ISSUE 1: Modern Hero
Welcome to Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty volume 1. This story is part of my new universe, Earth-11611. The stories will mostly use 616 inspirations, but may use a little Ultimate marvel inspiration, there may also be some movie and tv show stuff in there, but hey...
Get Reading:)
This Issue: Steven Rodgers a.k.a Captain America wakes up in a strange time and a new age. Meanwhile, Aleksander Lukin and the Ghost plot against SHIELD.
Cover: Half Steve standing on a battlefield in WWII as Captain America, the other half is Steve in a SHIELD uniform on the Helicarrier.
(All flashbacks are in italics)
Queens. Specific Hazard Alert and Response Department (SHARD) Base.
Steve Rodgers walked down the hall and turned left. He was walking to the lab of Abraham Erskine. Today was the day he was going to join the army.
Above America. Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage Logistics Division (SHIELD) Helicarrier.
Steve woke up after what felt like decades of sleep. He sat up quickly and looked around. Everything looked different. He didn't know where he was or how he got there. He only knew that he'd saved the world... maybe.
Slowly he stood up and walked about cautiously. As he moved toward the door, an alarm sounded and a red light flashed on and off. He backed away, looking around his room again, taking in the details this time. It wasn't that everything looked different, it looked new, futuristic. Was it even his room?
Moments later the door burst open and two robots walked in, "You are unauthorized to leave," they instructed.
Steve turned away, "Last person who told me what to do is now dead in the Atlantic Ocean," he snarled.
Without warning he launched himself at the robots and kicked his foot through the first. As it collapsed to the ground he ran at the other as it shot bullets out of its hand. Steve dodged them, his instincts kicking in as he rolled and ducked his way over to the robot. Once he made it within striking range, he finished the bot with a powerful uppercut that decapitated it.
He now had a free path out of the room and made a run for it.
Above him he heard a loudspeaker. "All persons on the Helicarrier, patient 3467211 is loose on the aircraft. Subdue him at all costs."
Steve kept running, pushing, shoving and sidestepping various officers and agents as they tried to stop him. If he was on an aircraft then there was a pilot and if there was a pilot then he would make them fly him to the ground.
He rounded a car and reached a door. He tried to open it but it was swipe card locked. Steve took a deep breath and walked back a few steps before taking a running leap and kicking the door down, staggering into the room. There were various agents walking around,none of whom seemed surprised, or even interested by his entrance.
"I wondered when you'd wake up Captain." Steve focused in on the voice.
Standing in front of a large window, with his back to the room, was a very official looking man. Even from behind his body language signaled to Steve he was running the show, whatever show it was. He was tall, with no hair and dark colored skin. He didn't bother turning around.
"Where the hell am I?" Steve growled, his eyes focused despite the fact that he had just woken up.
You've had quite the sleep," the man continued.
"What are you talking about?" Steve's voice was almost a whisper as too many questions swirled around his head.
"You've been out of the mix Steve, you've been asleep for 57 years." The man said.
"What are you saying?"
The man finally turned around revealing a black goatee and an eyepatch,"What I'm saying is, welcome to the 21st century."
Captain America: The Sentinel of Liberty
Above America. SHIELD Helicarrier.
57 years. Steve tried to get his head around the fact that he had been out of commission for over half a century. Seven decades the world had continued because of his sacrifice in 1943. Bucky... Steve knew that he really couldn't take the credit for saving the world. Bucky had caused the distraction that cost him his life but saved countless others all over the globe.
"And that is the final room of Sector T which concludes our tour, Captain." Maria Hill finished.
She knew Steve hadn't been listening and to tell the truth, she hadn't really cared. Showing around newbies should not be the job of second in command.
Steve nodded and walked back to the one place he actually knew about, the super humans room. It was created specifically to document happenings and creations of anything super powered. He hadn't been inside on the tour so the sheer enormity of it amazed him. It was almost as amazing as Dr Erskine's lab.
Queens. SHARD Base.
Steve opened the last door and gasped. The room was almost as big as the house of the scientist Howard Stark. He'd been there a couple of times to talk about the procedures and what would happen next. He walked up a couple of stairs onto an elevated platform. All he could make out of the technology and gadgets was a series of blinking lights on a table with some levers and various buttons.
He saw Erskine and walked over to him. The doctor kept working, not noticing Steve, so Steve tapped him on the shoulder. Erskine whirled around, "Oh, Steve, you gave me fright. Thanks for being on time, the set-up is taking longer then we thought so we'd hate for this to take any more longer than necessary."
Above America. SHIELD Helicarrier.
Steve snapped out of his memories as an agent walked up behind him. She was about a year younger then him and had blonde hair and a very familiar face, which made no sense because he'd been introduced to just three people properly since waking up.
"Hello Captain Rodgers. My name is Sharon Carter, I've been given the job of escorting you to your new home." Steve's eyes widened a little as he realized what was familiar about this girl. This girl was the image of his old partner in war and love, Margaret "Peggy" Carter.
Queens. SHARD Base.
As Steve looked around the lab he didn't notice Margaret Carter walk up beside him. "Massive, huh," she said, slightly startling Steve. He looked over at her and was once again taken aback by her beauty. She was tall and skinny with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes, a real knockout. She also understood him - fighting as the small guy - which was something not many soldiers understood.
Above America. SHIELD Helicarrier.
"Captain...uhh, are you okay?" Sharon asked weirdly as Steve continued to stare at her, his body seemingly frozen where he stood.
Steve snapped out of his memories and wished they'd stop flooding through. World War Two was a sad and horrible time for him and many others. There were good memories too, but mostly he knew it was a time he'd rather forget.
"Sorry Miss Carter, I was just remembering the war," he stated gentlemanly. Sharon smiled at him and began to walk off, Steve following her closely.
"Don't worry Steve, believe me, I understand," she answered cryptically. The way she spoke, it was like she understood what Steve meant, it was good to have someone who he could relate to. He followed Sharon closely as it was now her turn to show him where to go.
Unknown Location. Unknown Warehouse.
Walking briskly down the hall, John Morley pulled his hood on to complete his outfit. He was dressed in arctic cameo gear. He wore white boots and pants and a full white face mask which, now complete with the white hood, left only his eyes showing, glowing red. He wore some kind of technology on his chest that any normal man or woman wouldn't have been able to operate, it was that sophisticated. As he continued down the hall he pressed a button on his wrist, then completely disappeared. He was now invisible to the naked eye.
Shortly, a door further down the hall silently opened for a moment, then closed again as if for no reason. John walked softly into the room. Unseen, he walked over to a bench and sat down, waiting for someone.
In under a minute the door once again opened only this time the reason was apparent. A man entered, looking around cautiously, and somewhat confused to find himself alone. He was at least 40, his hair greying, the years of hard work and maintaining a leadership position etched in his skin in the form of wrinkles. His name was Aleksander Lukin, the leader and founder of Kronas Oil Corporation.
"Hello, anyone here?" Aleksander asked. Even though it was an unconfident question, he made it sound extremely brave. He was not one to shy away.
"Yes," John said, making Aleksander look around warily.
"Turn visible now," Aleksander commanded.
"Not until you empty those little pockets of yours. Wouldn't want any surprise weapons hidden now, would we?" John said.
"What do I have to gain from killing you!" Aleksander reasoned. John turned visible.
"You make a good point Mr Lukin."
"I always do." Aleksander boasted.
John swung his legs up onto the table and interlocked his fingers, "So what is the favor?"
"Lately a couple of my Kronas board members have been starting rumors that Kronas is using its oil rig to make some, let's say, questionable items out of crude oil. Director Nick Fury of SHIELD has begun sniffing around. Now I'm not sure about you, but for me, shutting down is bad for business and I have no intention to make bad business." Lukin was brief, but John needed nothing further.
"So, take down SHIELD or take out Fury?" John said as he stood up quickly and began to leave the room.
"Do both, and I can make you a multi millionaire," Lukin promised.
Queens. Billy's Apartments.
Steve walked up to room 402, his new residence. He had expected that he'd be living in the SHIELD Helicarrier, but that was not the case. Nick Fury, the man with eyepatch, Director of SHIELD had said that his Organization would pay for Steve's apartment until he got his money supply running.
It hadn't taken much for Steve to decide to join SHIELD. For starters he knew he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. And SHIELD sounded a lot like SHARD, the army division he had worked for back in 1943. It felt right.
Lifestyles and homes had changed in 57 years and it was taking some getting used too. Despite the odd surroundings Steve liked his apartment. He figured it had a lot to do with the fact that it was one floor above Sharon Carter, his first real friend in 2000. Unlike everyone else who only cared about the Captain America side of him, Sharon took the time to listen to what Steve had to say and actually offered input. But no matter how hard Sharon listened or how much she cared, nothing would help Steve Rodgers forget the things that happened in the 1940's.
Queens. SHARD Base.
"Okay Steve, this may hurt... a lot," warned Abraham, worry lines appeared on his aging forehead.
Steve just nodded and put on a brave face. He knew of the risks, the chances and he knew that the procedure would be painful, but if this is what it took to serve his country, he was willing. He walked into the massive tube and it shut around him, sealing off all cracks and openings.
Abraham walked over to the table with the buttons and levers and began pushing and pulling various items, "3...2...1... Beginning vita-ray saturation." Abraham said.
Steve just stood in the tube, smiling. This didn't hurt so bad. In fact, it was like being in a sauna, relaxing almost.
"Beginning Serum exposure," Abraham warned Steve.
Steve wondered how much it could hurt, considering the vita rays were nice to be in. Nozzles at the the top of the tube began spraying a liquid all over Steve. At first it was just like being in a cold, green shower, then the pain set in.
"AAAAAHHHRRRRRRRRR!" Steve screamed.
It felt like hundreds of hooks had latched onto his muscles and were stretching them out. The feelings were so intense, so strong, Steve had never felt this kind of physical pain before and reckoned that he may never again.
Queens. Billy's Apts.
"Aaaahhhhrrrrrrrrrrr!" Steve woke up, thrashing wildly until he remembered where he was.
The dreams were becoming extremely realistic and it was not something that he appreciated, at all. He'd experienced the pain once and once was enough for him, he didn't need constant reminders.
Standing weakly, Steve looked at his bed. His sheets were completely drenched with sweat and considering that they probably wouldn't dry for another 2 hours, even being hung out, Steve decided to clear his head with a walk around town.
Queens. Outside.
Steve walked past block after block, the grayness melting in with the shadows and reflecting the dark mood he was in. To some, living the life of a super soldier who saved the earth may have seemed great, but so many horrible things had happened in the war that nothing he remembered gave him good memories, except Peggy, the beautiful blonde he'd dated in 1943. Peggy hadn't been just his girlfriend. She also happened to be part of his team - The Invaders. They'd stopped the likes of Red Skull, Hydra and, ultimately, Baron Heinrich Zemo... Zemo was the reason Steve was here in the year 2000. He was also the reason that Bucky, Steve's sidekick, was dead. Zemo had been in the rocket that Steve and Bucky had stowed away on. He'd made the bomb that almost destroyed America and he was the one who'd thrown the grenade that had blasted Bucky out of the plane.
BASH!
Steve opened his eyes and realized he'd been punching a brick wall. He looked down at his hands, watching as the cuts and scrapes slowly healed up. Notch one up for the healing factor. He knew they wouldn't be fixed for about another hour, but it was better then dealing with them for two days or so.
He took a deep breath and kept on walking, watching as the background colors went back melting together. He just wished that for once, the sun would shine brightly on him. Was it so much to ask for? All the sacrifices surely had to lead up to something.
He shook his head as if trying to shake the memories out of his brain. Taking stock of his surroundings he realized he was standing in front of a 7/11 - which he had recently discovered was a store that was open 24 hours around the clock. He also noticed that the lights in a store were completely out. He knew a normal person would have kept walking, or at least called the police, but Steve was no normal person.
He moved quickly over to the door and realized it was busted open, never a good sign. Steve stepped into the store and crept around as quietly as he could. He could just tell that something was wrong, he had a sort of sixth sense for this thing that he must've developed in the war. He wasn't wrong either, for he heard voices coming from about twenty feet ahead of the stands he was now crouching behind.
"Ya waited to long man,"a fierce voice shouted.
"J...J...just g...gimme one m...m...more week. I'll get the money." This voice was scared, pleading. Steve didn't like where this was going.
"That's wha'choo said two weeks ago, Johnson," a third voice pointed out angrily. Steve now had a mental picture of the two thugs and the victim, Johnson's, positions.
"So now, we break ya, or ya pay up," the first voice growled
"No, no, nonono. Don't... Don't do this." Johnson sounded desperate.
Steve heard the thugs step forward and made a decision, he wasn't going to let anyone get hurt, except the thugs, of course.
He jumped out from the stands, hurtling towards the men. They looked up in surprise as he landed a flying kick into one's stomach, throwing him back into some shelves.
Steve landed on his feet and turned to the other guy, "I'm not looking for a fight, but I'm also not letting you hurt this man," he stated strongly.
The thug just stared at him and snickered. Then he pulled out a knife and charged at Steve, who dodged out of the way. The man turned around and was met with a fist to the belly. He doubled over and Steve launched into a flying roundhouse kick that knocked the man out cold. He dropped to the ground in much the same fashion as his partner and didn't get up.
Steve looked around for more action but there were no other thugs. He saw Johnson cowering behind a counter. Steve nodded at him, signalling he was friendly. Johnson stood up slowly and walked over to Steve.
"Thank you, thank you. I can't, well actually I can, imagine what they would've done to me." Johnson thanked Steve.
Steve just nodded and turned away to leave, but Johnson stopped him.
"You know, this city needs someone to fight. Someone to protect them like you protected me," he said.
As Steve turned to look back at the man he knew he may have looked heroic in the early light of the now rising sun but all he felt was worn down and tired. Tired of the fighting, tired of being the hero.
"Sorry Johnson, but I'm no superhero. Just a guy with good morals." Steve had no intention of returning to his Captain America identity. He'd help SHIELD every now and again, but that was it.
Returning to his apartment the comments made by the shop owner played over and over in his mind. What if this new world did need Captain America? Why would they need him, wasn't there a police force and SHIELD? Finally and foremost, could he be a modern day hero?
Steve dismissed these thoughts as he approached his apartment building. He needed to focus on his tour of Queens 2013. He was going to have to fit in to the technological world that he now lived in.
Queens. Billy's Apts.
Two hours later.
Steve ate the last of his toast and turned the final page of his newspaper. Lots of things were happening in the world. Wakandan leader T'Chaka had recently been visiting America. The election was approaching and most disturbing, local Uncle shot in car-jacking.
Steve knew what it was like to lose someone close, he'd lost his mother, his best friend, his life even. Steven Rodgers' time on earth was filled with tragedy, so he could relate to this man's fami...
SMASH!
Steve was pulled out of thought as a gun spiraled through his window, shattering it into what seemed like a million pieces. Expecting someone to come through the now empty window space, he looked up and saw nothing. Steve ran over to the gun. He looked at he detail closely and noticed something very concerning, a SHIELD logo painted onto the side. Steve moved over to the window and looked down to see a human figure barely recognizable, smushed on the ground, cracks in the pavement. He recognized the blue SHIELD uniform immediately.
Running down the stairs to Sharon's room, two steps at a time, he didn't even bother knocking and barged straight in. He saw Sharon hold holstering her own gun. She had a look of panic on her face.
"What's happening?" Steve asked, wondering if she knew more than him.
Sharon motioned for him to follow her while she ran out of the building.
"Ready to get some action?" she asked back.
Steve nodded, giving her a look that meant he was still expecting an explanation. She stopped and looked him directly in the eyes, her gaze so intense and focused. She was just so much like Peggy.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" She had his attention now.
"No," Steve replied calmly, although he knew he'd seen some weird stuff in his time so he should've expected this to happen at one point or another.
"Well you'd better start, because there's a Ghost... well there's something not quite normal... attacking the SHIELD Helicarrier right now."
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty
Okay guys, that's the first issue, over and done with. I hope you guys like it. this isn't my first fanfic, but it is my first time writing Captain America, so excuse me for mistakes in character.
A few changes and notes; Sharon Carter, originally in the comics, her and Steve don't even see each other out of a mask for ages. I changed that because I wanted to establish a strong friendship early that could build into something more.
Another note; Hey, I've given up on the whole, keep the date and time logged, idea as it just was getting in my way. Anyway, just assume that the time is now and all that blah-di-blah.
Also, I got the idea of writing a description of a cover from Zeroben, go read his stories.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please return :)
Next Issue: Steve Rodgers and Sharon Carter arrive on the Helicarrier and are tasked with stopping the Ghost from trashing the premier spy agency of the US. Meanwhile in 1943, Captain America is born.