[center][img] https://seeklogo.com/images/S/s-h-i-e-l-d-logo-F89847BD30-seeklogo.com.png [/img][/center] [COLOR=00aeef][indent][sub][I]Hydra Facility, Argentina [/I] - [I]Present Day[/I][/sub][sup][right]Issue 1.04.4: Battleground[/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/4906706]Issue 1.04.3: Enemy at the Gates[/url][/I][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color] Black Widow gave Agent Carter a brief nod as she finished sticking the adhesive of the “Welcome Party” device, which didn’t appear to be more than a metal cylinder sticking out from the door frame. Agent Carter was finishing up setting a small receiver into the foam explosive that had been sprayed over the hinges of the metal door leading into the security room. The two agents began stepping back behind a line of SHIELD operatives that had their rifles at the ready. Romanoff began tapping away at her wrist computer to sync things up. [color=firebrick]”I heard about what happened in London. I’m sure it was a hard choice.”[/color] Sharon was caught off guard as she tilted her head, taking a moment to process her partner’s sudden concern. [color=gold]”It’s the job.”[/color] Carter fetched a small detonator from her utility belt. [color=gold]”We do what we have to in order to keep people safe.”[/color] Natasha raised an eyebrow. [color=firebrick]”Great, I am surrounded by patriots and pencil-pushers. I might as well go back home to Moscow for some excitement.”[/color] She tapped a button, and the sound of a thermite charge could be heard cutting through the security office. Carter shrugged. [color=gold]”I’d hate to see you go. I was just starting to like you.”[/color] Sharon gave a cheeky grin as the repeated sound of compressed air firing cluster grenades into the office, followed by a cacophony of explosions and screams. Natasha rolled her eyes as Sharon detonated the foam explosive and the hinges were blown out. With a terrifying metallic screech, the door fell to the ground with a thud. The inside of the office was completely spattered with blood. [color=firebrick]”Control room secured. It’s your turn, boys.”[/color] [hr] [color=00aeef]”It’ll take us a minute.”[/color] Cap spat out a little bit of blood as he rose to his feet. The mountain of a soldier began slowly shuffling towards Rogers with a large wrench in his hands. He was making his way down one of the aisles of the boiler room, with the door to the generator room standing behind him. Captain Rogers lifted up his fists, giving a cocky smile. [color=00aeef]”What’s the matter? Getting sleepy?”[/color] The HYDRA engineer lifted his wrench into the air to take a swing at Steve, but was interrupted as Masters quickly rushed in with Cap’s shield. Tony threw his weight behind the shield to force the engineer to crash into a large console. Tony quickly tossed the shield towards Steve, who was able to catch it on the rim and use both hands to swing it directly into the engineer’s ribcage. He cried out in pain and swung a fist towards Rogers, but Cap was able to sidestep it with ease. Masters delivered a few blows at the engineer, but without much progress. The engineer turned his gaze towards Masters, lifted his fists up. [color=lightgray] Two quick strikes to the abdomen. Use the distraction to deliver a palm strike…[/color] The sound of a gunshot rang out, echoing along the walls. The HYDRA engineer crumbled to the floor. Cap turned around to see Fury holstering his revolver. Masters wiped the blood off his face, shaking his head. [color=lightgray]”I had that under control.”[/color] Fury rolled his eye. [color=purple]”I’m sure you did, Masters. Now why don’t you ballerinas start heading down towards the lab. I can handle things from here.”[/color] [hr] Natasha and Sharon were waiting in the elevator as Cap and Tony jogged in to meet them. It was an old service elevator, and a decent enough contingent of SHIELD operatives were surrounding the four officers. The elevator began slowly grinding down towards the bottom level. [color=firebrick]”What took you guys so long? We could have brought Zemo to you if we knew it would take so long.”[/color] Cap rolled his eyes. [color=00aeef]”He’ll be locked up in time for us to get back home and watch some Wheel of Fortune, so don’t you worry Nat.”[/color] The elevator was nearing the bottom floor when it suddenly jerked to a halt, and the service lights cut out. Carter sighed. [color=gold]”Right… cutting emergency power. Guess we’ll have to take the stairs down the last few flights. Steve, can you give me a lift?”[/color] Carter automatically made her way towards the emergency opening in the top of the caged elevator, motioning for Steve to help hoist her up. He grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up with ease, and then helped Natasha and Tony. They all stood on the grid-like metal roof of the elevator. Tony and Natasha managed to pry the elevator doors open enough that they could walk back into the facility with Carter close in tow. Steve had managed to vertically jump out of the elevator and on to the roof and begin walking towards the open doors when two sensations overwhelmed his senses: the roar of an explosion up above, and the lack of a floor beneath his feet. The other three watched in horror as the ceiling of the elevator shaft had erupted into a fiery inferno, with the cable lines snapping immediately. Cap and the elevator fell about three stories before they crashed against the concrete flooring. One of the heavy cables slammed and crushed the elevator cage directly next to Steve’s head, forcing him to roll to the side instinctively and avoid another cable that certainly would have crushed him. By the time the dust had settled, Steve heard a voice come in over the comms channel. [color=gold]”Sit tight, Steve. We’re heading to the stairwell, we’ll meet you at-“[/color] Steve heard another explosion above him, this time more muffled, and then heard nothing further. The comms were simply static for a moment, forcing Cap to his feet to examine the elevator shaft. The door to the final sublevel was right next to him, and was probably Steve’s best bet for finding a stairwell to go find his friends. The Captain ripped open the metal doors leading out into the complex with the tips of his fingers, surprised to find no Hydra forces waiting for him. This sublevel looked surprisingly simplistic, with stark white floors and walls. There were high-tech computers along the walls, and work stations and labs were clearly visible through reinforced glass doors and windows. It looked too much like a SHIELD facility for comfort. As Steve pushed farther down the sterile hallway, all the monitors suddenly flashed live, and all broadcast a sight that made his stomach turn. A man in a business suit and wearing a pink cloth mask gestured in the direction of the camera, and Cap could tell that he was smiling without having to see his face. [color=pink]”Ahhh, Captain America. You know, I was hoping to meet you in ‘42 so that I could atomize you [i]before[/i] you killed my father. But perhaps this is an opportunity in disguise. After all, I get the glorious opportunity the HYDRA council never got: I get to kill your friends, then you, and then I can travel back in time to kill you and your friends all over again. So what are you waiting for, Captain?.”[/color]   [center][img] https://seeklogo.com/images/S/s-h-i-e-l-d-logo-F89847BD30-seeklogo.com.png [/img][/center] [COLOR=00aeef][indent][sub][I]Hydra Facility, Argentina[/I] - [I]Present Day[/I][/sub][sup][right]Issue 1.04.5: From Here to Eternity[/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [I]None[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [I]Up Above[/I][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color] Steve’s feet pounded against the sterile hallways as he charged towards the lab. All the monitors showed the device was still warming up: the lab clearly had its own generators. Worst of all, Steve was alone. Zemo would have dozens of guards protecting him and the machine. But there was only one thought that surged through Steve’s mind with each pounding step: vengeance. Vengeance for Natasha and Tony. Vengeance for Sharon. Vengeance for Peggy, and Isaiah, and Hogan. Vengeance for Diana and Billy. HYDRA had hurt so many people that Steve had come to cherish. And that all ended today. It took Steve less than a minute to weave through the complex tunnel system and towards the open doors of the lab. Standing there, waiting for him, was Zemo standing all alone in the middle of the large lab space. Steve knew it was too easy. But his anger boiled over into his arms, and the Captain jumped into the air to spin around and launch his shield with all his might at Helmut. Zemo instinctively ducked and held out his hand. As the shield flew over Helmut’s head and Cap was able to land on his feet, a large broadsword flew from the corner of the lab and into the HYDRA officer’s grasp as he rose to his feet. Cap clenched his fist, and his shield was able to rush back to his arm. Behind Zemo, the contraption seemed to be warming up. Rina had various IV’s and wires connected to her, though she appeared to be so far drugged out at the moment it was a miracle she was standing. Helmut noticed where his nemesis’ eyes were glancing, and clutched his broadsword with both hands. [color=pink]”This is the beginning of your end, Captain America. In mere moments, I will be able to stop you before you even got that serum in your veins. Your name will be forgotten, while the name of Zemo is one that makes the world leaders tremble in fear.”[/color] Captain grit his teeth and readjusted the grip on his shield. [color=00aeef]”Your grandfather took everything away from me the first time, Helmut. It’s time I return the favor through you.”[/color] Steve quickly rocketed the shield forward towards Zemo, who was able to lift his sword up just in time. The shield ricocheted into the as Steve continued rushing forward. Zemo delivered one swing towards Rogers’ chest, but the Captain was one step ahead. He ducked into a slide at the last second, lifting up a hand to grab onto Helmut’s leg and pull him to the ground. Zemo slammed into the ground as Steve quickly began to crawl on top of Helmut to deliver a beatdown. Zemo had a trick up his sleeve. His left hand slipped from his blade and to his utility belt, giving him just enough time to pull a small bead. He slammed it into the ground before rolling a foot away from Steve. Cap’s knee pressed down over the spot the bead had been but a moment later. When he attempted to lift his knee up to get closer to his ally, Steve found his knee was completely immobile. Zemo smiled as he rose slowly to his feet, walking over to pick up his sword. [color=pink]”I didn’t think you’d forget about my grandfather’s special compound. He designed it just for you. It’s fitting it should lead to your death.”[/color] Zemo lifted his sword up and swung it towards Cap’s head, only to watch as the shield flew past Helmut’s blade at the last second to mount back on the Captain’s wrist to intercept the blow. The sword bounced wide, leaving Cap an opening to launch the shield the small distance towards his nemesis’ chest before it returned automatically to his wrist. Helmut was stunned by the sudden force, and his cloth mask began to change colors near the mouth from a light pink to a deeper shade of darker red. Steve cracked a small smile. [color=00aeef]”I can do this all day, Zemo.”[/color] As if on cue, the gateway of the Tinkerer’s contraption began to glow with an opaque bright green energy. Rina, who was once sedated, seemed to jolt awake. She struggled against her restraints, screaming in extreme pain. Zemo gave a small smile as he rushed up to his feet and began charging towards the portal. Steve turned his gaze towards the machine. He didn’t have long to come to a decision on what to do. He quickly looked at the machine. There wasn’t any exposed wiring, and there wasn’t anywhere instinctively noticeable as a kill switch. He had only one choice on what to do. Steve threw his shield directly towards the cage in which Rina was caught. The shield spun vertically, seeming to cut directly towards the mutant’s chest. Her eyes widened in fear as the vibranium disk barely slipped in between the steel bars. At the last possible second, it cut left and slice through the various cables and wires hooked up to the Initiative Agent. Immediately, a bright flash of light filled the room that blinded both individuals. After a few moments, Steve’s vision had returned. Helmut turned his gaze back towards Cap, and the undeniable look of panic was evident. Steve quickly pulled a small bottle from his belt and gave his knee a quick spritz. After a brief moment, Cap rose up to his feet and looked at Helmut. The villain’s eyes shifted from fear to pure rage. The villain reached into his suit coat and pulled out a rather high-tech sidearm. He pointed it towards his nemesis, his hands shaking slightly. [color=pink]”I’ve dedicated my entire life to this, and I’m not going to let you ruin my plans now. You die today, Captain America!”[/color] Steve saw a brief blur of movement out of the corner of his eye. His heart sunk as he began to understand the situation. His body felt like it was moving in molasses. Zemo pressed the trigger, and a beam of light shot out of the gun and towards Rogers. But before it could impact against him, Agent Carter dove forward in front of the Captain. Steve reached out for her, but it was too late. The beam of light impacted against her and began to envelop her. In what felt like an eternity, Steve watched in horror as she began to disappear atom by atom. He stumbled forward clutching at his companion, but there wasn’t even dust left. Steve looked at his empty hands in complete shock for a moment, before his eyes zeroed in on Zemo. The fear was back in the HYDRA agent’s eyes. He quickly reached into his jacket to reload his disintegrator. [color=00aeef][h3]BANG![/H3][/COLOR] Zemo stumbled backwards, clutching at the hole in his jacket. His hands were then wet with blood. Steve held his sidearm pointed directly at Zemo. His finger squeezed the trigger again. And again. And again. The Captain lost track of the number of bullets, and hadn’t realized that the clip was empty until Romanoff was pulling the gun from his grip and waving her hand before his eyes. Rogers was suddenly aware of the sound of pounding blood in his ears. His eyes began to readjust to the scene. SHIELD operatives were carrying away the corpses of Rina and Helmut. Other agents were busy examining the scene. Colonel Fury placed an arm around Steve’s shoulder, and was steering him towards the lab’s exit. But Steve couldn’t hear a single word. Sharon Carter was dead. But her vengeance had just begun.