Post by DiscipleofBob on Aug 3, 2014 12:43:23 GMT -5
Agents of SHIELD #2:
Independence Day
Independence Day
July 4
Explosions rocked the ship, one after another as Coulson struggled to keep his footing. He scrambled across the lower deck as fast as he could. At first he almost thought that these were just SHIELD's version of fireworks. It would make sense that a world peace-keeping organization could probably channel it's resources into one hell of an Independence Day celebration, but Coulson knew better. That was just wishful thinking. SHIELD was under attack.
"Hell of a first day," he said to no one in particular. He wasn't even supposed to report to his shift for another two hours, and hadn't even changed into the standard issue form-fitting SHIELD uniform. Instead he was still in the same professional black suit and tie he came aboard with.
Finally he managed to make it onto the bridge. Whoever wasn't furiously working away at a console was running frantically from place to place. Some were scrambling to put out fires or make other repairs. Others were rushing to arm themselves for the ensuing combat. One agent was trying to quickly issue commands but was getting quickly overwhelmed. Coulson wasted no time. "Agent, bring me up to speed."
"We're under attack. I suggest you find somewhere to hide for now," the agent replied before giving Coulson a second look. "Why the hell is there a civilian on the bridge?"
Although Coulson was annoyed at the assumption, he couldn't really fault him for it. Without a SHIELD uniform or other immediate form of identification, the middle-aged Coulson in his suit and tie looked more like a government bureaucrat or middle-management at a Fortune 500 company than the newest director. "My name is Phil Coulson and as of now I'm taking command."
The agent only looked more annoyed, quickly unholstering his pistol in case the 'civilian' turned out to be more of a threat than he looked. "Even if you're SHIELD, I don't have time to verify your identity-"
"And I don't have time to verify yours. So unless your name is General Nick Fury, which judging by your impeccable 20/20 vision it isn't, you will relinquish command this instant and tell me everything you know right now!"
The logical move for someone in the agent's position, for an unidentifiable man claiming to take control of the ship, would be to either arrest or shoot him right there. But Coulson wasn't the newest director in Fury's ranks for nothing. Despite his initial appearance, every one of Coulson's words commanded respect in the same way as Fury or Hill or Rhodes. Maybe the agent suddenly remembered Coulson's name from a memo, or maybe he was just taken off-guard by Coulson's forcefulness, but he relented.
"It's HYDRA," the agent said, confirming most of Coulson's suspicions. "We don't know how they found our position or how they evaded our sensors, but they caught us completely off guard while we were running internal diagnostics. They have at least seven ships, two of which were shot down, two of which have already breached."
"What do we have in the air?"
"Not much. On their first sweep they took our most of our jets before any could take off. They've shot down all but one of our fighters and we aren't getting more into the air anytime soon."
"Who?"
"Danvers." Coulson couldn't have been more simultaneously relieved and worried at the same time. Of all the pilots in SHIELD, possibly even the world, Danvers stood the best chance of survival even outnumbered three to one. But if they lost her...
Coulson put the idea out of his mind. "Don't worry about getting any more wings up. They'll just get in her way. Have all anti-air batteries focus on providing cover fire. We'll set them up, she'll knock them down." It wasn't worth having the best of the best if SHIELD couldn't rely on their abilities. "What about the breaches?"
"Two teams of HYDRA agents. Heavily armed and sweeping the ship. Decks A and B are completely compromised."
"Anyone we know?"
"Unconfirmed, sir. They're neutralizing surveillance systems as they go."
"Where are they now?"
"Best we can confirm, one team is headed towards the science labs and the other is headed towards the living quarters," The agent turned to Coulson, even more worried than before. "Sir, we have civilian contractors and non-combat personnel on-board! If HYDRA reaches them..."
Coulson showed no response. He remained busy analyzing HYDRA's known movements. While their general locations could be inferred simply from where systems failed and places they lost contact with, knocking out the surveillance meant they couldn't confirm the identities of anyone of the HYDRA agents. Meaning one or both teams had a higher-up SHIELD could recognize. "Something's not right. If they were trying to take over the ship they'd be headed straight for the bridge. If they were trying to scuttle us, they'd be headed towards the engine room. Why bother with the science labs? They went through all this trouble for an attack they know won't work twice and they try to raid some R&D?" They couldn't know about Project Snowman could they?
Even if it was impossible, SHIELD couldn't take that risk. Logically, the first team was the priority as civilian lives were at risk. Coulson's gut told him there was more to this though. HYDRA's modus operandi was always to strike twice, once from head-on, and once from the side. "No, they know exactly what they're doing. The team attacking the living quarters is a distraction, but one we can't afford to ignore. Send in whomever we can spare, but tell them to focus on containment and stalling. Seal whatever doors they can. Anything to slow their progress."
"I'm sorry, sir, you want me to send all of our agents towards the distraction?!"
"It's an effective one. I'll take care of the team in the labs," Coulson explained as he pressed a palm scanner on the wall, opening a large compartment on the bridge.
Inside was a gun to put other guns to shame, larger in girth than even an anti-tank rifle, yet Coulson was somehow able to wield the monstrosity in one hand. After pressing a few switches, the edges of the giant gun glowed hot as the powerful, enigmatic energy core inside glowed. "Keep me informed of any updates." Coulson grabbed the agent's earpiece. He could communicate through the console, but Coulson didn't have that luxury.
"Alone? You're needed here! We need to send a team of agents!"
"We have projects down there that less than ten people can even access without our defense systems blowing them to pieces! Only one of those people is currently in this hemisphere, and we need every available agent to protect the non-combat personnel! This is the only way!"
"What's down there that's so important?" An honest question, one that even the more experienced SHIELD operative would sometimes ask, even when they knew better.
"Nothing you need to know about, agent." Coulson prayed that this was just a coincidence, that Project Snowman was safe, but if HYDRA went to this much effort, he didn't think it was likely.
Of all the ships to choose from, the Mk I Sparrow had the least going for it. While it was small and light due to the lack of heavy armaments, it was also about five years out of date, so even the more heavily armed aircraft had higher top speeds. Still it was the only ship Carol Danvers could reach at the time that wasn't being blown apart by HYDRA jets.
She cursed whoever apparently fell asleep at the console and failed to warn them of the attack as she took the jet into the air. Most SHIELD pilots could get a jet in the air in no more than a minute. Danvers was up in 20 seconds. 21 seconds and she wouldn't have escaped the blast that exploded where her plane just was.
Her fuel was three quarters of the way gone, the plane flew lopsided and awkwardly, and if Danvers survived this encounter, she would personally hunt down the last person in to sign off on this plane's maintenance and push them off the Helicarrier herself.
She still managed to take two HYDRA jets down, but that used up most of her ammunition. Still two left, and only now did the Helicarrier's anti-air batteries stop getting in her way and started providing helpful cover fire for her to get into position.
Even still the HYDRA pilots weren't pushovers. The two remaining jets were on her tail, keeping a formation that was difficult for her to break through. The green snake insignias on the lead fighter told Danvers all she needed to know about her opponent. It was rare for one of HYDRA's head honcho like Lady Viper to make a personal appearance. If the insignia didn't give it away, the careless flying of a predator toying with her prey did. Viper wasn't fighting to win, she was fighting to please her sadistic desires.
Danvers wasn't some mouse to be caught though. Eagles and vipers were both predators, she just had to take down Viper without being bitten.
The three jets flew circles around the Helicarrier. Streams of fire from anti-aircraft guns crossed through the sky as the aircraft weaved through them flawlessly. It was just enough to keep either of the two HYDRA jets from getting a lock on Danvers. If she were in the Mk II or Mk III this might have been over by now, but her early model had one advantage.
Pushing the Sparrow to its limit, Danvers hugged the surface of the Helicarrier as she went under its bow. The Mk I wasn't statistically capable of making these kinds of turns, but under Danvers hand she was practically scraping the paint job against the Helicarrier. She needed a tight enough turn and just enough distance.
HYDRA's jets were more maneuverable and had little trouble keeping up, but that was the point. They needed to go at full capacity to keep up with Danvers, and at the last second she hit the brakes. At top speeds the Sparrow was easily outclassed, but when it came to minimum flight speed the HYDRA jets couldn't decelerate fast enough and rocketed past her.
The trick had only bought a few seconds tops, and Danvers wasted no time lining up one of her last remaining shots on Viper's craft. The instant she fired, however, Viper's wingman suddenly jerked and intercepted the shot. Whether it was a fanatic martyr of Viper's, or simply some kind of failsafe that had been installed without the pilot's knowledge, Danvers couldn't tell.
Her brief window was lost, but without a wingman Viper had lost a significant part of her advantage. "It's just you and me now, snake-bitch," Danvers growled. The two jets danced with each other in the sky around the Helicarrier in a stalemate, but one that served Viper's purpose just fine.
The latest of many SHIELD agents fell to the floor, his head landing a few feet away shortly after. The HYDRA team proceeded slowly. They were in no hurry. SHIELD lackeys would gradually come to them and come face to face with their leader. The four HYDRA soldiers with him were really just window dressing to attract more attention. They could keep an eye out certainly, but they knew better than to get between the Grim Reaper and his prey.
He was the deadliest assassin HYDRA had to offer. Some would accuse him of theatrics, dressing in a black cloak, emblazoning his armor with skull and crossbones insignias, concealing his face with a terrifying demonic mask. Those who would make such accusations didn't live long.
With his cape, he wiped the blood from the latest kill off the four foot long curved scythe blade, attached to his bionic arm at the wrist. It was an old wound that demanded blood and vengeance that the Grim Reaper paid with every one of his kills.
Suddenly the lights flickered off. A cheap ploy someone inexperienced might use to try to get the drop on the Grim Reaper, a ploy that would fail every time. It took more than the deprivation of one sense to catch him off guard.
He quickly realized he wasn't the target, however. A breeze rushed past him, and there were four thuds in quick succession.
The lights flickered back on, and his HYDRA soldiers had fallen to the ground. He was surprised to see little blood from the quick attacks, though he quickly understood why. Standing just outside prime striking distance of the Grim Reaper's scythe was an older, shirtless man in loose white pants. He walked barefoot along the catwalk, not caring for the uneven metal grate texture or the viscera the Grim Reaper left in his trail. The man had the darkened skin of mixed race descent and a rugged physique scarred by decades of harsh experiences.
In many ways, he could be considered to be the original Grim Reaper. He'd used the skull costume motif in his earlier mercenary years, and at one time had a kill record and reputation similar to the modern Grim Reaper. Today though, with no mask, no armor, nothing but a wooden kendo sword, Tony Masters stood to be Grim Reaper's first real opponent on the Helicarrier.
"You've gone soft, old man," Grim Reaper taunted as he prepared himself. He knew better than to simply go in immediately for the kill as he did with all the other worthless agents that opposed him. "There was a time you wouldn't hesitate to kill the enemy."
By any amateur observer, Masters appeared to be just standing there with his sword in hand, practically inviting someone to take advantage of his lack of guard and finish him off. The Grim Reaper understood the subtle nuances in Masters's stance. Every muscle was perfectly poised and tensed to leap into whatever action Masters desired. "I mostly keep to the dojo these days, and they don't keep live weapons there. Hence the kendo sword."
"Were the agents I killed your students? If so, then you may want to rethink your lesson plan. They never stood a chance," Grim Reaper said with a smirk.
"You can't polish every stone into a diamond. They didn't have any real potential. Really they should have stayed back and let the pros handle this." Masters reached down to one of the decapitated SHIELD agents and grabbed his communicator. "I'm just going to make sure no one interrupts us. That okay with you?"
Grim Reaper thought for a moment and nodded. "That suits me just fine."
"This is Masters. I've intercepted a HYDRA squad on Deck C. Grim Reaper's among them. Seal off this deck and let no one through, civilian or agent."
-"What? Grim Reaper? I'll send backup right away!"-
"You ain't listening, kid. You send any more agents down here they'll just get killed. Now seal off the deck before someone else gets hurt. Or once this is over I'll see you for some special training."
The line was silent for a moment. -"Understood, sir. Sealing off the deck and canceling teams."-
The Grim Reaper chuckled. "As usual you are quite the harsh Taskmaster. But do you really think sealing the deck and sacrificing yourself will save your students?"
"Sacrificing?" Masters repeated, offended at the insinuation. "You have six moves to beat me, Reaper. After that I'm laying you out and you ain't getting back up." His other hand grasped the wooden sword and brought it to a perfect vertical stance, every minor muscle in perfect memorized formation.
From across the hall Reaper seemed to teleport, his blade already at Masters's throat, but the martial artist still managed to duck under the swipe of the blade, thrusting the tip of the blunt sword into Reaper's gut, forcing the assassin back to his original position in one clean thrust.
"That's one."
Coulson hurried through the Helicarrier, but even using maintenance tunnels, secret corridors, and Omega level access, he could only move through the ship so fast. If he was right about their target, he'd be lucky to get there in time to stop HYDRA.
He put his finger to his earpiece. "Status update,"
-"Masters has engaged the other HYDRA team, but we've suffered heavy losses. Only one HYDRA jet is left."-
Even with the bare minimum staff they'd managed to fend off the brunt of the attack, but that too was probably part of HYDRA's plan. With Danvers and Masters on hand they'd survive, but not unscathed. "Focus on getting medical aid to anyone that needs it. We don't need any more casualties today."
-"But the HYDRA team at your position..."-
"Is my problem." Strict orders from Fury. No one but Omega level access personnel were allowed in these levels, even in a crisis such as this. It wasn't worth the chance of an information breach that a lower level agent seeing some of SHIELD's most secret projects might bring, and if Coulson couldn't handle this himself, he didn't deserve the trust Fury put in him.
As he neared the science labs he exercised a little more caution, checking around corners before proceeding. He wouldn't be surprised if they'd set a few traps or ambushes along the way. Then again, not setting traps or ambushes would probably slow down pursuers even more as they kept looking for obstacles that were never there.
"Hurry it up! We have no time to delay!" yelled the thick German accent with the haughty arrogant tone of a dictator. Coulson recognized the voice before even seeing him. He emerged on a catwalk above the unsuspecting HYDRA team below. Most of the HYDRA agents were carting off large sealed containers. His hunch was right.
Leading the HYDRA team was someone Coulson never thought he'd see on the front lines. Unlike the HYDRA soldiers' green uniforms, the leader wore black and red full body armor, decorated with plates in designs to mimic royalty of multiple eras. His mask was a more recognizable symbol than his rarely seen face, adorned with a circular metal crown.
Baron Helmut Zemo, heir to the legacy of HYDRA.
Coulson could try blasting Zemo from here, but he couldn't be positive that the HYDRA soldiers wouldn't just take him and the rest of the containers before he could stop them all. Instead he had one opportunity as the last SHIELD container was wheeled under his position.
He leaped off the catwalk, a twenty foot drop at least, bringing the barrel of his gun down on the unsuspecting HYDRA agent, knocking him unconscious. The container was knocked to the side. Zemo and the rest of his soldiers turned to face Coulson, who still had his weapon primed and ready to fire, only this time he could get the majority of the HYDRA soldiers in his blast radius.
"It's over, Zemo. You made a big mistake coming here on my watch. Drop all your weapons and surrender."
Even beneath the mask, Coulson could still make out the arrogant smirk. "And who are you supposed to be? SHIELD's accountant?" Zemo laughed. "I am not here to fill out paperwork for some measly agent."
"That's Director Phil Coulson to you!"
"And that's Baron Zemo to you, insolent fool! Or in your case, 'your highness.'"
"I'm the one with a cannon pointed at your torso, so I think I'll settle for whatever title I like. Now drop your arms and surrender, now!"
"I think not," Zemo said dismissing Coulson with a handwave before turning back to his soldiers. "Did I say you could stop? Get back to work!"
Being casually dismissed was nothing new to Coulson, but that made it no less irritating. He pulled the trigger and a giant energy blast erupted from the cannon. Despite facing the other direction, Zemo managed to flip out of the way with surprising agility. Two other HYDRA agents were caught in the blast and were thrown into fresh craters in the walls. "I will say it again. I am SHIELD Director Phil Coulson and I have a very large gun pointed at you. Surrender now or I will be more than happy to use lethal force."
Zemo's arrogant smirk turned into a contortion of impudent rage, visible even beneath the mask. "You... PEASANT! You wish to taste the wrath of Zemo?!" He grabbed a nearby wounded unconscious HYDRA soldier. "See the might of HYDRA!"
The drawback to Coulson's weapon of choice was the cooldown between shots, and while he trusted himself to be able to evade attacks until then, he could do nothing to prevent Zemo grabbing a strange capsule and injecting it into the HYDRA goon's neck. Coulson couldn't tell what was in the capsule, only that the material glowed a sparkling red, a red that was visible in the veins of the HYDRA grunt that screamed in agony.
"HAIL HYDRA!!!"
The HYDRA stumbled forward, his muscles spasming and expanding into unnatural grotesque formations, making a mockery of human anatomy as the grunt changed from man to monster, most of its uniform being ripped to shreds.
"Before you can face a king, you must prove yourself worthy of his servants," Zemo snarled. "Get the rest of these out of here! I will allow this Phil Coulson some victory for his boldness, if he survives that is."
The HYDRA titan rumbled forward on all fours, charging Coulson. The wide-eyes SHIELD director leapt out of the way as the titan tore through the reinforced SHIELD walls like paper. Zemo was getting away with all but one of the SHIELD containers, but Coulson was in no position to stop him. The behemoth approached Coulson again as Zemo and the rest of his troop made their escape.
"That's five, Reaper. One left. Better make it count."
Tony Masters stood in near the same position as before, not a scratch on his unarmored body. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the room as the floor, walls, and ceiling were lined with gashes and craters. Anything in the room that could catch fire was currently blazing. Everything mechanical was in shambles. The Grim Reaper himself was doubled over in pain and exhaustion. His armor was cracked and exposed in multiple places. Wires and circuitry on his bionic arm were exposed and sparking. His scythe, in perfect condition only minutes ago, was now worn and dulled, the tip having been completely broken off.
The Grim Reaper stood as still as his weary body would allow, knowing that any move he made could be his last. He took his time to analyze Masters's guard, but found it to be a perfect stance. There were no openings he could exploit. The irony of his seemingly impending death wasn't lost on him.
-"Reaper, we've got what we came for. It's time to leave."-
Zemo's voice over his communicator changed the situation. The mission was accomplished. "Sorry. Maybe we'll finish this another time."
Masters narrowed his eyes, watching the Grim Reaper carefully as the HYDRA assassin slowly backed into the shadows. He was too focused on the martial aspect to realize his opponent's move. In one swift movement, Masters threw his wooden sword like a javelin. But as soon as the Grim Reaper's body was enveloped in total darkness, the sword pierced through nothing but shadow even though a head had been there a split second before. The wooden sword pierced through the heavily reinforced SHIELD door and embedded itself there.
Reluctantly, Masters turned on the communicator again. "Grim Reaper got away. We're done here."
=====(S)=====
In one of the HYDRA behemoth's giant arms was Phil Coulson, being slowly crushed with nothing but the snarl of a berserker as the last thing he thought he'd ever see. In the other titanic arm was Coulson's cannon, having actually been crushed like a tin can.
Coulson had gotten a few good shots as evidenced by swelling bruises in the titan's torso, but it wasn't enough to stop him. It would be useless to figure out exactly what Zemo had done to the grunt if he didn't survive. Another one of Arnim Zola's mad experiments most likely.
In the end, this was all Phil Coulson could do. Fury had entrusted the command of the SHIELD helicarrier to him in his absence, and all he could do was stop one open SHIELD container from being taken.
Open?
Something slammed into the side of the HYDRA behemoth. Coulson was instantly dropped to the hard ground, struggling to regain his breath. The same blur that took down the HYDRA behemoth kept charging until its head was slammed against the wall. The blur was someone in red, white and blue, pressing the monster's head against the wall with a large circular shield.
"Are you all right?" the legend known as Captain America spoke as the giant collapsed to the floor. One hit from the super soldier and it was completely unconscious, if not dead from whatever drug was in its system.
If you asked nearly every SHIELD agent who their inspiration was, the driving force behind them joining SHIELD in the first place, their answer would be the man standing before Coulson. Coulson himself was no exception as his childhood hero was now standing before him in full gear.
-"Sir? Sir! Director Coulson! One of the HYDRA boarding ships is trying to escape!"-
Coulson was still in no position to respond with possibly a crushed trachea and several fractured ribs, but somehow Captain America responded. "HYDRA?! Which way?!"
It was all Coulson could do to point to the barriers Zemo had broken through earlier. Fortunately HYDRA had carved out a straight path to the science labs so it was unlikely for Captain America to get lost. He realized that however confused and disoriented Captain America had to have been, his instinct for taking down HYDRA and his duty overrode anything preventing him from charging into battle.
"Hurry it up! We must leave now!" Zemo ordered as the HYDRA troops hauled the last container into the transport. The Grim Reaper was already on board as ordered, though it appeared the feared assassin was in no condition to fight further. The engines were just about done warming up too.
"Zemo," warned Reaper.
The Baron turned around to see a man only recognizable from pictures and legends leave the same entrance he had carved earlier. "It's really him... The mortal enemy of my grandfather." Zemo's hand rushed to grip the longsword at his side. He quivered with anticipation.
"Zemo!" Reaper yelled again.
The Baron's excitement had temporarily overwhelmed his judgment. Not even a battle with the most legendary of HYDRA's enemies would be worth risking what they had risked everything for. "Take off now. Tell Viper to cover our escape."
The HYDRA transport started to take off, even as Captain America ran faster towards in faster than any human should have been physically capable of. "Perhaps next time, Captain," Zemo muttered as he spent the takeoff watching Captain America get closer.
Too close. At this rate he might actually catch them. Zemo drew his sword and prepared for the possible confrontation. Part of the despot wanted Captain America to reach them. No greater glory could be had than the Captain's blood on his blade.
The transport finally lifted off, flying over the edge of the Helicarrier. Yet the Captain kept running, leaping off the edge, reaching desperately for the transport like a man possessed, his fingers barely brushing against the only surface he could have possibly grabbed. But it wasn't enough.
The transport took off into the sky, and Captain America plummeted below. Only now did Captain America realize the severity of his situation. It had never crossed his mind that the carrier, bearing many similarities to aircraft carriers he'd been on before, might actually be 50,000 feet in the air.
The adrenaline was still coursing through his system. Questions that his mind delayed because of HYDRA combatants surfaced again. What the hell was going on? Where was he? Why did he wake up in a coffin? Didn't he die? How did he survive? Was he even going to survive?
Those questions once again were put on hold as a jet, far more advanced than anything he'd ever seen before, nosedived with him. He could barely make out the pilot inside the glass waving to him. It was the only chance for survival. The pilot, one of the best aces Captain America had ever seen, whoever he was, managed to synchronize her dive perfectly even if it meant a near crash. Captain America thrust his shield into the hull of the plane and held on for dear life. Anyone else would have been torn to shreds by the wind and the g-forces, but he managed not to break apart even as the jet sharply pulled up.
Captain America managed to use only one hand long enough to give a thumbs up to the ace pilot who returned the favor.
Inside the cockpit, Carol Danvers switched on her communicator. "This is Warbird. Clear a runway, I'm coming in for a landing."
-"Negative, Warbird, we need you to pursue Viper and the HYDRA transport. Top priority-"-
Danvers shouted back over the radio. "I have zero fuel, zero ammunition, half my plane is on fire, and I have a Captain America on my windshield! I'm coming in for a goddamn landing!"
For a few seconds there was silence over the radio. -"You have a what?!"-
The HYDRA transport was now well out of range of SHIELD pursuit, especially after Viper had done such a thorough job of eliminating their available air force. Now they were in the clear. While Captain America's body would have been an excellent prize as well, their primary objective had been fulfilled. He ran a gloved finger over the SHIELD container. Although he was tempted to break it open right then, he knew better than to do so before Zola could confirm the integrity of the contents.
He turned to the remaining HYDRA soldiers who'd survived the fight. "Gentlemen, you have done well. Your names shall be remembered in the annals of HYDRA as heroes. And now, I ask you for one last sacrifice for the glory of our cause."
Each HYDRA soldier stood up in unison. The transport itself was running on autopilot so Zemo and the Grim Reaper could bear witness. They all took a small red pill from their pockets and placed it in their mouths. With one united double-fisted salute, they all cried out, "HAIL HYDRA!" before biting down in one sickening crunch. They all fell to the ground in unison as the transport now ran in silence.
"Seems like a waste," Grim Reaper noted. "We don't always get recruits that competent."
"They were the best we had to offer, but the plan remains the same. Only the bare minimum can be allowed to know the full details of our plan. It is the only way to guarantee success."
"And you trust me and Viper?" Grim Reaper asked with a suspicious smirk.
Zemo laughed triumphantly. "Gods, no. But you were necessary to complete this operation, and you will be necessary in the future. You are... necessary risks."
Reaper shrugged. "If you say so. But we didn't get the Captain. Is the plan still intact?"
"On the contrary, I find that Captain America's presence appears to be fated. The coming war wouldn't be complete without him." Zemo opened a small compartment, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of champagne labeled 1941. Pouring glasses for two of them, Zemo held his glass in a toast. "To the war."
Grim Reaper clinked his glass in response. "Hail HYDRA."
To be continued...