Infiltration on many Levels
Soon the team Steve assembled is in the War room down in the school's second level subbasement. The X-Men are in their new black leather uniforms with colorful accents. Storm's has silver accents at her upper arms, outer thighs, and sides with white trim. Her cape is black on the outside and silver on the inside. Colossus is in a tactical vest, leather pants and has fingerless gloves on his big hands. There are dark red accents at the palms of the gloves, outer thighs on the pants, and sides of the vest with silver trim. Nightcrawler has a tactical vest on over his long sleeved leather top with fire engine red accents at the forearms, sides, and outer thighs. There is gold trim and zippers as well and his daggers on his outer thighs and lower back. He wears specially made fingerless gloves as well. Wolverine's uniform has accents of dark goldenrod and silver trim. He stands on Steve's left while Black Widow is at Steve's other side.
Jean is on the opposite side of the hologram table they are all standing around looking down at a model of the Latverian fortress intently. Scott is to her left with his arm around her waist as she leans into him. His uniform has navy blue accents and silver trim. Sam is suited up between Hawkeye and Storm whom he has been eyeing every so often, but she just keeps giving him the cold shoulder.
"Okay, people… this is what's going to happen…" Steve says sternly in his Captain's voice and all eyes fall on him. "Storm." Steve starts and looks to her. "You will provide the cover as we come in and strike. You will sit here on the outskirts." Steve says as he points at a cliff on a mountain ledge opposite the fort but a little more to the south on the holographic table. "You won't jump in unless it is absolutely necessary."
"Got it." Storm says as she nods her head at Captain America.
"Falcon." Steve says as he looks at Sam. "You will circle out wide keeping your eyes out for incoming Hydra reinforcements and your ears open for reports from the two infiltrating teams."
"Will do, Cap." Falcon says with a nod of his helmeted head.
"Infiltrating Team Alpha will consist of Black Widow, Hawkeye, Cyclops, and Wolverine. Black Widow will lead Team Alpha and Hawkeye will enter first at this point." Steve says as he gestures to a spot on the outer wall between towers. "He will then head for this highest point here and hide out keeping us all informed of hostile movements. Should back up need to be called in… call Falcon first. Storm only if the need is dire." Steve says as he looks to Hawkeye.
"Can do." Barton says as he nods his head and adjusts his shades.
"The rest of Team Alpha will enter through here." Steve says and points to a rock outcrop a little lower on the mountain where the sewer drains out. "A hidden access door is located there to maintain and guard the sewer. There's a guard there, but Jean will telepathically ensure you enter unseen by the security team. Nightcrawler will teleport you just inside the door. Black Widow… hack in to their systems and upload Tony's little gift. Cyclops, once she's done and you all reach the end… blast the tunnel and seal the door to stop anyone else from leaving that way." Cyclops nods his head. His visor moves and Steve can see the red glow of the man's eyes behind the slit of ruby quartz crystal. Steve then sighs. "The interior is a maze and it won't be hard to get lost once inside… Black Widow… let Wolverine lead the way to Bucky. Find him, free him, knock him out if you have to, and get him out by going up. If there is an emergency, Nightcrawler will teleport in and get all of you out quicker."
"You sure you want the Winter Soldier alive? I remember how it played out at Stark's Tower." Logan asks gruffly as he gives Steve a side glance.
"I'm certain, Wolverine. I leave no soldier behind. Besides… one less asset for Hydra… is one less enemy we face on the battlefield." Captain America says as he looks hard at Logan.
"Thor is gonna be so jealous he wasn't here for this." Hawkeye whispers to Natasha with a toothy smile. The archer quiets and his smile fades as he notices Captain America eyeing him. "Sorry." Hawkeye mutters out and a brief pause falls over the gathered group.
"Infiltrating Team Beta will consist of myself, Jean, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. We will enter from the opposite side teleporting in on the roof of this tower over here while Colossus rushes the gate." Steve says and points to a tower on the wall opposite of Hawkeye's post for his team's entry. "Colossus will create a diversion in the main yard while the rest of us will make our way down to the science labs in the lower back of the fortress. Once each team locates their targets…" Steve says as the hologram of the fort fades away to show an image of Loki's scepter and a digital photo of the Winter Soldier's face free of mask and goggles. "We gotta fly like a bat outta hell." Steve adds.
They decide to take the X-Men's Blackbird since it flies even faster than the quinjet and in just over three hours they are about to cross the border of Latveria. Cyclops works the controls and checks the stealth settings. Jean is his navigator. Cyclops drops the throttle down and flicks a switch. The Blackbird slows down as some flaps are raised on the wings to create drag.
Storm had created a low pressure system ahead of them… warm air from the Black Sea meeting cold air from the Artic now gives her snow and static electricity. This blinds the Hydra fort visually as well as disrupts all electronic sensors so the two teams can enter. This also affects their comlinks too, so Jean will actively scan to hear thoughts once Hawkeye gets into position and Team Alpha moves beyond their entry point. The Blackbird comes into the mountain valley and lands on the intended cliff position with nearly two miles of open air between them and their destination. Nightcrawler teleports Hawkeye near the wall then teleports away.
Hawkeye's breath puffs out in the cold and he is glad that he is wearing his royal purple lined trench coat. He quickly flicks his recurve bow open and dials in a specialty arrow. He takes aim using his infrared mode on his high powered goggles (courtesy of Tony) then fires. The arrow shoots high into the air then breaks apart as the thin synthetic wire runs out from the nock. It hits the target ledge, the wench in the bow's handle spins, and suddenly Hawkeye is zipping up the wall.
'Eyes Wide Open.' Hawkeye thinks as he takes his position on the roof and scans the fort's layout below through the swirling snow with his goggles.
"Hawkeye is in his perch." Jean says as she zones out for a second. Storm's eyes cloud over and she focuses on the winds which calm down significantly.
"Alright… Team Alpha is good to go." Steve says as he looks over at Black Widow, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler holding hands in a line. His eyes lock with Natasha's for a split second then she is gone in a puff of smoke. Two seconds later, Nightcrawler returns alone. "Now it's Colossus' turn in three minutes." Captain America says as he pulls out an old pocket watch and waits for the second hand to make three circuits. He then points at Nightcrawler who nods and teleports Colossus to a point just far enough from the gate to build up speed yet close enough to avoid much of their fire power.
Colossus hurries towards the gate as machine guns fire at him but the bullets stop against his metal skin. He pounds his left fist into the gate then his right slams hard and the gate rattles upon its hinges before being rent from the stone lintels. The tall, silver-skinned man rushes further in and starts hammering away at the vehicles and storage containers found within scattering them about like toys.
Black Widow takes a moment to examine the keypad panel to access a wireless system port. She finds it and quickly plants the mirco-beacon that Tony made. The lights along the edge of the ceiling flicker twice to indicate the virus is uploaded. Now the internal security systems are working for them. This tunnel is showing a ten second loop of the tunnel from twenty seconds before they entered.
"Wolverine? Do you mind?" Cyclops says as he frowns at his rival. Wolverine narrows his eyes but soon uses a claw to cut the cherry off of his half-smoked cigar. He then slips it into a pocket on his belt before they move on from the door. Cyclops does an optic blast overhead just in front of the outer door then hurries to catch up. He stops half way and then raises his right hand. 'Time to Rock and Roll.' Cyclops thinks as he flips the ruby-quartz visor up and tilts his chin up by five degrees. Optic blast for five seconds. Close. Reposition to the right. Optic blast for ten seconds while moving sideways and nodding. Two slabs of rock fall down blocking the tunnel.
Nightcrawler returns and takes Cap's hand and Jean's… and in a puff of smoke… they vanish and reappear at their target point on the wall opposite Hawkeye's perch. Nightcrawler teleports while Jean glides herself and Captain Rogers down to the walk-way. They hurry towards the nearest entrance. As they run to the door, a pair of guards appear coming out from it. Nightcrawler vanishes only to reappear between/behind them. He uses stun maneuvers to bring them down.
"Good work, Nightcrawler." Captain America says with a smile as he and Jean hurry past and enter through the doorway into the fort.
As soon as Cyclops is through the door, he turns and seal-wields it with a narrow beam.
"We might as well just knocked on our way in." Wolverine comments on the ground-quaking moment they and the rest of the mountain just experienced.
"Stay on mission. We've got a time line." Cyclops says sternly.
"Yes, sir… oh, yeah that's right… you're not the leader here." Wolverine says with a cocky smirk taking this opportunity to needle Scott who clenches his jaw.
"I am." Black Widow says icily as she steps between the two men with her angry eyes on Wolverine. "Quit measuring dicks and let's find our target… Wolverine… you're up."
"Alright… fine. I'm not gonna argue with a beautiful woman." Wolverine says with a rakish smirk as he raises his hands in surrender. He sniffs the air and walks about the storage unit until he catches a whiff of Bucky on the air currents coming from the corridors leading further into the fortress. He then leads the way through the interior towards their target.
"So what are your thoughts on Cap's plan to retrieve this Winter Soldier?" Wolverine then asks in a whisper as they make their way deeper into the fort. Black Widow just gives Wolverine a glare. "I see… not so enthused yourself." Wolverine then sighs. "If the fucked up friend starts going haywire on us…" Wolverine starts and pops his metal claws. "I'll put him down."
"Like you did Jean?" Cyclops says in a bitter whisper.
"I did what needed to be done… because you didn't have the balls to do it." Wolverine says in a harsh whisper as he spins around and grabs Cyclops by his throat and pushes him against the wall. The look in Logan's hazel eyes is one of a barely contained feral nature. Black Widow pushes between them.
"Not now." She hisses out. Wolverine lets go of Cyclops. The two men glare at each other. When Jean had come back from the dead the first time and went crazy… Scott was going to kill her, but he couldn't do it because he loved her. So Logan stepped up and killed her… because he loved her… and she asked to die. Their estranged rivalry turned more bitter and biting after that… so Logan left.
During his sojourn, Logan dreamt of Jean every night and she shuffled through his memories until they made sense. Logan rediscovered himself with her help… though Jean existed only in Astral form at the time. Scott was an emotional wreck though he tried teaching, but that couldn't keep his thoughts from Jean. Then she came back to life for a second time! They sat down and just talked everything over before Logan came back and now… they are married.
Logan may have moved on from Jean but when he seen her alive… again… he felt something strum within himself. He distracted himself often by talking to Mariko, but he hasn't called her as much since he sent Yuriko back to Japan to protect her sister. Yuriko went but not without protest. Logan told her that since he couldn't abandon his friend in a time of need, he wished for his sword to protect his heart. She nodded her head and left without complaint.
Scott and Jean are married… and Logan wants to be happy for Jean, he really does… but he can't help but feel saddened when he looks at Jean and thinks of what might have been. Wolverine sighs as he follows the elusive scent deeper down. There are other scents and soon sounds become clearer for him. He gestures for a halt then gestures for them to stay. They do and Wolverine slips a little closer to the corner as a squad of six Hydra soldiers comes around it. There's a pause as the group halts and looks at the three infiltrators.
"Speaking of putting down…" Wolverine says but Black Widow rushes up throwing some of her mini-bites that take the first pair of soldiers in the face. They drop instantly. She slides down on her knees as she goes between the next two and drops a smoke screen disk. She sweeps the feet out from under one of the last two then uses the momentum to bring a leg up and kick the other with an angled heel to his jaw. This brings her to her belly and she rolls to the side as the last two aim at her through the smoky hazy… but Wolverine rushes in and tackles them from the side before they can fire their guns.
"I had them." Black Widow says coolly with a smirk as she spins and kicks the tripped guard hard in the face rendering him unconscious.
"I could see that, sweetheart." Wolverine says as they start down the hallway once more towards their target.
Steve catches his shield after throwing it to take out three Hydra soldiers at once. Nightcrawler had managed to decimate the dozen man squad then teleported out of the way so Captain America could take out the last three.
"It's down here." Jean says as she hurries ahead with Steve close behind. They enter an observation area and look down at the scepter in the center of the circular white room below. She focuses on it and the scepter floats into the air. The four scientists freeze as they watch on astonished at what they are seeing. Jean then lifts her right hand in a reaching motion as the scepter comes towards her. The lights flicker and Steve looks up wondering about that… but suddenly, Jean is taken in the side by a bolt of electricity and the scepter clatters to the ground before her.
"Jean!" Steve says as he rushes to her side holding his shield on his right arm. He is taken by a bolt to his shield which pushes him back from his fallen teammate.
"Ah-ah-aww… this doesn't belong to you." Comes a smooth metallic voice. Small arcs of electricity jump between metal fingers as cold ocean-hued eyes glare at Captain America. "You are trespassing… Dog of the US Military." Doom says and raises his right hand. The scepter sparks with a static charge then zooms to Doom's outstretched hand.
"I could kill you right now, Champion of Freedom… but no… I think I'll save your execution for a more televised arena." Doom says and raises his other hand which sparks ominously with electricity… then Nightcrawler teleports behind Doom and spins slashing at the green robed and hooded dictator's back and legs. The blades scrape against Doom's metal armor damaging only his clothing.
"What the Devil?" Doom says as he spins around to face Nightcrawler. Then there is a burst of flames and Azazel appears.
"I got this one!" Azazel says as he lunges at Nightcrawler and grapples him. They disappear in a burst of flame. Captain America throws his shield which Doom spins around and knocks away with the shortened scepter. Steve then punches Doom in the gut but feels his fist impact against metal plating. Steve winches from the pain and pulls back.
"Tony Stark isn't the only one with a suit of armor, Captain Rogers." Doom says coolly then chuckles. "Now where were we? Oh yes… your eminent capture." Doom raises the scepter which glows a brighter blue. Steve's eyes widen… then he is falling backwards as the blue fireball zips over him and he is returned to a standing position. Steve is confused but then Jean is on her hands and knees beside him.
"Not today." Jean says and Doom fires a blast at her but Jean deflects the scepter at the last second causing the fireball to hit the floor in front of her. She screams as she protects her face with her arms from the ensuing mini explosion. Captain America takes advantage of the moment to rush Doom. He tries to wrest the scepter from the dictator's hands and they struggle. Steve smashes Doom backwards against the wall, while Doom sends an electric shock through the scepter… but his reserves are low so it lacks the impact Doom was hoping for.
"Let go, Victor Von Doom! You don't know what you are tampering with!" Captain America says as the shock wears off instantly and he slams Doom against the wall once more.
"Never! This power is mine to command! Mine alone!" Doom shouts back in his anger. Doom then grabs at an access panel nearby and starts sucking energy from the power grid. The glowing orb at the tip shines brighter then pulses out to create an oval opening which the two men tumble into…
Nightcrawler feels the impact of hitting snow and flips backwards as he skids to stop on his feet. He still has his daggers in hand and tail so he takes a ready stance, but hesitates as he looks at his new opponent standing several feet away. There's a crouching red-skinned man with long, jet-black hair and a tail waggling behind him like a cat's that looks just like Nightcrawler's own as the bullets whiz overhead towards the distant figure of Colossus.
"W-who are you?" Nightcrawler asks as his voice cracks.
"Who indeed." The red-skinned devil says as he reaches both hands up behind his shoulders to pull two long knives from their sheathes. He rushes forward but disappears in flames. Nightcrawler rolls forward just as Azazel appears behind swiping his blade through where Nightcrawler once was. Azazel then spins low and kicks a leg out but Nightcrawler leaps into the air and flips. He teleports at the top of his arc then reappears before Azazel but spinning on a different axis, a horizontal one… his blue pointed tail smacks Azazel across the face. Nightcrawler hits the snow on his side as the red devil falls sideways then kicks his legs to roll backwards and land on his feet. Nightcrawler then has to dodge as machine gun fire zips in towards him. He rolls and teleports away reappearing behind the gunner. He chokes the soldier out and drops him to the ground. Azazel then appears nearby in a burst of flame.
"Your good." The red devil says as he stands up straight and bows at the waist with one arm bent in front of his waist and the other behind his back. His eyes never leave Kurt's. They are yellow with an orange ring around the outer edge of the iris. "I am Azazel, Commander of the Neyaphem."
"Neyaphem?" Nightcrawler repeats as he takes his ready stance in his typical crouched position. "You mean Nephilim though, ja?" Nightcrawler then asks.
"So that's what we are remembered as now?" Azazel says and groans as he rolls his own eyes.
"So the legends are true? Your own father vas an angel?" Nightcrawler asks curiously. He wonders if he is one of these Neyaphem as well.
"Does it look like a Cherybim sired me?" Azazel groans then shakes his head. "Nevermind this talk." Azazel vanishes in flames as a container comes rushing in. Nightcrawler disappears in a burst of smoke to avoid Colossus' attack as well.
They reach a non-descript hallway and Wolverine stops before a door that looks more like a storage unit door than a holding cell. He double checks the scent and nods his head.
"He's in here." Logan says and pops his claws. The Wolverine then slashes through the metal door and wrests it open. Inside is a large, spacious room set up like a bedroom. The Winter Soldier is seated on the large bed, shirtless. He gives a hard glare at Wolverine as the Mutant enters.
"Alright, bub… get dressed. We're goin' on a trip." Wolverine says casually then catches a whiff of someone else in the room. He looks up just in time to see a blonde woman in a black catsuit like Natasha's drop from the ceiling, wrap her thighs around his neck, spin through her momentum to flip Wolverine and hopefully snap his neck… but it's metal so she pretty much just pops his neck for him.
"Yelena Belova." Natasha says coldly as she looks at the crouching blonde. The new woman turns her head over her shoulder to smile wickedly at Natasha.
"Natalia Romanov." She says prettily. "It has been quite awhile since we last seen each other."
"I got her… you get Bucky." Black Widow says to Cyclops then she throws a mini-bite that Yelena dodges and the two women engage in hand-to-hand combat. Cyclops checks on Wolverine who shakes his head and stands then rolls his neck. The sound of a rifle clicking a round into the chamber alerts Logan and he pushes Scott out of the way as he takes the gunfire.
"Ya wanna do this the hard way… fine. Let's do this the hard way!" Wolverine says and pops his claws. Cyclops manages to fire a narrow optic blast that damages the gun the Winter Soldier is holding. The brainwashed assassin swipes the butt of the rifle in an arc but Wolverine slashes it in half. His claws spark as they impact and scratch against the metal arm which is plated in adamantium, so it receives no damage. The Winter Soldier grabs Wolverine's left wrist as the clawed hand comes in to stab him. He pushes the other hand out wide with his metal arm then kicks Wolverine in the gut sending him across the room. Cyclops blasts him in the back which knocks the Winter Soldier down.
"Stay down!" Cyclops says as he keeps a distance from their target. Hand at the ready on his visor. "Wolverine, secure the target." Cyclops then says and Logan growls but complies. The Winter Soldier doesn't struggle as he is shackled with his hands behind his back.
"Where'd the Black Widow and that crazy bitch get off to?" Wolverine then says as he looks around noting the absence of the two women.
"I don't know. Find Black Widow though. I'll get our target out of here." Cyclops says. Logan gives Scott a look but then hurries off following Natasha's scent.
A/N: I liked the first two Fantastic Four movies, but I will say I think Chris Evans is a better fit for Captain America than the Human Torch. Julian McMahon was perfect for Doom in my opinion… so that's the Doom I have here. As for Yelenea Belova… I see a blonde Natalie Dormer (She plays the Tyrel girl in Game of Thrones… she was in the first Captain America movie as well).