the crowd to scream in horror.

"Anyone else wants to try something stupid?" the agent asked before turning to a small group of agents. "You, check the lab. Pym could be hiding in there."

Four agents went off as Jan watched on in trepidation.

"What do you want with Hank anyway?" she asked.

"Do you know who we are?" the lead agent asked.

"Very aggressive beekeepers?"

"We are AIM. The Advanced Idea Mechanics. We control the course of scientific advancement and shape it towards the future. We know of Dr. Pym's breakthrough technology. It grants its user the ability to reduce in size while retaining weight and strength."

Jan paused for a moment, before cracking up laughing in response.

"Are you for real? I think you guys have been reading too many comic books."

"Laugh all you want, we know such technology is here. And once we have it… our agents will be unstoppable."

Janet just looked on in horror.

….

Meanwhile, the other AIM agents continued making their way toward Hanks's lab. Once there, one of the agents kicked down the door.

"Find him," one of the agents ordered. "And take anything regarding the research."

The others nodded before scouring the lab, turning stuff over, and knocking equipment to the ground to look for data on the technology they were after.

"Tons of notes here," a second agent reported, picking up some papers. "No sign of Pym though."

"Keep looking." a third agent ordered. "We can't return without-"

Before he could finish, he fell to the ground with a thud, as though he'd been punched. This caught the other agents off guard since there was no one else in the room. The remaining AIM agents readied their weapons and looked around the room looking for the mysterious interloper. They continued moving around the room, completely on edge.

"What was that?" one AIM agent asked.

"I have an idea," another agent replied. "It must be the technology."

"Keep your guard up." a third one instructed. "It could be any-"

Before he could finish, the agent was taken out in the same manner as the first one. On instinct, the other two AIM agents began firing around the room in the vain hope that one of their blasts would hit their mysterious attacker. Their ammo, however, was wasted, as their attacker was a shrunken down Hank Pym, sporting a red and black suit with a silver helmet that had an antenna on either side of his head, red eye covers, and a circular mouthpiece. He ran along the floor before leaping up and striking an agent, knocking him into a wall. He then leaped off and grabbed onto the barrel of the second agent, flipping onto the gun itself just as it fired. He then ran along the gun before leaping up and hitting the guy in the face, cracking his visor as he fell to the ground. The other agent quickly picked himself up, just firing randomly all around him in the hopes of hitting something. Pym however just leaped towards him, grabbing one of the cables on his helmet before suddenly growing human-sized and flipping him towards the doorway, making him hit the ground hard. As he groaned in pain, Pym walked over to him, more than a little irritated.

"Why are you here?" Pym demanded.

"We were sent here to obtain a rumored technology called the Pym Particles. Though it doesn't seem to be rumored anymore."

"Guess not."

Pym then punched him out before pondering his next move. He looked around the lab, seeing several broken pieces of equipment before noting an ant farm smashed onto the ground. Seeing the ants starting to crawl free, a smile graced his face under his helmet.

…

Back in the auditorium, the head agent was getting fidgety as the away team had yet to return.

"What's keeping them?" he demanded.

"Maybe they're taking a campus tour," Jan joked.

The head agent turned towards her in irritation. Jan raised her hands defensively, her eyes darting to something on the ground. The head agent noticed, instantly turning around and aiming his gun. To his surprise, nothing was there.

"What were you looking at?"

"Uh…nothing."

He turned towards Jan, leveling the gun at her head.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know something and I want to know what."

"I honestly couldn't say."

That caused the head agent to grab her arm and pull her in close.

"I'm going to ask one last time. Tell me where Hank Pym is, or I'm going to-"

Just then, the head agent felt a sharp pain in his hands, causing him to let go of Jan and drop the gun. He pulled off his glove to see several ants biting at his hand. He looked up to see his fellow agents suffering similar pains as they tried to swat off the ants targeting them.

"What the… ants?!" the head agent let out.

"Very painful ones," Jan remarked, punching him in the face.

He fell over as she ran over to the exit, pushing the doors open.

"Everyone out!" she called out.

The hostages quickly started filing out of the room, prompting one of the agents to fight against the pain, grabbing his gun and aiming it at the people trying to flee. Before he could get a shot off, however, an invisible force collided with his chest, knocking him into a wall before dropping to the ground. Once he dropped, Hank grew to normal size, looking out at the crowd to see several of the agents pulling the ants off and reaching for their guns. Hank quickly shrunk down again, leaping towards an agent and hitting him in the face. He then leaped off and hit the hand of another agent, causing him to drop the gun before growing to normal size and uppercut him, knocking him out. The final agent opened fire on Hank, prompting him to shrink down and run across the ground, dodging and weaving between the blasts before leaping onto the ground and sliding towards the agent. This knocked the agent off his heat before growing to normal size and shoved him to the ground, knocking him to the ground.

While this was going on, Jan just finished getting everyone out of the room before turning back to see Hank taking out the agents, a smile gracing her face as a result. Just then an arm wrapped around her neck and a gun barrel was aimed at her head.

"Don't move!" the leader called out, getting Hank's attention.

Hank turned around, holding up his hands at the sight.

"Wait! Don't hurt her!"

"So, it's true. A size-altering suit that amplifies physical strength."

"Yes," Hank confirmed, discreetly activating a feature on his helmet.

"I want the suit. Now!"

"It won't do you much good. I'm the only one who knows how to operate it."

The leader gave him a look beneath his cracked mask.

"You're lying," he deduced.

"No, I'm not! The suit's technology is highly advanced. You can't-"

"Stop stalling! Now hand over the suit before I-"

Just then, his entire body started flaring up in pain, causing him to let go of Jan and the gun as he tried swatting down parts of his body to try and stop the pain. As he did, Hank took this chance to shrink down and leap towards him, hitting him in the face and knocking him out. The leader hit the ground hard as Hank grew back to normal size, seeing several ants crawling out of the sleeves of his uniform as Jan walked up, prompting him to flip his faceplate up and reveal his face.

"Still think controlling ants is dumb?" he remarked.

"It… has its uses," Jan relented.

…

Later on, the police showed up to take the AIM agents away, with Hank and Jan watching from a distance, the former wearing a labcoat over his suit. Hank looked on with regret as the man who was shot was loaded into an ambulance.

"I can't believe how bad things got," Hank lamented. "And all because they were after my work."

"You had no idea, Hank," Jan consoled. "You made that suit to help people. It's not your fault those AIM jerks would come after it.

"All the same… I think we should hold off on any more big reveals. It's too big a risk for something like this to happen."

"So, what? You're just gonna lock the suit up?"

"I… don't know…"

Jan took hold of his arm, prompting him to face her.

"These people would have died if it weren't for you. This technology you've created, it can make a difference in the world. Help people."

"What? Like a superhero?"

"Why not? Hank Pym, the Astonishing Ant-Man! What do you think?"

Hank chuckled a little in response.

"Ant-Man? Kinda hokey don't you think?"

"Hey, it seems appropriate. You can do this."

"You really think so?"

"With a little self-confidence… and maybe a partner."

Hank raised an eyebrow in confusion before he went wide-eyed as he finally pieced together what she meant. Jan just chuckled in response.

Chapter Text

"There's been some speculation that I have been involved in recent events regarding global instability. And while I may have given a technological edge to the man in question-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," a reporter interrupted. "But do you honestly believe that was just a bodyguard in a suit you created? That conveniently showed up in some of the most desolate-"

"Ok, it's one thing to question the official story, but it's another thing to infer that I am a superhero."

"I never said you were a superhero."

"Of course not. I'm just not the hero type, clearly. With all the mistakes I've made publicly and privately-"

"Just stick to the cards, man," a third man whispered into the first man's ear.

"Right. The truth is…" the man paused for a moment, before dropping the cards and saying something that would change his life forever. "I am Iron Man."

The crowd erupted in questions before the video paused.

"I am Iron Man," A TV host repeated from the clip. "Those three words took the world by storm as famed billionaire, Tony Stark, announced himself as the famed armor-clad hero. For the first time, a public superhero announces his identity to the world. But, there are still so many questions Mr. Stark has left unanswered. Why become a hero? What's with the suit? What will he do next? Well, hopefully, we'll get those answers tonight. Please allow me to welcome our very special guest, Tony Stark!"

As the audience erupted with applause, Tony walked out from behind the stage making peace signs with his hands, and the Black Sabbath song, Iron Man, played in the studio. Tony then took a seat in a chair across from the host.

"Mr. Stark, thank you for joining us," the host greeted, shaking his hand.

"My pleasure. And please, call me Tony."

"Alright, I'm sure that you've probably been asked this by the many reporters covering your famous announcement, but-"

"I can't tell you how I go to the bathroom in the suit. It's a trade secret."

The crowd erupted into laughter, one mirrored by the host and Stark himself. After it died down, the host cleared his throat.

"Very funny. But in all seriousness, why did you decide to announce your identity to the public? I mean, isn't it against the superhero rule book to reveal your secret identity?"

"Well I've never been one to play by the to answer your question, I did it for three reasons. One, I didn't feel comfortable living half of my life as a lie. Two, I've always been big in the public eye before, wearing a high-tech suit of armor isn't gonna change that."

"And three?"

"I like the attention."

One more, the audience laughed at his joke, with the host laughing as well.

"I think we're all aware of that fact Mr. Stark. You wouldn't be on this show if you weren't." He then leaned forward, a serious expression on his face. "Now, here's a question I know has been burning in the minds of everybody since your announcement. Why become Iron Man? What made you decide to stop being the genius, millionaire, playboy, and philanthropist, and start being Iron Man?"

"To become a genius 'billionaire' playboy philanthropist," Tony answered. "As for why to become a hero, well, let me take you back about eight months ago. I was living it up back then. Parties, yachts, women, a lot of those came up. Basically, my two concerns back then were having fun and making things that blow up."

…

Eight Months Ago, Afghanistan

"Someone once asked, is it better to be feared, or respected," Tony said to a large group of soldiers. "I say… is it too much to ask for both?"

A row of soldiers stood in front of Stark, all of them looking at him with deadpan stares devoid of any amusement. Amongst the group, near the back, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, more commonly known as Rhodey, face palmed audibly at Tony's attempt at humor.

"Wrong crowd Tony..." he muttered.

"People like to say the best weapon is the one you never have to fire," Tony continued undeterred. "I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how my father did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty damn well so far."

As he continued talking, a large missile got into position ready to fire.

"This is that weapon," Tony resumed. "Utilizing the latest in Stark Industries repulsor technology, let loose one of these, and your terrorist buddies won't have the guts to climb out of their spider hole."

As if on cue, the missile launched into the air, arching towards the cliffs off in the distance. As it approached its target, several smaller missiles sprang out from the side and rocketed towards the same location. Tony couldn't help but smirk at the prospect.

"Gentlemen, for your consideration, I proudly present…." he spread his arms wide. "The Jericho."

There was a series of explosions, the cliffs erupting in a cloud of dust and dirt. The shock wave traveled across the desert, ruffling a few coats and blowing off a few hats as it blew through the presentation.

"So, shall we start the bidding at say… 20 million apiece." Tony offered.

…

"It was a living back then," Tony continued. "And I've been told I was quite good at it."

"And yet you gave it all up," the host spoke up again. "Though if memory serves, it was for a good reason."

"Oh yes. You really get a better understanding of life when you're blown away by a missile with your name on it."

…

"Sorry Rhodey, this is the Fun-vee. The humdrum-vee's back there." Tony joked, closing the door of his jeep before Rhodey could get in.

Rhodey sighed, having grown used to Tony's childish antics after years of being his military liaison and friend.

"Be careful man," he said before heading off to the designated Humvee.

After a while, the Humvee carrying Tony was still trucking down the trail. Just then, some explosion caused the Humvee to swerve to a stop. One by one, the soldiers inside got out to take out the mysterious enemies. Though one by one, they all got shot down. Panicking, Tony got out of the Humvee and ducked behind some rocks. He got out a specialized phone he had and tried dialing to call for help. Before he could get a call out, a missile landed on the ground next to him. Tony looked at the missile and went wide-eyed when he saw it had the Stark Industries logo on the side.

"Oh shi-"

The missile blew, sending him flying back a few feet before landing hard on his back. His entire body was screaming in pain as several blood stains began to form on his shirt. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a few blurry shapes surrounding him.

…

"Yeah, certainly not a fun day," Tony remarked.

"Blown up by your own missile. Talk about irony."

"You're telling me. The only thing that makes it worse is that the missile left a cluster of shrapnel inside my chest."

There were many sympathetic hisses of pain, and even the host winced.

"If that's true, shouldn't you be dead?"

"By all accounts, yes. But I was worth more alive than dead, so my captors helped me… sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Let's just say I was hooked up with something a lot less fancy than the little circle of light I got right now."

…

Tony snapped awake. He looked around to see what looked like the inside of a cave. He looked down at his chest to see several wires coming out of it. He pulled away some of the bandages near them to reveal some kind of metal contraption attached to his chest.

"What the hell?" Tony let out.

"I apologize for the crude mechanics," a voice apologized in a thick, middle eastern accent. "But it was the best I could do with the equipment at hand."

Tony turned to see a man in a vest and tie tending to a stew.

"Who are you?" Tony asked. "What did you do to me?"

"My name is Yinsen," the man answered. "And I just saved your life."

Yinsen then held up a small jar of metal shrapnel.

"These… these were in your chest," Yinsen explained. "I removed as much as I could, but there's still a lot left, working its way into your heart. That thing in your chest is an electromagnet hooked up to a car battery. It's the only thing keeping you alive right now."

At that moment, the door to the room began to shudder, the sound of metal on metal grating at their ears as a few locks were opened, allowing several armed men to come inside. Tony went wide-eyed at the sight of the weapons.

"Those… those are my guns," Tony realized. "How did they get my guns?"

"Be quiet," Yinsen whispered.

"You," one of the men said, pointing at Stark. "The master wants to see you."

"Master?" Tony questioned. "Who-"

Tony was cut off as he was grabbed by two men, dragging him out of the room.

…

"Doesn't sound like you were in the finest care," the host surmised.

"Not in the slightest," Tony confirmed. "You see I was in the care of a powerful and, in my opinion, testy, terrorist organization called the Ten Rings. And I had the honor of meeting their boss. An insane radicalise known as, the Mandarin.

…

Being led in by several of the armed soldiers, Tony was brought into another part of the cave. This part housed a wooden throne, and on it was a man wearing silver and gold armor with a helmet that had an armored face covering his own, and ten glowing blue rings on his fingers. Tony was thrown to his knees before this man, still clutching the car battery powering his magnet.

"So, this is the great Tony Stark," the man surmised. "Welcome."

Tony looked up at the man in both fear and confusion.

"Who are you?" Tony asked.

"You may call me, the Mandarin." he introduced, rising from his throne. "And I am in need of your services."

"And I need to know where you got a hold of Stark Industries technology. Last time I checked, we don't sell to Terrorists."

"We have our means. But with all these wonderful tools at my disposal, there is still one that eludes me. The one that would grant me the power to dispatch any who would stand in my way… your precious Jericho missile."

Tony paused for a moment before looking up at him.

"No."

The Mandarin paused, then struck his hand out, unleashing a blast of energy from his rings, knocking him back.

"What…" Tony let out, picking himself up. "What the hell?!"

"It must be jarring for you, Stark," Mandarin mused, walking towards him. "Being the one without power in the room. To feel weak. Helpless. This should give you a clue as to what's in store for you. Agree to build my missile, and you will go free and unharmed. Resist me, and I will kill you."

At that moment, the faces of the soldiers that had died to protect him flashed before his eyes. At least half a dozen innocent men and women who had given their lives to protect him, only to die because of his weapons. Now, he was staring at the man who was behind it all. He may have supplied the weapons, but the Mandarin had pulled the trigger. And he would do it again, with or without the Jericho missile.

"What do you say?" Mandarin asked.

…

"In the end, I agreed to help him," Tony admitted, with no small amount of shame in his voice.

There were many horrified gasps, and even the host seemed speechless. Tony just continued with his story, completely lost in it.

"I knew that if I didn't agree to help, he'd just find someone else to do it. Someone who wasn't brave enough, or stupid enough, to do something else. Mandarin provided me with a lab, and all the tools I could ask for. Of course, my first order of business was a more… permanent solution to my shrapnel problem."

…

After an unknown time of work, Tony had finished his little personal project. A small circle emanating blue light from the center. Yinsen looked at this in confusion.

"That doesn't look like a Jericho missile," Yinsen said.

"That's because it's not," Tony answered "It's a miniaturized arc reactor. Got a big one powering my facility at home."

"How much power is it generating?" Yinsen asked.

"If my math is right, which it is, three gigajoules per that'll be enough?"

"That can power an entire city for fifty lifetimes..." Yinsen gasped.

"Yeah, or something big for fifteen minutes," Tony replied, showing him some plans.

Yinsen looked at the pieces of paper and they revealed a metal suit of armor. His eyes widened.

"Stark… This is… not the Jericho missile..."

"No… it's something else."

…

"And that 'something else' became my first Iron Man suit." Tony continued. "It took quite some time to put together. I mean, I was in a cave with a box of scraps after all."

"So, you built the first Iron Man suit to escape from the Mandarin?"

"That's right. But some things didn't go exactly to plan."

…

As Tony finished putting on the final pieces of the suit, Yinsen typed away on a laptop, powering it up.

"Are you sure this plan of yours will work, Stark?" he questioned for probably the hundredth time since they began the plan.

"Positive," Tony confirmed. "Remember, wait about ten minutes before following me out."

As they continued working, the sound of men fast approaching echoed throughout the cave. Yinsen looked up, realizing what was at stake.

"We need more time," he realized.

With that, Yinsen picked up a nearby machine gun he'd cobbled together for such an occasion and ran out.

"Yinsen!" Tony called. "Yinsen what are you doing?! Stick to the plan!"

As Yinsen sprinted out of the room, Tony glared at the computer, furious at how long the progress was taking.

"Come on… come on."

Finally, the progress bar was filled, and all the lights in the room dimmed. There was the sound of heavy, moving machinery, then the men began to file in. They looked around in the dark room for Tony. Suddenly, a blue light turned on. The guards turned to see the giant metal men standing before him. One swipe with his arm knocked one of the guards aside. The others tried opening fire at him, but Tony knocked them aside as well on his way out.

As he continued through the cavern, several other guards fired at the metal man. All their weapons proved to be useless. Tony then set a missile on his wrist and fired it at the terrorists, taking them out. As he continued walking out of the cave, he came across Yinsen lying on the ground, clutching his stomach. Blood was pouring from several bullet wounds in his abdomen.

"Yinsen!" Tony let out walking over to him. "Yinsen hold on."

"It's alright Stark…" Yinsen replied, his breath weak.

"Come on, I'm gonna get you out of here."

"It's alright… you go..."

Tony just stood there, feeling completely useless regarding his friend's condition.

"Just promise me one thing… don't waste… don't waste your life…"

With that, Yinsen breathed his last breath and closed his eyes… for good. Enraged by this, Tony continued walking out of the cave, where he was greeted by several more terrorists, with Mandarin standing in front of them.

"An impressive effort Mr. Stark," Mandarin taunted. "But it ends here. Kill him!"

On order, all the terrorists present unleashed all their ammunition on Tony. However, not a single bullet was able to pierce the suit's metal exterior. All their clips had emptied out at that point, leaving Tony still standing.

"Nice try," Tony replied. "My turn."

With that, Tony activated specialized flamethrowers attached to his arms and attacked the terrorists, burning several of them and destroying many of the weapons. Tony continued unleashing the streams of fire on the camp, reducing many more of the stolen weapons to ashes. In the heat of the explosion, Mandarin walked through the flames, undaunted as he approached Stark. He fired a missile from his other wrist, only for Mandarin to raise his hand and clench his fist, encasing the missile in an energy field which he then used to fling the missile back at Stark. It exploded, knocking him to the ground as Mandarin began to approach. Tony pressed a few more buttons on his suit, activating special rockets on his boots. He then began flying upward and towards freedom. Unfortunately, after a few seconds of flight, the jets died out, causing Tony to crash into the sand.

…

"Needless to say, there were still some bugs to iron out," Tony admitted.

"I'll bet," the host agreed. "Though if I remember things right, you were rescued not long afterward.

"I was. Rhodey had a few choice words about the fun-vee when he found me in the desert, but I was glad to see him."

He's the one who brought you back to the US, correct?"

"Right. And when I got back, I had my own little bombshell to drop."

…

Inside the Stark Industries main office building, Tony walked into a room filled with reporters, ready to make a statement on what had happened.

"Thank you all for coming." Tony greeted. "I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here. Well for one thing to tell you I'm alive."

The reporters chuckled a bit at that.

"And to share a bit of what happened over there." he continued. "I was… I don't even…" Tony struggled to find the right words. A situation he never truly found himself in before. "I saw brave American men and women killed…by the very weapons that I had created to defend and protect them. I saw what my technology could be used for in the wrong hands. I realized… that I had become part of a system that was comfortable with zero accountability… in short, I had my eyes opened. I realized that I have so much more to offer this world than making things that blow up. Which is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries."

That announcement caused an uproar among the reporters, wanting answers to Tony's sudden change of direction. However, before he could attempt to begin to answer them, Pepper Potts, his personal secretary, quickly came and ushered him off the stage, away from the reporters.

…

"Needless to say, Pepper was not happy with me that day."

"Or your stockholders I assume," the host surmised.

"They all assumed I had PTSD. But I had something other than stock figures in mind."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't get those faces out of my head. The soldiers I got killed, Yinsen, and I couldn't stop thinking that had I not sent Rhodey away, he would have been amongst them. I also knew that there were more weapons out there, more terrorists using Stark Weapons to hurt innocent people, and I needed to stop them. And I had a pretty good idea how."

"The suit."

"I spent weeks tinkering with the design, making it more streamlined. More functional. Though there was some… trial and error along the way.

…

"Alright, propulsion test number one," Tony stated as he was being filmed. "Starting power levels at ten percent. Ready in three. Two. One."

Tony pressed the button to activate the jets, and immediately shot himself into the ceiling before crashing back down to the ground. DUM-E, one of Stark's drones, activated his fire extinguisher trying to put out the nonexistent fire. Tony just groaned in response.

…

"But after a lot of work, I had finally perfected it. And I was ready for round 2 with the Mandarin."

…

The Mandarin had led an assault on Gulmira, expanding his control of the region. His men were spread throughout the village clearing people out of their homes and shooting several more.

"Clear those houses!" He ordered. "Leave no one behind!"

The men kept grabbing civilians and loaded them onto several trucks ready to pull out. One man was being loaded onto a separate truck from his family, his wife and young son screaming in protest. The man managed to break free, attempting to run back to his family but was struck down by the butt of one of the guns. The Mandarin noticed this and sneered.

"Kill this wretch! Make an example out of him!"

One of the men nodded and aimed his rifle at him. Before he could take the shot, some loud jet-like sound rang out in the sky. Everybody looked up to see some kind of fast-moving object racing towards them. The object landed right in front of the terrorists with a thud, revealing a man in a red and yellow suit of armor.

"Seems my last bout with you guys didn't stick," The suited man remarked. "Maybe it will this time."

Mandarin raised an eyebrow at this remark, then went wide-eyed realizing who this was.

"Stark?" Mandarin realized.

"Hi."

Tony fired a repulsor blast at him, knocking him into a wall. The other terrorists then began firing at Tony, but he just punched one of the guards aside. He then fired one repulsor blast after another at the terrorists taking them out. He turned to take out some more but saw that those terrorists were holding several of the villager's hostage. Tony slowly lowered his arm, turning the repulsor off. Then, a hatch on the back of the suit opened, sending out four projectiles, ones that locked onto the terrorists. They struck, killing them instantly while keeping the hostages unharmed. As the terrorists fell to the ground, the villagers ran towards their loved ones, the boy from before embracing his father. Tony looked on at this before turning to see the Mandarin starting to get up and looking royally ticked off.

"An impressive feat of engineering, Stark," Mandarin admitted. "If I had known you were capable of such fine work I would've treated you better."

"Right," Tony dismissed, walking over to him. "I believe that. About as much as I believe in Santa Claus."

Tony then jetted forward, slamming Mandarin against a wall.

"Do you think it will be that easy?" Mandarin replied. "You've seen what I'm capable of."

"And I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

Mandarin placed his hands on Tony's chest plate, a surge of energy engulfing his hands so he could shove Tony away. He skidded across the ground, his screen going fuzzy for a second. The Mandarin walked towards him, energy bellowing from the rings on his hands.

"No matter how advanced your suits are, you are still nothing compared to the power I wield."

Tony fired a repulsor blast at him, but Mandarin clenched a fist, forming an energy shield that absorbed it. He then sent out an electrical field at Tony, causing his systems to overload. He cried out in pain as Mandarin sped forward, grabbing Tony by the throat and slamming him to the ground. Tony then fired another repulsor, blasting Mandarin back before jetting away and getting to his feet. The Mandarin fired an energy blast at Tony, prompting him to raise his own shields to block it, his mind racing to find a counter to the Mandarin's power.

"JARVIS, what the hell am I looking at?"

"Unknown energy signature."

"Jeez, you're a load of help! Any suggestions?"

"Best counter suggestion would be an expulsion of power from the chest plate, though this could cause a drain on-"

"Do it!"

Tony then lowered the shield and fired out a shot of energy from his chest plate. The blast collided with the Mandarin, launching him into a building, and causing the building to crumble on top of him.

"That was for Yinsen."

With that, Tony activated his boot jets and flew off.

…

"And that was basically the beginning," Tony continued. "After a while, word of my exploits reached the states, coined the name 'Iron Man' for me. Which isn't really that accurate considering the suits made of a gold-titanium alloy, though gold-titanium alloy man isn't nearly as catchy."

The room filled with laughter, a welcome relief after such a tense story.

"After a while, rumors circulated that I was somehow involved in this." Tony resumed. "So, I held a press conference meaning to clarify these rumors and… well we all know how that turned out."

"Indeed we do, Tony," the host agreed. "Now I have one more question for you. The Iron Man rumors aren't the only ones circulating around. Is it true what they're saying about you and your secretary, Miss Pepper Potts?"

"That all depends on what they're saying."

"They're saying you and Miss Potts have a... Personal relationship. One that goes beyond a working relationship, if you know what I'm saying."

"I see… Well, that's news to me. I'd find it hard to believe Pepper would get in a personal relationship with me without my knowledge."

Once more, laughter filled the room.

"Alright. Well, that's all the time we have for tonight. Thank you, Mr. Stark, for talking with us tonight. I think we were all grateful to learn more about Iron Man, and Tony Stark."

"My pleasure," Tony replied, standing up and walking out.

…

Outside the studio, Tony walked over to a car where his driver, Happy Hogan, was waiting. He opened the back passenger door, allowing him to get inside where Pepper was waiting.

"Well that went well," she noted.

"You almost sound surprised," Tony remarked.

"Well, at least you didn't go too far off script this time."

"You're not really upset I outed myself, are you?"

"Upset? No. You're always gonna do things your way. Even if it's ill-advised. Especially if it's ill-advised."

"And that question about us being involved. You don't think it was too invasive, do you?"

"I…" Pepper cleared her throat a little before continuing. "Don't think it was invasive at all. Hardly relevant in fact."

"Right. I mean if I did have a girlfriend, she'd constantly be worried I was going to get myself killed and yet so proud of the man I had become. She'd be so conflicted, which would make her even crazier for-"

Suddenly Pepper's hand went against his mouth, forcing him to stop talking.

"I know this sounds physically impossible for you… but shut up."

Tony just shrugged as Pepper leaned in, kissing him on the lips. Tony returned the gesture in kind as they drove off.

Chapter Text

It was a hot afternoon in the Nevada desert. A light breeze blew by as a teenager named Rick Jones tilted his hat down to keep the sun from getting in his eyes.

"Heck of a place to lay low, Bruce," he commented.

He adjusted the backpack over his shoulder, feeling like it weighed a ton. With all the stuff inside, he almost felt like it did. He looked up, seeing a nearby General Store just up the road. He smiled, gripping the backpack strap, he trudged on, keeping the store in his sights.

…

Once there, he threw open the door, letting the cool air wash over him as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Honey, close the door!" the woman behind the counter told him, "You're letting out all the cold air."

"Sorry about that," Rick replied, shutting the door. "Just passing through and I was hoping to get a few things."

"Sure thing, kid," she took note of his backpack. "Looks like you've got everything you own in that thing."

"Pretty much. I'm… kinda trying to find someone.

"Your girlfriend run out on you?"

"No, it's not that. Just a friend who's in trouble. You haven't seen anyone… out of the ordinary pass through here recently, have you?"

"Safe to say you're the only one I've seen this afternoon."

Just then, a low rumbling started shaking the two of them.

"What in the world is that?" the woman questioned.

"Oh no…" Rick let out.

He quickly ran outside, seeing several military helicopters fly overhead. He looked back to see a good number of tanks rolling on the ground, adding to his growing sense of dread.

"Oh boy…"

…

Inside one of the tanks, a skinny man with a mustache and an officer's uniform stood, surveying the area through a large monitor screen.

"Banner's trail leads to this desert," he recalled. "Are you sure you haven't found anything?"

"Nothing yet, Major Talbot."

"Well, keep looking! Ross will have all our heads if we can't find him! Scan the area. Calibrate for high levels of Gamma Radiation."

The soldiers inside obliged, pressing several buttons on their consoles to modify the scanners. Once the scanners were calibrated, they started sweeping the area. After a few moments, one of the screens started lighting up.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers called out. "We found something."

Talbot walked over, looking at the screen.

"There's something generating high amounts of energy twenty miles in that direction. And it's fluctuating."

"It's not the monster… he must be working on something. Follow that power source and be ready to shut it down!"

"Yes sir!"

…

The tanks began moving out, prompting Rick to run towards them and leap onto the back of one of the rear ones, pulling himself up so he could hitch a ride.

"Hang on Bruce… I'm coming…"

…

Miles away in a nearby cave, a man was working on what looked like a high-tech chair connected to a massive generator. Once he was done with the necessary adjustments, he wiped the sweat from his brow and turned toward a work table. He walked over and picked up a recorder and pressed the record button.

"Dr. Bruce Banner's personal log, final entry. At least, that's the hope. After months of work in relative seclusion, I've finally completed my Gamma Energy Siphon. Once activated, it should drain the gamma radiation from my body. Finally curing me of being… the other guy. Should the worst come to pass, I only ask that the person who finds this recording gets in contact with Professor Elizabeth Ross at Grayburn College. Tell her… she meant everything to me.

With that, Bruce turned off the recorder and went to the computer terminal, pressing a few keys before setting himself up in the chair.

"Voice authorization, Banner. Commence Gamma draining sequence."

The machines then started activating as Bruce leaned back, allowing wrist and ankle restraints to lock into place. He then closed his eyes, hoping that his nightmare would soon be over.

…

Outside, the tanks rolled up near the cave, Talbot getting out and surveying the area. As he looked around, he noted a nearby power line and a cable running down it that seemed out of place.

"So that's your secret, Banner," he noted. "Tapping into the local power plant for your little experiment," he turned towards his men. "Take it out."

One of the tanks turned towards the tower, letting out a single shot. It collided with the base of the tower, causing it to topple over and the cables connected to it to snap.

…

Inside the cave, the Siphon started to overload, much to Banner's horror.

"No… no, no, no!"

He tried pulling himself free, but the restraints were on too tight, leaving him trapped. His heart started racing as his breathing became more and more erratic. His eyes snapped shut as he struggled to free himself. His eyes opened, turning an alarming shade of green just as the machine exploded.

…

Outside, there was a massive explosion, causing Rick to panic before rushing forward.

"Bruce!" he cried

Before he could get very far, Talbott grabbed hold of Rick's arm, pulling him aside.

"You... you're that kid that's always following Banner."

"What do you want? A medal?! Let me go!"

"Not a chance, kid," Talbott pressed, twisting his arm behind his back and slamming him against the side of a tank. "It was your stupid recklessness that created this mess in the first place. Once we're done here, you and I are gonna-"

Just then, there was a rumbling coming from the cave. The two turned as something shot out from the cave entrance. After a few seconds, it crashed down in front of them. As the dust cleared, the two went wide-eyed at the sight of a large muscular creature with green skin and torn pants. It let out a growl of fury as it eyed Talbott, who released Rick in response.

"Bruce…" Rick let out.

"It's him…" Talbott realized. "The Hulk…"

After staying silent for a moment, the Hulk let out a massive roar, seemingly shaking the ground as a result.

"Open fire!" Talbott ordered.

The tanks instantly opened fire on the Hulk, with a few actually hitting him. The impact sent him crashing into a wall, scorched but otherwise, unhurt. He picked himself up, letting out a growl before running right towards them

He then jumped through the air and landed right in front of one. He picked up the tank and smashed it against the ground repeatedly. He then tore off the top of the tank and turned the bottom side over, pouring out the soldiers inside. They instantly made a run for it as Hulk tossed the bottom aside, using the top half to bash another one of the tanks repeatedly on the side, severely denting it. He dropped the top of the first tank and grabbed the barrel of the second and spun it around repeatedly before throwing it through the air. He then turned towards Talbott, anger pouring out of his face.

"Leave… Hulk… ALONE!"

Just then, a rocket flew out and hit Hulk in the back. He turned around to see several helicopters aiming their weapons at them, causing Hulk to roar once more.

"Hulk smash!" he yelled, leaping up towards them. He grabbed hold of one copter, his added weight slowly bringing the copter down towards the ground. As he landed, he tilted the copter so the blades could break off on the ground. He tossed the copter aside and took off as the other copters opened fire on him. Another missile fired at Hulk, who quickly leaped up and caught it out of the air. He tossed it aside, colliding with the side of a large rock formation, cracking it severely. As he landed, he grabbed a nearby rock and chucked it at the rutter of the copter, sending it tumbling towards the ground. While all this was going on, Rick and Talbott watched on, the former holding out hope that the big guy would come out on top.

"Come on, big guy…" he let out under his breath.

…

Not far away, a young couple in a jeep was driving across the desert, suddenly noticing the action happening nearby.

"What the heck is that?" the man asked.

"I don't know," the woman replied.

As the action continued, Hulk batted a pair of missiles away, one of them heading right towards the couple. Panicking, the two quickly dove out of the jeep as it connected, causing it to explode. The second missile flew towards the rock formation, cracking it even further. The cracking was so great that it caused the top of the formation to start to fall. Rick looked over and tried to run over, only for Talbott to grab him by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Those people are gonna be killed, you dumbass!" Rick responded. "Now let go!"

Rick tore his arm free as he made his way toward the couple.

…

Hulk meanwhile managed to dispatch the last of the military forces and was about to make his getaway. He took one last look at the downed military vehicles, suddenly noticing Rick running towards the couple in danger. He looked back towards his means of escape, genuinely questioning his next move.

…

Rick meanwhile managed to make his way over to the couple, trying to help them clear out.

"Come on!" he insisted. "We gotta move!"

Just as they started moving, however, the rock came crashing down towards them. The couple covered their faces in response as Rick braced himself for the oncoming collision. To his surprise, nothing seemed to happen. Rick cracked an eye open to see, much to his surprise, the Hulk standing before him and holding up the massive rock. He let out a massive roar as he tried to keep it up, prompting Rick to step back in surprise. The couple opened their own eyes as Hulk tossed the rock aside, letting it hit the ground with a crash before turning to them.

"You ok?" he asked.

After a beat of silence, the two screamed, quickly making a run for it. Rick, however, did not.

"You… you saved them."

"Yeah. So?"

"...why?"

Before Hulk could answer, another missile shot out and hit Hulk in the back, releasing a special gas that was making it hard for him to breathe. He began coughing and choking on the gas before keeling over.

"Hulk!" Rick shouted, coughing as some of the gas hit him as well.

Hulk eventually collapsed to the ground, his form beginning to shrink down as he reverted back to Banner. Rick struggled to reach out to him, but in the end, he collapsed as well. Talbott walked over to both of them with a smug grin on his face.

"Contact Leonard Samson at the Cube and tell him to get a cell ready," he ordered. "And get in contact with General Ross."

…

In his office, Ross was puffing on a cigar, looking at a map of Hulk sightings

"Where are you…"

Just then, his phone started ringing, prompting him to answer it.

"Ross."

"General, it's Talbott. We got him."

Ross instantly sat up.

"Where is he now?"

"We're transporting him to the Cube now."

"Hold him. I'm on my way."

…

Slowly, Rick began to regain consciousness. He shook his head to clear out the cobwebs and saw that he was sitting in a cell.

"Oh no…" he let out before running towards the cell door. "Hey! Hey, let me out! I want my phone call!"

No response came, much to Rick's irritation. Then, he got an idea.

"Hey! I said give me my phone call! I deser-" he cut himself off, acting as if he was getting choked up. "I deser-..." he made the noise again. "I-" and this time, he dropped to the ground in a limp pile.

He remained in that position, not daring to move. He could be patient and wait this out. After all, this needed to be convincing. Then, very slowly, began to jerk, shaking like he was having a seizure. He'd seen Bruce have similar convulsions, and this would definitely bring some guards his way. After a minute or two, a guard passed by and looked inside, seeing Rick's unconscious form.

"Aw hell," the guard let out, opening the door.

…

Inside his cell, Bruce was restrained by his hands and feet by large metal locks. He sat in silence, lamenting his situation. Suddenly, the cell door opened up, prompting him to look up and see Talbott entering the cell.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Not particularly. I was curing myself. If you had just stayed out of it, it would've been over."

"Oh come now, Bruce. Why would you want to get rid of such a perfect weapon?"

"You and Ross never got it, did you? The Hulk can't be controlled! The only way for the world to be safe is for me to get rid of it once and for all."

"So you say. You're more than welcome to explain that to Ross when he gets here. And trust me, he's eager to see you again.

That last bit of information surprised Bruce. He and Ross had always had their issues, most prominently, Ross wanting to seize control of the raging monster that dwelled within Bruce. So to hear that he was coming for him… to say Bruce was nervous would be an understatement. Talbott exited the cell, leaving Bruce to try and figure out a solution to this situation.

…

Meanwhile, the guard from before carried Rick to the infirmary, where he laid Rick out on a table.

"Wait here," he told him. "Doctor should be here soon."

The guard then turned and left, leaving Rick alone. Once the door to the infirmary closed, Rick pushed himself back onto his feet, holding a security card he pocketed from the guard.

"I think I'll go see the doc myself."

He then went to the door, slowly opening it to make sure the guard was gone before making his way out to find Bruce.

…

Back in his cell, Bruce was still dreading what was to come when Ross arrived. Just then, the cell door opened again, prompting Bruce to look up and see a scrawny man with a clipboard enter the room.

"Samson," Bruce recognized.

"It's good to see you again, Bruce," he greeted. "Don't worry, I know about Ross, and I won't let him use you. I know we can find a way to cure the Hulk."

"Not like this. Not here. Not while Ross has a say in things. He will never give me up."

"I know you're scared, but I swear I won't let that happen. This is a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. I just have to make a few calls, and-"

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? They're just as bad! They want to weaponize the Hulk as much as Ross does."

"If that were true, they wouldn't have allowed us to make the headway we have on Creel or Sterns. We're doing good work here."

"It may seem that way, but when the time comes, they'll want what they can't have. They see the Cube as an armory, and I know you see it as a chance at recovery, but all the Cube really is is a gamma bomb waiting to go off."

…

Meanwhile, Rick continued sneaking his way through the facility, trying to find any sign of Bruce.

"Man, this place is huge," Rick commented. "Bruce could be anywhere…"

"Feeling lost, my young friend?" a new voice asked, surprising Rick.

Rick looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Uh… hello?"

"In here."

Rick turned to one of the cells, slowly walking over to it. The cell door was mostly covered in metal with a single barred window near the top. Rick looked inside, seeing a man in an orange jumpsuit sitting alone, his face covered by shadows.

"Who are you?" Rick asked.

"A humble prisoner, like yourself. I'm assuming you're trying to remedy that."

"I'm just… trying to help a friend."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Rick raised an eyebrow in response.

"What kind of assistance?"

"I happen to know a bit of the layout of this facility. A few failed escape attempts here and there. I know where the control room is from here."

"Why are you so eager to help me?"

"I'd just like to see someone escape from this place. And it sounds like your friend doesn't belong here."

Rick sighed in response. "No, he doesn't. How do I get there."

"Head down the hallway you were walking, hang a right, turn left on the fifth door, and it should be on your right." Rick was about to leave. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"There's a special code to unlock cell doors. Just find the one your friend is in and type in the code, TA6264."

"TA6264 got it," Rick replied before heading off. "Thanks!"

"Believe me," the man replied, leaning into the light to reveal he had green skin, a goatee, and an enlarged head. "It was my pleasure."

…

Meanwhile, the Cube front entrance opened up, allowing Ross to walk inside, being greeted by Talbott.

"Welcome to the Cube, Sir," Talbott greeted.

"I trust you have him secure," Ross replied, continuing to move while Talbott followed.

"Quite. We've taken every precaution, sir. And Samson has already obtained a blood sample for us to work with."

"Perfect. I have worked for a long time to get to this moment, and I'm not gonna let it slip through my fingers again."

"Agreed," Talbott paused for a moment. "Does… she know?"

This time, it was Ross' turn to pause, stopping for a moment.

"You know how she'd react if she did. This stays with us for now."

Talbot hesitated for a moment, before nodding. The two then went off, intent on finishing their business with the Hulk.

…

Meanwhile, Rick made his way into the control room, quickly heading towards the main computer.

"Ok…" he let out, looking at the screen.

He started typing, trying to find the cell Bruce was in. After a bit of searching, he finally found a cell labeled "BANNER, BRUCE,".

"Bingo. Alright, now what was that code that guy gave me… right."

He punched in the code and pressed enter, about to relax before an alarm sounded.

"What the-"

"Alert! System override activated! Opening all cell doors!"

"What?! No, no, no, no!"

…

Throughout the prison, cell doors were opening up, allowing the various Gamma-based prisoners to escape. A once-contained ball of energy busted out of its containment bubble, taking physical form as the energy menace, Zzzax. A muscular man in a purple mask and a green coat stepped out, smirking as he ran down the hallway, running into three other colorfully dressed individuals. One in a red and white uniform with his hair exposed, one in a green and yellow jumpsuit holding a wrecking ball, and a fourth in an orange jumpsuit with a metal helmet.

"I don't know what's going on here, boys," he commented. "But I know we're gonna make the most of it!"

"Couldn't agree more boss," the one in red and white commented, tossing the purple masked one a crowbar. "The Wrecking Crew is back in business!"

In another cell, a man in a white sleeveless shirt that was being suspended in the air suddenly dropped to the ground. The second his hand touched the ground, his skin began to harden, taking on the properties of the metal ground he was standing on. A sick smile graced his face as he stood up, clenching his now metal fist in anticipation.

Finally, the cell holding the figure that helped Rick earlier opened up, prompting the man to smile as a result

…

Elsewhere in the prison, Ross and Talbott perked up at the sound of a massive alert ringing out and the cell doors opening up.

"Talbott, what the hell is going on here!" Ross demanded.

"I… I don't know, I-"

"Lockdown the facility and get the Hulkbusters online!" Ross instructed before running off. "No one leaves this prison!"

"Yes sir!" Talbott replied before heading off himself.

…

Inside his cell, Bruce dropped to the ground, his restraints releasing him as Samson ran inside.

"Bruce!" he let out as he helped him up. "Thank god you're still ok."

"Samson, what- what's going on?!"

"The entire facility is down. The prisoners are free. We have to get you out of here."

The two quickly made their way out of the cell, looking around to make sure it was safe. They quickly ducked as a piece of debris flew towards them. They picked themselves up to see a large metal creature looming over them.

"Ironclad," Bruce realized.

The two took off down the opposite direction, hearing Ironclad roar as he charged after them. They quickly rounded a corner and ducked into a cell as Ironclad barreled past. Bruce looked out, seeing the chaos being unleashed by the inmates.

"I've got to do something…"

"All we can do is hold out until the Hulkbuster units-" Samson tried to come back.

"By that time, it will be too late. Look, no one is more opposed to the idea than I… but right now, the Hulk is the only chance we've got."

Bruce quickly started making his way out of the cell, looking around to make sure no one was around. He quickly went out, with Samson following close behind.

"Bruce, wait, I-"

Just then, an energy blast shot out and hit the wall near them, nailing one of the gamma conductors on the wall and causing it to explode. Both Bruce and Samson went flying in opposite directions, causing them to hit the ground. Bruce slowly picked himself up, seeing Samson laying on the ground with green energy rising out of his body.

"Samson…" Bruce let out.

Before he could move towards him, a foot made of pure energy stepped down in front of him, forcing him to look up and see the creature.

"Zzzax," he let out.

Zzzax let out a roar before shooting Bruce full of energy, causing him to cry out in pain. This caused Bruce's heart rate to accelerate and his eye to flash open, revealing it to be green. His body began transforming, enlarging, and turning green. Until finally, he took on the form of the Hulk once more. Once fully transformed, he let out a roar of fury, before finally leaping towards the monster.

…

Elsewhere, the green man walked inside the main control room after Rick had already gone, looking at the monitors and grinning at the carnage present.

"Beautiful…" he mused as the man with metal skin. "Can't you see it? The grotesque glory in them. The mural of monstrosity before us. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah, sure," the man replied. "So, how about we get out of here?"

"Leave?" the green man replied, turning towards his fellow prisoner. "My dear Absorbing Man, why would we ever leave?" He gestured back towards the screen. "This is where I am going to change… the world!"

Just then, there was a commotion coming from the monitors, causing the green man to look back and see the Hulk fighting Zzzax.

"Go. Have fun with the Hulk."

Absorbing Man smirked before turning to leave.

…

Meanwhile, Rick ran through the halls of the prison, hoping to find the Hulk and get out of there before things got too out of hand. As he ran down a hallway, something busted through the wall, causing Rick to back away. The dust cleared, revealing Hulk slamming Zzzax into a wall before throwing him to the ground. He then punched him repeatedly in the face before he finally went limp. Rick stayed silent as Hulk picked himself up, turning towards the teen traveler.

"Uh… hey," Rick greeted, nervously waving his hand.

Hulk just remained silent for a moment, looking at Rick in seeming contemplation.

"You…" he finally spoke. "You were outside the cave with the soldiers… you helped those people…"

"Y-yeah… well, I tried to."

"Why were you there?"

"Well, I was looking for you," Rick explained, stepping forward. "Been looking for you for a while."

"Why?"

Rick let out a breath. "Cause… I'm responsible for you."

Hulk cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you remember… being born? A gamma bomb testing site? Ross?... me?"

Hulk paused, trying to think back to the day Rick was talking about. It was all a blur to him, but he remembered a few faces. There was Ross, then there was a beautiful woman, and finally… a scared teenager being held by military police.

"You were there…" Hulk realized.

"Front and center. It was because of me that you… that Bruce went out onto that testing site. He saved my life… and you were born because of it. Guess I felt like I owed you and that following you was… my way of making sure you were safe."

Hulk remained silent, taking in everything that Rick had said. Before either of them could say another word, the metal of the wall behind Rick began to stretch out on opposite sides of him, forming arms that wrapped around him.

"Hey! What the…!" Rick let out. "Let go!"

Suddenly, the head of the Absorbing Man formed, appearing right next to Rick's head as he looked at Hulk.

"So it's true," he realized. "You've gone soft."

Hulk gritted his teeth as he stared Absorbing Man down, his first clenching.

"So you have a buddy now. What's next? Posing with kiddies? Renting yourself out as a carnival ride? Newsflash big guy. Those people you're trying to save… they think you're more of a monster than me!"

He then tossed Rick towards Hulk, who caught him just as Absorbing Man reformed and turned his hands into hammers, striking him across the face. The Absorbing Man continued striking him across the face. He then used his hammers to strike either side of Hulk's head, disorienting him. This allowed Absorbing Man to uppercut him, knocking the two of them into a wall so hard, it cracked it. Rick slowly picked himself up, seeing the crack and some daylight shining through. He smirked at this, getting an idea.

"Hey big guy," he spoke, getting Hulk's attention. "How about taking our friend out for some fresh air?"

Hulk looked outside, smirking in response. He then turned towards Absorbing Man as he came running towards them. He swung a hammer, only for Hulk to catch it and crush it in his hand. Absorbing Man was shocked by this before Hulk pulled him in close and head-butted him. He then punched him right in the face before spinning him around and throwing him towards the wall, causing him to crash through it. Hulk saw this and leaped after him, allowing Rick to carefully climb down to the ground.

Hulk meanwhile caught up with Absorbing Man and continued to wail on him. Absorbing Man quickly blocked the attack and struck him in the gut before hitting him across the face. Hulk twirled through the air before crashing on the ground, creating a massive crater as Absorbing Man landed, forming his hand into a mace as he slowly approached. Just as he brought the mace down on him, Hulk caught it and punched him in the chest, knocking him into a large rock formation. He seemed unphased though as he pulled himself out, taking on the properties of the rock.

"Stupid monster!" Absorbing Man retorted. "I can absorb anything. Even rock."

Absorbing Man tried to throw a punch, but Hulk just punched the arm, causing it to shatter instantly. Absorbing Man looked down at this in horror.

"Hulk smash rock, Einstein," Hulk remarked, cracking his knuckles.

"Wait. wait! You can't do this!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

…

It didn't take long for Rick to catch up with Hulk as he wrapped up his fight with Absorbing Man. By the time Rick reached him, Absorbing Man was reduced to nothing but a head, which bounced on the ground until it landed behind them, glaring at them the whole time.

"Nice work, big guy," Rick commended. "Now, how's about we get out of here before Ross comes back?"

"You sure you wanna stay with me?" Hulk questioned.

"Honestly? There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Hearing this, Hulk smiled before picking up Rick and placing him on his back. He then leaped up into the air. Rick grinned widely, throwing his arms up in the air, and cheered loudly.

"This is totally awesome!"

...

Back at the Cube, the Hulkbuster units managed to reign in the prison riot, with nearly every prisoner being accounted for. Only the Wrecking Crew had managed to escape during the crisis. During the clean-up, Ross and Talbot were seeing Samson being carted away on a gurney to be treated for injuries.

"What a mess," Ross lamented. "And the Hulk managed to escape."

"I've already got units searching in every direction," Talbot informed. "He won't get far."

"He'd better not. No matter where that monster goes, disaster is sure to follow. I don't care what it takes, I want the Hulk captured and detained once and for all."

As the two walked on, they passed the green man from earlier, who just sat in compilation, as if he had control of the entire situation.

Chapter Text

It was a star-studded night at Gorgon castle in Japan. A lavish party was being held as guests arrived in droves. Each one arriving in fancy cars and wearing extravagant suits and dresses. Inside, there was a mass amount of mingling, gossip, and trading small talk as they enjoyed the complimentary sake and horderves.

Outside, the latest car pulled up towards the entrance, coming to a stop as the valet opened the door, allowing a woman's bare leg to step out, only for the rest of the woman to step out. She was dressed in a long, sleeveless black dress with a slit that nearly reached her hip. A white fur shawl covered her shoulders as she gave the valet a small nod, slung a purse onto her shoulder, and tucked a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear.

Take care of it, she told him in Japanese. It's a classic.

The valet nodded in response, prompting the woman to make her way towards the front door.

Your invitation, miss, the doorman requested.

Without a word, the woman reached into her purse, pulling out the invitation and handing it to him. He glanced over it, then handed it back to her.

"Welcome to Gorgon castle."

She gave a small smile and a wink before walking into the castle. As she entered, she adjusted that same strand of hair again, simultaneously turning on an earpiece she'd hidden in her ear.

"Alright, I'm in," she whispered, her lips barely moving as she spoke. "Anyone care to tell me what I'm looking for?"

"Recent intel has suggested that Gorgon has ties to HYDRA and that he's meeting with a promising new partner at this party tonight."

"Do we have any idea as to who this 'partner' might be?"

"Unsure, but we believe they have ties to various criminal enterprises worldwide. Supplying HYDRA with more resources than they'd know what to do with."

"Meaning more trouble for us in the long run. Alright, I'm gonna shadow Gorgon and see if he'll lead me to whoever his new buddy is."

As she signed off, she mingled her way through the party, snagging a glass of sake to appear inconspicuous as she worked to find Gorgon. After a bit of maneuvering through the crowd of people, she noted a man with long black hair standing apart from the crowd. Her research into her target made it quite clear that this was the man she was sent to investigate. After snagging another glass, she made her way over to him in an attempt to learn something new.

"Sake for the man of the hour?" she offered, causing Gorgon to turn around.

"I am afraid I have little time for such indulgences," he responded, taking the glass and placing it on a passing tray.

"To not enjoy oneself at their own party. Truly sad."

"Under normal circumstances, perhaps. Tonight, however, I am expecting some very important customers, and I would hate to keep them waiting."

"Of course," the woman replied as Gorgon walked off.

Once he was out of view, she quickly downed her drink and carefully followed after, doing her best to keep out of sight. She quickly leaned against a column in the room before peering around the corner, seeing Gorgon walking up to a middle-aged Japanese man that seemed more than a little impatient.

"Nobu, welcome," Gorgon greeted. "I trust you've found everything to your liking."

"Your home is suitable for festivities, I will concede, Nobu replied before leaning in, speaking in English. "But I was promised to see what HYDRA is capable of."

"You had only to ask," Gorgon replied in a similar dialect before ushering him away. "Right this way."

The two walked away from the party, the woman from before carefully trailing after them to see where they were heading.

"I got eyes on the prize," she reported into her earpiece. "They're bailing on the party. I'm gonna go see where they're heading."

"Roger that. Stay sharp. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

"Yeah, but that's part of the fun."

She then set her glass aside and continued following after them. As the two walked down the hall, they veered off into a room filled with Japanese paintings, sculptures, and other such artwork. Gorgon went over to a small vase that was sitting on a podium. He placed a hand on it before moving it slightly to the side. This caused one of the paintings on the wall to rise, revealing a secret elevator inside.

"Very… theatrical," Nobu noted.

"HYDRA has always had a great sense of pride in its work" Gorgon replied as the two stepped inside.

"A trait that does not lend itself well to my own organization."

"Nor will it need to for what we have planned."

As the two continued to talk, the painting slid back into place as the elevator went down. Once they were gone, the woman stepped inside, noting the painting on the wall, right where it was when Gorgon and Nobu entered, as if it had never moved at all.

"And Barton said it'd be behind a bookcase," she remarked.

She leaned against the painting, checking for the sounds of motors controlling the elevator's descent. When she was sure it was clear, she went back over to the vase, moving it as Gorgon had earlier. This allowed the painting to rise and unveil the elevator once again. She quickly slipped inside, immediately losing her high heels as the painting closed up and the car went down. She then ditched the shawl and reached into her purse, revealing two large yellow wrist devices. She quickly slipped them on before tossing the purse aside. Finally, she tore off the skirt at the knees, allowing for easier mobility of the legs.

"Good thing this wasn't a rental," she remarked. "Now, let's see what HYDRA's got in its basement."

Finally, the car reached its destination. The door slid open and she wasted no time leaving it. She then made her way through an underground hallway, eventually seeing it lead out into a hidden laboratory, It was full of scientists working on new kinds of weapons and technology. The woman could hardly believe her eyes.

"Remember how our intel said that HYDRA wasn't a major threat?" she whispered into her earpiece.

"Yeah?"

"Our intel was wrong. Dead. Wrong."

She slipped through the cave, her bare feet padding on the cold floor as she silently did some recon. She slowly poked her head around a corner to see an empty computer terminal. She decided to take the opportunity to sneak over.

"What are you up to, Gorgon?"

She made her way over to the terminal and started trying to hack inside. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she was able to get in. She smirked, then cracked her knuckles as she skimmed through the files.

"Let's see what we've got."

As expected, she found several blueprints for different weapons, chemical compounds for gas, and even studies on germ warfare. However, one file caught her eye, one that made her jaw drop.

"Project Rebirth?" she asked aloud. "What on…"

"As you can see, HYDRA has amassed quite the empire for itself," Gorgon boasted, getting the woman's attention.

Thinking fast, she pulled out a flash drive from her wrist gauntlet and plugged it into the computer before taking off. She managed to leap onto a nearby pipe and flip herself up onto a ledge just as Gorgon and Nobu walked up.

"From advanced weapons to devastating war machines, and soldier augmentations, HYDRA is converting itself into a superpower the likes of which the world has never before seen."

"Impressive," Nobu commented, looking around the room. "Though it does not explain why you have sought us out?"

"Our activities as of late have brought some… irritating attention to us. Your organization, however, as you mentioned before, brings a certain level of discretion. By working together, you could place agents with HYDRA-grade weaponry in any part of the globe. And in turn, HYDRA would give you weaponry the likes of which would reduce your enemies to dust."

"The Hand has survived for centuries without your… toys," Nobu remarked, picking up a nearby weapon. "Why should we consider it now?"

"The world is ever evolving. If we are to survive, we must evolve as well. That includes using the best and most powerful resources available. Resources… like ours."

Nobu considered this, placing the weapon back on the table as he walked across the room. He looked around at the facilities, taking note of the facility and its workers.

"You have promised much, and you do boast quite the facility," Nobu noted. "You do seem to be lacking in one key area, however."

"And what might that be?" Gorgon asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"...security."

Nobu then suddenly slung his arm, a knife sailing out and heading straight for the woman's head. Having no choice, she leaped from her perch, avoiding the knife and rolling on the ground. As she got back up, she looked around to see several HYDRA soldiers quickly drawing their weapons and aiming them right at her.

"Uh… hi," she greeted. "I don't suppose one of you gentlemen could tell me where the powder room is."

"... kill her," Gorgon ordered.

The soldiers opened fire on her, prompting the woman to leap onto a table, kicking a soldier in the face before jumping off and turning the table over to find some cover. She hit behind the table, allowing the soldiers to fire at it instead of her. Bracing herself against the table, she flipped around and aimed one of her gauntlets at some of the soldiers, firing blasts that nailed several soldiers in the chest, taking them out in rapid succession. She then grabbed one of the table legs and kicked it off, leaping over the table and rolling towards a soldier. She swung the leg at the soldier's face, taking him out.

She then threw the leg at another soldier, nailing him in the head and knocking him to the ground. Not missing a beat, she knelt down and kicked a third soldier's legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground as well. She then got up and spun around and kneed another soldier in the stomach, causing him to keel over in pain. She then placed her hands on his back and used him to spring forward toward another soldier. She managed to wrap her legs around his neck and leaned back, causing him to fall to the ground as she took a crouching stance.

"Enough!" Nobu declared, stepping forward. "I will deal with this nuisance myself."

The soldiers all backed off as the woman got back up, staring the man down.
"Well, this just got interesting," she remarked as Nobu removed his suit jacket.

"And who are you?" Nobu inquired. "One that would so cavalierly challenge the might of not only HYDRA but the Hand."

"Well, the invite was for Miss Rushman. But I prefer Natasha."

"Natasha…" Gorgon recognized. "Romanoff. Ah yes, the infamous Black Widow."

"Infamous is… a little strong, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," Nobu commented, beginning to circle her. "But no matter how renowned your skills are… you are no match for me."

"We'll see."

She rushed towards Nobu, who quickly blocked and deflected her attacks as quickly as she delivered them. She then crouched down and kicked his legs out from under him, only for him to land on his hands and spring back to his feet. Natasha decided not to dwell on it and instead tried kicking him in the head, only for him to catch her foot and spin it so she would fall to the ground. She shook off the blow before rolling out of the way of a kick being delivered by Nobu, getting to one knee and looking up at him. She got back up and tried to strike him with her elbow, but he quickly blocked it. He attempted to strike at her head, but she easily ducked under it before striking him in the face, causing him to stumble back.

"Formidable enough for you?" she taunted.

Nobu managed to stabilize himself, grabbing his jaw before turning back towards Natasha. He just gave a look that made Natasha feel nervous for some reason. He then rushed forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks toward her that she was barely able to keep up with. She managed to block and deflect the blows, but his speed was ever-increasing. Eventually, he managed to grab one of her fists and quickly kicked her in the stomach, causing her to keel over. He tried to bring an elbow down on the back of her head, but she maneuvered out of the way so her back was to him, allowing her to flip him over her shoulder.

He landed on the ground, quickly spinning around and swiping his feet at her, forcing her to leap backward. Nobu then rolled away, gaining a greater distance before turning towards her, drawing several knives and throwing them one after the other. She quickly rolled out of the way, trying to dodge as many of them as possible. She managed to avoid all but the last one, scraping her across the arm and causing her to wince in pain. She looked back towards Nobu, seeing him pull out a blade from his pocket, before letting a chain that was attached to it drop to the ground. He grabbed the chain in his other hand and spun it overhead, staring down at Natasha.

"If you have any last words, now would be the time," Nobu told her.

Natasha steeled herself as she stood back up, casually brushing her hair back while silently activating her earpiece.

"Budapest," she whispered before rushing back into battle.

Chapter Text

In the secret headquarters of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., Deputy Director Maria Hill was monitoring the communications of one of their agents before she lost contact. Before she did, however, one last word was able to make it through.

"Budapest."

Hill swore, then tossed her headset aside.

"Someone get me Agent Barton!" she requested. "We have a Code Black. Repeat, we have a Code Black."

…

Meanwhile, Agent Clint Barton was in the rafters of the hanger bay, sifting through the prescribed files for a specialized initiative S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director was planning. He was reading over the many potential candidates, snorting at their descriptions and histories.

"Man, Fury must be desperate if he thinks these guys can do what he wants," Clint remarked. "No way any of these clowns could-"

"Agent Barton!" a voice called out.

Clint looked down to see Coulson standing directly beneath him. With grace born of a life in the circus, Barton slid off the rafters, landing perfectly in front of Coulson. The agent didn't even bat an eye at this, having gotten used to the odd behaviors of Barton over the years.

"Agent Hill's looking for you." He explained. "Agent Romanoff needs your help."

"What? Nat needs my help mingling with the one percent and eating shrimp cocktails?" Barton asked.

"Budapest." 

With that, Clint dropped the wise-ass attitude and got serious.

"Give me ten minutes to prepare," he replied before walking off.

"You have eight," Coulson told his retreating form.

…

Within the hour, Clint was decked out in a black suit with a purple arrow on the chest, with a set of purple sunglasses and a quiver of arrows slung onto his back. He bored a stealth jet and quickly took off towards Natasha’s last known location.

"How long since Nat's last transmission?" Clint asked.

"About thirty minutes ago," Hill answered over comms. "We received intelligence that Gorgon Castle was a front for a HYDRA operation, and we were right."

"I was there for the briefing, Hill. Skip to the stuff I don't know."

"HYDRA's making a comeback, and Romanoff was right in the center of it. She had reports they had outsourced to a new partner but sent out a distress signal before we could learn who.

"I'm guessing that's where I come in." 

"Right. You need to get to Natasha before Gorgon kills her."

"No, I need to get to her before she kills him." 

…

Inside the underground facility, Natasha was tied to a chair with cuts and bruises all along her body, her dress even more torn up than it was before with one of the shoulder straps torn off, a cut on her lip, and a black eye. Nobu and Gorgon were standing in front of her, the former sporting a bloody lip and a black eye of his own as a result of the fight. Gorgon stepped forward, striking her across the face.

“I will admit, this is not how I wanted this evening to go,” he commented.

“I know how you wanted this evening to go,” Natasha remarked. “Trust me, this is better.”

Nobu chuckled in response.

“Such spirit with this one,” he commented before turning to Gorgon. “Though her presence here does not paint HYDRA’s promises in a favorable light.”

“This doesn’t change anything. HYDRA can still-”

“You had a spy in your own fortress. If you cannot defend your own facilities, how do you expect to protect the Hand’s interests?!”

“He’s got a point,” Natasha remarked. “I mean it was really easy to break in here.”

“Silence!” Gorgon demanded, striking her again.

Natasha winced before turning back to them. “Ooh, looks like I struck a nerve there.”

…

Finally, the ship flew over Gorgon Castle before opening up its back hatch, allowing Clint to step forward and draw an arrow from his quiver. He aimed it at the top of the castle, before finally firing it. It flew forward, carrying a cable on the end that went taut as it connected with the roof of the castle. Once it was secure, Clint leaped out of the back and swung on the cable towards the castle. 

…

Inside, a guard was on patrol, walking past a window and looking out to make sure everything was clear. Just as he did though, Clint came swinging through, crashing through the glass and knocking the guard out in the process.

“Sorry about that,” he remarked, getting back up and notching another arrow before heading off. “You can bill me for the window later.”

…

Clint continued making his way through the castle, keeping a sharp eye out for any possible obstacles to his mission. As he rounded a corner, he saw a guard walking down the hall, looking up at him. 

“Hey!” the guard let out, raising his gun.

Thinking fast, Hawkeye quickly fired his arrow, causing it to attach itself to the guard's chest, allowing electricity to surge through his body as he fell to the ground. Clint just gave a little smirk before moving on. 

…

As Clint continued, he looked over the edge of some railing, seeing that the party was still in full swing. Guests were chatting back and forth, completely unaware of the operative stalking above them. 

“Civilians,” he noted. “Gotta clear them out if things are gonna get ugly.”

“Freeze!” another guard yelled, aiming his weapon at him. “Drop the bow and put your hands in the air.”

Not seeing many other options, Clint dropped the bow on the ground and slowly raised his hands.

“Turn around. Slowly.”

“Buddy,” Clint warned as he turned around. “You don’t want this kind of trouble. So get out of here now, before you get yourself hurt. Kay?”

“Stop talking and get down on the ground.”

“Alright,” Clint replied, getting down on his knees. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Moving fast, Clint grabbed an arrow from his quiver and flicked it right at the guard. It had no arrowhead, so it just bounced off his body, distracting him long enough for Clint to rush forward and tackle him to the ground. The two tussled for a bit, wrestling each other on the ground before the guard managed to kick him off. Clint landed on the ground, eying his bow nearby, and tried to grab it, but the guard leaped towards him, tackling him to the ground.

“Seriously?!” Clint let out, looking back at the guard. 

He managed to get a leg free and kick the guard in the face, knocking him back and causing him to let go. Clint quickly scrambled towards his bow, grabbing it and pressing a button on it. This caused a panel on the bottom of his quiver that contained several different arrowheads to spin around. It finally stopped, allowing an arrowhead to screw onto an arrow so Clint could pull it out. He aimed it at the guard and fired, causing the arrow to release a cable that kept spinning in the air until it collided with the guard, wrapping itself around his arms and torso while hitting him with enough force to knock him to the ground. The guard struggled to free himself, but the cable proved too strong for him to break. 

“Hey, I tried to warn ya,” Clint remarked. 

As Clint looked back over the railing, the guard carefully got back to his feet, before rushing right at Clint. Just as Clint leaped onto the railing to get a better vantage point, the guard collided with him, causing him to fall over the side. Thinking fast, Clint drew an arrow and aimed it at the railing. He fired it, allowing it to carry a grappling line on the end of it toward the railing. It collided just as the line went taut, allowing Clint to swing down to the party below and land on a table full of entrees. Several guests gasped in response to the archer’s sudden arrival, but Clint just shrugged it off.

“Don’t mind me,” he replied. “Just wanted to sample some horderves.”

The guests remained still for a moment but became panicked again when several armed guards came rushing in, their weapons trained on Clint. The guests moved out of the way, making for the exits as Clint drew another arrow and strung it in his bow, ready to fire.

"Let's do this!" he let out, firing the arrow.

…

“The Hand has survived on its own for centuries,” Nobu continued. “We did not need your toys and promises then, and we do not now.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. is just the beginning,” Gorgon pressed. “Over the past few years, beings with incredible power have been showing up all over the world. Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, not to mention your own troubles with a certain ‘devil’ in Hell’s Kitchen.”

Nobu went wide-eyed. “How did you-”

“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you are vulnerable. HYDRA can help with that if you work with us.”

“Work for you, you mean,” Nobu countered. “The Hand did not exist this long by being lap dogs for a cult that hasn’t made any strides for its goals in nearly a century!”

As the two continued to argue, Natasha just sat back listening to them with mild disinterest. She glanced over at a nearby guard, spying the watch on his wrist and noting the time. 

“Well as entertaining as this is…”

With that, Natasha stood up still tied to the chair, and spun around and hit Gorgon with the chair. As a guard tried restraining her, she slammed a chair leg on his foot before hitting his head with the back of her head. As another guard came running up to her, she placed a foot on a recovering Gorgon and sprang up, flipping through the air landing on the oncoming guard and shattering the chair in the process. As she got back up, another guard tried grabbing her. Before he could, she swung one of the pieces of the broken chair around, hitting him in the face. As he stumbled back, she ran up and jumped towards him, wrapping her legs around his neck. She then used her weight to flip him onto the ground as she landed on her feet. As she steadied herself, more guards came running towards her. She just shrugged it off and got ready for the fight ahead. As the fight progressed, Noby quietly slipped away, unbeknownst to the others.

…

Back inside the main castle, Clint was knocking down guards like shooting skeet. Some of the guards tried firing at him, but he just rolled on the ground and fired off another arrow. The arrow landed right in front of them before blowing up, sending them flying. Clint then stood up, notching another arrow and firing it at another one of the guards. It connected with the chandelier above a group of guards, releasing a corrosive that ate its way through the support and caused the chandelier to crash down on top of them. Just then, a guard approached from behind, grabbing hold of Clint as he pulled out another arrow. He closed his eyes and looked away before activating the arrow, causing a massive flash of light to go off. It blinded the guard as he let go of Clint and stumbled back, prompting Clint to pull out another arrow and fired it at the guard, causing it to release a purple puddy that covered the guard. Clint quickly drew another arrow and spun around, firing it toward three more goons. As the arrow flew through the air, it split in three, nailing all the guards at once. 

Once that batch was down, Clint made his way toward a nearby hallway, hearing another group of guards approaching from behind. Not even turning around, he notched another arrow and fired it up at a chandelier just above them. The arrow severed the chandelier, causing it to crash onto the oncoming guards. Smirking, Clint continued walking through the castle, pressing a button on his sunglasses

"Now if I were an evil supervillain," he said to himself. "Where would I hide the entrance to my secret lair?"

Clint scanned around the hallway until his eyes locked on the art room and he saw something inside. He walked inside and looked at a particular painting, seeing an opening behind it. He pulled out an arrow and fired it at the painting. It connected with the wall behind it, releasing an acidic substance that ate through the painting and the wall, revealing the elevator behind it. 

Clint climbed inside, seeing Nat’s heels, fur coat, and torn dress fabric on the floor as he did. Once inside, the elevator started to descend, prompting Clint to string another arrow in his bow. 

After a few moments, the elevator stopped, allowing Clint to make his way down the hallway. Once he made it to the end of the hall, he rolled out into the room and aimed his bow and arrow… only to find all the guards present on the floor either unconscious or dead. Clint just sighed as he got to his feet, putting his arrow away

“You know, what’s the point of me coming to rescue you if you’re just going to beat everyone up?” Clint asked.

“Cleared the way, didn’t you?”

Clint turned to see Natasha back at the computer downloading several files. Her dress was slightly torn, and she had marks on her wrists and ankles, but aside from that, she was fine. 

"Touché,” Clint replied, walking over to her. “What about Gorgon?"

"Over there," Natasha answered, gesturing to the unconscious HYDRA member. “His buddy got away though. Worked for the Hand.”

“The Hand? Yikes, HYDRA’s got its thumbs in more pies than we thought.”

“Yeah no kidding,” just as Natasha finished, the computer dinged, signaling that the download was complete. “Finally.”

Natasha plucked the drive from the console and the two went off, Clint taking one last look at the downed goons.

"You know if this is what happens when Fury sends us to these fancy shindigs, I'm disappointed I missed out," Clint commented.

"Usually it's just small talk and pretending I give a damn," Nat replied. "Give me Papa Johns and John Wick at your apartment any day"

"Eh you got a point," Clint admitted. "Maybe it's just the fallout I enjoy so much."

"And that's why we're partners. Now, I assume our ride is close?"

"Jet I came in on is looping around as we speak." 

"Then let's go. Can't wait to get out of this dress."

“Yeah, not your most flattering look.”

“Well, then maybe you can wear the dress next time and I’ll clear the exit.”

The two shared a laugh as they exited the castle.

Chapter Text

Inside the lab, Jan tapped her fingers on a table, impatiently waiting on Hank to finish his latest project.

“Is it almost done, yet?” She asked.

“Almost,” Hank replied, not looking up from his work. “Integrating the Pym Particles and the other upgrades into the designs you asked for is proving a little trickier than I thought. Almost makes me wish you came up with something a little less elaborate.”

“You know me. Go stylish, or go home.”

“Well, I hope you aren’t needed anywhere,” he replied, finally getting up and holding up the outfit. “It’s finished.”

Jan instantly perked up at the sight. She sprang up and ran over grabbing hold of it.

“It looks great! I can’t wait to try it out. She then ran towards a change screen that was set up in the lab, her head quickly poking out. “No peeking,” she winked before ducking back behind.

“Hank just rolled his eyes before turning away.

"I still can't believe you talked me into this," He let out.

“That’s because of my persuasive personality,” Jan remarked as she slung her shirt and pants over the top of the screen. 

"You sure you don't want to reconsider this?" he asked. "What we're getting involved in is a pretty high-risk job. It's not to be taken lightly."

"Blah blah blah, just tell me how this works." 

Hank let out a sigh of annoyance

"The suit is endowed with specialized Pym particles that will allow you to decrease in size, but still retain your normal strength and speed," Hank explained. "Additionally, the suit comes with nano-fiber wings. They're lightweight, extremely durable, and very strong."

"Really?" Jan asked finally coming out. "Sounds fun."

Hank turned around and the sight took his breath away. Jan stood in a yellow and black dress with black leggings, yellow gloves and boots, and antenna on both ears.

"Woah…" Hank let out.

"You like it?" Jan asked, looking down at herself and twirling around. "It feels nice.”

"I… you look… great." 

"Well, looks aren't everything. Time to see what this baby can do."

With that, Jan shrunk down, and her wings sprouted out of the back of her suit. She buzzed around in a circle, giggling like a schoolgirl as she did.

"Is this what riding on Antony feels like?"

"In a sense, yes," Hank answered, a nervous smile gracing his face.

"So, what else can this suit do?"  

"Well, it's equipped with electric bio-tasers on either glove. These will disperse low-energy blasts or 'stings' if you will. No permanent damage, but it will definitely leave a mark."

Jan looked down at her hands and tried activating the stings. Her hands then began glowing, much to her delight. She then shot her hands out and fired a few stings at some nearby books. The books jumped off the shelves, the covers and a few pages signed.

"Sweet," she commented.

"Well you seem to be getting the hang of this," Hank observed smiling.

"Oh yeah!" Jan agreed. "Come on, I'll race you down the block!"

"Jan, wait!" he called out as she bolted out the window, causing him to sigh. "I think I'm starting to regret this decision."

...

Jan was having the time of her life. Flying through the city while the size of a bug was probably the most fun thing she had ever done.

"I can't believe I waited this long to get a suit!" she exclaimed. "This is the coolest thing ever!"

"Jan?" Hank called on the communicator he installed into the antenna. "Where are you?"

"Hank?" she questioned. "You put in a radio? Nice."

"Well if we're going to work together we need a way to communicate with each other, right?"

"True. But to answer your question, I'm at the corner of Jefferson and-"

Just then, an explosion rang out from a nearby lab. Jan turned just in time to see a mini tornado plowing through the doors and onto the street.

"What was that?" Hank asked.

"Uh… gotta fly now!"

"Jan, would you just wait?!"

Jan ignored Hank’s request as she flew after the tornado, which was tearing its way through the busy city streets.

"Okay, that is too small to be a normal tornado, and the weather's all wrong. So, what's really going on here?"

As she flew alongside the tornado, she fired a few stings at it. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then the tornado swerved toward her. She quickly flew up to avoid it. As she looked down, she saw the tornado stop and begin to disappear. In its place was a man wearing green armor and a weird helmet that covered everything except his eyes.

"You actually shot at me?" the man asked as Jan flew back down to him. "That was a mistake. No one shoots at Whirlwind."

"First time for everything right?" Jan countered.

Enraged by this, Whirlwind turned back into his miniature tornado and began chasing after Jan, who began flying away from him. The two continued racing down the street, swerving around and dodging every car that came in their way.

"So, what's your deal?" Jan asked. "Just woke up one morning and decided to trash a college lab?"

"It just so happens, trashing that lab just made me a millionaire," he retorted.

"Ooh, theft, huh? Well in that case, after you and I are done, we can have a nice chat with the cops."

Irritated, he accelerated towards her. She quickly flew upwards to get away from him, but he quickly followed.

"Okay, I did not expect him to do that," she admitted.

As he came up to her level, he unleashed a series of fast-moving punches toward her, all of which she tried to avoid. 

“You are pretty cool, I gotta admit,” Jan replied. “You can spin into a tornado, and you can fly. You could do so much more with your powers. Like… blend giant drinks, or cool people off on hot days. Instead, you’re just going to the big house.”

Whirlwind just ignored her as he kept trying to punch her. One punch actually made contact with her and she was sent flying into a car, leaving a fair-sized dent in the door.

"Okay… Maybe Hank was right..."

As she got back in the air, she saw Whirlwind charging toward her. She quickly flew over the car and around a street corner. Whirlwind, however, plowed through the car, slicing it in half as he pursued her. What was waiting for him, however, was a swarm of ants flying right at him. As Whirlwind attempted to bat the ants away, Jan came to a halt in the sky, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Let me guess," she said aloud. "An ant told you where I was."

She turned to see Hank in full Ant-Man gear riding up to her on an ant.

"A termite actually. He was in the sonics lab when it happened."

"He said busting up that lab made him a millionaire," she remembered. "Makes you wonder what he stole."

"We'll figure that out in a moment. First I think I need to give my new partner a talk on team communication."

Jan turned red with embarrassment, rubbing the back of her head.

"What were you thinking Jan?" he asked. "This guy could have killed you."

"I'll admit, maybe I let the adrenaline cloud my judgment, but I thought I could take him."

"Well, you thought wrong! This is a dangerous job and I don't want to see you get hurt! If something happened to you-"

Before he could finish, Whirlwind had spun around so fast it knocked the ants away, as well as Hank and Jan.

"Playtime’s over," he declared, activating buzz saws on both his arms.

As he spun around again, the buzz saws flew off his arms towards the pint-sized heroes. Both Jan and Hank scattered to avoid the saws. Thinking fast, Jan flew towards Whirlwind, dodging and blasting the buzz saws as she did so. As she came up to him, she grew to normal size blasting him in the face, causing him to cry out in pain before falling over unconscious. Hank marveled at this as he returned to normal size.

"Whoa," he let out.

Jan then turned around and walked over to her partner, giving him a hand up.

"Maybe I underestimated you a little," Hank admitted.

"And maybe I need to work on listening," Jan admitted herself.

"Yeah well… maybe we can help each other. We are partners after all."

"Right. Ant-Man and the Wasp!"

Hank chuckled a bit at Jan's choice of name.

"Wasp huh?" he asked. "I like it."

Wasp smiled enthusiastically.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: The Mighty Thor

At a massive Science Symposium in Greenwich England, the guest speaker was walking back and forth nervously. The speaker, noted Astrophysicist Jane Foster, was pacing back and forth backstage, going over her notes for the presentation.

"In conclusion," she read off, "while our previous understanding of the Einstein Rosenbridge was up to this point, the ramifications of its newly discovered existence could affect the scientific community for generations to come," she took a breath before turning to her intern, Darcy Lewis. "How was that?"

"Nice read," Darcy commented. "But you might wanna work on your delivery. You sound stressed."

"That's because I am stressed. I am about to go out there and introduce a scientific phenomenon that up until recently, had only been present in science fiction. There's a lot riding on this."

"Relax, you'll do fine. You and "Donald" have been working on this for, what, a week? You'll be fine."

"I'm glad you brought him up," Jane noted. "He was supposed to be here half an hour ago. Where is he?"

"Hey, remember who we're talking about. Has he ever let you down before?" Jane paused, unable to answer. "Exactly. Trust me, he'll be here."

Darcy walked off, leaving Jane huffing in response.

"Wherever you are," she said to seemingly no one. "You better be kicking butt."

…

Meanwhile, countless miles away on the woodland world of Vannaheim, a great battle was taking place. Marauders had laid waste to a nearby village, causing its inhabitants to flee in terror. It was only the timely arrival of the army of their neighboring world, Asgard, that prevented the invading force from overwhelming the villagers. Soldiers clashed against marauders in numerous smaller battles spread across the wide stretch of chaos.

Amidst these fights were several notable warriors of Asgard, including Balder the Brave, one of Asgards most loyal soldiers adorned in silver armor and swinging his sword at some oncoming foes. Fighting by his side in red and silver armor was Lady Sif, captain of the Valkyries and the fiercest female warrior in the Nine Realms. She managed to block a laser blast with her shield before swinging around and slicing through a second marauder in rapid succession.

"This is becoming disastrous," she bemoaned, engaging in another combatant. "Where is he?"

"He'll be here," Baldur insisted, running his sword through a marauder. "Be patient."

"Hard to be patient with a hundred warring marauders ready to take your head off!"

She charged forward, holding up her shield and ramming through several marauders while swinging her sword at others. As she did so, she came into contact with three other warriors of Asgard. Fandral the Dashing in green garb, a goatee, and a rapier-like sword in hand that he used to run a marauder through. Standing next to him was Hogun the Grim in blue armor with a goatee and wielding a mace, which he used to bash a marauder in the face. Flanking both of them was Volstagg the Voluminous, sporting purple armor and fending off several more marauders with his signature battle ax.

"Having trouble, Sif?" Volstagg asked, striking a marauder in the gut with the blunt end of his weapon.

"I'm completely fine!" she insisted, swinging her sword at a marauder.

"We'd be done by now if 'he' would show up," Hugun remarked, jabbing his mace forward at a marauder.

"He'll be here," Volstagg reassured. "Has he let us down before?"

"My point exactly," Baldur remarked. "We just need to hold out until he arrives."

"Easier said than done," Fandral remarked, swinging his sword in a fancy manner.

He then grabbed a marauder's arm, causing him to aim his energy pistol in another direction before taking him out. Volstagg swatted another marauder away with his ax before grabbing another and slamming him into the ground. Hogun dodged several sword strikes before swinging his mace down on the blade, shattering it. He then swung the mace at the marauder's face, knocking him to the ground. Baldur meanwhile used his own sword to block and deflect numerous sword attacks before shoving him off and kicking him into two more marauders, knocking them to the ground. Sif meanwhile, simply stepped backward with each swing and strike a marauder dealt her before swinging her shield at his face, knocking him out.

As she turned around, she came face to face with a marauder with a laser rifle aimed at her. Before he could get out a shot, however, a massive surge of energy shot down at him, causing Sif to step back. She smiled, recognizing the energy as the Bifrost, the bridge between realms. Out from the Bifrost, a metal hammer flew out, taking out several marauders in rapid succession. Just before the hammer came into contact with Volstagg, it stopped short, suddenly flying back to the Bifrost. The Bifrost then dissipated, revealing a man in silver armor with bare arms and wristguards, a flowing red cape, and a silver helmet with wings who took hold of the hammer as it sailed back to him. This was the Mighty Thor, the prince of Asgard and one of the greatest warriors in the nine realms. As a group of marauders came charging at him, Thor ran forward and leaped into the air, raising his hammer high before striking it down on the ground hard, causing the marauders to tumble as a result.

"I knew you'd show up," Baldur remarked, blocking a blade as he conversed with Thor.

"I was afraid I kept you waiting," Thor retorted.

"Nonsense," Sif responded, swinging her sword again. "We had this completely under control."

"Is that why everything's on fire?"

He swung his hammer out, knocking a marauder back into the side of a hut. Another marauder tried grabbing him from behind, but Thor just elbowed him before grabbing him and tossing him into a small group of marauders, knocking them all to the ground. Seeing a group of Asgardian soldiers were in trouble, he threw his hammer out, sending it sailing through the air and nailing several marauders in rapid succession. As Thor waited for his signature weapon to return, Sif looked over and saw a marauder aiming a harpoon weapon at him. The marauder fired, prompting Sif to raise her shield to catch the harpoon before it made contact. Thor turned to see the result, causing Sif to smile in response. Thor smirked back as he reclaimed his hammer, raising it up as lighting generated from it before shooting out, sending a stream of electricity to take out the marauder.

Just then, there was a loud roaring sound, causing all fighting on the battlefield to stop. Thor and his allies looked around, trying to find the source. Thor turned to a group of marauders, seeing them break ranks for something to pass through. Eventually, that something turned out to be a massive creature made out of rocks wielding a giant club.

"A Kronan warrior…" Thor recognized, gripping his hammer.

An Asgardian soldier rushed up to try and take on the warrior, only to get batted away by its massive weapon. The Asgardian warriors winced in response.

"All yours," Sif remarked.

Thor just gripped his hammer as he walked forward, slowly approaching the Kronan as it loomed over him.

"Hello," Thor greeted.

"You will not live through this day, Asgardian," the Kronan promised. "Armies have crumbled at my mere approach. I have crushed countless warriors within my hands. You stand no chance of survival. Surrender is your only option."

"Very well… I accept your surrender."

The Kronan and the marauders all laughed in response to that. Thor just shrugged as the Kronan gripped his club in both hands, ready to bring it down on him. As he did so, Thor just grabbed his hammer by its leather strap on the end, spinning it increasingly fast. Moments before the Kronan could bring his weapon down, Thor swung his hammer up, hitting the Kronan and shattering him into pieces. The other marauders all gasped in shock as their prized warrior literally crumbled to pieces before them, leaving Thor to place a hand on his waist with a smug expression on his face.

"Anyone else?" he asked.

After a moment, the marauders all threw down their weapons in surrender, much to the delight of the Asgardian warriors.

"Perhaps next time, we should start with the big one," Fandral remarked.

…

It didn't take long for the Asgardian forces to round up the remaining marauders, cuffing them and readying them for transport to the Asgard dungeons. Thor was overseeing the affair, making sure everything was in order.

"It seems you all have things in hand," Thor noted to Baldur and Sif.

"Why?" Sif noted. "Have somewhere else you need to be?"

"As a matter of fact," Thor replied, tossing his hammer to himself before looking up. "Heimdall, if you don't mind."

The Bifrost suddenly opened up, engulfing Thor and carrying him away before either of them could respond.

"And there he goes," Baldur remarked.

…

Back in Greenwich, Jane looked down at her watch, seeing that her speech was about to start soon.

"Come on, Thor," She muttered. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, there was a loud boom coming from outside, causing Jane to perk up. She ran over to the back exit and opened the door, seeing the Bifrost deposit Thor outside, how dressed in a casual business suit and holding an umbrella that was in truth a disguised Mjiolnir. He turned toward Jane, smiling at the sight of her.

"Jane!" he called out heading over. "Am I too late?"

"Uh… no, we still have a few minutes. But where were you?! We were supposed to meet up before to go over the speech."

"I know, I'm sorry, but Vannahiem was under siege. Marauders were laying waste, villages were being torched, countless innocents were suffering. I had to put an end to the slaughter."

Jane paused a moment before replying. "Well… I guess that's a good excuse. But you still should've called or… something."

Thor chuckled. "I suppose. Perhaps I can make it up to you after the seminar?"

Jane smiled at the concept. "I think we can work something out."

The two stood there, smiling at each other. They most likely would've stayed that way were it not for the sound of Darcy clearing her throat to get their attention.

"Not that I have a problem with you two staring longingly into each other's eyes," she commented. "But don't you two have a presentation to… you know, present."

"Right," Thor replied, turning back to Jane. "shall we?"

"Indeed," Jane replied, taking his hand as they went back inside to astonish the scientific world.

Chapter Text

The world was a burning, smoldering wreck. Buildings were in pieces, fires were everywhere, and a small group of individuals made their way through the desolation. Leading the group was a man wearing a black suit with a cowl and a red visor over his eyes. This was Cyclops, leader of the mutant superhero group, the X-Men.

"Come on," he instructed the others. "Let's get moving!"

The others followed close behind, being set upon by several explosions that seemed to be coming from nowhere. One of the individuals, a teen in a red metal suit with yellow shoulder pads named Colossus, looked up and saw some debris raining down toward him. He stood firm as his skin transformed into solid metal, allowing him to punch the debris away before it could impact him. Meanwhile, Firestar, a teenage girl with darker skin and wearing an orange suit with a yellow X design across the chest, kept moving across the ruined battlefield until she looked up and saw several missiles raining down toward them. She flicked her hands open, summing flames in her hands that she proceeded to fire upward, destroying the missiles in rapid succession. Before she could get the last one though, a stream of ice shot out, encompassing the missile and causing it to harmlessly land in front of her. Firestar turned around to see a blonde haired teen boy who's entire body was covered in ice, smirking at him.

"Come on, Bobby," Firstar complained. "I had that."

"You know, most girls would be grateful when a guy saves them from getting blown up," Bobby replied.

"I didn't need to be saved!" Firestar countered, both unaware of another missile coming toward them.

Their argument was cut off by a laser blast cutting past them, destroying it. The two looked back to see Cyclops' visor glowing bright red before subsiding.

"Iceman, Firestar, cut the chatter!" he ordered. "This is supposed to be a do or die situation. Act like it!"

The two nodded before rushing back into action. Meanwhile, the last member of the group, a teenage girl with brown hair wearing a black and purple suit named Shadowcat, wasted no time moving across the battlefield, even running toward a stone wall as another missile came barreling down. She leaped at the wall, phasing through it with no problem, just as the missile went off. It shattered the wall, sending a piece at Shadowcat's back and knocking her to the ground. As she picked herself up, she noticed a familiar pair of boots in front of her. She looked up and saw a gruff man in a yellow and black suit with a mask that had exaggerated eye pieces standing over her with a smug look on his face. This was one of the X-Men's more aggressive members, Wolverine.

"What?" he let out. "Worlds going to hell and you're just gonna lie there, half-pint?"

"Uh… no," Shadowcat insisted, getting back up. "I just got-"

"Doesn't matter. You get knocked down, ya get back up. No excuses."

"Right," Shadowcat replied, running off.

Wolverine watched her leave seeing a smoldering fire nearby and pulling out a cigar from his belt. He set it to the fire to light it up, taking a quick puff before moving to catch up with the others. Back with the group, Cyclops fired several optic blasts to cover the other X-Men moving behind a broken wall, with Wolverine casually walking up.

"Nice of you to join us," Cyclops remarked.

"Well, you seem to have things handled," Wolverine remarked. "How're the kids?"

"They're alive. That's a start."

"Ain't gonna be enough," Wolverine noted. "They gotta be ready for anything out there."

"They'll handle it, Wolverine. They just need to-"

Before Cyclops could finish, he saw a giant silhouette in the distance raising a hand to them. Thinking fast, Cyclops fired an optic blast at Wolverine, knocking him away before a laser blast could nail him. Wolverine picked himself up, grumbling in response.

"You could've warned me!" Wolverine shouted.

"Thought you were ready for that," Cyclops remarked.

Wolverine growled,getting back to his feet.

"Alright," he replied, extending two sets of three claws from his hands. "Playtimes over. Hey, Tin Man! Get over here!"

Colossus quickly went over, curious as to what Wolverine had in mind.

"How's your throwing arm?" he asked.

"Wolverine, what are you doing?" Cyclops asked.

"Getting the job done," Wolverine replied before turning back to Colossus. "Throw me."

"What?" Colossus let out.

"Just do it!"

Colossus obliged, picking up Wolverine and spinning him around before throwing him right at the silhouette in the distance. After a few seconds, and the sound of metal slicing into metal, a giant robot head suddenly came crashing down, landing upside down in front of the X-Men. Wolverine eventually stepped forward, retracting his claws.

"Class dismissed," he remarked.

Cyclops just rolled his eyes before activating his comm. "End simulation, Forge."

Suddenly, the destroyed city disappeared around them, replaced with a massive blue room with projectors lining its walls and the remains of the destroyed robot still present.

"That's enough for now guys," Cyclops said, turning to the students. "Take five and we'll start the next exercise."

The teens all took their cue to leave, chatting amongst themselves as Wolverine walked up.

"What? I do something wrong?" Wolverine remarked.

"Short answer, yes. Long answer-"

"Oh get off it, Summers," Wolverine dismissed, pulling off his mask.

"This wasn't one of your sparring sessions, Logan. We're supposed to be teaching these kids, not just picking fights for kicks."

"I'd say they learned something useful. When a killer Sentinel attacks, you attack back. Simple as that."

"Right, simple. Aside from the fact that they were supposed to learn how to respond to a defensive situation."

"Yeah, and the best defense is a good offense," Logan paused for a moment. "Or is that the other way around."

"You can't solve every problem by charging in head-on," Cyclops insisted, crossing his arms. "I thought you'd have learned that by now."

"Yeah, well running away from a fight has never been my style," Logan replied, walking past Cyclops.

"Then what are you doing now?"

Logan just snarled before leaving the room.

…

Later, Logan had changed out of his X-Men uniform into more casual clothes as he made his way toward an office in the upper levels of the Xavier institute for Gifted Children, a secret haven for mutant kids to learn how to control their mutant abilities. Members of the faculty served as the X-Men, mutant heroes meant to inspire positive mutant relations for the greater public.

Logan opened the door, seeing an elderly bald man in a wheelchair sitting behind a desk going over some papers. This was Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of the Institute.

"Ah, Logan," he greeted. "I trust the danger room session went well."

"Depends who you ask, Chuck," Logan remarked, making his way inside. "I'm ready for our next session."

"Of course. If you're sure you want to keep doing this. Our last few sessions have yet to yield any new information regarding your past.

"Doesn't mean it ain't worth trying," Logan replied, taking a seat. "Please…"

Xavier nodded, placing a hand on his head, focusing his mental powers on Logan's fractured and disjointed mind.

…

Pain. it was his first true memory. The pain of having metal grafted onto his bones, being fused into his very claws. He didn't know who was doing it, but he was pretty sure as to why. To make him into a weapon. A personal killing machine.

…

His next memory was that of escape. Clawing his way through the forces trying to keep him imprisoned, he remembered fighting nonstop, barreling his way through anyone who would stand in his way to freedom.

…

The next memory that surfaced was that of rescue. After being hunted for so long, Logan finally found refuge among fellow mutants who sought to protect the world and mutant kind. Mutants like Cyclops, the weather-controlling Storm, and the mentally powered Jean Grey. They, among others, worked under Charles Xavier as the mutant hero team, the X-Men

…

The following memories were of the X-Men's various adventures and his relationships with the individual members. His one-time failed courtship with Jean, his rivalry with Scott Summers, the respect he had accumulated for Xavier over the years, and his father/daughter relationship with a wayward and reclusive mutant named Rogue.

…

Finally, Xavier opened his eyes, coming out of Logan's mind.

"I'm sorry, Logan," he apologized. "There's nothing new I could find."

"No, no that can't be," Logan insisted.

"The mind isn't some box that can be opened. Your memories are… it's as if they are cut off in a dense fog. The only way to recover them is to work through it."

Logan sighed, knowing that Xavier was right. Reluctantly, he walked out of the office to think on his current situation.

…

Logan sat on the roof of the mansion, taking a sip of a beer can before setting it aside and grabbing a cigar. Before he could light it though, it flew out of his hand, ending up in the hand of a redheaded woman walking up to him.

"You know the Professor has rules about smoking on the premises," she commented.

Logan smirked in response. "Technically Jean, I'm not in the school."

"Semantics," she replied, taking a seat next to him. "Another session with the Professor?"

"Yeah… didn't learn anything new…"

"I think I might have though."

That caused Logan to perk up. "What?"

"I was doing some research for a history lecture on World War II when I found something," she explained, pulling out a picture from her pocket. "Tell me, have you heard of the Howling Commandos?"

"Should I?"

"It was a war unit led by Captain America," she held out the picture to him. "And one member stood out to me."

Logan took the photo, scanning through the people in. He suddenly stopped, his eyes fixating on a particular figure.

"That's… me."

Jean's smirk became a genuine smile.

"You were a war hero Logan," she told him. "And your name was James Howlett."

"James Howlett," he repeated, looking down a bit. "It's something, not being able to recognize your own name."

"Apparently your nickname was Lucky Jim. Said to have come out of more near deaths than anyone in the unit."

Logan chuckled a little. "Yeah, that sounds like me."

"You know, I did a quick search… There's an exhibit on Captain America coming to the Smithsonian this weekend. You may learn something more there."

Logan pondered for a moment, thinking it would be a great way to learn who he was.

…

After packing up a few belongings into a duffle bag, he made his way down to the garage and toward his personal motorcycle. He pulled out his keys and pressed the button to open the garage. He didn't even get a chance to mount his bike when he saw a young woman with a white streak across the front of her hair standing in front of the garage.

"Plannin' a little trip?" she asked in a southern accent.

Logan sighed in response. "I found something, Rogue."

"Gee, where have I heard that before?"

"This is different."

"No, it ain't," Rogue insisted, walking up to him. "It's the same thing you always do. Ditch us to chase ghosts that don't tell you anything."

"I know my name now. This is the first true clue I've had in ages to find out who I was… who I am."

"I thought you already knew who you were. An X-Man, a teacher, a friend, a…"

She cut herself off on that last bit, turning away from Logan in response.

"A what?" Logan asked.

"... never mind," she dismissed, about to walk away. "Do whatever you want. Just try to remember which way leads to home."

She started heading toward the door, Logan pausing for a moment.

"Rogue!" he called out, getting her attention.

He then took something off his neck, tossing it to her. She caught it, looking down at it to see it was his old dog tags. The only indication of his identity. The sound of an engine starting up caused Rogue to look up and see Logan slipping on his helmet.

"Hold onto those for me!"

With that, he kicked his kickstand up and drove off, leaving the institute and Rogue in the dust. She looked back down at the tags, rubbing her thumb over them.

…

Rogue made her way back inside the school, sitting on a couch in the main room and still looking at the tags. As she sat there, a slender man with brown hair and glowing purple eyes walked up behind her. This was Remy LeBeau, Rogue's fellow X-Man, and boyfriend. He noted the concern on her face and leaned over to inquire.

"What's wrong, Chere?" he asked with a cajun accent.

"It's…" she began, sighing a bit. "It's Logan."

"Gone again, I wager," he assumed, flipping over onto the couch so he could sit next to her.

"Yeah… chasing another one of his past lives."

"Seems he left you a calling card."

"Yeah…"

Remy looked down at it with her, mulling over the gesture. "Guess it's his way of showing he'll be back."

"Yeah… until he leaves again," she commented, throwing the tags onto a table nearby. "It's a cycle for him. He goes off on the crazy hunts to do who knows what, and comes back for a while until he leaves again. It's…" her face drops a bit. "It's like he doesn't wanna be here."

"I'm sure that ain't true," Gambit insisted. "Why would he keep coming back if he don't care?"

Rogue mulled that over, taking the tags back and leaning back on Gambit so he could wrap his arms around her.

"I know, I just… I thought this place… us… it would give him a reason to stay."

"Guys like him don't know how to stay still." Gambit chuckled a bit. "I should know. I was one of em. Just be patient, Chere."

Rogue looked back down at the tags, smiling a little. "I guess you're right…"

…

Out on the open road, Logan continued driving his bike, the Captain America photo resting on the front so he could look at it.

"James Howlett," he repeated. "Who were you?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: The First Avenger

Italy 1943

Slowly coming to from being unconscious, Sergeant James Howlett looked around and saw that he was strapped down to an operating table in the middle of a laboratory. He struggled to free himself, but the restraints were too strong for him to break through. As he tried to break free, the door opened up, allowing a short man with glasses to walk inside.

"Gutentag, mein friend,” he greeted in a sinister tone. “I am Dr. Zola. So, you are the miracle worker I vas told about.”

“The hell are you blabbin about?” Howlett snarled.

“The man who had a steel beam drop down on him, stabbing him through the leg… and yet, able to walk away as though nothing happened. One has to wonder how.”

Howlett just snarled in response. “Howlett, James. Sergeant 151974.”

Zola just sighed in response.

“If you insist…”

…

Miles away in the skies above, a lone plane flew through the airspace over a secret HYDRA facility. Piloting the plane was Howard Stark, the government's top weapons contractor. In the back were British Special Forces Agent Peggy Carter, and Steve Rogers, better known as the USO hero, Captain America. The captain had a lot going through his mind as he stared out the window. It wasn't that long ago that he was just a scrawny little kid from Brooklyn. Then, by some chance of fate, he was picked for an experiment that made him the peak of physical perfection. Now, he was about to be dropped right into the heart of enemy territory with nothing but a stolen uniform, a prop shield, and barely a semblance of a plan.

“Steve,” Peggy spoke, getting his attention. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just… thinking,” he replied. “How far out are we?”

“Nearly there,” she replied, pulling out a map. “From what our intelligence can gather, the HYDRA camp is in Kreuzberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind."

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep," Howard informed.

"Just get me as close as you can," Steve told him. "You know, you two are gonna be in a lot of trouble."

Peggy snorted, covering her mouth politely. "And you won't?" 

"Where I'm goin', if anybody yells at me I can just shoot 'em.".

"They will undoubtedly shoot back." 

"Well, let's hope it's good for something' then," Steve finished, pounding on his shield.

Peggy smiled a little in amusement.

“Agent Carter!” Howard called from the cockpit. “We’re on approach. Mind giving the Captain the new equipment.”

“Right,” Peggy replied, pulling out a small device and handing it to Steve. “This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."

"Are you sure this thing works?" He asked, taking the device and hooking it on his belt.

"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard snapped.

At that moment, their plane seemed to be taking heavy fire. HYDRA knew they were there. Not wanting them to get blown out of the sky, Steve grabbed a parachute and made his way to the door. Seeing what he was trying to do, Peggy grabbed his arm.

"Get back here!" She ordered. "We're taking you all the way in."

"There's no time!" Steve called back, pulling free and opening the door. "As soon as I'm free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!"

"You can't give me orders!" 

" The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!"

With that, he gave her one final look before jumping out of the plane.

…..

Inside the HYDRA facility, about a dozen soldiers were being herded into large cages that dotted throughout the facility. As one of the cages was being closed, the guard felt something tap on his shoulder. The guard turned around only to get punched in the face and then knocked back by a shield. The prisoners were surprised to see a single soldier in a spangly outfit standing over the fallen guard.

"Need a hand, fellas?" he asked.

"Who're you supposed to be?" a prisoner named Gabe Jones asked.

"I'm… Captain America," he answered before grabbing the guard's keys.

Another prisoner named James Falsworth narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I... beg your pardon?" he simply said.

…

Within moments, Steve managed to free all the prisoners from their cells.

"Anyone else here?" He asked.

"There's an Isolation ward in the factory," Falsworth, one of the prisoners, explained. "But no one's come back from there."

"Then that's where I'm headed," Steve declared. "The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find."

Gabe spoke up again, looking at his rescuer curiously.

"Wait! You know what you're doin'?" He asked.

"Yeah," Steve confirmed. "I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times."

With that, Steve ran off deeper into the factory, leaving the freed prisoners a bit confused.

…

In the isolation ward, Howlett was growling in pain due to the work Zola was doing on him. The mad doctor mused over the results he had been given in regard to Howlett’s resilience to the pain and torture, pondering how such a thing could be.

"How remarkable." He noted, walking around James' trapped form. "Your cells are reproducing at an astronomical rate. Healing your injuries as fast as zey are inflicted."

"Why don't we see if you're any different Zola," Howlett spat back.

"Such venom." he taunted, a cruel smirk on his face as he drew a scalpel. "I vill enjoy tearing you apart."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a voice called out.

Zola and Howlett looked to see Steve knocking out some other scientists in the room.  Zola used this distraction to discreetly escape from the lab. Steve let him go so he could free Howlett from his confines. He used his shield to break the straps holding him down.

"Thanks for the help," Howlett told him, rotating his shoulders. "Though I don't remember you among the 107th. Got a name?"

“Steve Rogers,” he replied, helping him up.

“Rogers…” Howlett realized, getting to his feet. “You wouldn’t know a James Barnes, would ya?”

“He’s part of the reason I’m here. You know where he is?”

“Yeah, I do. Come on.”

The two made their way out of the room, Howlett leading the way.

“Gota say, I expected you to be a lot scrawnier than this from what Buck told me,” Howlett remarked.

“Kinda a long story with that,” Steve replied.

“Got something to do with the goofy outfit?”

“You might say that.”

As the two prepared to round a corner, Howlett stopped them both. With a surprising amount of strength, he pushed Steve against the wall. He then began sniffing the air, gritting his teeth and growling.

"Stay here bub," he insisted. "And do me one favor."

"What's that?"

"Don't freak out."

Howlett clenched his fists, allowing a set of three bone claws to emerge from his fists. With an animalistic howl, he ran out from around the corner, attacking a few soldiers coming towards them. He slashed several of their throats and stabbed a few others. Several of the others started opening fire on Howlett, but the bullets did nothing to stop him. Steve just held back, watching the carnage play out until he saw more soldiers approaching. Reacting fast, Steve ran forward, kicking one soldier in the chest before elbowing another. He then slipped his shield off his back and used it to smack a soldier across the face, knocking him to the ground. He caught sight of one last soldier firing at Howlett and tossed the shield at him knocking the gun out of his hand just as Howlett spun around and drove his claws into his chest, howling as he did so. As he pulled his claws out and the soldier dropped to the ground, Steve walked up to him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?" Howlett asked. "Gonna scream? Say, I'm a freak? A monster!?"

Steve said nothing, walking past him and picking up the shield.

"I was going to tell you to move your ass," He told him, moving forward.

Howlett looked at Steve in surprise, following after.

"You ain't scared?"

"Soldier, a few months back I was a 4-foot-tall asthmatic. Now I'm told I'm the peak of physical perfection. Little phases me anymore."

Howlett chuckled. “Fair enough. "Call me Lucky Jim. Everyone does."

"Alright then, Jim."

…

The two then carried on a bit further until they came across another table like the one Howlett was strapped down to. Only this one held Bucky.

"Sergeant…. James…. Barnes… Serial code…. 32557-"

"Buck!" Steve called out rushing over to him. "It's me! It's Steve."

Steve and Howlett pulled off the straps holding Bucky down. Bucky slowly turned to Steve, his eyes slowly focusing on him.

"Steve… is that… really you?"

"It's me, Buck," Steve confirmed. "Oh, man… I thought you were dead."

"... I thought you were smaller," Bucky replied.

"Long story about that," Steve told him as he and Howlett helped him to his feet. "Short version; I joined the army."

"Did it hurt?" Bucky asked, trying to focus on anything but the sheer amount of pain he was in.

"A little."

"Is it permanent?"

"So far."

…

The three soldiers made their way through the facility, Jim and Steve practically carrying Bucky.

"Leaving so soon my friends?" a voice called out.

The three turned to see Johann Schmidt, the man in charge of HYDRA, standing in the way of their exit, as if waiting for them to arrive.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow an early departure," he continued.

"Yeah? Well, I ain't exactly keen on what you allow," Howlett mouthed off.

"Ah, the wit of… what did Zola call you? The Wolverine?"

Howlett growled at that remark.

"Hey!" Steve called out, stepping in front of Howlett. "You want to pick a fight with someone, try me."

"Ah yes, the famous Captain America. I am a fan of your films."

Schmidt began walking out to meet the Captain himself, who had drawn his shield in preparation.

"So, Dr. Erskine managed to recreate the serum after all." Schmidt mused. Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive."

"How about you take a closer look!"

Steve then punched Schmidt across the face, prompting the HYDRA leader to deliver one of his own. Steve quickly brought up the shield to block it, but his hit left a fist-shaped dent in the shield. Steve was caught off guard, but this kept him distracted long enough for Howlett to come and aid him. Howlett extended his claws and tried slashing at Schmidt, but the HYDRA leader just kept backing away. After one strike clawed him across the face, Schmidt grabbed Howlett's arm and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into Steve. As Schmidt walked closer to them, Steve kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the other side of the platform.

"We don't have time for this," Howlett snapped. "We need to get out of here."

Knowing his friend was right, Steve backed away and joined back up with the others.

"No matter what lies Erskine told you," Schmidt called out, earning their attention. "You see I was his greatest success!"

He then grabbed at his neck, clawing at the skin and peeling it away. As he did, he revealed bright red skin underneath. He completely lacked a nose, and his face was more like a skull than a face. The three stood, staring at Schmidt in horror.

"And people say I'm a freak..." Howlett muttered.

"You don't have one of those do you?" Bucky asked Steve.

Steve just remained silent as he looked on.

"You are deluded, Captain," Schmidt continued, discarding his mask. "You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind."

He just walked away as the three just stood there.

"Unlike you, I embrace it proudly! Without fear!"

"Then how come you're running?" Steve called back.

Schmidt just smirked, then held up a hand. He had a remote with a single red button on it. He hit the button, beginning a chain of explosions that shook the entire facility. The three were rocked by the numerous blasts as Schmidt made his escape.

"Come on," Steve commanded. "Let's get out of here."

The three climbed higher up into the facility to get away from the blasts. They found a narrow catwalk that could allow them to cross.

"Looks like it can only hold one at a time," Steve observed.

"You go first." Howlett insisted.

"But-" Steve began to protest.

"There's no time to argue!" Howlett insisted. "Go!"

Steve reluctantly made his way across the catwalk, feeling the metal creaking underneath him. He sped up at the last moment, only for the catwalk to give out the second he made it across.

"Bucky!" he screamed. "Jim!"

Jim swore under his breath, then grabbed Bucky by his collar.

"Sorry 'bout this," he whispered.

Before Bucky could react, Jim threw him with all his strength, sending him all the way across the now-broken catwalk. He collided with Steve, the two falling to the ground as another explosion practically incinerated where Jim had been. The two quickly got back up and rushed to the edge to see where their comrade fell.

"Jim…" Bucky let out.

Steve understood how he felt, even if he only knew him for a short time. However, there was still the issue at hand.

"Come on. Let's go."

Reluctantly, Bucky followed Steve out of the facility as it continued to go up in flames.

…

Outside the facility, the other prisoners were making short work of the HYDRA soldiers. Bucky and Steve were quick to join in the fight. Bucky kicked one soldier to the ground and quickly grabbed his machine gun. He then opened fire on every HYDRA soldier in sight. Steve provided what little cover he could with his shield, grateful that it seemed to be at least slightly bulletproof. During the fighting, Steve noticed something stirring in the remains of the building. As he turned to face it, a burned and charred body made its way outside toward the fight. As it came closer, flesh began to regrow on the body, reforming muscles and basic features. Soon, the burns all faded away, making way for the seemingly untouched face of James Howlett. Steve just stood shocked by this revelation.

"I'll be damned." he simply said.

Those bone claws came out again as Howlett charged at some oncoming HYDRA soldiers. He wasted no time taking them down before they even realized what was going on. He finished, then grabbed one of the soldiers by the legs.

"Gonna need to borrow your pants," he told the dead body.

Bucky just chuckled. "Now you see why we call him Lucky Jim."

"I think I picked up on that, yeah," Steve replied.

…

After all the fighting was done, Steve, Bucky, Jim, and the other 400 prisoners made their way back to the Allied Base Camp. Their arrival was as much a shock as it was a miracle, all these men walking into the camp, many of them carrying stolen weapons of their comrades who couldn't walk. One of the soldiers named Dum Dum Dugan was even driving a tank. As Steve walked through the camp, he was greeted by Colonel Phillips.

"Colonel Phillips," Steve greeted. "Some of these men require medical attention."

The Colonel glanced at the men pouring into the camp, men he had expected never to see again. He had initially believed that Steve wasn't fit to be a soldier, but he had just proven his worth 50 times over. With a rare smile, the Colonel nodded and patted Rogers on the shoulder.

"Good job… Captain."

"...Thank you, sir," Steve replied.

Through the crowd of spectators, Agent Carter pushed her way through, her eyes locking on Rogers. She ran up to him, and for a moment, she almost looked like she was ready to kiss him. However, she quickly regained her senses and straightened herself.

"You're late," she informed him, trying to sound cross.

In response, Steve held up the broken transponder.

"Couldn't call my ride," he explained.

"Hey!" Bucky called out." Let's hear it for Captain America!"

The entire camp, former prisoners, and spectators, all broke into thunderous applause. Steve couldn't help but smile at this. Going from being a joke to a hero overnight, it was quite a feeling. From that day forward, Captain America became a true symbol of freedom, and Steve Rogers was finally able to serve his country, just as he'd always dreamed of doing.

Chapter Text

After who knows how many days of driving from one state to another, Logan finally arrived in D.C. As he parked his bike outside one of the buildings, he prepared to go in. His mind was beginning to race, unsure what he would find inside. He finally entered the building, the Smithsonian Museum, and made his way to the Captain America exhibit. As he walked past the different displays, a voice-over narrated the life of a man he didn't know he once called a friend.

"A Symbol to the nation, and a hero to the world," the voice recapped as Logan continued walking. "Due to poor physical health, Steve Rogers was denied enlistment to the United States Army. But his unwavering spirit and desire to fight for what's right wouldn't let him give up. He tried enlisting again five times across five cities. This attracted the attention of the brilliant minds of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. They gave him the chance to volunteer for a secret experiment. One that would transform him into the world's first Super Soldier."

Logan saw a small display that compared scrawny Steve with Super Soldier Steve. He couldn't help but smirk at that. He continued walking until he saw a display that had a picture of Cap with the Howling Commandos.

"Battle-tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission; take down HYDRA, the rogue Nazi science division."

Logan took a closer look at the picture and while most of the faces were unfamiliar to him, one face stood out; his own. He looked at the description near the photo and saw it was taken in Austria in 1945. Suddenly, something came to mind. A memory. The memory of that picture, and the tragic mission that came after

…

Austria, 1945

It was a good day for the Howling Commandos. They had just taken down another HYDRA installation and liberated a nearby village HYDRA had control over. The locals were so grateful for their work they allowed them lodging for the night, and one offered to take a picture of the crew to commemorate their victory.

"Hope you boys didn't blink," Dum Dum Dugan joked after the picture was taken.

The others laughed as they all walked off. Cap, now dressed in a new combat costume decorated like the American flag and a new circular shield, stayed behind to talk with Bucky and Jim.

"Another day, another HYDRA base bites the dust," Bucky remarked.

"Gets a little monotonous after a while, don't you think?" Jim asked.

"Hey," Cap interjected. "The more bases we take down, the less power HYDRA has hold of."

"I'll drink to that!" Dum Dum cheered, lifting a large mug of beer.

As the Commandos enjoyed a well-deserved drink, Bucky spoke up after wiping froth from his lip.

"Any word on that final HYDRA base?" Bucky asked.

"The Generals have been letting that snake Zola marinate for a while," Gabe Johnson commented. "They're confident he'll spill soon."

"The sooner the better I say," Jim let out, chugging down a mug.

…

A few days later, the Commandos made it back to their England base where Colonel Phillips came to meet them. He had a file in hand and a determined look on his face.

"Thanks to my new best friend, we now know the location of Schmidt's fortress." he declared, dropping the file onto the meeting table in the war room. "According to him, the Red Skull has set up camp in the Alps, almost five hundred feet below the surface."

Steve took the file and looked over the contents inside.

"Whatever he's working on in there must be pretty important to keep it so well hidden." He deduced.

"Oh, it is. Didn’t get too many details, but Zola basically confirmed that Red Skull belongs in a bug house. He thinks he’s a god, and he’s willing to blow up half the world to prove it. Starting with the USA.”

“How long until he makes his move?”

“Less than twenty-four hours. I suggest you pack your bags. You’re moving out tonight.”

“Yes sir.”

With that, the commandos set out to prepare for the coming battle. As Steve walked by, he saw Peggy Carter standing off to the side, a worried look on her face. She coughed a bit when she saw him looking, regaining her composure.

"So, this is it then," She noted.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "After tonight, HYDRA's finished."

"The war won't be long after. HYDRA has been a key part of Hitler's regime. Without them, the Axis will fall."

"I look forward to seeing that." 

There was a moment of silence, then Peggy spoke up again. "Maybe once all this is over, you and I can go dancing…Like we always talked about."

"... I'd like that. Though I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll teach you," Peggy promised, stepping toward him. "How about a week next Saturday? The Stork Club."

"Sounds perfect. Maybe we can have the band play something slow. Less chance to step on your toes."

"I'd like that. I'll be waiting for you at 8 o'clock on the dot, so don't you dare be late."

"Count on it," Steve reassured, leaning in for a kiss.

Peggy leaned in, grasping the collar of Steve's uniform and kissing him hard. The two melted together, holding one another as the commandos watched with dopey grins.

"You owe me 10 bucks, Dum Dum," Jim said with a smirk.

Finally, the two pulled away, still silent as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I have to go," he finally said.

"Then go get him," she told him.

…

The plane ride over was mostly silent. The men inside had a collection of thoughts going through their heads on whether they'd make it out of this in one piece. Jim was constantly sheathing and unsheathing his claws, something he did when he was itching for a fight. Dum Dum was cleaning his large gun, making sure he had enough ammo and grenades. The other Commandos were also making similar preparations, all of them preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Bucky looked over at Cap, who was standing at the front of the plane, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"You doing alright?" Bucky asked.

"Little jumpy I guess," Cap answered. "Anxious to end this."

"Aren't we all," Bucky replied. "It'll be good to see home again. Our crappy apartment, those fine ladies in room 13G-"

"Thanks," Steve cut off. "But I think I already have one waiting for me."

"Agent Carter, right," Bucky remarked with a smile, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you Steve."

"Thanks, Buck."

Suddenly, the plane began to rock on all sides with massive Anti-Aircraft fire.

"Looks like this is our stop," Cap declared, placing his shield on his back. "Alright boys, this is it! From here, our mission is to take down HYDRA's main science base! No retreat, no surrender! One way or another it ends today! So how about we go show the Red Skull that his day is over?!"

All the commandos cheered in response to that. As the commandos strapped on their parachutes, a green light on the plane flashed, signaling it was time for them to drop. Cap opened the door and leaped out towards the enemies below. Bucky was right on his heels, the rest of the commandos not far behind.

"Wahoo!" Dugan cried out jumping out.

…

Inside the base, Schmidt, now going by the Red Skull, was overseeing construction on his final project when a soldier came running in.

“Lieutenant Strucker,” the Skull spoke, not even turning to him. “Report.” 

“Herr Skull,” Strucker replied. “The Allies have found the fortress. Captain America is leading them.”

Red Skull narrowed his eyes, but maintained his composure. “Send your best men to confront him. They will fail, to be sure. But it will give us time to prepare the Valkyrie.”

…

As the men parachuted to the ground, the HYDRA forces below began opening fire on the commandos, trying to shoot them out of the sky. The commandos decided to return the favor as they fired on the HYDRA soldiers, taking out several of them as they did so. One by one, the commandos landed on the ground and began taking down one HYDRA soldier after another. Taking a position on one of the tanks, Morrita began sniping HYDRA soldiers in rapid succession. Meanwhile, Falsworth gripped an explosive and chucked it at one of the AA guns. The second it made contact, it blew up, much to his delight. Dugan meanwhile fired continuously on HYDRA soldiers before his gun ran out of ammo, prompting him to flip it around and smack a soldier across the face.

During all this, Cap blocked one blast from a HYDRA weapon before punching him in the gut and uppercutting him with his shield. As another one ran up, Cap struck him in the chest with his shield, knocking him to the ground. Bucky quickly went back to back with Cap as he fired at every HYDRA soldier that came close while Cap took them out hand to hand. Cap saw some more coming up on their side, so he threw his shield at them. As the shield hit one HYDRA soldier behind Bucky, it bounced off and hit another, and another, until it bounced off a nearby tank, sending it flying right back at him.

"I have got to get my hands on one of those things," Bucky marveled. "Think I can get Stark to make me one?"

"Sorry Buck, it's one of a kind," Cap replied.

As they were talking, one HYDRA soldier tried to sneak up on them, but he just got stabbed in the back by Jim's claws. Cap and Bucky turned to see the HYDRA soldier fall to the ground dead, revealing Jim standing behind him.

"So, we gonna stand around talking all day or are we gonna fight?" he asked.

Cap and Bucky smirked before returning to the battle. As the fighting continued, Jacques, the French explosives expert, made his way over to the metal doors that served as the entrance to the base and placed a specially made bomb on it. He then dashed away from the door and took cover, waiting for the coming explosion. Finally, it came, blasting open the door and taking several HYDRA soldiers out at the same time. Cap saw this and knew the opportunity lying before him.

"Dugan!" he called out. "Think you and your boys can finish up here?!"

"We got this Cap!" Dugan called back. "You go for the Skull."

"Right! Bucky, you're with me!"

"Right behind you, Steve!" Bucky called back.

With that, the two longtime friends made their way into the base.

…

As they made their way through the long corridors of the facility, they came across a metal door with a glass window on it. The other side of that window showed some kind of hanger. Tempting fate, Cap opened the door and the two went inside. What they saw astounded them. A giant aircraft in the shape of a 'V' stood before them.

"Holy cow," Bucky let out. "That's what the skull's been working on?"

"Looks like," Cap replied. "It's something else, that's for sure."

"So glad you approve, Captain," a familiar voice

Both Bucky and Cap turned to see the Red Skull, standing triumphantly on a raised platform.

“I am so glad you could make it, Captain. You’re just in time to witness… history.”

Before either of them could make a move, at least a hundred soldiers appeared to be coming from every direction, aiming their weapons at them. Though the odds didn’t seem in their favor, both Cap and Bucky readied themselves for a fight.

"Do not be foolish Captain," Red Skull taunted. "Even if you could survive, I severely doubt your friend could."

Cap hated to admit it, but the Skull was right. There wasn't a way he and Bucky could make it out of this. At least, not now. So, he did the only thing he could and surrender. He held out his shield so that one of the HYDRA goons could take it. Taking the hint, Bucky threw down his gun as the Red Skull descended from the platform to speak to them personally with Strucker standing behind him at attention.

"I see you have taken a liking to the Valkyrie," he observed.

"It definitely leaves an impression," Bucky quipped, allowing Steve to focus on looking for a way out.

"Another plaything for your Führer?" Cap asked.

"No, no," Red Skull answered. "I have come to accept that if HYDRA is to expand its reach, it must move outside of Hitler's shadow."

"Ambitious of you," Bucky admitted. "How do you plan to pull that off?"

"By ceasing a search for power in this world, and seizing power from another," Skull answered, clenching his fist. "Tell me, Captain, how much do you know about Norse Mythology?"

"Kind of slept through History class," Cap retorted.

"Well then, allow me to give you a small lesson. Old stories tell of a mythic land called Asgard. A realm of incredible creatures and powerful artifacts. Many years ago, these beings visited our realm, even did battle with each other for the fate of this world… and others.”

"Sounds like a cute little bedtime story Skull," Bucky interrupted. "But what's that got to do with us?"

Red Skull smirked. "All legends have some basis in truth."

Skull then went over to a special container and pressed a button. A section of the button raised up, revealing a small glowing blue cube. Both Bucky and Cap were taken aback by this.

"The Tesseract,” Skull told them. “Said to be the jewel of Odin's treasure room." Skull continued. "An ancient source of infinite power. And with it, the balance of power in this world will shift to HYDRA.”

“You’re insane,” Cap challenged.

Skull chuckled at that. “Is that what Erskine told you about me?

“Just an observation. Though I can see why he’d think that.”

Skull just sneered. “He resented my genius. Tried to deny me what was mine. But you? He gave you everything. One has to wonder… why? What made you so special?”

This time, it was Cap’s turn to smirk. “Nothin. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”

Enraged by the response, Red Skull struck Cap across the face twice before hitting him in the gut, causing him to kneel over. Bucky growled at that, giving the Red Skull a right hook of his own. Cap took that opportunity to elbow the HYDRA soldier behind him before smacking him across the face, knocking him back. Then, both Cap and Bucky knocked out the HYDRA soldier holding Cap’s shield, causing him to drop it near Cap’s feet. With one stomp of his boot, the shield sailed up and into his arm once more. 

"Always having to save your ass, Steve,” Bucky remarked.

Cap just shrugged before spinning around and smacking a HYDRA soldier with his shield. Bucky quickly picked up a gun and opened fire on the soldiers, taking more than a few out in rapid succession. Just then, a blade swung down and knocked the gun out of his hand, prompting him to look up and see Strucker trying to stab him with his sword. Bucky ducked under it before rolling out of the way before coming face-to-face with him.

“I had hoped to test this blade on Captain America,” Strucker mused. “You are not worthy to face me.”

“Is it because I have hair? I’m sure it’ll grow in eventually.”

Strucker growled before charging forward, swinging his blade rapidly as Bucky did his best to dodge and evade the strikes. As he backed himself into a wall, Strucker smirked maliciously as he prepared his blade. Bucky then ducked, causing him to stab into the wall. Stucker tried to pull the blade free, but this allowed Bucky to punch him across the face, knocking him backward. Bucky tried punching him again, but Strucker grabbed the fist and twisted it behind his back, causing him to grunt in pain as Strucker pulled his blade free. Thinking fast, Bucky snapped his head back, disorienting Strucker so he could pull himself free. Strucker recovered, immediately trying to stab him again. Bucky quickly evaded, causing Strucker to stab a power terminal. The electricity surged through him, finally knocking him out.

The remaining HYDRA soldiers began to swarm the two heroes, opening fire on them and prompting Cap to raise the shield to deflect them as he moved to Bucky. Bucky quickly moved behind Cap as he blocked the attacks with his shield.

"Alright Steve, tell me there's more to this plan than playing chicken behind your shield!"

"I'm working on it!" 

As they were hiding behind the shield, Cap saw Red Skull and several HYDRA soldiers climbing onto the giant aircraft.

"We gotta stop Skull!" Cap told Bucky.

"Couldn't agree more!" Bucky replied. "But it's not like we're going anywhere!"

Just then, the door Cap and Bucky came in through blew open. From the smoke emerged Jim, along with the rest of the Howling Commandos.

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting long Cap," Jim remarked.

"Timing couldn't have been better Jim." The Cap assured him. "Lay down some cover fire for us. Buck, you and I are ending this now."

With that, Cap and Bucky charged towards the Valkyrie already beginning to take off. Cap took the lead, using his shield to block the blasts being dealt their way. Bucky opened fire on several of them while Cap smacked them away with his shield. They quickly began approaching the Valkyrie as it prepared to take off. Cap leaped forward first and grabbed onto one of the wheels. He pulled himself up onto it before turning back toward Bucky. 

“Bucky!” Cap called out. “Come on!”

Bucky continued running after the ship, but it was starting to pick up speed, much to his dismay.

“Jump!” Cap instructed, holding out his hand. “Jump for it!”

Taking a chance, Bucky leaped forward, grabbing Cap’s hand as the ship began to increase its velocity. Finally, it started to take off, leaving Cap to continue holding onto Bucky as it rose into the air. With one hard pull, he brought Bucky onto the wheel with him.

“That was close,” Cap commented.

“Hey, you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Bucky remarked, nudging him playfully. “I’m with you till the end of the line pal.”

Cap smiled in response. “Then let’s finish this.”

 As the Valkyrie continued to fly, the wheels locked themselves up inside the aircraft, carrying the two soldiers with them. As they moved in further through the aircraft, they saw several plane-like bombs with the names of several US cities on them.

"Looks like Skull and his boys are planning on some sightseeing," Bucky remarked.

"See if you can keep his lackeys from taking off," Cap instructed. "I'm going after the Skull."

"Always giving me the easy job.”

Cap just smiled as he took off for the cockpit. Bucky laid in wait for the coming soldiers. Before long, four HYDRA soldiers came running in towards the bombs. Bucky acted quickly and tackled one of them. He then quickly uppercut the soldier, sending him into a wall. The soldier tried to punch back, but Bucky just blocked it and punched him in the face. As the soldier fell to the ground, Bucky looked up to see the other three coming towards him and pulling out knives from their boots.

…

Up in the cockpit, Red Skull was piloting the Valkyrie so that it would reach its designated destination. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and Captain America burst inside. Red Skull reacted quickly as he grabbed a specialized weapon that was near his console and opened fire on him. Cap quickly used his shield to block the blast.

"You don't give up do you?" Skull asked.

"Nope." 

He then ran forward towards the Skull, blocking the blasts as he did so. Finally, he made it up to Red Skull and knocked the gun out of his hand with his shield. He then struck him in the stomach and tried to hit him in the face with his shield, but Skull dodged it and hit him across the face. He then hit him in the face again, knocking him to the ground. Red Skull then tried kicking him in the stomach, but Cap grabbed the leg before it could make contact and shoved it back, causing Red Skull to tumble to the ground.

…

One soldier tried swiping his knife at Bucky, but he was quick to duck under it. As the soldier tried swinging at him again, Bucky grabbed the arm and twisted it. He then grabbed the knife and threw it at one of the oncoming soldiers, nailing him and causing him to fall to the ground. He then punched the soldier he was still holding across the face, knocking him out. Suddenly, mechanical whirring was heard. Bucky turned to see the last HYDRA soldier trying to board one of the bomb planes. Thinking fast, Bucky ran over to the nearby control console and pulled one of the levers on it, releasing the plane. It fell out of the aircraft wildly as the soldier tried hanging on to one of the top parts of the aircraft. Finally, his grip weakened, and he went flying out of the ship along with the plane.

…

Back in the cockpit, Cap had managed to get Red Skull in a chokehold. Skull, however, managed to elbow Cap in the stomach, causing him to let go. Skull then grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto the ground. Red Skull then grabbed Cap's discarded shield and attempted to strike him in the throat with it. Fortunately, Cap grabbed the shield before it made contact, and kicked Red Skull so hard, he landed near the control console. Furious, he drew a laser pistol from his belt and began opening fire on him. Cap quickly rolled out of the way avoiding the blasts. 

…

After dealing with the last of the HYDRA soldiers, he was about to go help Cap with the Red Skull. However, the soldier with a knife in his back was not fully dead yet. Using the last of his strength, he pulled out a grenade from his belt and lobbed it toward Bucky. Noticing it out of the corner of his eye, Bucky quickly stopped and leaped back as the explosive went off.

…

In the cockpit, both Skull and Cap were shaken by the explosion, but still resumed their confrontation.

"You could have the power of the gods!" Skull yelled, walking forward and still shooting. "Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future Captain! There are no flags!"

"Not my future!" Cap yelled jumping out.

Skull took one last blast at Captain America, which only hit his shield. Cap then threw his shield at Skull, knocking him into the device holding the Tesseract. The cube then tumbled to the ground and burned a hole in it. Skull tried to grab it, but it quickly fell through the floor and out of the aircraft.

"No… No!" Skull yelled.

"It's over Skull," Cap declared.

"For once Captain…" Skull replied, turning to him. "We agree!"

Skull then bolted over to the console. Cap grabbed his shield and chased after him as he sat down and pressed a few buttons. 

“Goodbye, Captain America!”

Suddenly a large capsule encased Red Skull in his seat and dropped out of the plane.

"No!" Cap yelled as Red Skull made his escape.

Cap then looked down at the console and saw some kind of timer counting down. Having a pretty good idea what that meant, he decided it was time to bail out. He went back out into the bomb area to collect Bucky and get out of there.

"Bucky! This thing is about to blow! We gotta go!"

"Steve!" Bucky called back. “Help!”

Cap turned to see a large chunk of the side of the ship blown open, with numerous pieces of debris having landed on Bucky, pinning everything save for his right arm

“Hang on!” Cap told him, rushing over.

Cap began trying to lift the debris, but Bucky knew it would be a futile gesture.

"Sorry Cap," he told him.

"Stuff happens Buck," Steve told him. "We've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. We’ll make it."

"No. I mean sorry… but the world needs Captain America more than Bucky Barnes."

With that, Bucky pushed Steve, causing him to fall out of the hole in the ship, only being able to watch as the aircraft carrying his best friend carried on to meet his doom.

"No. No! Bucky!"

Then the craft exploded. The shockwave knocked Cap out as he splashed down into the icy waters below. The wreckage of the Valkyrie wasn't far behind in its fiery descent. Both the doomsday weapon and the super soldier then sank beneath the waves as they made the icy waters around them their frozen grave.

…

Back at the base, the Howling Commandos saw the explosions and knew all too well that their friends weren't coming back. Jim lowered his head in sorrow at the prospect. Losing the men who were able to look past the animal inside and see a dedicated soldier, and a true friend.

…

Logan opened his eyes, returning from the long dream of the past. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice someone approaching him from behind.

"Must have been quite a battle back then," A voice commented.

Logan turned around to see an African American man with a goatee, trench coat, and an eyepatch over his left eye, standing there with his hands in his pockets, just looking at the display.

"My granddaddy told me quite a few stories about him," he continued. "Said he was one of the bravest men he ever knew."

The man then turned to Logan, giving him a knowing smile.

"Then again, you probably know that better than anyone. Don't you, Sergeant Howlett?"

Logan growled at the mention of his name.

"What are you doing here Fury?"

"Just came to see the exhibit," Fury replied nonchalantly, his eye glancing at the information of Captain America. "You know why there's a question mark by Captain Rogers' date of death?"

"Peggy never quit on him. Still believed Cap was alive and spent the last 70 years looking for him.”

"A search that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been continuing even after her retirement," Fury added. "We will find him, and when we do, we'd like you to be there. The last of the Howling Commandos."

"Forget it, Fury," Logan replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't found the Cap in 70 years, they ain't gonna find him now. And as far as the commandos go… that’s ancient history."

“So are you.”

Logan just snarled in response before walking off.

…

Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, a submarine manned by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was continuing a decades-long search.

"Are you certain of your findings?" one agent asked.

"Positive." another agent confirmed. "The energy readings match the samples left behind in Project Rebirth."

The sub continued scanning the ocean floor in search of their prize. Suddenly, there was a beep on the sonar. The technician in charge looked, and his eyes flew wide when he found that something large was coming on the screen.

"Uh, sir?" he called out. "I think we found something."

One of the agents came up to the screen and saw the wrecked and frozen remains of the Valkyrie.

"Is it close?" the agent asked.

"Yes." The technician answered. "Very close proximity."

The sub continued until the scanners detected something in the water putting out immeasurable amounts of power. The agents saw this and directed the sub towards it. As the source of the power came on screen, all their equipment seemed to buzz from the energy it was giving off.

“Send out a drone to confirm,” the head agent instructed.

The other agent complied, deploying the drone to scope out the wreckage and the area surrounding it. After a bit of searching the drone managed to zero in on the energy source the team had located. Skimming across the bottom floor, the drone suddenly came face to face with the Tesseract itself. The drone extended a robotic arm, grabbing the cube and pulling it in close and into a containment unit stored onboard. The technician was about to bring the drone home when something caught his eye. He moved the drone in closer to a nearby patch of ice, his eyes going wide at the sight.

"Um… you might want to see this.”

The head agent came over to look, and his jaw immediately dropped. Within the ice seemed to be the figure of a man. Strapped on his back, was a red, white, and blue shield.

“Get me Director Fury.”

Chapter Text

Nick Fury, director of the secret spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D., walked into a monitor room where two women were waiting for him. One was his second in command, Maria Hill, standing at attention before him, and the other was Daisy “Skye” Johnson, who was at a computer terminal, going through some encrypted files.

“I trust there’s a good reason for me being called here,” he addressed.

“There is,” Hill replied. “We just got a communication from our salvage team near the Arctic Circle.”

“Guessing they found something.”

“A big something… we found it.”

Fury’s eye went wide. “The Cube?”

“Found it at the bottom of the ocean floor. And that’s not all.”

Fury cocked an eyebrow, looking down at Skye, who smiled in response.

“They found him.”

Fury was surprised. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“They found his body in a patch of ice. They’re working to free him now.”

“Well, that all sounds well and good,” Fury noted, a stern look on his face. “So why do I feel like a second shoe is about to drop?”

Both Hill and Skye turned to each other before turning to face Fury again.

“You remember those files Natasha recovered from Gorgon Castle a while back? Well, I did some digging into them, and… it’s not good. Looks like HYDRA’s been looking for the same thing.”

“Not a surprise,” Fury remarked. “Everyone’s been looking for him.”

“Yeah, but these reports seem to show they’re eying the exact same place we are.”

“... shit.  How long ago was the word from the recovery team?” 

“About half an hour ago.”

“Tell them to get the hell out of there at top speed. Hill, get the STRIKE Team mobilized and ready to move out!”

“Yes sir,” Hill replied, heading off.

…

Onboard the sub, they had just finished cutting Cap’s body out of the ice and brought it on board, allowing them to take off away from the area. All the while, S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians were studying the Cube in the onboard lab.

“This thing is incredible,” one of the lab techs commented. “The energy capacity is unparalleled. And I’m even picking up some… low-level gamma radiation.”

“I’d save the analysis for when we’re in safer waters,” another one of the technicians told him. “Just got a communication that HYDRA forces are closing in on us. We’ve gotta get out of here and fast.”

“I’m not too worried. We’re hundreds of miles away, and we’ve got a massive head start on them. By the time they get here, we’ll be long-”

Suddenly, something collided with the side of the sub, rocking the occupants inside. 

“What the hell?”

…

Outside the sub, another much larger back submarine with red highlights trailed behind them. It fired two more torpedoes, hitting the engines and stranding them in the water. This allowed the larger stub to pull up to the damaged watercraft. It moved over the research sub, opening up a panel on the bottom so it could lower itself down and trap the smaller sub inside.

…

Inside the research sub, the technicians all braced themselves as they felt the smaller sub being engulfed by the bigger one. They all grabbed weapons that were stored onboard in case of an emergency, readying themselves for whatever was coming their way. Just as they began arming themselves, the hatch into the sub was being cut. All the technicians stepped back, readying themselves for what was coming. Finally, the entrance was blown open, creating a cloud of smoke that blinded the technicians. This created enough of a disorientation for several HYDRA agents to bust in and start shooting at the S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians.  The technicians opened fire on the agents, some of them getting shot as a result. 

While more HYDRA agents stormed the sub, a man dropped down inside, walking past several downed soldiers and technicians. One of them was slowly crawling away, prompting the man to reach a metal hand out and grab him by the back of the neck. He picked him up, letting the technician see his attacker was an older man in a HYDRA uniform with a monocle.

“Baron Strucker…” the technician let out.

Suddenly, the gauntlet sparked with energy, causing the technician to cry out in pain. Before Strucker’s eyes, the technician began to age rapidly, as if his life was being drained from him. Said life was then being siphoned into Strucker, making him appear younger by a few decades. Satisfied, Strucker tossed the technician aside, marching forward into the sub with a look of satisfaction on his face.

…

Miles away, a SHIELD shuttle blazed across the sky, rocketing toward the sub's last known location. Inside the shuttle, Clint Barton was stocking up his quiver, making sure he was well-armed for the fight ahead. By his side was Natasha Romanov, who was dressed in a black bodysuit with a belt that had a red hourglass on the buckle and two yellow bracelets that she was locking into place.

“How much further until we reach the target?” she asked, turning to one of the agents.

“We’re about ten minutes out from the sub’s last reported location,” Brock Rumlow, leader of SHIELD’s Strike Unit, reported as he slid two taser sticks into holsters on his belt. 

“Sub will most likely be submerged when we get there. While the ship lays some cover fire, we’ll drop into the water next to the sub before swimming toward it. Once there, we breach the sub via the bulkheads. When we get in, we protect Cap’s body and the Cube, no matter what.”

“You heard her, STRIKE. Let’s move out!”

…

Back on board the sub, the remaining SHIELD techs were either dead or captured, held at gunpoint by the HYDRA soldiers on board. As the last of the techs were brought into one room, Strucker walked out, looking them over. Glaring at them before proceeding to walk toward his soldiers.

"What is the status of the Tesseract?" Strucker inquired.

"We are transporting it onto our sub as we speak," one of the soldiers answered.

"And ze Captain?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was in the midst of defrosting him when we arrived," another soldier told him. "We are finishing the process and are preparing to take his shield to one of our onboard laboratories for analysis."

"Excellent. Once ze Captain is fully defrosted, begin extracting his DNA so he may reproduce the super soldier serum."

"Yes sir!" the agent replied, giving Strucker the HYDRA salute.

"With both the Tesseract and the Captain's DNA in our possession, we will obtain a level of power not even the Red Skull could have conceived. Hail HYDRA!"

"Hail HYDRA!" the soldiers shouted back.

...

In one of the labs, HYDRA soldiers held two SHIELD technicians at gunpoint as they finished thawing out Captain America’s body. Once he was thawed out, one of the soldiers came over with a syringe and drew some blood from Cap’s arm. He turned back toward the scientists, unaware of the subtle stirring of the downed Captain.

“This shall be the first step of HYDRA’s mastery of the world,” the soldier mused before turning to the others. “Prepare Captain America’s body for transport. Kill the rest.”

The soldiers nodded before aiming their guns at the scientists, both groups completely unaware of the Captain’s movements a few feet away. Just then, Cap’s eyes slowly opened up, allowing him to look around and catch a glimpse of his old enemy. Instantly, he snapped awake.

“No!” he cried out.

One of the soldiers turned toward Cap, only to get punched in the face as a result. Cap quickly kicked another soldier aside before springing to his feet. One of the HYDRA soldiers tried shooting at him, but Cap quickly dashed forward and aimed the gun upward, causing him to shoot the ceiling instead. Cap then socked the soldier on the jaw, knocking him to the ground and causing the syringe he was carrying to shatter on the ground. Cap looked at the soldier's uniform, seeing the HYDRA insignia on it, causing him to narrow his eyes.

"HYDRA," he said under his breath before grabbing the soldier. "Where have you taken me?! Where's Bucky?!"

"Who?" the soldier asked.

Ticked off by his answer, Cap knocked him out and let him fall to the ground. He then turned toward the scientists, who were in awe

“Captain… America?” one let out.

“Where am I? What’s going on?” A distant explosion shook all three of them. “Nevermind. Get to safety.”

“W-wait!” the other scientist scrambled over to the table, grabbing the shield. “You’ll need this.”

Cap smiled, taking the shield and placing it on his back before rushing off into battle.

…

In the air above the sub, the SHIELD shuttle was laying down some fire on the sub, causing it to rock back and forth. Meanwhile, the STRIKE team geared up in scuba gear, ready to infiltrate the sub. Hawkeye opened the exit hatch, allowing him to leap out into the water below. One by one, the STRIKE team dove into the water, swimming toward the sub. Once they reached the underside of the sub, Natasha pulled out a device that she stuck to the side of the sub. It produced a laser that cut through the side of the sub, giving them a hole to slip through. One by one, Barton, Romanoff, Rumlow, and at least three other agents made it inside seconds before the bulkheads sealed up. Once in, the team shed their scuba gear and readied their gear. Widow checked to make sure her stingers and firearms were fully loaded. Barton unfolded his bow, drawing an arrow in preparation while Rumlow pulled out a gun and a taser stick, giving the latter a spin. 

“Shall we?” he remarked, moving out. 

The other agents started moving out, with Natasha and Clint moving out side by side. 

“Still hard to believe they found him after all this time,” Clint remarked.

“The ice must’ve kept his body preserved for all this time,” Nat reasoned as she raised her gun. “Leaving him prime for HYDRA’s scientists to pick apart.”

“Fortunately, that’s why we’re here. Now, how about we kick some HYDRA ass?”

“Let’s,” Nat agreed as the two took off. “Before they drain Cap dry.”

...

Inside the SHIELD sub, Cap used his shield to smack a HYDRA soldier aside before turning to another and blocking its gunshots. Cap ran across the room before leaping onto a nearby table and throwing his shield at the soldier, knocking him to the ground. As the shield returned to his hands, Cap quickly made for the ladder and began climbing. He opened up the hatch and climbed out, surprised to find himself not only exiting a submarine but inside the confines of a much bigger submarine.

“A submarine… inside of a submarine?” Cap questioned, leaping down to the ground. “Can’t focus on that now. Gotta find a way out of here. Regroup with the other Commandos. Gotta find… Bucky…”

He paused for a moment, before shaking his head and returning to the task at hand.

“Focus up soldier. You got a job to do.”

…

Meanwhile, the SHIELD STRIKE team made their way through the sub, engaging with the HYDRA forces along the way. Natasha opened fire on several soldiers, even engaging a few in hand-to-hand combat when forced to. She quickly flipped one onto the ground before spin-kicking another in the face. She then ran toward one and leaped on top of him, contorting her body so she’d flip him to the ground and she would land in a dramatic pose. She then turned toward one last approaching soldier and aimed her wristband at him, firing a widow sting that knocked him to the ground.

Hawkeye meanwhile fired arrows left and right to take out as many HYDRA soldiers as he could. He fired one arrow at a soldier’s boot, firing a grappling line up at the ceiling and yanking him upward and dangling him upside down. He quickly spun around and fired another arrow at an oncoming soldier, electrocuting him and causing him to drop like a fly. As a third approached, Clint spun around and used his bow to strike him in the gut. As he keeled over, Clint socked him across the face, knocking him out. Hawkeye then drew one more arrow and fired it at a cluster of oncoming HYDRA agents. The arrow exploded upon contact with the ground, sending the HYDRA soldiers flying.

Rumlow shot down every HYDRA soldier he saw, wasting no time dispatching one soldier after another. As one came in close he elbowed him in the chest before striking him with his taser stick, shocking the soldier so intensely, it knocked him out almost instantly. He then swept another HYDRA soldier off his feet before emptying three shots into his chest, killing him easily. 

Once all the HYDRA soldiers were down, the three, and their fellow agents, pressed forward and made their way toward a sealed door. Natasha walked forward and pulled a decrypter device from her belt and attached it to the keypad. After a few moments, the decryption device managed to override the lock. This caused the door to open up, allowing the STRIKE team to move on. They found themselves in a large open room, with no sign of the sub or Strucker. As they entered the room, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them. The lights suddenly switched on, revealing several HYDRA soldiers staring them down with weapons at the ready. At the forefront of them was Baron Strucker, looking them over with a smug smile.

“Welcome, agents of SHIELD,” he addressed. “You are just in time to witness HYDRA’s ascension to mastery over the world.”

“Might wanna rethink that statement in about two seconds,” Clint remarked, notching an arrow.

He fired it at Strucker, only for the seasoned HYDRA leader to snatch it out of the air with his gauntlet. He held it up smugly, energy surging through it as it crumbled to ashes before them. 

“Tell me that wasn’t your best idea,” Rumlow remarked.

“I’m open to suggestions,” Clint replied. 

“Open fire!” Strucker ordered.

The HYDRA soldiers opened fire on the agents, causing them to scatter. 

…

As Cap made his way through the sub, he overheard the gunfire coming from down a hallway. Curious, he quickly went down the hall in order to investigate.

…

Hawkeye unleashed one arrow after another, nailing HYDRA soldiers in rapid succession. Widow quickly leaped out of the way of some fire, rolling on the ground before getting in a crouched position and shooting another widow sting at an oncoming soldier. Rumlow shot down every HYDRA soldier he saw, showing no remorse as he carried out his mission. The other agents opened fire as well, with one getting shot down as a result. As the fighting continued, Strucker walked down toward the battle, surveying everything that was transpiring. As he passed by one of the shield agents, he grabbed it by the throat, using his claw to drain his lifeforce of the agent before tossing him aside. 

As the fight continued, the four remaining agents were slowly being herded into a circle, easily becoming overwhelmed by the HYDRA forces. The third agent ran out of ammunition in his rifle and tossed it aside, pulling out his pistol. However, Strucker simply drew his sword and slashed at the agent, causing him to drop to the ground dead. Only Hawkeye, Widow, and Rumlow remained, surrounded by Strucker and his HYDRA army.

“A valiant effort,” Strucker mused. “But a futile one. Surrender now, and you may yet live.”

“You hear that guys?” Clint remarked. “We get to live if we give up? Isn’t that just the biggest load of crap you’ve ever heard?”

“One of the biggest,” Natasha agreed.

Strucker just sneered at the two of them. He turned toward Rumlow, who just shrugged it off. Strucker noticed something though, a slight flicker in the eye that caused him to turn back to Hawkeye. Strucker smirked at the prospect.

“Well then.”

Strucker shot his claw out, wrapping it around Clint’s throat.

“Clint!” Natasha let out.

“This will be my message to Nick Fury. That nothing, not even the forces of SHIELD, can stand against the power of HYDRA!”

He raised Clint up, the life force slowly draining from his body as Nat and Rumlow watched on. Before it could go too far though, something flew across the room and struck Strucker’s hand, causing him to drop Clint and the lifeforce to return to his body. Strucker looked on, seeing what appeared to be a metal disc bounce off the wall before returning to its own, Captain America. The four were shocked by the sight before them.

“It can’t be…” Nat let out.

“No… way…” Clint mustered.

“Captain America…” Strucker let out in disbelief. 

“You…” Cap let out. “Let. Them. Go.”

Strucker narrowed his eyes at the sight of Cap, ignoring the SHIELD agents to focus on the shield-wielding hero. 

“This is impossible. You can’t be alive!”

“I’ve survived worse than that,” Cap replied, looking at the elderly HYDRA soldier in surprise. “Strucker?”

“You recognize me?” Strucker noted, smiling. “Excellent. Then your demise will be all the more satisfying when you know it comes from my hand!”

Strucker charged forward, swinging his blade at Cap. Cap ducked under it before striking Strucker in the face with his shield, knocking him back. Cap quickly ran forward and tried taking another swing at Strucker, but he quickly ducked under the shield before trying to thrust his sword forward. Cap sidestepped the blade before grabbing Stricker’s arm, holding it in place so he could swing his shield at the sword, breaking it in two before throwing Strucker aside, causing him to collide with a wall. 

"I must say, you do not disappoint," Strucker remarked. “You retain all the skills and prowess that HYDRA dreaded.”

"And yet, you fight like every other goose stepper I've taken down," Cap retorted.

"Oh, I assure you, Captain," Strucker replied, raising his gauntlet and causing it to surge with power "You will find I am different zen most.

With that, Strucker ran at Captain America, swinging his metal gauntlet at him. Cap quickly stepped away from every swipe, avoiding the attacks. Cap retorted by elbowing him in the face, sending him stumbling back. Cap ran towards him, meaning to attack him again, but Strucker quickly backhanded him with his gauntlet, knocking him to the ground.

“An impressive display, Captain,” Strucker mused. “But in the end… It wasn't good enough.

As Strucker tried to grab him with his gauntlet, Cap quickly grabbed the gauntlet and kicked Strucker in the chest, knocking him into a nearby control console. The contact resulted in a spark of electricity that caused it to explode. This caused alerts to sound throughout the sub, signaling them that it was suffering severe technical difficulties. 

“This vessel has been compromised!” Strucker called out. “All HYDRA personnel to the escape pods!”

Strucker and the remaining HYDRA agents made their way to escape, something Natasha was quick to take notice of.

“You two get the Captain out of here,” she ordered. “I’m going after Strucker!”

Clint and Rumlow nodded as Natasha took off after Strucker. 

“Come on, Cap,” Rumlow directed. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The Captain looked at the direction Strucker had run off to, wanting to pursue. However, he was still not at full strength after his dip in the Arctic, so he knew he couldn’t continue the fight. Reluctantly, he went off with Clint and Rumlow, looking to make it to safety.

…

Elsewhere in the sub, several HYDRA soldiers were piling into the escape pods, including one handling the Tesseract. Strucker was one of the last to arrive, only for a gunshot to hit right near the entrance to one. He turned around, seeing Black Widow aiming her pistol right at him.

“Baron Strucker!” she called out. “By order of SHIELD, you are under arrest!”

Strucker stared down Widow, slowly raising his hands in response. Widow narrowed her eyes, cautiously approaching Strucker to subdue him. As she got close enough though, Strucker shot his gauntlet out, trying to grab her. She quickly grabbed the gauntlet by the wrist, inches away from her face. As the two struggled, Strucker reached into his belt with his free hand and pulled out a pistol. As soon as he aimed it at her face, she dropped down and kicked his legs out from under him. He tried to pick himself up but was greeted with the barrel of Widow’s gun in his face. 

“Stand down,” she instructed.

Strucker glared for a moment. Just then, he grabbed her leg with his gauntlet and slammed her against the wall, disorienting her enough so he could get to his feet. He tried punching her, but she quickly rolled out of the way, firing widow stings from her gauntlets. He brought up his gauntlet to block them before grabbing a pistol from the ground and firing at her. She backflipped away from the shots, allowing Strucker to pull an explosive device from his belt and lob it at her just as she landed on the ground. Having only half a second to react, she dove out of the way just as the device went off, blowing a hole in the side of the sub and causing water to pour in. As she picked herself up though, she looked around, seeing that Strucker had vanished. She slammed a fist on a nearby wall, cursing in Russian before taking off to meet with Clint and the others.

…

Meanwhile, Cap, Clint, and Rumlow continued making their way toward the exit. 

“Just called in our ride,” Clint reported as they approached the ladder.  “Should be waiting for us once we surface.”

“Another sub?” Cap assumed.

“Uh… not exactly.”

Finally, the three reached the exit hatch, climbing up it one by one. Cap was the last to exit, climbing onto the roof and seeing the scale of the sub he was in. Just then, a loud whirring noise rang out above him, causing him to look up. He was wide-eyed at the SHIELD shuttle flying toward them. The advanced technology before him, combined with the strain of being frozen and the battle, all became too much. Rumlow looked over and saw the weariness in Cap’s stance. Finally, he passed out, slumping over as Rumlow caught him.

“Cap’s out,” he told Hawkeye.

“Fine time to take a nap,” Clint lamented. “Just get him on board.”

Rumlow nodded as the shuttle came to their level and the hatch opened up. He carried Cap onboard as Clint activated his comm.

“Nat, our rides here. Where are you?”

“Making my way to you! Strucker rabbitted! Almost there!”

…

Inside, the sub was beginning to fill up with water. Natasha raced through the hallways, hoping to make it to an exit in time. Spotting a downed HYDRA soldier, she ran over and grabbed a grenade from his belt. She lobbed it at the ceiling, causing it to explode and give her a clear escape. She then fired a grappling line from one of her gauntlets, allowing her to zip upward. Once she got up, she eyed the shuttle still hovering above her. She ran along the stretch of the roof, making one final leap toward the shuttle. When it looked like she would come up short, a grappling arrow shot out toward her and wrapped around her arm. She smiled, seeing Clint reel her back into the shuttle as it took off.

“Always gotta go for the dramatic approach, don’t you?” Clint remarked as he pulled her inside. 

“Look who’s talking, circus boy,” she jeered. “How’s Cap?”

“Out cold. We’re taking him back to base.”

“Well, at least this wasn’t a total waste,” she remarked, taking a seat and seeing Cap laid out unconscious on a row of seats.

…

Sometime later, Strucker arrived at a HYDRA base, disembarking from his escape pod as several HYDRA soldiers came out to greet him. 

“Sir, welcome.”

“I trust the Tesseract is secure?” Strucker assumed.

“Indeed. We have already begun work on harnessing its power. Our arsenal will be ready within a few days.”

“Excellent. With the power at our disposal, we shall finish what the Red Skull started, and pave the way for a new world… ruled by HYDRA.”

…

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers slowly started waking up. At first, he considered if everything he went through on the sub was some kind of dream, but the new, unfamiliar surroundings he had awoken to seemed to confirm otherwise. As he sat up, he looked around, seeing that he was wearing SHIELD sweats and that his uniform and shield were laid out on a chair nearby. In another chair next to his bed, a blonde woman was looking over something on her phone. Finally, she looked up, seeing that Steve had awakened.

“Oh, good,” she let out, putting her phone away. “You’re awake. How  are you feeling?”

“Alright,” Steve muttered, still a little groggy. “Where am I?”

“Medical wing at SHIELD headquarters. I’m Agent 13. SHIELD Special Services. Here to help with your… transitional period.”

“Transitional period?” 

“You were… frozen for a long time.”

“How long?”

“... there’s… plenty of time for-”

“How long?” Steve pressed. “... please.”

Agent 13 took a breath before speaking again. “Almost eighty years.”

Steve was floored by the revelation. He fell back in his bed, trying to process what he had heard.

“Eighty years… but, the explosion… how am I alive?”

“Not sure honestly. I spoke to some of our specialists. Their best theory is that the combination of the Super Soldier Serum and the intense cold put you in some form of… suspended animation.”

Steve suddenly thought of something. “The war? Did… did we win?”

Agent 13 smiled. “We did. Thanks to you.”

Steve sighed in relief. “But… HYDRA’s still out there.”

“Some people tried bringing back old ideas.”

“Like Strucker,” Steve recalled. “How is he still alive?”

“There will be time for that later,” Agent 13 replied, getting to her feet. “For now, just get some rest.”

Agent 13 then walked out of the room, leaving Steve to come to grips with his new situation.

…

Meanwhile, Barton and Romanoff were meeting with Fury in his office, debriefing him on the situation.

“Where are the survivors?” Fury asked.

“STRIKE found them in escape pods a few miles away from the sub,” Clint relayed. “A few HYDRA soldiers as well.”

“Not counting Strucker I assume.”

“No,” Natasha lamented. “He managed to get away. No sigh of the Tesseract either.”

“So the Cube is back in HYDRA's hands?” Fury remarked, spinning around to face them. “Fantastic.”

“I can get STRIKE assembled to go after them,” Clint offered.

“No. For this, we’re gonna need something a bit more… versatile.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“... we start recruitment,” Fury decided.

Clint was taken aback by that. “Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea? The names you're suggesting aren't exactly what I would call a 5-star lineup."

"Maybe so," Fury admitted. "But they may also be our only defense against this threat."

Clint let out a sigh of defeat before speaking again.

"Alright. You’re the boss.”

“Damn right. Now, I need you on the kid.”

“Seriously?” 

“You’re good with kids.”

“Yeah, but him-”

Fury just gave him a look, causing Clint to sigh again.

“Fine, I’m on it,” he replied, heading off.

"Good," Fury replied before turning to Natasha. "Romanoff, you handle the big guy."

Natasha snorted.

"You're sending me after Stark? You know he trusts me about as far as he can throw me."

"Oh no, I've got Coulson on Stark," Fury corrected. "You get the big guy."

Natasha froze up, realizing what Fury meant.

"Bozhe moi."

…

Unbeknownst to SHIELD, someone else was watching the events regarding the Tesseract unfold. From an icy prison, a man dressed in green watched as SHIELD set out to retrieve the Cube, smiling the entire time.

“Well… this is promising.”

Chapter Text

In the Central American country of El Salvador, Rick Jones rode his bike down the streets of the town of San Miguel. It was a normal bike rather than a motorbike, which made it easier for the kid to blend in with everyone else. At present, he had managed to secure a delivery job with one of the many local restaurants. He didn’t make much, but the tips were decent, and his boss didn’t bat an eye about wanting to be paid in cash rather than checks. He zoomed down the street, heading to his last delivery for the day. Once reaching his destination, he pulled to a stop, lowering the kickstand, and getting off the bike so he could grab the food. He then went up to the house and knocked on the door.

“Hey, got a delivery, here!” he called out. 

After a few moments, the owner opened up, grateful for the order. He paid for it and Rick went on his way. As he looked down, he groaned.

“Seriously? No tip? Come on, man…”

Moaning in frustration, Rick slipped back onto the bike and rode off.

“Guess it’ll be a light dinner tonight. Better finish up with work and meet up with Bruce.”

…

Meanwhile, Bruce decided to head out into the city, heading into a second-hand electronics store in the hopes of finding equipment for his next experiment. Since he couldn’t risk any sort of trail that could lead Ross of the Hulkbusters to him, he had to make do with making the equipment himself, which meant buying a wide assortment of gizmos and gadgets from second-hand shops.

He managed to get a hold of a toaster and a few old cell phones that he believed could help him with his work. As he made his way to the counter, he accidentally bumped into a man who was in one of the aisles. 

“Hey!” he let out in Spanish.

He grabbed hold of Bruce’s shoulder and slammed him against the aisle. Bruce grunted in pain before breathing erratically, trying his best not to lose his cool.

“Watch where you’re going, pal! I outta knock some sense into you!”

Bruce could feel his control slipping, especially when the brute began to pull back his fist.

“Please…” Bruce responded in Spanish.  “don’t make me angry… you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

Thankfully, just before the guy’s punch could land, someone slid between them both: Rick.

“Whoa, whoa,” Rick interjected in Spanish. “Please excuse my friend here. He’s got his head in the clouds. Here.” He held out the wad of cash that was his tips for the day. “For your troubles.”

Looking down at the money, the man snatched it out of Rick’s hand before walking off. Bruce let out a sigh of relief in response.

“Nice timing,” Bruce commended.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, that was everything I had on me.” He sighed, leaning on the wall. “Think any of those leftovers are still good?”

“Our fridge broke last week, remember?”

Rick visibly deflated. “So that’s a no…”

“Any chance your work has leftovers?”

“Checked. No dice today.”

Bruce let out a sigh of defeat.

…

Later the two were walking down the street back to their apartment, disappointed by the outcome of the day. 

“Maybe I should take up a job,” Bruce suggested. “They’re always hiring at the bottling plant.”

“Yeah, let’s stick you in a loud and stressful environment full of heavy machinery and cramped confines,” Rick sarcastically declared. “That’s a perfect idea, Bruce.”

“... right. Well, we need to think of something. If not, it might be time for us to move on.”

“And go where, Bruce? Without passports or ID, we’re kinda stuck and forgeries are way too expensive.”

“Well, we need to think of something. We can’t-”

Bruce suddenly went silent as they got to the floor of their apartment.

“Bruce?” Rick let out, immediately on high alert. “What is it?”

Bruce pointed at their door, seeing that it was cracked slightly and the light was on inside.

“Oh boy,” Rick let out. “You think Ross found us?”

“Feel it would be a lot louder if it were.”

“True.” Rick stepped forward. “I’ll go first.”

Bruce caught his arm. “Not a chance. If it’s one of Ross’ men-”

“Do you really want to risk letting the Big Guy out in here?”

Bruce cringed, then slowly let go of Rick. Taking a deep breath, Rick slowly approached the apartment. He inched the door and slowly pushed it open, allowing him to head inside. He could hear something inside, something that sounded like… cooking? He fully entered the apartment and went toward the kitchen, surprised to see Natasha, dressed in local attire and cooking some kind of pasta dish.

“Uh…” Rick let out with a cocked eyebrow.

“Oh good, you’re back,” Natasha noted. “You didn’t have much so I picked up something. It’s almost done if you want to get Mr. Bana. That is the alias he’s using, right? David Bana?”

“Uh…”

Hearing this exchange, Bruce slowly walked into the room, a pained smile on his face.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he remarked, sounding like a man walking to his execution. “Let me guess, you never lost track of us, did you?”

“We did for a bit,” Natasha admitted. “But we picked you back up somewhere south of the border. We decided it was best to keep our distance for now. Even kept a few… interested parties off your scent.”

As the two mulled on that, Natasha grabbed two bowls, doling out the pasta she had made before placing it on the coffee table. She then stuck two forks in the bowls before gesturing to them.

“Go on. I can assure you, the only thing you need to worry about is the cayenne pepper flakes.”

The two gave each other looks for a moment before turning back to the food. Rick was the first to take a chance and have a bite. Instantly, he smiled in delight before beginning to wolf down the food. As he sat down and grabbed his bowl, Bruce sat next to him. Rather than eat, he pushed his food toward Rick before giving Natasha his full attention.

“Well… since we’ve established you’re not here to kill me… why are you here?”

“We need your help.”

“And what if I say no?”

“I can be pretty persuasive.”

Bruce chuckled. “And what about the… Other guy. I don’t think pasta will convince him.”

“From our reports, you haven’t had an episode since the Cube break out three months ago. I don’t think you want to break that streak. Especially with Mr. Jones in such close proximity and the number of people in this building alone.”

“She’s gotcha there, Bruce,” Rick said through a mouthful of pasta. He swallowed, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “But here’s the million dollar question… whose help do you need? Bruce’s? Or the big guy’s?”

“Fortunately we need the man more than the monster,” Natasha replied, pulling out her phone. “We’re facing a potential global catastrophe.”

“Oh, those I actively try to avoid,” Bruce commented.

Nat placed the phone on the table, showing a picture of the Tesseract. 

“48 hours ago, a SHIELD research sub was attacked by HYDRA forces. They managed to make off with this.”

“Hey,” Rick let out, pointing with his fork. “Ain’t that the cube thingy that Captain America was trying to get back in WWII?”

“You know your history kid. This is the same one. And now, HYDRA has it again.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” Bruce asked. “Swallow it?”

“We want you to track it. Initial reports of HYDRA weapons taken back during WWII show that the Cube emanates a Gamma energy signature that’s too weak for us to track. That’s where you come in.”

“And what’s in it for us?” Rick proposed, finishing his bowl and setting down his fork. “The doc’s too nice for his own good but we can’t just go back to the States with you.”

“Once we get our hands on the Cube, you’re in the wind. We can place you anywhere you feel you can start a new life. We’ll even provide regular funds so you’re not relying on tip money to get by.”

Bruce chuckled in response. “You know… you almost had me for a moment.”

“I’m serious,” Natasha insisted. “We need you on this.”

“Need me in a cage, you mean.”

“No one’s gonna put you in a-”

“STOP LYING TO ME!” Bruce yelled, slamming a fist down.

Instantly, Nat grabbed her gun that was placed under the table and aimed it at Banner. Rick instantly got to his feet, taken aback by how quickly things had escalated. His eyes were darting around for an escape, only for Bruce to reach out and gently tap his arm.

“It’s alright, Rick. That was a dumb move on my part. Just relax, okay? In fact,” he turned to Natasha, “we should all relax. I’d much rather do this the easy way where you don’t use that thing and the Other Guy doesn’t make a mess.”

Finally taking a breath, Natasha lowered her gun before moving a hand to her ear.

“Stand down,” she said to the agents outside. “We’re good here.”

Rick peeked out the window, seeing several SHIELD agents stationed outside. He whistled, sagging onto the couch.

“I am seriously slacking if I didn’t notice an entire army surrounding the place.”

Bruce put the second bowl of pasta in his lap. “Just eat up. We’ve got a bit of a journey ahead of us.”

“Hopefully, with a lot less action.”

…

An alarm rang out, cutting through the silence of the New York City night. On a rooftop, several masked men busted out of a jewelry store with stolen loot in hard, making a beeline for a helicopter that was landing on the helipad nearby. As the thugs made it to their escape vehicle, none of them noticed the red and blue figure landing on a metal beam overlooking them. Smirking under his mask, he held out his hand and fired a web at the foot of one of the crooks, tripping him up. As some of the others made it to the copter, one of the crooks was about to hand another a briefcase full of loot, only for another web to snag the briefcase, pulling it away and causing it another crook in the face. As another crook tried to start the copter, he looked to the side and saw their attacker, the upside-down hanging figure of the Spectacular Spider-Man. Spider-Man then webbed the crook and yanked him out of the chopper, causing him to hit the ground hard. Spider-Man then shot out another web and snagged another goon, pulling him hard and causing him to collide with the copter, knocking him out cold. This allowed Spider-Man to leap through the copter and land in front of the remaining goons.

“Alright, boys,” he addressed. “I’m here to make quips and web bad guys… and I have plenty of both.”

The goons all aimed their weapons at Spider-Man, opening fire and causing him to flip out of the way. He leaped onto the helicopter before jumping off it. Soaring over the thugs and firing webs at two of the thugs. As Spider-Man landed, he pulled hard on the webs, yanking the two thugs together and knocking them out. One of the bigger thugs quickly grabbed a nearby crate and chucked it at Spider-Man. Seeing it coming, Spider-Man leaped up and landed on the box, riding it as he fired a web at a nearby tower. Once the web was stretched to its limit, it snapped back, carrying Spider-Man and the crate forward.

“Special delivery!” he called out, knocking the crate into the thug and sending him flying. Spidey reacted quickly firing a web to ensnare the thug before he could fall off. Spider-Man then pulled him back, causing him to hit the ground hard. One of the remaining thugs kept shooting at Spider-Man, prompting him to backflip away repeatedly as the final goon made it to the copter. Spider-Man then landed on the wall, running across it as the thug continued shooting at him. 

On a neighboring rooftop, Hawkeye was watching the events play out through a pair of binoculars.

“Not bad,” he admitted. “Got potential… for a kid.”

Spider-Man continued keeping ahead of the shots, leaping off the wall and firing a web onto a nearby tower for him to swing on. He swung around the helicopter before smashing through the door, shutting down the copter and knocking the pilot out of it at the same time. The pilot flew right into the gunman, knocking them both to the ground as Spider-Man landed on the side of the building, seeing the copter go down. Immediately he leaped onto it, firing weblines to try and stop the copter’s descent.  Web line after web line was shot out, connecting to the buildings close by as the helicopter’s fall became slower and slower. Finally, the helicopter came to a stop before it could make contact with the street below. 

“Well, that was fun,” Spider-Man remarked before swinging back onto the roof. 

A few moments later, Spider-Man had all the goons wrapped up in a net and even attached a note for the police that read “compliments of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”. Once it was in place, he fired a web to swing away from. He didn’t get far though as something sailed through the air, cutting his web and causing him to fall to the ground. 

“What the…?” Spider-Man let out.

He looked around, seeing an arrow poking out of the wall. Cocking an eyebrow, he went over and pulled it out of the wall, finding a note attached to it.

“‘Meet me at the Chrysler Building. Need to talk’,” Spider-Man read off. “O…kay. Not the weirdest way someone’s tried to get my attention… but still.”

…

Sometime later, Spider-Man made his way to the Chrysler Building. On any other day, it’d be his place to get away from everything. Tonight though, he wasn’t sure what he was going to find. As he reached one of the stone eagles he liked to perch on, he found Hawkeye leaning against the wall, fiddling with one of his arrows.

“You know,” Spider-Man spoke up, perching on an eagle. “There’s other ways to get a guy’s attention.”

“Well, you don’t exactly have an email,” Hawkeye retorted, putting the arrow away.

“True. so, who are you? Wait, let me guess, Purple Arrow? William Tell-off? No, wait, bow boy.”

“Funny. The name's Hawkeye.” 

“Hawkeye? I think I prefer Purple Arrow.”

“Well forgive me for not taking advice from the kid who uses his school’s photo lab to make his web fluid.”

Spider-Man’s eyes went wide under his mask.

“Uh… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would a hero like me use a-”

“Peter Benjamin Parker, age 17. Currently a junior at Midtown High School, as well as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. Lives with your only living relative, your paternal aunt Maybelle ‘May’ Parker.”

Spider-Man was floored by the info dump.

“How… how do you-”

“I work for SHIELD. We’ve been keeping tabs on you after you used your school computers to hack into SHIELD during that Chameleon incident last year.”

“Well… what does SHIELD want with me?”

“Right now… we want your help. Some bad people are looking to make a mess of the world, and we’re putting together a team to stop it.”

“I’m not exactly a team player.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t matter right now. This goes south, a lot of people are gonna get hurt. Including people in your hometown.”

Spider-Man paused for a moment, looking out at the city. He sighed before turning back to Hawkeye.

“I’d love to help, but I can’t just up and leave. I need to stick around and help my aunt with FEAST, not to mention bills, and don’t even get me started on the amount of whackos out there just waiting for me to show even a hint of weakness.”

“We can give your aunt a cover story that you got a summer internship somewhere. Bills won’t be a problem. And as for the supervillain issue, they’ve been quiet since your fight with that green whacko a few months back. I’m sure New York can last a week.”

Spider-Man paused again, prompting Hawkeye to take off his sunglasses so they could meet eye to eye.

“Look, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be asking,” Hawkeye continued. “You’re a little too… green for my taste. But my boss? He seems to think you’ve got what it takes for this job. Thinks you're capable of making a difference or something like that.”

With that last word, something clicked inside Spider-Man. As if a decision had been made.

“... I’m in. but no one else knows who I am behind the mask. Especially not Aunt May.”

“Sure, kid. We can arrange that,” Hawkeye went to the edge and notched an arrow. 

He fired the arrow, which had a grappling line attached that allowed Hawkeye to zip away on. Spider-Man watched as he sailed away.

“Yeah… this is gonna be fun,” Spider-Man remarked, firing a web and swinging away.

…

“This cannot be your idea of fun,” Janet’s voice commented over comms.

Hank Pym, at the moment, was clad in his Ant-Man suit, traversing some meticulously dug caverns, seemingly in search of something.

“What makes you think that?” Hank asked, dropping down a hole into another part of the tunnel.

“Oh, just the fact that you’re running around in what’s essentially a dark dank cave, and I’m here, waiting for you to come out of said dark dank cave. Not my idea of date night.”

“These equipment checks are important,” Ant-Man replied, running along the tunnel and leaping across a massive gap before proceeding. “We can’t risk a malfunction in the field.”

“And I get that. I’m just saying, we can find a more enjoyable way to do this.”

“I still don’t see how this isn’t-”

Suddenly, Ant-Man stopped, hearing something moving toward him. He took a step back, bracing himself for what was coming. Finally, the creature stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to be a giant ant. Instead of feeling horror, Ant-Man smiled. 

“Finally,” he replied before placing a hand on his helmet. “Stop.”

The ant just screeched before rushing forward, much to Ant-Man’s confusion.

“Stop!” he instructed again.

There was no response. Seeing the need for action, Ant-Man ran forward and leaped over the ant, landing on the other side of it. The ant quickly turned around and tried to bite him, but Ant-Man grabbed him by the pinchers. The ant tried to snap at him, but Ant-Man slammed it against the wall of the tunnel, allowing him to put some space between himself and the ant.

“Helmet’s not responding,” Ant-Man reported, trying to reconfigure it. “Might need to adjust the frequency.”

“Whatever you’re doing, do it fast. I don’t think the staff at the University would appreciate one of their workers being ant chow.”

“Noted,” Ant-Man replied. “Okay, I think I finally got it.”

The ant charged forward again, prompting Ant-Man to brace himself as he tried the helmet again.

“Stop!”

Mere inches in front of him, the ant came to a stop, much to Ant-Man’s delight.

“Down.”

The ant lowered itself, allowing Ant-Man to climb on and ride it.

“Forward.”

The ant obliged, carrying him forward through the tunnel.

“Again, how is this not fun?”

…

Jan sat in front of a large ant farm, leaning on the table looking bored out of her mind.

“Well, for one thing, you’re not the one staring at an ant farm for who knows how long,” she retorted. “Seriously, watching paint dry is more entertaining than this.”

“Alright, alright, point made. How about after I get out of here, we go to dinner or something?”

Jan smiled at the idea, musing it over. “It’s a start.”

…

A few moments later, Ant-Man finally made his way out of the ant farm, leaping onto the ground and growing to normal size, much to Jan’s delight.

“Bout time,” she remarked.

“Sorry,” Hank replied, slipping his helmet off. “Got turned around on a few of the tunnels.”

“That’s fine,” she remarked, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m still holding you to dinner tonight.”

“I know,” he replied, smiling.

“I’m afraid dinner will have to wait,” a new voice chimed in.

The two pulled away as they turned to the doorway, seeing an Asian-American man in a suit walking into the lab.

“Uh… can we help you?” Janet asked.

“Jimmy Woo,” he introduced, showing his ID. “Agent of SHIELD.”

“SHIELD,” Hank noted. “Why am I not surprised? What is it that you want, exactly?”

“You,” Woo explained. “Both of you. Rather, your heroic alter-ego’s.”

“Not even surprised you know about that,” Jan remarked.

“We like to keep tabs on people of interest. Heroes that can shrink and grow on the turn of a dime? Definitely someone we wanna keep our eyes on. Especially with Dr. Pym’s previous work with us.”

“So, what is it that SHIELD wants with us?” Hank inquired.

“HYDRA has resurfaced. And with it, an incredibly dangerous artifact. They plan on using it to take over the world. We need Dr. Pym’s scientific mind to track it down, as well as both yours and Miss Van Dyne’s skills to retrieve it.”

Hank and Jan looked at each other for a moment. 

“Give us a moment,” Hank asked as they turned away for a moment.

“So, what do you think?” Janet asked.

“The situation does seem dire. All the same…”

“You don’t fully trust SHIELD.”

“They have the potential for great good… but I don’t want to risk them weaponizing my work.” 

“I know,” Janet conceded. Still… if HYDRA really is as big a threat as he says, then they’re gonna need all the help they can get. I mean, what’s the point of having superpowers if we don’t use them to save the world?”

Hank paused for a moment, thinking before looking back at Jan and seeing the earnestness on her face. Hank just sighed in response.

“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“Not really, no,” Jan replied before grinning.

Hank sighed in reluctance before turning to Woo. “Alright. We’re in.”

“Excellent,” Woo replied. “Rendezvous is in 12 hours. We’ll be back to collect you then.”

Woo then turned to leave as Hank and Jan looked on.

“You know… I’m glad they came to us for this,” Jan admitted.

“Really why?”

“Because if it weren’t for us… they could’ve gone to Stark.”

…

In the Hudson River, Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, was in the midst of cutting into some piping at the bottom of the river. Once he finished cutting off a section, he placed a device that encompassed where the piping once was. With his task done, he took off toward the surface, breaching the water and soaring high above the skyline before rocketing into the city itself.

“Good to go on this end,” Tony reported. “The rest is up to you.”

“You disconnected the transmission lines?” Pepper Potts asked on the other end.

“As of ten seconds ago, we are completely off the grid.”

“Now we’re gonna see if that’s a good thing.”

“Trust me, Pepper. Stark Tower is going to be a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy.”

“Assuming the Arc Reactor takes over and actually works.”

“Well… yeah,” Tony admitted as he spotted the aforementioned tower in the skyline. “Light it up.”

As Iron Man approached the building, the lights on the outside began lighting up floor by floor. Finally, the top lit up, including the large letters that read “STARK” across the top. 

“How does it look?”

“Like Christmas. But with more… me.”

“We gotta go wider on the public awareness campaign. This needs more press exposure. I have you scheduled for announcements in DC, LA, and Boston, and zoning meetings for the next three buildings-”

“Pepper, you’re killing me,” Tony remarked as he reached the tower and flew up the side of it. “You gotta learn to enjoy the moment.”

“Well, get in here and I will,” she replied in a slightly flirtatious tone.

He finally touched down on a platform near the top of the tower, walking inside as machines rose up from the ground, removing his armor piece by piece.

“Sir, Agent Coulson of SHIELD is on the line,” JARVIS reported.

“I’m not in,” Tony replied as the machines removed his helmet. “I’m actually out.”

“He insists it’s urgent. What shall I tell him?”

“That if it’s important, it can wait. Right now, I got a date.”

With the last of his armor removed, he made his way inside. As he entered the main room, Pepper Potts was looking at a monitor checking on the power levels for the Arc Reactor in the building.

“Power levels are holding steady,” she reported. “... I think.”

“Of course they are,” Tony insisted, walking over to her. “I saw to that personally. Which leads me to my next point, how does it feel to be a genius?”

Pepper chuckled as she turned to him. “A genius? I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“Hey, come on. You selected the building, wrote up the proposal, and came up with the initial design specs. All of this,” he wrapped an arm around her lovingly. “It came from you.”

“No,” she insisted. “All of this,” she pointed at the arc reactor in his chest. “Came from that.”

“Come on, please. Give yourself some credit. Stark Tower is your baby. You deserve at least… twelve percent of the credit.”

Pepper did a double take. “Twelve percent?”

“Argument could be made for fifteen.”

“Twelve percent for my baby?” Pepper scoffed as she pulled away. 

“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting,” Tony insisted as they walked over to a sitting area that had a bottle of champagne and two glasses in front of it. “I mean, literally. I lifted all the heavy objects,” Pepper just chuckled as she took a seat. “And I’m sorry, but that security snafu? That’s on you.”

“Oh so that’s it,” Pepper remarked with a playful edge as she poured their drinks.

“My private elevator-”

“You mean, our elevator?”

“It was teaming with sweaty workmen,” Tony retorted, slowly realizing that he wasn’t gonna win this fight as he sat down. “I’m gonna pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren’t I?”

Pepper let out a hiss as she handed him his glass. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be that subtle.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Tony promised, taking the glass. “Next building is gonna say ‘Potts’ on the tower. What do you say?”

“I say I want it on the lease,” Pepper retorted.

Tony winced a little. “Might take a little negotiating. Call your mom. Can you bunk over?”

She chuckled as the two moved in close. The two looked as though they were about to share a kiss before a noise rang out.

“Sir, the telephone,” JARVIS let out. “I’m afraid my protocols are being overwritten.”

“Mr. Stark,” Coulson’s voice called out over the phone. “We need to talk.”

Tony just sighed as he answered the phone. “You have reached the Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark,” Tony replied in a monotone manner as Pepper chuckled. “Please leave a message.”

“This is urgent.”

“Then leave it urgently.”

Just then, the elevator opened up, revealing Coulson inside as he hung up the phone.

“Security breach!” Tony called out before turning to Pepper. “It’s on you.”

“Mr. Stark,” Coulson addressed. “We need your help.”

“I already told Fury,” Tony replied, setting his drink down before standing up. “SHIELD wants weapons, talk to someone else. I’m out of the game.”

“We don’t need weapons. We need you,” he held out a tablet for Tony. “We need you to look this over.”

“I actually don’t like to be handed things,” Tony told him. “It’s kind of a peeve of mine.”

“Well I love being handed things,” Pepper spoke up, walking over to them. “So you take this,” she handed Phil the glass before taking the pad and turning to Tony. “and you can take this.”

Tony rolled his eyes before taking the tablet. “So, what’s this all about?”

“Long story short, HYDRA’s making a move. SHIELD needs the best for this.”

“So Fury’s still putting together that super secret boy band, huh?” Tony noted, opening up the tablet. “I thought I didn’t qualify.”

“Really” Pepper questioned sarcastically. “Wonder why?”

“Apparently I’m… what was it?” Tony asked, turning to Coulson. “Volatile, self-obsessed, and don’t play well with others.”

“Sounds accurate,” Petter noted.

“This isn’t about personnel profiles anymore,” Coulson replied. “HYDRA got ahold of something that your father did research on back in the 40s. We feel your expertise could help us track it down.”

“Right,” Tony replied. “Uh, Miss Potts, a moment?”

Pepper nodded before heading over to him. Coulson turned away to give the two some privacy. 

“You know… I thought we were having a moment,” Tony noted.

“I was having twelve percent of the moment,” Pepper retorted, getting a look from Tony. “Besides, this sounds serious. Phil sounds pretty rattled.”

“How would you know it’s serious?” Tony asked before doing a double take. “Why is he Phil?”

“Phil. That’s his name.”

“Uh, his first name is Agent. Besides, looks like they have an all-star lineup. They don’t need me.”

“You honestly don’t really think that, do you? He wouldn’t be here if they didn’t need you.”

“They just want Iron Man in their back pocket. And nobody wants that.”

“Then don’t. Look, I’m gonna take the jet to DC tonight and-”

“Tonight? I thought you were doing that tomorrow?”

“Yeah, well, you have homework. Besides, the sooner you help save the world, the sooner we can… have our moment.”

Tony smiled at the idea. “Alright, fair. Fly safe.”

Pepper smiled before planting a kiss on Tony’s cheek. She then turned and walked over to Coulson as Tony looked over the data.

“I’ll walk you out,” Pepper offered as they went off. “So, are you still seeing that Cellist?”

“Yes, and no,” Coulson replied. “We haven’t broken anything off, but she moved back to Portland.”

As they left, Tony continued looking over the data. His eyes stopped, however, on a profile regarding Steve Rogers.

…

“This is out of line, director.”

Nick Fury stood in a monitor room as he spoke to five shrouded figures on screens. They were the World Security Council, the secret heads of SHIELD.

“You're dealing with forces you can’t control.”

“You ever been in a war, Councilman? In a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control?”

“Nevertheless, HYDRA is too great a threat to be handled this way. Your efforts should be focused on the phase 2 prototypes.”

“You know phase 2 is useless right now?”

“What about the super soldier serum?” a female council member suggested. “Now that you found Captain Rogers-”

“That would take too long. Our enemy is ready now. We need a response team.”

“Perfect,” the first councilman remarked. “You’re running the world's most covert intelligence organization in the world, and you’re leaving the fate of the free world to a handful of freaks.”

“I’m never leave anything to anyone.”

“This council has never approved your ‘initiative’,”

“I’ll admit these people are isolated. Unbalanced even. But with the right push, they can be exactly what we need.”

“You honestly think this will work?” a third councilman wondered.

“I believe so, yes.”

“War isn’t won by belief, Director,” the first councilman told him.

“No… it’s won by soldiers.”

…

Back at the Triskelion, Agent 13 made her way toward Steve Rogers’ room, hoping to speak with him on an urgent matter. As she opened the door, however, she was surprised to find he wasn’t in there. She looked around, seeing some files on a table nearby. She picked them up, seeing that they were all files on the Howling Commandos. She skimmed through them until she caught sight of the last file Rogers seemed to be looking at. The name on it read “Margaret Peggy Carter”.

…

After walking around, Steve had found the Triskelion’s training room. Once there, he set up a punching bag and began wailing on it. With every punch, his mind thought back to everything that he had lost. Peggy, Bucky, his friends, his entire world. Gone in the blink of an eye. His punching continued, his thoughts suddenly went back to the last words he heard before disappearing into the ice.

“The world needs Captain America more than Bucky Barnes!”

Finally, Steve punched the bag as hard as he could, sending it flying across the room and spilling out the sand inside as a result. Steve breathed heavily as a result before walking over to a row of bags on the ground, grabbing one before looking up and seeing Agent 13 in the doorway.

“You should be resting,” she told him. 

Steve just carried on, hanging up the bag and beginning to hit it again.

“All due respect, ma’am,” he replied. “I rested for almost eighty years. I think I’ve had my fill.”

“I can only imagine what you’re going through,” she spoke as she walked over to him. “Being here… losing so much…”

After another punch, he finally stopped. “That’s… putting it mildly.”

“I… saw the files beside your bed… including Agent Carter.”

Steve paused for a moment, still reeling from the truths that he’d learned. “I knew it was a long shot, but… if even one of them was still alive…” he walked away toward a bench. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You had to try. No one blames you for that.”

“It’s just…” Steve continued, taking a seat. “Hard to wrap my head around. Seeing name after name… gone. And when I got to Peggy…”

Agent 13’s face fell as well, taking a seat next to him.

“If it’s any comfort… it was peaceful. In her sleep. She didn’t suffer.”

Steve turned to her. “Did you know her?”

“She… taught me everything I knew,” Agent 13 responded, some hesitancy in her voice. “Losing her was… hard.”

“I can imagine.”

“But she wouldn’t want us to wallow in loss,” Agent 13 continued, regaining her composure and standing up. “She’d want us to continue on. Keep up the good fight, no matter what.”

Steve took note of her choice of words. “And I assume you have a fight in mind?”

Agent 13 smiled before handing Steve a new file.

“You weren’t the only thing we found in the ice that day.”

Steve took the file and opened it up, seeing information regarding the Tesseract.

“HYDRA’s secret weapon,” Steve noted.

“Strucker managed to escape with it during your tussle on the sub. You of all people know what HYDRA is capable of with that kind of power. I… know this is asking a lot of you right now…”

“Well,” Steve replied, getting to his feet and putting on a brave face. “It’s not like I have anything better to do. If you’re going after Strucker,” he held out his hand. “I want in.”

Agent 13 smiled, shaking his hand in turn. 

“Alright. But there’s a lot we’ll have to get you up to speed on. The world has… gotten a lot stranger.”

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me,” Steve replied, heading off.

Agent 13 turned as he walked out of the room. “Ten bucks says you’re wrong.”

…

A ten-dollar bill was slammed down on the bar counter, prompting the bartender to pass another mug to a waiting Logan.

“Damn, son,” the bartender remarked. “I gotta say, man, you can hold your liquor like nobody’s business. What’s your secret?”

Logan finished taking a drink before wiping his mouth. “Call it a superpower.”

As he continued downing his drink, a man in a sharply dressed suit sauntered up to the bar, a walking stick with a blue jewel on the top in his hand as he took a seat next to Logan. He noted the number of empty glasses in front of Logan.

“Most ordinary men would be heavily inebriated by this point,” the man noted. “You possess quite the talent.”

“It’s nothing,” Logan replied, taking another sip.

“Then again, you seem like a man of many talents. Isn’t that right… Wolverine?”

Logan’s eyes slowly opened at that, before he slammed his mug onto the counter.

“You wanna run that by me again, bub?”

“I could use a man with your skills. It will aid me greatly in a little… endeavor I am working on.”

“I ain’t nobody’s tool, pal,” Logan challenged.

“I was thinking more of… a puppet.”

Logan instantly snapped out his claws and aimed them at the man, causing the bartender to dive for cover. The man however remained undaunted.

“I’m gonna give you till the count of three to back off. One. two-”

“Three,” the man cut off, pressing his stick against Logan’s chest.

Just then, a strange blue energy began to travel from the tip of the stick into Logan’s entire body. His eyes suddenly turned bright blue as his posture straightened out, his claws retracting into his hands.

“I trust there will be no further issues?”

“No issue at all… sir,” Logan replied, causing the man to smile maliciously.

Chapter Text

At the secret HYDRA base, Baron Strucker stood on a catwalk, looking down at the construction of many HYDRA weapons. These ranged from simple rifles and energy gauntlets to tanks and turrets pulsating with the Cube’s energy. Towering over them were green robots with skull-shaped faces adorning their heads. Each of them had massive drills on their left arm and some nozzle was being installed into their mouths. As Strucker watched on, a scientist walked over to him.

“Dr. List,” Strucker addressed, not even turning to face him. “I trust everything is proceeding on schedule.”

“Indeed, Baron Strucker,” Dr. List replied. “The Cube has let us complete our designs quicker than we could’ve imagined. However, SHIELD is still an issue. As long as they have the Cube, they will look for us.”

“Let them come. With the power we have amassed, no one, not even Nick Fury.” He clenched his fist in triumph. “Can stand against us.”

…

Meanwhile, on an en-route SHIELD shuttle, Wasp looked out the window in anticipation of their arrival. Ant-Man looked over at her, smiling in response.

“Getting a little antsy over there?” he asked.

“Hey, can you blame me? This is so exciting. And I'm a little nervous. I mean, we’ve only been superheroes for a few weeks. Now we’re being recruited by SHIELD for a super secret mission. It’s kind of a step up.”

“I can understand that, but you look ready to have a panic attack.”

“Hey, can you blame me?”

“We’ll be fine,” Hank reassured, walking and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I doubt SHIELD would ask us here if we couldn’t handle it. Right?”

Wasp let out a sigh of relief. “Right. I’m just tense, that's all.”

“Well, you don’t have to be. There’s nothing you need to be freaked out about.”

Wasp smiled before turning back out the window, her face suddenly becoming surprised.

“Right…”

She turned away from the window, glancing back at the sight of another shuttle fast approaching, with Spider-Man hanging from the underside from a webline.

“You know you can ride inside!” the pilot called out. 

“Eh, I get air sick!” Spider-Man called back.

He then looked ahead, spotting an aircraft carrier sitting in the middle of the ocean. 

“Wow, that’s not big or anything,” Spidey commented as the ship came within range. 

Once they were over the carrier, Spider-Man dropped down from the webline, getting a good look around. He was surrounded by several soldiers and technicians maintaining the ships and running drills. 

“Wow,” he let out. “Heck of a setup.”

He looked back to see another one of the shuttles touching down nearby. It opened up, allowing Hank and Janet to walk out and see the masked hero.

“Is that… Spider-Man?” Jan let out in surprise.

“I was… not expecting him,” Hank admitted.

“Hey, nice work!” Spidey called out to some soldiers as they ran past. “Keep it up!”

“Is it just me, or does he sound… young?” Wasp wondered. “Like super young?”

“I… couldn’t say for certain,” Hank admitted. 

As the two talked, Spider-Man glanced over at the two and decided to head over, firing a web so he could sling himself over to the ship. He landed on top of it, startling the two and causing them to look up at him.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

“Uh… hi?” Jan greeted in surprise.

“Say,” Spidey let out, turning to Hank. “Aren’t you Hank Pym? I read your articles on complete cellular condensement theory and absolutely loved it.

“Uh… thank you.”

“So why’d SHIELD call you guys in?”

“Director Fury believes my scientific expertise would be essential in the mission,” Pym relayed.

“Right,” Spider-Man replied before turning to Jan. “What about you?”

“Let’s just say that Pym theory…” Jan replied before shrinking down and flying up to Spidey, much to his surprise. “Isn’t exactly a theory.”

“Whoa…” Spidey let out in astonishment. “That’s… incredible!” he flipped down to the ground to talk to Hank. “You have got to tell me how you overcame the density shifting issue!”

“Uh… sure,” Hank replied, pleasantly surprised. “Perhaps once this crisis is over, of course.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

“In the meantime,” Wasp replied, flying down to him. “How do you do all that wall sticking and stuff?”

“Oh, I’m the lone survivor of a far-off planet where humans and spiders live together in harmony.”

Wasp did a double take in astonishment. “Seriously?!”

Spider-Man chuckled. “No, not really… I won them on a quiz show.”

Wasp just gave him a cheeky look in response. “Oh very funny.”

As the three talked, another shuttle arrived on the scene, touching down. The three turned to see the hatch open up, allowing Bruce Banner and Rick Jones to walk out, with Black Widow flanking them. 

“Bruce?” Hank let out in surprise, walking over to him.

The two looked surprised as he went off. 

“Wait, does he know him?” Spidey asked.

“I think so,” Wasp replied, turning to the others to get a better look. “I… I think that’s Bruce Banner.”

“The nuclear physicist?! No one’s heard from him since that Gamma Bomb incident.”

“Come on,” Wasp motioned, flying over as Spider-Man followed suit.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Rick made their way onto the deck, Bruce feeling a little nervous about all the soldiers around. 

“You okay, Bruce?” Rick asked.

“Yeah,” Bruce replied. “Just… not used to so many guys with guns around not trying to shoot me.”

Rick gave his arm a squeeze. “I’m right here. Whatever happens, I’m right here.”

Bruce smiled in response, before glancing up and going wide-eyed in surprise. “Hank?”

Rick turned as well, seeing Hank walking toward them

“Bruce…” Hank let out in surprise. “I don’t believe it.”

“Hank!” Bruce responded, smiling as he walked over and the two shook hands.  “It’s so good to see you again. What’s it been? Three? Four years.”

“At least. When I heard about your accident, I feared the worst.”

“It’s been… difficult, to say the least. But I’ve been hanging in there,” he glanced back at Rick. “With some help, of course.”

Hank looked over and saw Rick before offering a hand to the teen. “Hank Pym. Nice to meet you.”

“Rick Jones.” Rick took the offered hand. “Glad to know Bruce has some friends on his side outside of myself.”

Hank smiled in response. All the while, Rick heard something zipping around him, thinking it was a bug around him and prompting him to swat at it. 

“Stupid bugs,” he muttered.“How the heck are there bugs all the way in the middle of the ocean?!” 

“I took a shuttle like everyone else,” Wasp remarked, flying right up to his face. “And watch who you’re calling stupid.”

“Whoa,” Rick let out, backing away in surprise. “What on…”

“Uh, Bruce, Rick,” Hank spoke as Jan grew to normal size. “Meet Janet Van Dyne. She’s my financial backer and partner.”

“In both meanings of the word,” Wasp remarked, flashing Hank a wink.

Hank just rolled his eyes in response. All the while, Rick happened to glance behind Wasp, seeing Spider-Man approaching and becoming starstruck.

“No… way…” Rick let out, moving past the others.

He quickly made his way over to Spider-Man, who backed away in surprise.

“Uh… hi,” Spidey greeted.

“You’re Spider-Man,” he realized. “Like, the Amazing Spider-Man.”

“Amazing. Spectacular. I’m not partial to adjectives.”

“Sorry, it’s just… I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Not from the Bugle I hope.”

“Nah. Let’s just say I… can respect when someone is misrepresented.”

Spider-Man perked up at that, turning to Bruce as he continued to talk with Ant-Man and Wasp.

“Him?” 

Rick nodded. “He’s… been under a lot of scrutiny. All of it undeserved. He’s not a bad guy he’s just…”

“Run into bad luck?” Spider-Man surmised, much to Rick’s surprise. “Yeah, I’ve seen it before. Hate when it happens.”

“Yeah… well, it’s happened to him a lot. Hopefully, this mission will give him the chance to prove himself to everyone.”

“Well, hopefully, he’ll get that-”

Just then something loud rang out in the air. Everyone halted their conversations as they looked up, seeing something jetting through the air toward the carrier.

“What is that?” Rick wondered.

“Too fast for a jet,” Spider-Man replied.

“It almost looks like-” Hank pondered before his eyes went wide.

Jan got a look herself, shocked to see the same thing. “Oh no… not him.”

She facepalmed as the object came in close. Before long, it became clear that the object in question was none other than Iron Man. As he approached the deck, he leveled out to stabilize himself before dropping down on the ground.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” Hank let out, groaning loudly

“Well… it’s not the worst welcome I’ve ever had,” Iron Man remarked, his faceplate lifting as he walked over to the group. “Hey, Hank, good to see you again. How’s that size reduction particle going?”

“Fine, Stark,” Hank replied, giving him a stern look. “Just fine.”

Tony was taken aback by that. 

“Ok, don’t tell me.” He then turned and saw Jan standing nearby. “Hey, Jan. I knew we traveled in some of the same social circles, but I didn’t think you went to parties like this.”

Jan just chose to turn away, crossing her arms. Clearly, she did not want to talk to him directly. Both Rick and Spider-Man winced upon witnessing that.

“Anyone else sensing some tension here?” Spidey whispered to Rick.

“Oh big time,” Rick agreed.

Tony turned toward the two, genuinely surprised.

“When’d this become bring your kid to work day?” he remarked.

Rick and Spider-Man were taken by surprise. 

“Hey!” Rick let out. 

“Yeah, he… seems very mature for his age,” Spider-Man countered. “Whatever that may be.”

“And what’s your story, Underoos?” Stark questioned. “SHIELD mascot?”

“Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. If you must know. I’m here to save lives. That’s my story.”

Tony held up his hands defensively. “Alright. Fair deal. Though, it’s debatable how much saving you’re gonna do in that onesie.”

Spider-Man looked down at his costume in response. “It’s not a onesie!”

Off to the side, Natasha and Clint were watching the group interact.

“Told Fury this was a bad idea,” Clint remarked.

“Well, what’d you expect with someone like Stark in the mix,” Natasha replied. “Let’s just hope they can hold out before he arrives. Where is he anyway?”

“Last check, Coulson said they were five minutes out. Should be soon.”

Meanwhile, Tony looked back around and saw Bruce and walked over.

“Dr. Banner,” Tony greeted, holding out his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Uh… thanks,” Bruce replied. 

“I gotta say, your work on antiproton collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous rage monster.”

Everyone was surprised to hear that, Spider-Man turning to Rick in response. 

“That… misrepresentation I mentioned,” Rick muttered, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah…”.

“Hey,” Spidey replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I get it. The monster tends to poke out at bad times, right? Make things… difficult for your friend?”

Rick perked. “Yeah… You… get it… no one ever gets it.”

“I know a guy who’s had… shared experience.”

“Bruce…” Hank let out, walking over to him.

“It’s… fine,” Bruce tried to reassure. “It’s my mess. I’m dealing with it.”

“You should have come to me.” Hank put a hand on his shoulder. “I would have helped. Both of us would in a heartbeat.”

“Last time I was in New York, I broke Harlem… I didn’t want a repeat.”‘

“Well,” Hank reassured, squeezing his shoulder. “You won’t have to deal with this alone.”

Bruce chuckled, his gaze flickering to Rick. “I never did.”

Rick smirked in response. 

“At least some of us know how to look out for each other,” Jan noted before eying Tony. “and not being insensitive enough to drop a massive bombshell like that.”

“Sorry,” Tony replied. “Legit thought everyone knew. Am I the only one who read the briefings?”

“Skimmed it,” Spidey spoke up. “Lost it halfway over Cleveland”

“Well, then you guys are in for a treat with who’s left for the team.”

“Why? Who else is-”

Just then, another SHIELD shuttle flew into view, much to the surprise of the others. It touched down near them, allowing the main hatch to open up. The first to come out was Coulson, who was carrying a bag in his hand. Right behind him, to the shock of all, was Steve Rogers, currently dressed in civilian clothes. He stepped off the craft, taking in the sights before him.

“Is that…?” Jan let out. 

“Captain America,” Hank confirmed, in equal shock.

“Holy shit…” Rick let out. “It’s like he was plucked from my old high school history textbook.”

“This… this is incredible…” Spider-Man let out as Stark rolled his eyes.

“Hey, web head,” Stark spoke. “You got something on your mask.”

Spidey just gave him a look. All the while, Steve continued to look around, catching sight of Rick amidst the crowd. He was taken aback upon seeing his face, suddenly flashing back to memories of his old friend. Immediately, he made his way over to him, brushing past the others as he did. Rick turned to see Steve approaching, a confused look appearing on his face.

“Uh… you alright?”

“Sorry… you just… look so much like… a friend of mine.”

“Oh. I see. Maybe he was my grandpa or something?”

Steve shook his head. 

“No. He… died before he ever…” He regained himself, straightening up. “His name was James Barnes.”

“Heh, yeah, no relation.” Rick held out his hand. “I’m Rick Jones. I’m Dr. Banner’s… um…”

“He’s my friend,” Bruce spoke up. “And one of my most trusted companions.”

“You must be Dr. Banner,” Steve greeted, shaking his hand.

“Yeah, I am. Guess you’ve heard about me.”

“Heard you can help find the Cube. That's enough for me.”

Bruce smiled at that.

“Captain,” Spider-Man spoke up, getting his attention as he approached. “Hi. I’m Spider-Man. Big fan. My Uncle, he… he was a big fan too. Had a lot of your memorabilia and stuff. He saw you as an inspiration. I just… it’s an honor.”

Steve chuckled a little in response, holding out his hand. “I see that costumes are still a thing.”

“Yeah,” Spidey replied, shaking his hand. “Makes a great conversation starter at least.”

“I can imagine.”

Rick cleared his throat, tapping Spidey on the shoulder. “Dude, let go.”

“Oh right,” Spidey replied, finally letting go of Steve’s hand.

“Yeah, that wasn’t embarrassing or anything,” Stark remarked, getting Steve’s attention.

“Mr. Stark,” Steve greeted, holding out his hand.

“... Captain,” Stark replied before walking away, much to Steve’s surprise.

“Don’t mind him,” Jan replied, walking over to him. “He’s just a jerk like that.”

“I see.”

“Yeah…” Jan replied before shaking it off. “But let’s not focus on that. Hi. I’m Janet Van Dyne. Or just Jan. or Wasp, which is my hero name.”

“Wasp?” 

“Well…” she replied, shrinking down and flying up to his face.

Steve stepped back in shock.

“Jan” Hank let out, walking over to them. “I don’t think we should overwhelm Captain Rogers. He’s been through a lot.”

“Oh, right,” Jan realized before turning back to Steve. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“It’s alright,” Steve reassured. “I was told this world would be… stranger than I’m used to.”

“I can only imagine how disorienting all this must be,” Hank concoled. 

“Well…” Steve replied, turning to see several soldiers running laps. “Some of it’s actually kinda familiar.”

While the group chatted, Coulson went over to Barton and Romanoff.

“That’s everyone,” he relayed. “We’re good to go.”

“Good,” Natasha replied. “Tell Fury to prepare to launch. We’ll bring everyone in.”

Coulson nodded before heading inside. Meanwhile, Natasha stepped forward to address the group.

“Alright everyone,” she spoke. “Now that we’ve all gotten acquainted, you’re gonna wanna step inside. It’s about to get real hard to breathe.”

The group looked around, seeing several agents tying down ships and gear as if preparing for something big.

“Hard to breathe?” Spider-Man questioned. “What, does this thing turn into a submarine?”

“Hope not,” Bruce replied. “The last thing we need is me in a submerged pressurized metal container.”

“It’s not a submarine,” Hank informed, walking to the edge.

“How do you know?” Jan asked.

“See for yourself.”

The others followed him to the edge, curious as to what he meant. They all looked over the edge, seeing a massive turbine rising out of the water and beginning to spin. They all were surprised and astonished by what they saw.

“Oh no, this is much worse!” Bruce commented.

Three more turbines rose, with two on either side of the carrier. Slowly, they began to raise the carrier out of the water. The group decided to make their way inside as the carrier took off into the skies.

…

Inside the carrier, the group was led by Barton and Romanoff to the bridge. There they saw several rows of agents sitting at their computer terminals maintaining several systems. Standing over them all was a set of twin command panels where Nick Fury was stationed. Behind him was a large table with several chairs around it, clearly meant for them. 

“We’re reaching cruising altitude, and are maintaining top speed,” Maria Hill relayed as she walked up to Fury. “we’re good to go, sir.”

“Good,” Fury replied. “Let’s vanish.”

“Engage retro-reflection panels.”

…

Outside the Helicarrier, several panels opened up that began projecting the surrounding sky to the underside of the ship, rendering it completely invisible.

…

Back inside, once he was sure they were sufficiently cloaked, Fury turned to face the heroes. They each took their seats around the table as Fury approached, with Spider-Man crouching on his like his namesake.

“Gentlemen,” Fury spoke. “And lady, welcome to SHIELD.”

“So you guys are a super top secret spy organization…” Spider-Man spoke up. “And your main headquarters is a giant flying aircraft carrier?”

“You’re a New Yorker. You of all people should know how often people look up.”

“Touche.”

“So Nick,” Stark chimed in, placing his helmet on the table. “Who’d you have in mind to lead this little scout troop?”

“Little early for a promotion, isn’t it, Stark?” Fury retorted. 

“I wasn’t gonna say anything but I will gladly accept the nomination.”

“If he’s leading, I’m gonna spend the rest of this mission in the closet,” Jan whispered to Hank.

“I just might join you,” Hank whispered back.

“Actually,” Fury spoke. “I had every intention of appointing Captain Rogers leader of this unit.

Steve perked up at that. “Sir?”

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Stark questioned. “I mean, he did just spend the last few decades as a Capsicle. Not exactly good prep for team building.”

“Captain Rogers has the most experience both in leadership and in dealing with HYDRA. I’d say he’s more than qualified.”

Steve paused for a moment, taking in the position that he found himself in.

“I’ll… do my best, sir.”

“Excellent. Now, let’s get started.”

Fury then pulled out a remote and pressed a button on it, causing a holographic display project from the center of the table. On the display was the image of The Tesseract.

“This is the Tesseract,” Fury explained. “In 1945, the forces of HYDRA, led by the rogue Nazi scientist, the Red Skull, sought to use its power to take over the world.”

“And were thwarted in their plans for global domination thanks to the heroic efforts of Captain America,” Stark chimed in. “We all took 3rd grade history.”

“Then let me share some modern history,” Fury continued. “Less than 24 hours ago, SHIELD managed to recover not only Captain America,” he gestured to Steve. “But the Cube as well. However, before we could hold onto it for long, the research sub transporting the cube was attacked by HYDRA, led by this guy,” Fury pressed another button, causing the image to change to a picture of Strucker. “Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. The current head of HYDRA.”

“I knew Strucker from back during the war,” Steve chimed in. “He was one of Skull's most loyal lieutenants. It makes sense that he’d try and finish what Red Skull started.”

“If he was active in the 40’s, how is he still alive?” Wasp wondered.

“With this,” Fury explained, pressing another button and causing the image to shift to his gauntlet. “It’s called the Satan Claw. From what we can gather, it’s designed to drain the life force of any person it touches and channels that energy into Strucker himself. That’s how he’s managed to stay young for so long.”

“So avoid shaking hands with Neo-Nazi Dr. Claw,” Stark summed up. “Gotcha.”

“Is everything a joke to you, Stark?” Pym questioned.

“Funny things are.”

“HYDRA had the capacity to destroy the Eastern Seaboard back when they had the Cube back in 1945,” Fury continued. “One can only imagine what they could use it for with today’s technology.”

“So how do we find these jokers?” Spidey wondered.

“In the limited time our technicians had access to the Cube, they learned that it emits a weak Gamma Energy signature. That’s where Dr. Banner comes in.”

“So Banner tracks the Cube, then we swoop in, take the Cube back, and kick HYDRA butt.”

“More or less.”

“Then we’d better get to work,” Banner decided. “How many spectrometers do you have access to?”

“How many are there?” Fury retorted.

“Call every lab you know. Have them calibrate the spectrometers for Gamma Radiation. I’ll rough out a tracking algorithm for basic recognition cluster. At least we can rule out a few places.”

“I can help run the algorithm,” Spider-Man volunteered.

“No offense kid, but this isn’t a high school science fair project,” Stark tried to shoot down. “I don’t think you-”

“If you’re attempting to pinpoint a specific frequency of radiation, then you’ll need to lock onto its wavelength. I used a similar tracking formula to track down an electric-based villain, but I think I can modify it to track the Gamma signature of the Cube.”

Stark was genuinely surprised by the response. Wasp couldn’t help but chuckle at his face.

“Okay, anyone who can get Tony to shut up is alright in my book,” she whispered to Pym.

“Agreed.”

“Well,” Fury spoke up. “Sounds like you lot got a plan. Agent Romanoff,” he turned to Natasha. “Care to show our genius’ to the lab?”

She nodded before heading off, prompting Stark, Pym, Bruce, and Spider-Man to follow. 

“You’re gonna love it, boys,” she told them. “We got all the toys.”

…

Sometime later, the four science-based heroes set up shop in the lab. Rick had joined them to help with whatever the genius’ would need. Banner was going over the data recovered from the sub, reading carefully into what they had on the Cube’s composition.

“The Gamma readings are low, like SHIELD said,” Bruce relayed. “Still, it gives us something to lock onto.”

“Almost finished loading my algorithm into the tracking cluster,” Spider-Man relayed, standing at a computer. “Just need the number on the Gamma Signature.”

Bruce came over and punched in the numbers.

“Alright, that should do it,” Pym noted. “Still, it could take some weeks to process all this data.”

“Not necessarily,” Tony replied, moving over to the console as Bruce and Spidey moved aside so he could work. “If we can bypass their mainframe in direct access to the cluster, we can clock this at about six hundred teraflops.”

He then pulled out a flash drive from his pocket and then inserted it into the computer. This allowed him to bypass the mainframe like he had said, much to the amazement of the others.

“Wow,” Spidey commented. “Some kind of quantum encryption software?”

“You know your stuff,” Tony confirmed.

“Heh, and all I packed was a toothbrush,” Bruce commented.

“You think this is something, you guys should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R and D. You’d love it.”

“I have been curious to check that place out,” Spidey admitted. 

“Thanks, but the last thing I want is to support that monument to your over-inflated ego,” Hank declined.

“And I don’t do so good in… public settings,” Bruce replied nervously.

“Well, I can promise a stress-free environment,” Tony reassured, walking past them. “No tension, no surprises.”

He then grabbed a nearby probe and jabbed it into Bruce’s side, giving him a bit of a shock.

“Ow,” Bruce let out.

“Hey!” Rick let out rushing over to him..

“Nothing?” Tony realized, seeing Bruce’s demeanor hadn’t changed as Rick went to check on him. “Wow, you’ve really got a lid on it. What’s your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?”

“Are you insane?!” Rick proclaimed.

“Jury’s out.”

“I’d say putting all our lives in mortal peril is considerable evidence,” Spidey commented before turning to Bruce. “Uh… no offense, Doc.”

“No. it’s alright,” Bruce insisted. “I wouldn’t have come if I couldn’t handle… pointy things.”

Tony smiled at that before moving to another terminal. “You’re tiptoeing, big guy. You need to strut.”

“And you need to focus on the issue at hand, Stark,” Pym insisted.

“Who says I’m not?”

“I’m not touching that one,” Spidey remarked before backing away.

“Well, considering your words and actions today-” Pym tried to argue.

“Hey, I’m just here to do the work. Hate the methods, not the results.”

Pym just rolled his eyes in response as Stark was looking over some equipment.

“I think Dr. Pym’s just a little concerned about the terrorist with a powerful energy cube,” Rick commented. “I think that’s worth some concern.”

“I don’t,” Stark replied. “All that cube is for Strucker is an ACME dynamite kit. It’s gonna blow up in his face, and I’m gonna be there when it happens.”

“I can get behind that,” Spider-Man agreed. “Punching out Nazis isn’t something I thought I’d cross off the bucket list, but here we are.”

That got a chuckle from Bruce. “Yeah, well, I can’t wait to read about it.

“Or you could suit up with the rest of us,” Tony offered.

Bruce’s mood dropped at that. “That’s the thing with me. I don’t get a fancy suit… I’m exposed. Like a nerve. Even the smallest trigger… and…” 

He looked away in pain, Pym quickly taking note of his pain.

“I’m sorry,” Pym told him, walking over to him. “I can only imagine what it’s been like for you.”

“Thank you. It’s hard. Living day to day, knowing you have this… whole other side of you trying to get out.”

Spider-Man just stood there in silence, knowing all too well what Bruce was going through. Tony looked on as well, feeling no small amount of sympathy of his own.

“Having a destructive part of yourself,” Tony commented. “I get that.”

“Really?” Rick replied dismissively. “With the looks, money, and fancy suit, I’m having a hard time buying that.”

“Well, getting that ‘fancy suit’ cost me a cluster of shrapnel that’s trying every second of every day to dig into my heart. Be dead if it weren’t for this.” He tapped the arc reactor on his chest.

“Not the same thing,” Bruce countered.

“Maybe not a one-to-one. But I learned that things like this? They only ruin your life if you let them.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Maybe not,” Stark admitted. “But it doesn’t have to be impossible. Something to think about.”

Bruce just turned away as he got back to work. Tony, Pym, Rick, and Spider-Man looked on in response, only for them to turn away one by one, getting back to work.

…

On the main deck, Steve was looking around the deck, taking in his new surroundings.

“Captain Rogers.”

Steve turned, seeing Agent 13 and Coulson approaching him.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Let’s just say I think I owe you that ten bucks,” Steve remarked.

“You can write me a check later,” She remarked before gesturing to Coulson. “This is Agent Coulson.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Coulson replied, holding out his hand. “Your exploits during the war were a source of inspiration for me. For a lot of people.”

“Thank you,” Steve replied, shaking his hand.

“This guy was crazy about you at the academy,” Agent 13 remarked. “Even collected your trading cards.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. “Trading cards?”

“Uh, yeah,” Coulson replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Vintage set. Took me a few years to collect them all.” 

“Impressive.”

“Thanks. Hey, I was wondering, hoping really, if you could… sign them? I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No, no,” Steve replied, holding his hand up. “It’s fine. But we should deal with this situation first.”

“Of course,” Coulson agreed. “We’ve made some modifications to the uniform. I even had a little design input.”

“The uniform?” Steve questioned, cocking an eyebrow. “I was under the impression the stars and stripes were… old fashioned.”

“Maybe, but… with everything that’s coming… people might just need a little old-fashioned.”

Steve pondered what he said, only to glance up and see Janet sitting at the conference table by herself.

“Uh, can you excuse me for a moment?” Steve asked.

“Oh sure,” Coulson replied.

Steve went over and took a seat next to Janet, who was sitting in contemplation.

“Everything alright?” Steve asked, causing her to perk up.

“Oh, yeah, fine. Just… thinking.”

“What about?”

Jan kept smiling before finally sighing in defeat. “About how overwhelming this whole situation is. I only just started this superhero thing, and now… now I’m going up against HYDRA itself, and… it’s a lot.”

“Hey, everyone was new once. Don’t worry so much. Just do your best out there. That’s all any of us can ask for.”

Jan’s smile returned a little bit. “Thanks, Cap.”

“Don’t mention it. And please, call me Steve.”

…

Elsewhere, Dr. Erik Selvik was finishing up some paperwork in his lab. He set his pen down and pinched his eyes due to how tired he was. As he opened them, he was surprised to find the window was open. Curious, he got out of his seat and went over to it. He glanced out, not seeing anyone there. Perplexed, he decided not to question it and closed the window. As he prepared to return to his work, a pair of arms wrapped around him, struggling to get free.

“Take it easy, bub,” Wolverine’s voice told him.

“What do you want from me?!” Selvik demanded.

“It isn’t me that wants you.”

“Then who-”

“I do,” a mysterious voice declared.

Selvik looked up as a strange man in green walked forward and tapped his walking stick to Selvik’s chest. Like Wolverine, his eyes turned blue as his struggle ended. Wolverine let go of Selvik as he backed away, allowing the mystery man to walk forward.

“I need you to complete a special task for me,” the man ordered. “Can you do that?”

“Of course…” Selvik replied, giving a small bow. “My king.”

Chapter Text

In the lab, everyone was going about their own business as they waited for the location of the Cube to be narrowed down. Spider-Man stood at a table, mixing various chemicals to come up with a new batch of web fluid. This was something Rick Jones took notice of, prompting him to walk over.

“What are you doing?” Rick asked.

“Mixing a new batch of web fluid,” Spider-Man answered. “This place doesn’t have the exact chemicals I usually use, but I can still work with it.”

“You make your own webs? I thought they were organic.”

Spidey just gave him a look under his mask. “I couldn’t even count the number of ways that wouldn’t make sense.”

Spider-Man poured the mixture into one of his cartridges and sealed it up. He then loaded it into his web shooter and fired a web shot at the wall.

“Perfect.” 

While Spider-Man worked, Tony looked up from his work, seeing the work the young hero was doing and seemingly genuinely impressed.

“Whoever the webhead is… he’s got talent,” Tony conceded as Hank turned to him. “Interested to see what he can really do.”

“What, you wanna offer him a job, or something?” Hank wondered.

“Just a firm believer in fostering talent.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’d be a good-”

Just then, the monitor started going off, getting everyone’s attention. Bruce immediately went over to the console, with Rick looking over his shoulder as he worked.

“We’ve got it,” Bruce reported as Steve and Jan entered the lab.

“You found it?” Jan repeated, shrinking down and flying over.

“Yeah, the model’s locked on the Cube’s energy signature,” Bruce confirmed.

“What’s the location?” Steve asked.

Banner pressed a few keys before answering. “Looks like a castle built into the Swiss Alps.”

Steve looked over Bruce’s shoulder, seeing that the location was close to where the old HYDRA base was located back in 1945.

“Looks like HYDRA’s trying to be reborn where it originally died,” Steve noted.

“Huh,” Tony let out. “Poetic I guess.”

“Found it, huh?”

Everyone turned to see Fury standing in the doorway.

“Yes, we did,” Hank confirmed.

“... then gear up. Take off in twenty.”

He then turned to leave, exiting the room and prompting everyone to prepare for the fight ahead.

…

Hank loaded some small vials of Pym Particles into his belt, making sure he had enough for the fight ahead. He then placed his helmet over his head and closed up the faceplate, finally ready to move out.

…

Spider-Man loaded up his newly filled web cartridges, making sure his belt was fully topped off. He then put two newly filled cartridges into his web shooters, priming them for what was to come. 

…

Tony just walked toward where his suit was, pulling out a remote and pressing a button, causing it to open up and allowing him to step inside. It closed up around him before fully forming up, ending with the faceplate closing and the eyes glowing white.

…

Steve stepped into a room, looking toward the end of it and seeing a modern tactical version of his old uniform, complete with his iconic shield. He felt uncertain as he looked at the uniform. He once imagined a life beyond that uniform. One filled with love and happiness… but those thoughts were long gone. Reluctantly, he walked toward the uniform, prepared to put it on.

..

In the hanger, Clint was loading up his quiver before slinging it on his back. He then walked toward the shuttle, climbing in as Natasha was arming her gauntlets. 

“We good to go?” he asked, heading toward the pilot’s seat.

“Just about,” Natasha replied, taking her seat as copilot. “The others should be here soon.”

“Great.  This should be entertaining.”

“You really don’t have much faith in this team, do you?” Nat asked, giving a coy look.

“Hey, can you blame me? These guys are freaks and vigilantes. Gotta wonder what Fury’s thinking with these guys.”

“Probably the same thing he was thinking with us,” Nat remarked.

Clint paused at that as he turned to her.

“That’s… different.”

“Is it?”

Clint pondered how to respond to that. Before he could, however, the door opened, causing them to turn and see the others arrive. Spider-Man, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp all came out, flanked by Steve decked out in his new Captain America uniform. Everyone turned to see the newly emerged Captain as he walked past the other heroes and onto the shuttle.

“We ready to go?” Cap asked.

“Yep,” Natasha confirmed. “Coordinates are put in and we’re good to go.”

“Then let’s get this done.”

With everyone loaded up, Clint closed up the ramp and primed the shuttle's engines. The shuttle then started moving through the hangar, heading toward the rapidly opening hangar doors. Just as the doors fully opened, the shuttle shot out of the hangar, taking off across the skies. Each of the heroes settled in for the flight ahead of them. Cap meanwhile looked out the window in astonishment, something that Ant-Man took notice of.

“Everything ok, Captain?” He asked.

“Yeah, it’s just… in my day when something flew this high, we didn’t call it an airplane.”

“What’d you call it?”

Cap paused for a moment before turning back to him. “Science fiction.”

…

Elsewhere, Wolverine ran through the woods, intent on reaching his objective. He leaped over a fallen tree before running ahead and sliding down a hill, not losing any momentum as he sprung to his feet and continued moving forward. His claws popped out, allowing him to slash through the protruding branches so he could keep moving without stopping. Finally, he busted out of the treeline, coming to the edge of a cliff and looking out at a castle nestled into the mountainside. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the building. As he did, the man in green who had been controlling him suddenly stood next to him.

“You know what you have to do?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Wolverine confirmed.

Wolverine then leaped off the cliff and stabbed his claw into the side of the rock, allowing him to slide down as the man in green looked on.

“All too easy. Soon, these mortals’ pitiful game will be over… and the true conquest will begin.”

…

Later, the SHIELD shuttle continued soaring across the skies toward its destination. Clint and Natasha were at the controls while the five heroes were mentally preparing for the fight ahead. Iron Man was standing while the others were seated, going through his systems to make sure they were at optimum. Wasp drummed her fingers on her knees, still a little nervous about what was to come. Seeing this, Ant-Man placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn and see his faceplate lifted so she could see his comforting smile. It caused her to smile in response, making her feel much more relaxed. Spider-Man crouched on his seat, feeling a little tense about the mission at hand, but kept it to himself, trying to keep confident. Captain America sat by himself, still mulling over everything that had transpired up to this point. He tried to focus on the mission but found it difficult at the moment. He looked at Iron Man, knowing his connection to his past. Taking a chance, Cap got up and went over to Stark to try and converse with him.

“Mr. Stark,” Cap spoke, getting his attention. “It’s good to be working with you. I knew your father during the war, and-”

“Oh, you knew my dad?” Stark interrupted. “Never would’ve guessed. He only mentioned that, like, half a million times.”

Cap was slightly taken aback by that. “I didn’t realize…”

“Of course not. Just… lot of first-hand accounts about you. You were like the overachieving older brother I never had…” He muttered the final part. “Or wanted,” he noted the look on Cap’s face. “Though to be fair, a guy of your rep seems to leave an impression on people.”

Cap let out a small chuckle “Never intended to be an… inspiration. Just wanted a chance to serve my country. Protect people.”

“Guess that’s the difference between you and me. You got the guts, I go for the glory.”

“Lot of baggage that comes with that glory,” Cap remarked, gesturing to Ant-Man and Wasp.

“Well, can’t argue with that,” Stark conceded. “So, how’s 21st-century life treating you so far? Guessing spending a few decades as a Capcicle would leave you a lot to catch up on.”

“... haven’t really had the chance. Maybe after this mission-”

Just then, the shuttle started jostling around. Everyone turned toward the front of the shuttle to see they were being shot at from the ground below.

“Looks like we’re here,” Clint noted.

“And they’ve already rolled out the welcome mat,” Nat added.

“Well then,” Iron Man replied, turning toward the ramp. “Best not keep them waiting.”

Spider-Man turned toward Iron Man just as he pressed the button to lower the ramp.

“What are you doing?!” he called out.

“Going to make some new friends.”

“You can’t just fly out there!” Wasp insisted.

“They’re right, Stark,” Cap concurred. “We need a plan of attack!”

“I have a plan,” Stark replied. “Attack.”

With that, he jetted out of the shuttle and made his way down toward the castle. Back onboard, Cap made his way over to the switch, hitting it and closing the ramp. 

“We have to get down there!” Cap called out.

“Working on it!” Clint called back.

As the ship continued to move through the fire, Spider-Man perked up, as if he was sensing something coming.

“Bank right!” he called out.

“What?” Clint let out.

“Just do it!”

Clint didn’t feel compelled to argue as he did so, quickly dodging an oncoming missile that was aimed right at them.

“Whoa,” Clint let out. “Radar didn’t even get a blip. Nice call, webhead.”

“How’d you know that was coming?” Wasp wondered.

“Let’s just say I’ve got a sense about these things,” Spider-Man replied before perking up again. “Bank left, now!”

Clint tried to do so, but the missile managed to clip the end of the wing. 

“We’re hit!” Natasha let out. “Hang on!” 

The shuttle to fall out of the sky, spinning around and disorienting the passengers as a result. Thinking fast, Spider-Man fired out all the webbing in his cartridges, hoping it would be enough to cushion the impact as the ground quickly approached.

…

Inside the castle, Strucker looked out a balcony at the castle a soldier approached.

“Baron Strucker, the SHIELD shuttle was hit! Reports say it went down in the woods a few miles from here!”

“It can’t be too easy. Deploy our Walkers and War Wheels. They will dispatch our friends.”

“Yes, sir. But sir, we have reports that Iron Man is on his way.”

“Well then, let us prepare a proper welcome.”

…

Meanwhile, Iron Man jetted down to the castle, dodging and weaving between the turret blasts as the turrets came into view. Iron Man raised a wrist and fired a missile at one of the turrets. It sailed toward the turret, blowing it up. This allowed him to get in close, firing repulsor blasts at several HYDRA soldiers as he skimmed along the ground toward the second turret. He fired a second rocket toward the turret, destroying it.

“Thanks for the warm welcome,” Iron Man greeted. “But I gotta speak with your boss.”

Before he could do anything else, three green spheres launched from the roof and fell toward 

Iron Man.

“Alert!” JARVIS called out. “Incoming projectile!”

Just as Iron Man turned around, the spheres crashed down in front of him. The impact knocked him back, prompting him to use his thrusters to slow himself down to a stop. As he landed on the ground, the three spheres folded out, revealing to be the robots HYDRA had been developing, each one with drills for a hand and fire spewing from their mouths.

“JARVIS… remind me not wake up in the morning… ever again.”

“Noted, sir.”

…

Back onboard the Helicarrier, Rick sat at a table, drumming his fingers as Bruce tried to work. It became difficult for him to concentrate as he glanced up at his companion. 

“You gonna keep doing that?” Bruce asked, getting Rick’s attention.

“Sorry, Bruce. It’s just… something feels off here. I glanced out in the hall earlier, and you know what I saw?”

“What?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing. No guards. No one. That seems a little suspect considering you’re… you.”

Bruce paused, mulling over what Rick had said.

“You make a point…”

Rick pondered for a moment, before getting to his feet. “I’m gonna take a look around. See what’s up.”

“Something tells me Fury isn’t gonna like you snooping around,” Bruce warned as Rick made for the door.

“He won’t even know,” Rick reassured. “I’m just gonna look around and be right back.”

“Just… be careful, ok?”

“Can do,” Rick reassured before heading out.

…

Meanwhile, the shuttle crashed down in the woods near the castle. Fortunately, Spider-Man had unloaded two cartridges of web fluid to help cushion their landing. Once certain they were firmly on the ground, Cap kicked open the door to the shuttle allowing him and the others to file out.

“Everyone alright?” Cap asked.

“Little jostled, but I’ll be good,” Spidey reassured.

“Nice save with the webbing.”

“Yeah,” Wasp concurred, pulling a strand of web out of her hair. “Little too gross for my taste though.”

“Better sticky than splattered,” Hawkeye remarked.

“Come on,” Cap called out. “We gotta keep moving.”

The others nodded as they made their way toward the castle, with Cap leading the way. Spider-Man swung on the trees, allowing him to keep a good pace while Wasp flew through the air while carrying Ant-Man. Widow and Hawkeye followed on foot, trailing behind Cap at a safe distance. As they continued moving, Hawkeye leaped over a log, landing on the ground and grabbing a tree to brace himself. As he did though, he felt the tree seemingly vibrating. As he noted this, a feeling of unease crept over him.

“Guys…” he let out, getting everyone’s attention. “We’ve got company coming.”

“He’s right,” Spidey replied, landing on a branch as his spider-sense went off. “Somethings coming… something big.”

As he said that, the ground itself started shaking, much to their trepidation. Just then, a large shadow suddenly came over the group, causing them to look up and see a massive HYDRA Walker looming over them. 

“Big… might be an understatement,” Wasp let out.

The walker aimed its massive gun down at the group, powering it up. The heroes were quick to scatter before the blast hit. Cap rolled on the ground and instantly threw his shield at the walker. It fired a second blast, knocking the shield away as the others made for cover. Spider-Man landed on a nearby tree branch, only to feel his spider-sense started going off again.

“Now what?” he asked, turning in the direction his sense was directing him. 

His eyes went wide, seeing a massive War Wheel rolling toward him.

“Not good!” he let out, firing a web and swinging away just as the wheel rolled over and crushed the tree.

The walker meanwhile continued opening fire on the others, with Wasp keeping a tight grip on Ant-Man’s hands as she zipped around the beams.

“This feels like a massive step up from Whirlwind!” Wasp let out.

“Don’t worry,” Ant-Man reassured. “We can handle this. Just get me up to the top of that thing.”

Wasp nodded, flying upward as the walker continued blasting at the other heroes. As they reached one of its eyes, Wasp released a hand and fired her bio stings. This broke the glass a bit, creating a hole for the two of them to fly into. Once they were through, Wasp swung Ant-Man forward, allowing him to grow to normal size and punch the pilot out. Wasp then flew to the controls and started blasting them, destroying them instantly. The Walker then started to spark and explode from the inside before beginning to topple over. Wasp then flew over to Ant-Man, who shrunk down for Wasp to grab him, and quickly flew out as the Walker crashed to the ground, cheering at her success as she did. 

Spider-Man meanwhile continued swinging away from the War Wheel, managing to keep ahead of it and avoid being crushed. The wheel then leveled out its cannons that were on either side of it and opened fire, prompting him to pull hard on his web line so he’d arc upward. He flipped through the air before landing on one of the turrets on the side. He then leaped onto the side of the wheel before firing two webs at the turret itself. He then pulled as hard as he could, tearing off the turret before leaping off and throwing the turret toward the wheel itself, disorienting it. Cap took note of this while spotting his shield on the ground. He quickly leaped forward and rolled on the ground to scoop it up before chucking it at the pilot on the opposite side of the wheel. The impact knocked him clean out, allowing the War Wheel to swerve out of control before crashing to the ground. Spider-Man landed on a nearby branch as Cap’s shield returned to him.

“Nice moves,” Spidey commented. 

“We’re not done yet,” Cap reminded. “And I’m willing to bet anything reinforcements are on their way.”

“Well we can’t stay here and play with these things all day,” Widow commented. “We need to push ahead.”

“You and Barton move ahead,” Cap ordered, signaling the two of them to move out. “Ant-Man, Wasp, you two go get Stark. We could use some extra firepower over here.”

“We’re on it, Cap,” Wasp reassured, flying off with Ant-Man.

“So it’s just us against whatever comes next,” Spidey lamented. “Fantastic.”

“Everyone else has their job,” Cap reassured, readying his shield. “We just need to do ours.”

Spider-Man nodded, him and Cap looking ahead as more HYDRA forces came closing in.

…

Back with Iron Man, he was blasted back by the robots. One blast knocked him off his feet and caused him to hit the ground.

“Ok, this is getting annoying,” Iron Man commented. “JARVIS, divert power to shields and analyze that blast.”

“Diverting power now.”

Iron Man then jetted into the air before flying forward. He plowed into one robot, causing it to skid across the ground. It then spewed fire at Iron Man, causing him to hit the ground. Fighting back against the stream of flames, Iron Man slowly picked himself up and uppercutted the robot, knocking it away before turning around and grabbing the drill of an oncoming robot, which kept pushing on him as he knelt down on one knee.

“Analysis complete,” JARVIS informed.

“Now?! This thing about to drill into my head!”

“The robots are designated as HYDRA Dreadnaughts. However, they appear to be upgraded with Repulsor technology.”

Iron Man suddenly perked up. “That… that’s my tech. HYDRA’s using my tech?! Against me?!”

As he said that, the drill reached his head, scraping at it. Thinking fast, Iron Man shoved the drill aside before he jetted upward. The third Dreadnaught then raised a fist, allowing missiles to shoot out from its knuckles, right at Ion Man. Iron Man blasted at the missiles while flying overhead. As Iron Man continued avoiding the attacks from the Dreadnaughts, several ants came crawling up the side of the castle and up to the top. They moved toward the Dreadnoughts, climbing up the sides of the robots and making their way into the cracks so they could access the internal circuitry. Once there, they started chewing through the wires, causing them to short out. After a few moments, the Dreadnoughts shorted out and fell to the ground. Seeing that the Dreadnoughts were down, Iron Man flew down and landed on top of one, tearing into its back and pulling out a part labeled for Stark Industries.

“Mine…”

“Stark,” Ant-Man let out, getting his attention as he flew up on an ant. “Spider-Man and Captain America need backup. They’re dealing with some heavy weaponry.”

“Fine,” Iron Man replied. “Can’t wait to see what else HYDRA’s got. They probably stole that from me too.”

Iron Man then jetted off, leaving Ant-Man to watch as Wasp flew up to him.

“What got on his nerves?” Wasp wondered.

“No idea,” Ant-Man replied, looking down at the ground. “But it looks like the others have arrived.”

Down on the ground, Black Widow and Hawkeye made their way to the castle gates. Hawkeye quickly notched an arrow and fired it at the door. It hit the door, and after a few seconds, the arrow exploded, blowing the door clean open. Not wasting a second, the two made their way inside to get at the Tesseract. 

“Come on,” Wasp gestured. “Let’s help them out!”

“Wasp wait,” Ant-Man cautioned. “We should regroup with Cap and the others.”

“There’s no time. Strucker could get away. We can’t let that happen!”

She instantly took off toward the entrance, much to Ant-Man’s annoyance. 

“Jan!”

Sighing in resignation, Ant-Man followed after, hoping to mitigate whatever would happen next.

…

Back with Cap and Spider-Man, the two kept duking it out with HYDRA’s forces. Spider-Man swung on the branches toward a War Wheel, punching through the windshield of the cockpit and yanking out the pilot, shooting a web to catch him before turning the wheel hard. The wheel banked right so hard it tilted over, allowing Spider-Man to swing away as it fell on its side. Captain America meanwhile kept running from one of the Walkers, leaping up and over one of the blasts before hurling his shield at one of the eyes. It bounced around inside before smashing through the second eye and returning to Cap. The Walker then toppled over, crashing onto the ground as Spider-Man landed next to Cap.

“That all of them?” Spidey asked.

Before Cap could answer, one more Walker broke through the treeline, causing them to turn around as its gun aimed right at them. Before it could fire, a massive laser blasted at the Walker’s head, tearing right through it. The two looked up, seeing it was Iron Man’s unibeam that had finished off the Walker. The Walker’s head exploded, causing it to collapse onto the ground below.

“Timber,” Iron Man remarked, landing on the ground. 

“Nice timing, shell head,” Spidey remarked. 

“Well, I just got new motivation to stick it to HYDRA,” Iron Man replied. “These schmucks are using my tech to make these war machines.”

“Just another reason we need to take these guys down,” Cap declared. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

“Try and keep up,” Iron Man replied, hovering in the air before taking off toward the castle.

Spider-Man and Cap looked at each other for a moment before chasing after, with Spider-Man swinging from the trees and Cap running on the ground. 

…

Rick discreetly made his way through the corridors of the Helicarrier, trying to find any sign of possible threat to him or Bruce. So far, however, he was unable to find anything, and he was starting to become irritated.

“Well this has been a waste of time,” he lamented, opening a door.

Before he could go through it, he saw two soldiers heading his way. He ducked back into the hallway and let them walk past, overhearing their conversation.

“I can’t believe you tried to get Stark’s autograph,” one of the guards commented.

“Oh come on, like you wouldn’t want that,” the other one replied.

“Not a chance. You ask me, all those loose cannons should either be working for us or locked up.”

“Little harsh don’t you think?”

“Not at all. Why you think we keep that cell upstairs for the big one.”

That was all all Rick needed to hear as he shut the door. He knew he had to check this “cell” out for himself, so he decided to make a move. 

…

On the top of the castle, several guards were making their rounds, ensuring that the area was secure. As one of the guards made his rounds, he thought he heard a low grunting coming from the wall below him. He looked over the edge, only for a gloved hand to grab him and throw him over the side. As the guard fell to the ground below, Wolverine climbed over the edge and flashed his claws, prompting the other guards to open fire on them. Wolverine however charged forward, slicing through one of the guards’ guns before kicking him in the chest. He then spun around and rolled on the ground, dodging another guard's shots before slicing at him upward, taking him out. He then turned toward a third guard and just punched him in the face, breaking his nose as he fell to the ground. Just then, the final guard managed to nail Wolverine with several shots, causing him to keel over as a result. The guard moved in close, ready to finish him off as he aimed for the head. However, Wolverine quickly spun around and stabbed him in the chest.

“That… hurt…” he let out before pulling out his claws and letting him drop. 

Wolverine took a moment to allow his healing factor to kick in, allowing the wounds to seal up in a matter of seconds. Once he was all patched up, he made his way inside, determined to see his mission through.

…

Inside the castle, Widow and Hawkeye quietly made their way inside, not wanting to alert the HYDRA forces inside to their presence. As they reached a corner, Hawkeye crouched down and notched an arrow before peaking around the corner to make sure they were safe to move. 

“All clear,” he reported.

He and Widow made their way out, with Widow drawing her pistols as Hawkeye kept his arrow notched. 

“Seems almost too quiet,” Hawkeye commented.

“Let’s just hope it stays that way,” Widow remarked.

The two kept moving, only to hear someone moving toward them. They ducked down separate hallways for cover, spotting a patrol of HYDRA soldiers rounding a corner. Each one was armed with Tesseract-infused rifles. Hawkeye turned toward Widow, who gave him a nod as they prepared to let the patrol pass first before taking them out. The patrol passed the two of them, allowing them to step out and prepare to open fire. Before they could though, Wasp came flying in and saw a second patrol about to pass by. Fearing they would round the corner and see them, Wasp and acted on instinct, charged her stingers, and flew forward.

“Get down!” she cried out, getting not only their attention but the attention of the first HYDRA patrol.

The patrol opened fire, causing the two of them to duck for cover. The second patrol tried shooting at Wasp, but she dodged and weaved between the blasts as she fired her stings at them, taking them out. She had a confident smile on her face, feeling a new sense of certainty as she took out the HYDRA forces. Widow and Hawkeye meanwhile stayed hidden in their respective hallways, firing shots out when they got a chance. 

“Hawkeye, smoke arrow!” Widow called out.

Hawkeye obliged, firing an arrow in the middle of the room that set off a smoke bomb. The room filled with smoke, disorienting the HYDRA soldiers and allowing Widow and Hawkeye to step out and open fire on them. With one shot after another, they managed to take out the soldiers in rapid succession. Unable to take the smoke much longer, Wasp flew up above it in hopes of clearing her lungs. She let out a coughing fit as the smoke began to clear. Finally, the last of the smoke cleared, revealing Widow and Hawkeye standing amidst the fallen HYDRA soldiers. Wasp flew down and grew to normal size before approaching them.

“Nice work, you guys,” she commended. “You two ok?”

The two said nothing, with Widow just scowling at her. This made Wasp feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden. 

“Did… I do something wrong?” 

“Yes,” Widow confirmed, approaching her. “You gave away our position and nearly got us killed.”

“But… those guys could’ve killed you. What was I supposed to do?”

“Take them out, silently. Not draw attention to us. Use your eyes and descent the situation,” she got up close to Wasp. “This is not a game. So act like it!”

Widow then passed by Wasp, leaving her feeling dejected. She turned to Hawkeye, hoping he’d say something comforting, but he remained silent as he followed Widow. Wasp lowered her head in dejection as Ant-Man flew in. 

“Jan, are you alright?” Ant-Man asked, approaching her.

“Physically? Yeah. Though my self-confidence has taken a hit…”

…

Outside, Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man made their way to the castle, seeing the door had been blown open.

“Looks like the party’s started without us,” Spider-Man quipped as he landed above the doorway and climbed inside on the ceiling. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

Spider-Man ran on the ceiling as Cap and Iron Man followed close behind. 

…

After a few minutes, Rick found a set of stairs that led him upward, hoping he could find what he was looking for. As he made it to the upper level, he saw a long hallway with several doors along it. He walked down the hallway, wondering which door it could be behind. One by one, he opened them, but came up empty with nearly each one. He quickly opened up the next one, his jaw-dropping at the sight. He walked inside, slowly going up the steps as he came face to face with a large round glass cage that sat precariously over an equally large trap door. A cell meant to imprison and possibly destroy the Incredible Hulk.

Chapter Text

Inside the HYDRA Castle, Captain America ran through the halls alongside Iron Man and Spider-Man as they worked to find their allies and the Tesseract. As they kept moving, Spider-Man's spider sense started going off.

"Guys," he spoke up, "We're about to have company."

"Understood," Cap replied as they approached a set of double doors.

Cap used his shield to bust open the doors, entering an open foyer filled with HYDRA soldiers. They all opened fire on Cap, who easily used his shield to deflect the onslaught of bullets being shot his way. Spider-Man leaped into the room, jumping around to dodge the onslaught of bullets. Iron Man flew in close, letting the shots bounce off his armor as he moved in close.

"It's cute how hard they try," Iron Man remarked.

Iron Man raised an arm, allowing a mini rocket launcher to rise. Iron Man aimed and fired at the group. All of a sudden, several small disks ejected from the missile and quickly attached to the guns of the HYDRA agents. They all looked down at their weapons in confusion, only for them to blow up in their faces one after the other, knocking them out. They all dropped to the ground unconscious as Iron Man landed, with Spider-Man swinging past and dropping down in front of him.

"Nice trick. That thing make popcorn too?"

"Stay sharp," Cap instructed. "No doubt more will be on their way."

"Well, bring it on," Iron Man remarked. "The more of these HYDRA goons that come our way, the more of my tech I get to take out."

"Let's not lose focus on why we're here," Cap warned him, walking into the room. "We need to focus on stopping Strucker and reclaiming the Tesseract, not settling a personal vendetta."

"In the spirit of multitasking, I like to think we can do both," Iron Man remarked, turning to face him.

"Just stick with the team this time. Last thing we need is you going all gung-ho without a plan."

"I'm more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy. You got a problem with that, Uncle Sam-"

"Hey," Spider-Man spoke up. "Mind if we table this for later?"

"Yeah," Iron Man remarked. "Best for junior to not see mom and dad fight."

"Ok, first of all, junior? Seriously? And second of all, I'm trying to say something's coming."

Just as he said that, the wall was blown open, prompting the three of them to brace themselves for whatever was coming. As the smoke cleared, three HYDRA Dreadnaughts stepped out and stared down at the three heroes.

"Great," Iron Man lamented. "These things again."

"Any advice on dealing with these?" Cap asked as he and Spider-Man readied themselves.

"Yeah. Don't die."

At that moment, the Dreadnoughts all opened fire.

…

Meanwhile, Widow led Hawkeye, Ant-Man, and Wasp through the halls of the castle.

"So, do we know where we're going?" Wasp wondered.

"We have an uplink to Banner's tracking algorithm," Widow informed. "We're using it to track the Tesseract's energy signature. We should be able to follow it to the source."

Clint held up the tracking device."And right now, we're almost on top of it."

They approached a closed door, prompting Widow to run up and kick it down while drawing her pistols. On the other side of the door, to the surprise of the heroes, was a squad of heavily armed HYDRA soldiers waiting for him, with their guns at the ready.

"So, mind if I shoot at these guys?" Wasp asked, her stingers at the ready.

"Go nuts," Widow replied, opening fire with her pistols.

Wasp smirked before flying in, unleashing her stings on several HYDRA soldiers in rapid succession. Black Widow rolled forward, opening fire with her pistols and taking out several soldiers before they could let off a shot. Other soldiers managed to open fire on the group, prompting Ant-Man to shrink down and leap forward. He landed on one of the rifles, running along it before leaping forward and punching the soldier out. He quickly grew to normal size as he landed, turning to see another soldier about to open fire on him. He promptly shrank down to avoid the blast before running over and growing large again, uppercutting him and knocking him to the ground. Hawkeye, meanwhile, slowly made his way inside, firing one arrow after another at the soldiers. One arrow sailed right into the barrel of one gun, causing it to explode and knocking the soldier to the ground. Hawkeye notched another arrow and fired, causing it to split into three and nailing three soldiers at once. One of the soldiers tried to get close to him, prompting Hawkeye to jab him in the stomach with his bow before smacking him across the face.

Seeing another soldier raising his weapon, Black Widow ran over and leaped into the air before kicking him in the chest. This knocked him to the ground as she landed next to him, kicking the legs out from under a second soldier. Ant-Man meanwhile shrank down and socked a soldier in the face before propelling himself toward a second soldier, growing large and ramming into him, causing both of them to crash through a second door on the other side of the room.

Ant-Man picked himself up, in awe of what he saw inside. It was a high-tech array of terminals and cables connected to what appeared to be a giant cannon. At the base of it all was a containment unit housing the Tesseract itself.

"Good lord…" he let out, Wasp flying in next to him.

"Whoa," She mustered.

"Impressive, isn't it?!" Strucker's voice boasted.

The two miniature heroes looked up to see Strucker standing on a catwalk above them. His claw now had cables coming out of it, pulsing blue energy, as did the sword attached to his belt.

"The designs I have for the Tesseract are beyond anything even the Red Skull could have ever conceived! With these armaments, no force on Earth will be able to stand against our might!

"Wow," Wasp let out. "This guy takes full-blown super villain to a whole new level."

"You won't get the chance to use them, Strucker," Ant-Man insisted. "End this before anyone else gets hurt."

Stucker just chuckled in response. "If anyone is to be hurt…" he raised his gauntlet. "It's you!"

All of a sudden, a beam of blue energy shot out from his gauntlet. Ant-Man quickly shrank down and leaped toward Wasp, who grabbed him and flew up into the air to avoid getting hit by the blast.

…

Meanwhile, Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man continued fighting against the HYDRA Dreadnaughts. One Dreadnought tried bringing its drill arm down on Cap, but he used his shield to not only block it, but also redirect it toward the ground so he could backflip out of the way. He then tossed his shield at the Dreadnaught, hitting it in the head and causing it to stagger back as the shield sailed back to Cap's hand as he ran up. He then leaped up and slapped his shield into the Dreadnought, knocking it to the ground as he flipped back onto his feet. He then spun around and brought his shield down on the robot's neck, decapitating it and shutting it down.

A second Dreadnought unleashed its fire breath at Spider-Man, prompting him to run toward a nearby wall, springing up it to stay ahead of the flames. He then backflipped through the air before landing on top of the robot.

"Say cheese," Spidey quipped, firing a web in the robot's eyes.

This disoriented the robot, causing it to stagger backward while trying to reach for Spider-Man. Thinking fast, Spider-Man pulled out a web cartridge and threw it down the nozzle in the robot's mouth before leaping off of it. It searched around for Spider-Man, preparing to fire its flame breath again. This time, however, the chemical mixture of the webbing caused a reaction that made webs shoot out from the mouth instead, gunking up the circuits within the robot's head. Spider-Man took this chance to punch and the robot a few times before it finally fell to the ground, finished.

"Hope Strucker kept the receipt on these things," Spidey remarked.

With Iron Man, he engaged with the third Dreadnought. He tried blasting at it, but the robot was protected by an energy shield it was creating.

"You gotta be kidding me," Iron Man let out. "That's my shielding! JARVIS, electromagnetic pulse!"

"Not enough power, sir. Energy levels still recharging after use of the Unibeam."

"Ugh, fine! We'll do this the hard way."

Iron Man then flew toward the Dreadnought, dodging and weaving between the laser blasts it was dishing out to him. Finally, Iron Man got in close and grabbed the robot by the head, lifting it into the air before spinning around and throwing it to the ground. Before the robot could get back up, Iron Man landed on top of the robot, pinning it down. He then placed a boot to its face, opening up the thrusters to fry its face completely. Once the thrusters died down, Iron Man pulled his boot away, seeing the Dreadnaught's head fried and mangled.

"That was cathartic," He remarked as Cap and Spidey came up to join him.

"We're not done yet," Cap reminded. "We still have to track down Strucker and shut him down."

"Hey, Stark," Spidey commented, none of them aware that the Dreadnaught Spider-Man took down was getting back up. "Think that suit of yours can find the Cube?"

"No problem," Iron Man reassured. "Should be able to zero in on the Cube's energy signature and-"

Iron Man then paused, seeing the Dreadnought getting back on its feet.

"Get down!" Iron Man cried out, raising his gauntlets to fire.

Cap and Spider-Man barely had a chance to move as Iron Man began opening fire on the Dreadnought.

"JARVIS, full power to Unibeam!"

"Ill-advised, sir. At your current power levels-"

"Just do it!"

At that moment, Iron Man's chest piece began glowing, allowing Iron Man to unleash his Unibeam on the Dreadnought. The beam hit the chest of the robot, tearing right through it, causing the robot to explode into countless pieces. Once the Dreadnaught was destroyed, Iron Man's Unibeam died down, forcing him to drop to one knee..

"Ok… maybe not my smartest idea," He said to himself.

"Armor power down to ten percent. Recommend recharge soon."

"Yeah… thanks for that."

"Are you out of your mind?" Cap lambasted as he walked over to Iron Man.

"Hey, I told you to get down," Iron Man threw back, getting back to his feet.

"You should've given us more time. You could've hit us."

"But I didn't, did I?"

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of your attitude. We're supposed to be a team, not a bunch of loose cannons firing aimlessly."

"Oh, I have aim," Iron Man protested, getting back to his feet. "I'm not gonna let HYDRA pervert my technology more than they already have."

"Your technology is the least of our concerns right now," Cap threw back.

Spider-Man looked back and forth between the two bickering heroes, feeling caught in the middle.

"Uh, guys," He tried to interrupt. "Guys? Gu-" Finally, he gave up. "Screw it."

He then fired a web and swung off, heading through a nearby door. He kicked through it and began swinging down a neighboring hallway. The noise caused Cap to turn and see that Spider-Man had gone.

"Spider-Man!" He let out. "Dammit. Is it too much to ask for one person here to follow orders?"

"Welcome to the twenty-first century, Cap," Iron Man remarked before taking off into the air. "Following is more of a niche idea."

Iron Man quickly took off, with Cap following close behind.

…

Down the hall, Spider-Man continued swinging, doing his best to find Strucker and the Cube on his own.

"My Spider Sense should be able to lead me to Strucker and the Cube," Spidey said to himself. "Those two can work things out for themselves."

As Spider-Man kept swinging, he thought he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He dropped to the ground, looking down a neighboring hallway, thinking he saw someone running down it. He ran down to the intersection of the hallways, trying to find any sign of the person he had seen, but found nothing.

"What was…"

Before he could think more about it, a nearby explosion drew his focus.

"Sounds like the fun's starting without me," Spider-Man said before firing a web and swinging off again.

…

Meanwhile, the figure Spider-Man saw running down the hall was Wolverine, who was heading down a parallel route to the same destination as he was. He kept to the back hallways so as to avoid attracting attention. He reached the end of the hall, slowly opening the door and peaking inside to see the fight between the heroes and HYDRA taking place. He narrowed his eyes at the sight, scanning around for the true objective of his mission. After a few moments, he finally found what he was after, the Tesseract attached to a specialized cannon. Wolverine smirked at the sight, already planning on how to complete his task.

…

Meanwhile, Wasp kept a firm grip on Ant-Man while zipping around to avoid Strucker's blasts. One blast came close to hitting them, causing one of her hands to slip free.

"This is nuts!" She cried out. "We can't even get close to this guy!"

"We're going to have to try something else," Ant-Man decided. "Drop me and keep him occupied. I'll try and sneak up on him."

"Right. Be careful."

Wasp nodded, flying upward toward Stucker while using her free hand to fire her stingers. Strucker held up his claw to block the blasts, seeing them as little more than minor annoyances. At that time, Spider-Man kicked down a side door, entering the room, and saw Strucker up on the catwalk.

"There you are," Spider-Man noted, leaping up to him.

Wasp, meanwhile, dropped Ant-Man down onto the railing of the catwalk. He ran along it, heading right toward Strucker before leaping forward. As he did, Spider-Man swung upward, heading right toward Strucker. He smirked in response, firing a blast at him that knocked him right into the oncoming Ant-Man. The two heroes fell toward the ground, both groaning in pain as Strucker approached. He picked Spider-Man up by the neck and raised him up.

"A valiant effort," Strucker mocked, holding Spider-Man up by the throat. "But ultimately futile."

Thinking fast, Spider-Man kicked off Strucker's chest. This allowed him to pull himself free and land in a dramatic pose in front of Ant-Man as he grew back to normal size.

"You should've held back," Ant-Man told him.

"Not like I could see you coming," Spidey threw back. "I got this."

He fired his webs at Strucker, managing to tie him up. Strucker was undeterred, however, as he grabbed hold of the webbing with his claw and sent a charge of electricity through it. It trailed all the way back to Spider-Man, shocking him and knocking him back. Ant-Man then turned toward Strucker as he tore the webbing off, pulling out his glowing sword.

"Come, insect," He challenged. "I grant you the honor of being the first to perish by the new might of HYDRA."

Strucker then charged forward, swinging his blade. Thinking fast, Ant-Man shrank down and barely dodged the glowing blade. He landed on the railing and tried leaping toward Strucker. He managed to swat Ant-Man aside with his claw, causing him to fall onto the ground. Ant-Man quickly flipped backward, landing on the ground and growing back to normal size. Meanwhile, Spider-Man picked himself up off the ground just as a door behind him opened, revealing several more heavily armed HYDRA soldiers who had their weapons trained on him.

"Surrender, freak," One ordered.

"Let me get back to you on that," Spider-Man remarked, firing webs at the soldiers' faces.

The others quickly opened fire on him, prompting him to leap upward onto a nearby wall before firing more webbing, trying to tangle the soldiers up in it. Strucker turned to see this, firing a blast at Spider-Man and forcing him to leap out of the way. Ant-Man took this distraction to run at Strucker, shrinking down and striking him across the face, knocking him to the ground as Ant-Man moved toward him. Taking a chance, Strucker fired his gauntlet rapidly around the room, hitting Ant-Man and knocking him off the catwalk. He quickly grew back to normal size before hitting the ground, clearly hurt. Stucker smirked as he reclaimed his blade and looked down at Ant-Man, preparing to aim his claw again.

"No!" Wasp cried out, flying in close and firing several stings at him.

Strucker covered his face to best shield himself from the oncoming attacks before swinging his sword out. The arc sent out a surge of energy that knocked Wasp out of the air and onto the catwalk. Strucker raised his sword to strike her down, only for Cap's shield to sail by, blocking the blow before bouncing off the wall and returning to Cap's hand as he and Iron Man entered.

"You only capable of beating opponents who can't fight back, Strucker?" Cap challenged. "Or you wanna take a chance at me?"

Strucker smirked.

"Nothing would make me happier," He retorted, leaping down off the catwalk and landing on the ground in front of the downed Ant-Man. "I will gladly finish what the Red Skull could not, and rid HYDRA of its greatest enemy once and for all!"

He rushed forward, prompting Cap to raise his shield and block his oncoming attack. While the two combatants had at it, Iron Man took off into the air, spotting the massive cannon in the center of the room.

"Alright," He let out, readying his rockets. "Let's wrap this up."

"I'll advised, sir. With the energy coursing through the weapon, an explosion would destroy the entire structure."

"And that's why I have you to tell me these things," Iron Man replied, retracting his rockets. "Any ideas?"

Just then, a stray missile hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Iron Man crashed down, picking himself up to see a group of Dreadnoughts marching toward him.

"Seriously? Again with these guys?"

One of the Dreadnoughts tried shooting at Iron Man, prompting him to jet back into the air, firing repulsor blasts for cover. As the Dreadnaughts kept firing on him, a stray arrow shot out, nailing one in the face and causing electricity to surge through it, causing its face to explode. It fell backward onto the ground as Widow and Hawkeye entered into the fray.

"The cavalry has arrived," Hawkeye remarked. "You're welcome. I-"

"Look out!" Widow let out, tackling him out of the way of a blast.

The two SHIELD agents rolled on the ground for a bit before getting back on their feet, opening fire on the Dreadnaught robots, though making little headway. Thinking fast, Hawkeye looked up, seeing some scaffolding over one of the robots. He notched an explosive arrow and fired it at the scaffolding, causing it to explode and rain down on top of one of the Dreadnoughts, crushing it. Black Widow ran forward toward one of the Dreadnoughts, leaping up as it brought its drill down toward her. She leaped up and over it, quickly pulling the pin on a grenade and jamming it into the Dreadnought's mouth. As she flipped over the other side of it, the grenade went off, causing its head to explode and the Dreadnought to drop to the ground.

While all that was going on, Wasp groaned in pain, picking herself up off the ground. Remembering Ant-Man's condition, she got back up and flew down toward him.

"Hank!" She called out, quickly approaching him. "Hank, wake up."

Ant-Man let out a wince of pain, slowly picking himself up as Wasp helped him.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah…" He replied, looking up and seeing the battle play out in front of them.

He then turned toward the cannon, which was powering up.

"We have to shut that thing down before they have a chance to use it."

"You go take it down," Wasp told him. "I'll cover you."

Ant-Man nodded before shrinking down. Wasp grabbed him and the two flew off toward the control console. Up on the catwalk, Spider-Man finished taking down the HYDRA soldiers on the catwalk, knocking the last one out before looking out to see Cap taking on Strucker. Thinking fast, Spider-Man leaped off the catwalk and fired a webline, swinging down toward the two combatants.

"Heads up!" He cried out, signaling Cap to duck as Spidey kicked Strucker in the face.

The HYDRA hit the ground hard as Spider-Man landed in front of Cap.

"Got ya covered, Cap," Spidey reassured.

"That way you ran off without us?" Cap accused, getting Spidey to turn to him.

"Someone had to stay on top of things while you and Stark were arguing like a bunch of stubborn bulls."

"We're supposed to be a unit. We can't have members running off on their own. You could've put us all at risk."

While the two were arguing, Strucker was slowly getting back up, eying the two heroes before aiming his gauntlets.

"Hey, I had everything under-" Spidey tried to argue before his spider sense went off. "Look out!"

Spidey tackled Cap down just as Strucker fired at them. Once they were clear, Cap and Spidey flipped back to their feet, watching as Strucker picked himself up and readied his blade.

"Pick this up after we kick his ass?" Spidey proposed.

"Agreed," Cap concurred.

Cap then tossed his shield at Strucker, knocking the blade out of his hand as Spider-Man fired his webbing at him. Strucker quickly fired his gauntlet at the webs, disintegrating them as he drew his gun and fired at them. Spider-Man leaped into the air as Cap rolled out of the way, quickly reclaiming his shield. He used it to block the blasts as Strucker moved toward his blade. He kicked the blade back into his hand as Cap ran up. He used the shield to knock the gun out of his hand just as Strucker swung the blade at him. Cap used his shield to block the strike as Spider-Man ran up.

Seeing this, Stucker used his claw to blast Cap back before swinging at Spider-Man. The webhead leaped over the blade before landing behind Strucker and swinging a fist at him. Strucker spun around and blocked the blow with his claw before thrusting his blade forward, prompting Spider-Man to bend far backward, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the sword strike.

While that was going on, Wolverine kept to the shadows, watching as the fight continued to unfold. He looked around the room, his eyes stopping at the control console for the cannon. Unfortunately for him, Ant-Man had just grown to normal size in front of it, immediately going to work on trying to disarm it.

"That's gonna complicate things," Wolverine remarked, raising a hand and extending his claws.

"No," the man in green replied, seemingly appearing next to him. "We don't want to give ourselves away just yet."

"Then what do we do?"

The man looked around at the battle, seeing Black Widow and Hawkeye take on the Dreadnoughts. Seeing them fight, a smile came across his face.

"Leave that to me," He told him. "Just be ready."

The man then disappeared almost as instantly as he appeared, leaving Wolverine to stay put as his mysterious controller did his work. Meanwhile, Widow and Hawkeye continued fighting off the Dreadnoughts alongside Iron Man, the former two zeroing in on the robots' weaknesses. Hawkeye in particular narrowly avoided a fist being slammed down on top of him. He then jumped onto the arm and ran up it before leaping up and firing an arrow right into the robot's flame nozzle. As he landed on the other side, the robot exploded before dropping to the ground. He then spun around to return to the fray, but suddenly the man in green appeared in front of him.

"You have heart," He commented.

Before Hawkeye could react, the man pressed his scepter to his chest, causing the same energy that affected Wolverine to infect him, too. His eyes suddenly turned bright blue, causing him to straighten up as a result.

"Now then," the man in green turned toward the cannon. "Keep these interlopers from interfering with my work. Oh, and keep it discreet."

Hawkeye nodded, looking toward the cannon and trying to think of how to keep Ant-Man away. Just then, he noticed Wasp hovering next to him, giving him an idea. He notched an arrow and fired it at a nearby Dreadnought, seemingly missing as it sailed past its face. It turned toward him, causing him to bolt as it spewed fire at him as he bolted.

"Could use some help over here!" He called out, getting the attention of both Widow and Wasp.

"I'm on it!" Wasp called out, flying after it.

"No, stand down!" Widow cautioned, running over. "Fall back, now!"

"I can do this!"

She flew in close, firing several blasts at the Dreadnought to get its attention. Almost instantly, the Dreadnought tried to swing its drill arm at her, prompting her to fly over it as she fired her stings at its face. She did manage to take out one of its eyes, causing her to cheer in response. This, however, created an opening for the Dreadnought to shoot out its free hand and grab her. She yelped in response, getting Ant-Man's attention.

"Jan!" He cried out, moving away from the console and running toward her.

This opening allowed Wolverine to slip out of the shadows, ready to make the modifications he needed.

As the Dreadnaught fired missiles at Ant-Man, he quickly shrank down and leaped from missile to missile. He finally reached the Dreadnought and leaped up toward its face, striking it in the other eye. This blinded the robot and caused it to fire randomly around the room, releasing Wasp in the process. Ant-Man quickly leaped off and caught her before landing on the ground.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," She confirmed. "Just a little jostled, but-" She then looked up, seeing a stray missile heading toward them. "Look out!"

Ant-Man saw the missile coming, quickly trying to take off before it hit. Unfortunately, it hit the ground right behind them, knocking them back and sending them crashing into some debris. From the air, Iron Man saw the malfunctioning robot and aimed a rocket at it. Instantly, he fired it at the robot, causing it to explode. Strucker looked up from his fight with Cap and Spidey, seeing the destroyed robot and Iron Man hovering over it. Iron Man turned toward Strucker, his eyes narrowed under his helmet. Not wasting a second, he darted toward Stucker, causing the HYDRA leader to smile in a sinister fashion. Cap caught that, his eyes going wide.

"Stark wait-"

Before he could finish, Strucker used his blade to knock Spider-Man and him aside before firing his claw at the ceiling above Iron Man. It caused several chunks of debris to rain down on top of him, one of which hit him and caused him to drop to the ground with several chunks of rock pinning him down.

Cap and Spider-Man picked themselves up, seeing Iron Man pinned as well as Ant-Man and Wasp out cold. Strucker turned toward the two, brandishing his blade in confidence.

"Your allies dwindle, Captain," Strucker taunted. "Soon, you will fall with the rest of them."

Cap just narrowed his eyes in response as he and Spider-Man stood against the HYDRA leader.

"You still doubt," Strucker noted. "Perhaps… a demonstration is in order," Strucker then turned to one of his technicians. "Prime the main cannon. Target the nearest village and open fire!"

"No!" Cap and Spidey let out.

Spider-Man fired a web and zipped into the air while Cap rushed forward. Strucker fired his claw at Cap, who held up his shield to block the blasts before engaging him head-on. As Spider-Man made his way over to the cannon, a new set of HYDRA soldiers entered the room and opened fire on him, prompting him to dodge the shots mid-air. He fired several webs at the soldiers, ensnaring them easily. After finishing off one of the last Dreadnoughts, Black Widow turned toward the HYDRA soldiers, opening fire on Spider-Man. She opened fire on them as well, allowing Spider-Man to land on top of one before leaping off and rolling on the ground next to Widow.

"Thanks," Spidey replied, shooting his webs as she was firing her pistols. "Nice to have a fellow arachnid watching my-"

"Shut up, and tell me what needs doing," She cut off.

"Right. That cannon's gonna go off any minute, and we need to shut it down!"

Natasha turned toward the cannon, seeing that it was powering up, before turning back to the soldiers.

"Keep these guys off of me," She ordered. "I'll try and disable it."

Spider-Man nodded, firing a web and swinging off toward the soldiers. As he engaged with them, Widow made her way over to the console, firing an electric stinger from her wrist gauntlet and hitting the technician, tasing him and knocking him out. With the technician down, Widow made her way over to the console, trying to deactivate the cannon. Just then, she heard someone land on the frame of the console, causing her to look up and see Hawkeye being the one to do so, turning to her and giving her a nod. She smiled, returning the nod in kind before getting back to work. Seeing she was not fixated on him, after firing another arrow, he pulled out a small device from his sleeve and dropped it on top of the console. Careful not to miss a beat, he faked falling off the console just as the device caused the electronics to surge through it, shocking Widow and knocking her back.

Spider-Man, meanwhile, fired one web after another, taking down HYDRA goons in rapid succession. He fired one web at a soldier's face, pulling him in close so he could leap up and kick him in the gut. As he landed on the ground, he saw soldiers surrounding Widow and Hawkeye, as well as Ant-Man, Wasp, and Iron Man. He then turned to Captain America, still duking it out against Strucker.

"Spider-Man!" Cap called out. "Shut down the cannon! Hurry!"

Strucker took advantage of the distraction to slash Cap in the side, causing him to drop to the ground. Strucker raised his sword, about to strike him down, prompting Spider-Man to fire twin web lines at the sword, pulling it out of his hand.

"That's not happening, buddy!" Spider-Man declared before running over to him.

Strucker fired his gauntlet at him, prompting Spider-Man to duck under the blast before springing forward onto his hands and pushing off so he could flip through the air toward Strucker. He landed right in front of him in a crouched position, instantly throwing a punch his way. Strucker managed to catch it, however, sending energy surging through him and causing him to cry out in pain. Spider-Man dropped to his knees in pain as Cap looked up.

"No!"

"I can only imagine the strength I could take from this one. However…" He turned toward Cap, smiling maniacally. "I might be forgiving… in exchange for the strength of a Super Soldier."

"Cap… no…" Spidey winced.

Cap looked toward Spider-Man, then toward his fallen and captured teammates. Seeing no other alternatives, he dropped his shield as two HYDRA soldiers covered him on either side. Strucker tossed Spider-Man aside, cracking his eyes as two more HYDRA soldiers covered him.

"This… is not good…"

While the heroes of SHIELD were overwhelmed by the forces of HYDRA, the man in green was watching the events unfold with malicious glee.

"On the contrary… I couldn't imagine it going any better."