[center][h2][color=004b80][b]N O M A D[/b][/color][/h2][/center] [hr] Arsenal's truck bounced over the rough Montana terrain as the two headed towards the Church of Humanity compound. In the back seat of the truck, Scout attempted to stay comfortable on the seat. He seemed to like Roy Harper's driving less than Steve did. But then again, nothing was easy around here. Every road was as bumpy as the worst potholes in Brooklyn. [color=004b80]"So how many of them are there?"[/color] he asked as the former SHIELD agent turned sharply into the woods. Rogers knew what that meant. They were getting close and would have to ditch the truck. Harper was being cagey as to why he was so invested in this mission. Sure, it was a worthy cause, but the last time Steve had seen Arsenal, he seemed set on revenge more than anything. This was outside his MO. Steve had tried to pry out the reason for going full bore into this mission, but wasn't given a reason outside of Harper wanting Steve to get back into the game. [color=9e0b0f]"Forty or so,"[/color] he responded absent-mindedly as the truck pulled into a heavily wooded alcove. He threw it into park and headed out to get his gear. Steve marveled how business-like the younger man was. Oliver Queen had trained him well, but it was more than that. After everything that Harper had gone through he seemed to have become robotic. He was losing himself to the job. Steve knew how easy it was for it to happen. The red archer was dressed before Steve fitted the new mask Arsenal had provided for him. Rogers looked at himself in the side mirror of the car. Harper told him that he had gotten the new uniform for Steve the same way he got the shield recolored. He refused to explain further. It looked an awful lot like the old uniform he wore during his time with SHIELD. The blues were darker, and the red was replaced with grey. No wings on the helmet either, but that was probably for the best. [color=004b80]"Any defenses I should know about? Anything out of the ordinary?"[/color] Steve affixed the shield to his left arm, and he felt a jolt of energy fly through his body. It was like a part of himself had returned. He didn't know he had missed it this much, had no idea that it would feel this good to have it back in his possession. [color=9e0b0f]"One truck with a fifty cal machine gun attached to the back,"[/color] Harper plucked a arrow from his quiver and twirled it in his hand. [color=9e0b0f]"If they get to it, you draw their fire to give me time to get a shot off. This baby right here will make sure it's down for the count."[/color] [color=004b80]"Great, I love being the sitting duck,"[/color] he smiled at the younger man. "[color=004b80]Scout will take care of the perimeter."[/color] Arsenal looked over and narrowed his eyes at Steve, [color=9e0b0f]"You sure?"[/color] [color=004b80]"Yea, we've been working on some stuff,"[/color] the former Captain America nodded. Scout barked in agreement. [color=9e0b0f]"Whatever,"[/color] Harper shrugged. "[color=9e0b0f]Let's go to work."[/color] The trek through the woods was a quiet one. The three of them barely made a sound save for the odd crunch of leaves here and there. They knew their mission. There wasn't any reason to talk. Steve had always used these times to center himself. During the days of the war he had a compass with Peggy's picture in it. With SHIELD all he had to do was sit down with Sharon and talk. It didn't matter what it was about. Could have been about baseball. It didn't matter. It helped. Now both of them were gone, and all he had to focus on was the hole he felt in his heart to be ready. There was no love left for motivation. Only the desire to bring justice to those that deserved it. After a few hundred yards, Arsenal motioned to him, [color=9e0b0f]"Time to split up. I'll hit the front of the compound with a few explosive arrows to draw them that way. You hit from the south east once you hear the explosions. The truck will probably swing around to try and hit you once you've been spotter. We take that out and then the rest should be easy picking."[/color] Steve merely nodded and motioned to Scout. The two of them trotted off towards their designated attack point. As Steve came through the trees, a slight chuckle escaped his lips as he saw the Church of Humanity's camp. It looked like countless Nazi encampments from the war. Simple concrete perimeter, two gates, and some prefab buildings inside. He could see the garage, and the men patrolling the camp. Well, not so much patrolling as sitting around bullshitting with one another. It's clear none of them expected to be attacked any time soon. Good, that meant this was going to be even easier than he expected. A rumble followed by a plume of smoke on the side of the compound opposite of him signaled his time to move. He and Scout took off in a dead spring towards the the closest gate. He already saw the two men guarding it weren't ready for them. Their attention had been drawn by Harper's diversion. Cap slipped the shield off his arm and tossed it at the man on the right. The shield cracked across his back, slamming him into the concrete gate. By the time his partner turned, the shield had already found itself back in Steve's hand. The man attempted to turn and fire on Rogers, but instead Scout got to him instead. The dog ripped at the man's hand, causing him to drop his weapon. Rogers followed that up with a stiff punch to his jaw, knocking him out instantly. Steve turned to the dog, [color=004b80]"Make sure no one gets in behind me. Got it?"[/color] The dog barked in agreement and ran into the woods to begin recon. Rogers wasn't sure if he was going to do what his master said, but at least it meant the dog would be safe. Once the former super soldier was in the encampment, things began to flow like second nature. He moved through the makeshift streets like a wraith. When he came across fighters, all of them in disarray, he wasted no motion in taking them out of the fight. One tossed a grenade his way, and he batted it back from where it came with his shield, destroying the building. He turned a corner to find himself face-to-face with three of the Church's soldiers. A quick flick of the wrist sent the shield careening between the three of them, and in a blink they were all incapacitated on the ground. That's when he heard the call go up through the camp. "CAPTAIN AMERICA! IT'S CAPTAIN AMERICA!" He kept moving, taking out anyone he came across. But as he came to an intersection, he heard the tell tale sound of an approaching truck. Fifty caliber machine gun fire ripped through the nearest prefab building, shredding the flimsy metal like Swiss cheese. Steve brought the shield up quickly, ensuring the gunman didn't have a clear shot at his legs. He had done this more times than he could count. The bullets all struck the vibranium shield harmlessly, but the gunner didn't quit. Steve kept his distance, knowing Arsenal's explosive arrow would be incoming any moment. Almost on cue, the truck exploded with a wave of heat and sound. Cap dropped the shield and looked up to see Arsenal salute him. Steve turned to see the remaining members of the Church running into the woods behind him. He couldn't deny that watching his enemies running in fear of him was uplifting. He had missed that. Making the scum of the earth run in fear had always been the thing he enjoyed most about this job. [color=9e0b0f]"Feels good, doesn't it?"[/color] Arsenal patted him on the shoulder. [color=9e0b0f]"Told you you should still be in the game."[/color] [color=004b80]"So now what?"[/color] Steve ignored his questions. [color=9e0b0f]"Now I find their computers and find out where they were getting their money,"[/color] he shrugs. [color=9e0b0f]"You find out what else they were doing here. They were guarding a building in the center pretty tough. Might be a good place to look."[/color] The camp was in ruins as Cap ran through it to where Arsenal had directed. He found the door locked tightly, but that meant little when you were augmented to the peak of possible human performance. Steve used his shield to smash through the lock, granting him access. What he found inside was a nightmare. Medical equipment he didn't understand buzzed and whirred. Tubes led from small tanks all the way to the center of the room, all attached to something he never expected to see. A young girl, couldn't have been older than thirteen. Pretty, but clearly poorly taken care of, merely kept alive for whatever tests these creeps had been running on her. Her raven black hair was as dark as it could be, outside of a streak of white at the forefront. Next to the bed, he saw that her vitals were weak, but strong enough for her to be moved. He unhooked her from the machines and gingerly picked her up, and carried her back to where he left Harper. He found the other hero exiting, smiling broadly until he saw the girl, [color=9e0b0f]"Holy shit, what the hell were they doing?"[/color] [color=004b80]"Don't know,"[/color] Steve shook his head. [color=004b80]"But I'm gonna find out."[/color] [color=9e0b0f]"Well, it'll all be in here,"[/color] Arsenal handed him one of two flash drives. [color=9e0b0f]"And I found what I was looking for. Let me show you."[/color] Harper queued up a video on his phone. It was the assumed leader of the Church meeting with someone Steve didn't expect. [color=004b80]"Is that?"[/color] [color=9e0b0f]"Yup, and this is exactly why we need you back, Cap,"[/color] Roy pounded the point home. [color=9e0b0f]"Because the enemies are everywhere. And we need someone like you, someone righteous, to smoke them out. To give them an example to follow. We need Steve Rogers."[/color] [hr] "Tonight's top story," the national news broadcaster started, "a militant white supremacist group was route by unknown vigilantes in the mountains of Montana yesterday afternoon. According to reports, two masked men systematically incapacitated over forty armed militants before destroying the camp entirely. But there's more, as one of the men sent video evidence that Senator Joshua Stern was funding the group through back channel financing. What you're seeing on your screen now is that video." The video plays, Stern and the Church leader agree to another round of funding, but then the video cuts out and the face of Steve Rogers fills millions of television sets. [color=004b80]"Most of you know me. For those that don't, I'm Steve Rogers. The man once known as Captain America. I'm the one who destroyed that camp in Montana. I did it as an opening salvo against all those that would deny freedom and justice from the world. If you hide in the shadows and step on the necks of the downtrodden, I will find you. Senator Sterns had been on of SHIELD's biggest backers in the US Senate. All as a cover for his vile ways. And I took him down in an afternoon. This is just an example, something I decided to do on a whim. Now imagine what I can do once I'm truly back on my game. Prepare yourselves. The Nomad is coming."[/color] [hr] Steve's truck rumbled out of his driveway, some of his meager possessions from the cabin were in the bed. In the back seat, the girl was strapped in with Scout's head in her lap. The dog had barely left her side since he saw her. Steve knew a doctor in town who could check her out discretely, and then he would work on finding where she came from. Then he needed someone who could find out what they were doing to her. And destroy them for it.