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[COLOR=00aeef][indent][sub][I]Hotel, London, England, United Kingdom[/I] - [I]Present Day, 01:32 Hours[/I][/sub][sup][right]Issue 1.03.3: The Stranger[/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [I]None[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [I] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4890815]Issue 1.03.2: DownFall[/url][/I][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color]

The sound of pounding rain and roaring thunder was in some way reassuring to Steve as he had drifted off to sleep. The stereotype of London being a rainy, depressing looking place seemed to reign true starting in the afternoon, ending the plans Steve and Sharon had to tour and instead forced them back to the hotel to await further orders. Needless to say, it was surprising that a particularly loud wave of thunder woke Steve from his deep slumber.

He sighed and checked the time. It was about half past one in the morning, so it was far too late to check in next door with Sharon. So he found himself standing in his SHIELD issued undershirt next to the window of his hotel room, drawing the curtains away to stare out at the stormy night. He raised an eyebrow, a strike of lightning forcing him to squint for a moment. When his eyes readjusted after but a moment, Steve’s heart skipped a beat at the shock of seeing a lone figure on the rooftop across the street. The figure was just standing there, watching Steve through the window. Steve backed away slowly, still seeing the figure watching him, as he blindly fumbled for his sidearm to hook onto the belt of his jeans. He also clutched at a small metal bracelet, snapping it onto his wrist. With a clenching of his fist, his shield instinctively shot through the closet door as Steve began rushing towards the window. He was able to lift the shield just in time for him to place it in front of him as he powered his way through the window, glass spraying out onto the alley below as Steve’s leap took him across the gap and onto the roof of the slightly smaller building next door. He tucked his shoulder for a roll and slid along the ground, his eyes raising to meet the figure before him.

Standing on the roof opposite Cap was a hairy beast standing nearly seven feet tall, wearing the torn star-spangled suit that Steve had worn years earlier. The beast had a snout-like mouth, and its eyes glowed red. The best growled at Cap and leaped with superhuman strength and speed. Steve raised his shield to try and block the swipes of its claws, yet even the super soldier was just a fraction of a second too slow as the beast was able to scratch at Steve’s arm just enough to tear his flesh and draw blood. The pain was intense, and Cap was able to sneak in a swift kick to the beast’s knee. A loud snap signaled that it had broken easily, but the crunching sound afterwards was the thing of nightmares. The beast’s leg began to fix itself automatically, throwing Cap off his game for just a moment. The beast swung its arm into the side of Rogers, its claws ripping through Steve’s armor and flinging him to the side. The shield slid across the rooftop, but Steve flew just over the ledge of the roof. He was able to barely catch his fingers along the rooftop’s edge.

Steve strained as he began to lift himself up to continue the fight, but the beast was looming over him almost immediately. It bent down, snarling as it seemed to be lunging its head forward to bite at Steve. Steve did the only thing he could: he let go of the roof and clutched his left hand into a fist. His shield locked into place just in time for Cap to place the shield between himself and the car on the street below. The car’s roof crumbled as the shield and Cap’s body impacted from the fall. He groaned, his eyes rising up to the rooftop. The figure loomed for a moment, before disappearing after a flash of lightning. In his last moment of consciousness, Cap slowly lowered his head back down and closed his eyes, the sound of the car alarm blaring and the pounding rain being the last sounds he heard that night.[hr][right][color=00aeef]Next Chapter:[/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4896426]Cross of Iron[/url][/right]