-1All characters appearing in Captain America and other Marvel titles are copyrighted to Marvel Entertainment and Stan Lee. All real persons mentioned in this story belong to themselves. No infringement of these copyrights or offense to the people mentioned is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder or persons. All original characters are the property of TVfan.
Note: I'm using the events of the "Winter Soldier" story line as the main canon to this story, but I'm also going to say that this story is in the same "Universe" as my "A New Life" story in the Spider-Man section, since Captain America and Spider-Man are both Marvel Characters. This story takes place six months after my "A New Life" story and obviously some time after "Winter Soldier" in the comics.
Second Note: This is my version on Marvel's current "Civil War" storyline and will differ greatly in many ways from what has been published. Mostly because I don't like the idea of heroes fighting heroes and the fact that is the main point of Marvel's current storyline, and the fact that they killed Steve Rogers at the end of it.
Civil War
By TVfan
Chapter 11: Proving the Truth
Red Skull Reich
Lester, the LMD made by Fury to spy on the Red Skull slowly walked out of the terminal and into the airport. Much of it looked like the airport in New York that he had left from, although the colors in the room matched the colors of the Nazi flag, and he could spot Nazi insignia in various portions of the room. He casually walked toward an area where he assumed he would have to have his passports checked, and hoped that whoever the Red Skull had working there wouldn't notice that they were fake. As he walked, he noticed several of the passengers that had been on the flight with him walking purposely toward an exit. Knowing his mission was to spy on the Red Skull, he decided to follow these men.
They lead him to the main exit to the building where they were met by a relatively large man in a black officers uniform. Lester quickly recognized him as Brock Rumlow, the criminal known as Crossbones. The LMD, however, was unsure as to how well humans might be able to recognize the man, but couldn't do anything noticeable as Rumlow began to address the group of assembled men.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Rumlow spoke in a commanding voice, "The Fuhrer thanks you for answering his call and has new orders. You will be divided in half. Half will join the Fuhrer's army for the purposes of defending the Red Skull Reich. Half will be assigned to the SS and will be under my command, and there you will be responsible for guarding the Red Skull, his daughter, and those who have been elected to the Reichstag. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the men said in unison.
"Very good," Rumlow answered, "You will proceed to the main rally grounds where the process of determining which of you will be part of the army and which of you will be part of the SS will be performed."
Lester then followed the group out as he was lead to a series of large trucks that were apparently to be their ride to wherever they were going. Lester followed them and hopped into the back of the last truck. They then lurched forward at a slow and steady pace.
Fury's Bunker
Steve sat quietly watching the images that 'Lester' was sending back to the base through the cameras that were in 'his' eyes. He was so intent on following it that he didn't notice Sharon coming up beside him.
"The images are being recorded," Sharon commented, "You could get some rest."
Steve shook his head, "I can't. Not until everything is put right."
"You're going to be exhausted to the point where you can't do anything if you keep this up," Sharon commented, "It can't be good for you. Fury even said that it would take awhile for the LMD to get the evidence that the Skull was secretly behind the Stamford incident."
"I just need to know," Steve said firmly.
"Steve, we all think what is going on right now is wrong, but there is nothing more we can do at the moment," Sharon told him, "Rest awhile, train, do something besides sit here and stare at that screen."
"I'm responsible to the people, Sharon," Steve said firmly, "Responsible for insuring that the nation they live in holds the freedoms that it was founded on are protected."
"And we're all helping you," Sharon insisted, "but you can't exhaust yourself to exercise it. All of us will take turns making sure that what is right is preserved. We also need you to be at your best. The Red Skull might attack directly when he realizes the civil war he wanted to happen hasn't happened. You won't last long if you're both sleep deprived and physically exhausted."
Steve sighed knowing that Sharon was right and got up. It was difficult for him as he knew the Red Skull was the one behind everything. A good potion of his mind couldn't stand by and let others do what was needed to defeat him.
"It's the Skull," Steve spoke, "I mean, I was created as Captain American because of him. I spent the better part of World War Two fighting him. That fight resumed after we came out of suspended animation and has continued to the present day. I feel that if I am not involved, I've let everyone down."
"You haven't and you won't," Sharon told him, "Even the ones who support Registration aren't fighting you and Hill is out as S.H.I.E.L.D. director, which means it will be a while before you're having to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."
Steve sighed again, "I know. It's just that the times are hard. I want to show that I can endure them."
Sharon sighed. He was trying to explain himself as if there were people who doubted his ability. It was one of the things that she respected about him, his modesty, that he was always seeking to prove himself, but at the same time, it was also something that probably annoyed her and most of the people that knew him. She had seen old recordings of his battles in World War Two, although the footage all belonged to her Aunt Peggy. She had also seen Steve in action during their years of working together with S.H.I.E.L.D. and in her mind there was nothing he needed to prove to anyone. And despite all their arguments about duty that usually drove them apart, she still loved him, but she could never come out and say something like that easily.
"There is nothing you need to prove to anyone, Steve," Sharon said firmly, "You've done more to serve this country then any of the politicians that currently run it."
Red Skull Reich, Rally Field
Lester looked around carefully as he and the others were unloaded from trucks. They were still on the street, and he could easily see the Red Skull's palace and what looked like a parliament building, which looked to him like it was ninety percent completed. That wasn't the important part, however, as the men with him began to approach a sidewalk that ran through what appeared to be very well kept lawn to go around the Red Skull's palace. The LMD fell in line at the rear of the group and followed them until they came to a large field that in most instances would be used for soccer or football or some similar sport, but given that there was a speaker's platform coming out from the palace's 'back door' this field had to be there for the purposes of party rallies.
The men Lester was following slowly marched out onto the field and formed neat lines as if they were army units. Lester was the last 'man' in the line on the northern most part of the field. Rumlow, following them then marched out along what looked like a track surrounding the field until he was directly under the speaker's platform.
"Herr Skull, a new body of former 'RAID' agents are here to join the army and the SS," Rumlow reported to the speaker's platform as he gave the Nazi salute to it.
Lester then watched as the Red Skull himself then approached the podium at the very edge of the speaker's platform.
"Very well Reichsmarshall," the Red Skull spoke, "Proceed."
Lester watched as Rumlow nodded and then moved to the front of line on the southern end of the field. He then watched as Rumlow went down each line saying either 'army' or 'SS'. Apparently it was a very random process of recruitment among the Red Skull's followers. He patiently waited for Rumlow to get to him and hoped there wouldn't be any problems. His hopes however, were soon dashed.
Rumlow blinked hard when he got to Lester. According to the flight list that had arrived, he counted forty men exactly who would get off the plane before it took off again for London with the rest of its passengers. Yet, there were forty one people here on the field.
"What is it?" the Red Skull demanded from the platform.
"We have an odd number of recruits, sir," Rumlow answered and then turned to Lester, "Who are you?"
"I am Lester Manfred Diechscher, I was told I could find work here," Lester answered, "Or at least find appreciation for my opinions."
One of the men that had been with him on the airplane then broke ranks and approached them.
"Do not worry, sir," the man spoke, "He is trustworthy. He was fired from several jobs for spreading rather charged propaganda."
Rumlow looked back at Lester carefully.
"We will give him a shot," the Red Skull spoke from the podium, "Your up to an SS recruit next, I believe, Reichsmarshall."
On the platform the Red Skull quietly watched as Rumlow motioned for the LMD to stand with the other SS recruits and gave a dissatisfied sigh.
"You do not like this 'Lester'?" Sin asked from behind him.
"Something is 'off' about him," the Red Skull answered, "but I do not know what it is. You will be meeting with Rumlow later, correct?"
"Yes, father," Sin answered.
"Let him know that I want 'Lester' kept under close watch and kept close to me," the Red Skull ordered, "I want to keep an eye on him."
"Of course, Father," Sin answered, "What is to be done in regards to the 'civil war' in America?"
"Since S.H.I.E.L.D. has been removed as the primary enforcer of the Registration Act and the heroes will not willingly fight each other, we must find a way to make the people willing to fight their own heroes," the Red Skull answered, "Eventually we'll be able to them into fighting each other."
The Red Skull then turned and walked inside his palace privately working on establishing a new plan to try and escalate the conflict between heroes in America.
Fury's Bunker
"So this whole act of yours started after your family was murdered?" Buck asked quietly as he tried to figure out the man that had stumbled into the anti-Registration camp.
"Murdered makes it sound as though they were deliberately targeted," Frank Castle answered, "They were slaughtered in the midst of a gunfight between rival gangs. They'd been doing that sort of things years and never got punished for it, and when it did get in trouble for it, it was very minor trouble. A day or so in jail, never any more."
"And you went on a quest for revenge because of this?" Buck asked.
"They're crooks and thieves, murderers, and rapists," Frank answered, "I'm not about to stand by and let them do those things to anyone anymore."
"I can sympathize with you in regards to your lost family," Buck commented, "But surely you must see that continuing the cycle of murder isn't going to make things better."
"What I do isn't murder," Frank answered, "What I do is justice. Do you know how many evil men I've stopped from committing acts of murder, robbery, extortion, corruption, and other such acts."
"Maybe, but simply killing them makes people nervous," Buck commented, "Suppose you mistook someone for one of these criminals and shot him, or you shot an undercover cop who fabricated his 'rap sheet' to try and get inside information?"
Frank didn't immediately answer.
"The bureaucracy that makes the justice system move slowly is there to protect the innocent," Buck spoke, "you take great risks in what you do."
"Is what I do any different from what Cap does?" Frank asked back.
"Cap doesn't go out of his way to kill people," Buck answered "It is something of a last resort for him, and then only after he has exhausted every possible option he could use that wouldn't resort in killing his opponent, and that even goes back into World War Two."
"Perhaps I'm just a bit more proactive then he is then," Frank commented, "but then, none of my enemies every return. The Red Skull has been defeated several times and he routinely comes back. There is something to think about."
"Perhaps, but from what I've been told, the Skull has never won," Buck answered, "What is the point of coming back and striking again when you can't win?"
"He comes back because he is insane," Frank answered, "You let me out of this cell and I will make sure that the Skull can't come back again."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Buck answered, "Not while the situation is as tense as it is. Maybe once the Skull is defeated and populace realizes that guys like Cap have done more this country's benefit then anyone else. But not before."
Buck then turned and left Frank alone in the cell he had been placed in when he had arrived. He found Fury monitoring the screen that showed what 'Lester' was up to.
"Castle still upset about being in a cell?" Fury asked.
"Yes," Buck answered, "Where's Steve? He was here when I left."
"Sharon took him to his bunk for the night," Fury answered, "Making sure he gets some sleep. She was seated in a chair near the door, last I saw."
"Anything going on?" Buck asked as he looked toward the screen.
"Lester's managed to implant himself with the Skull's version of the SS," Fury answered, "We might gain some information soon, but for right now, he's apparently being lead to an apartment."
"I'd wonder what the Skull needs with bodyguards," Buck commented, "I mean, with his powers with the Cosmic Cube, he can afford to be attacked by people as there are few that could stand a chance of harming him."
"While it's true that the Skull isn't like Hitler, in the sense that Hitler was completely normal and needed the SS as bodyguards, and that the Skull is probably in Thor's level of raw power with the Cosmic Cube's abilities within him, but remember that the SS served a higher political purpose in the Third Reich then just a bodyguards," Fury answered.
"Agents of government sanctioned murder," Buck growled, "I can't believe our government has allied itself with this man. He is everything that a real American isn't."
"It has to be the cube," Fury commented, "I've never thought well of any politician, but I'd tend to believe that most of them could tell a flat out lie when it was told. The Skull's been telling lies and they've been believed rather quickly. It has to be his powers with the Cosmic Cube. Somehow influencing them to believe him."
"Steve says they would still have to be willing to listen," Buck commented.
Fury nodded, "That probably came from the fact that he gave them what they wanted to hear in that he was a potential ally in their major struggles. Once that was done, he made sure they failed to see the truth of his actions."
"Well, hopefully things are set straight by the time this is all over," Buck said with a sigh.
Avengers Tower
Tony sighed as he sat down to do some paperwork in relation to working both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Enterprises. Most of it was handing over the running of Stark Enterprises to a competent employee, which was difficult because of the people he had on a list of candidates were all both highly qualified and capable and were comfortable with the various superheroes that he, as Iron Man worked with. But, it was something he also had to do as running S.H.I.E.L.D. would be a fulltime job on its own. He was still going over the list when he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," Stark answered, expecting it to be either a business employee or S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
An agent walked in first, but he was quickly followed by the Vice President of the United States.
"Sir," Stark spoke politely.
"Good evening," Chaney spoke as he came in and sat down, "I trust I'm not interrupting anything?"
"Nothing that can't wait," Tony answered, "What can I do you for?"
"I've come to see what your position on Registration," Chaney said pointedly.
"It should already be noted that I am in favor of registration," Tony commented.
"But you refuse to enforce the act," Chaney pointed out, "I want to know where you stand in regards to enforcing the act."
Tony sighed heavily.
"As I told the UN Security Council, there things that are going on that are bigger then merely the Registration Act," Tony said in a firm voice, "Most importantly the Red Skull."
"He is not important," Chaney said dismissively, "The problem is the fact that Steven Rogers has committed treason by refusing to obey a just law."
"I would say he is important," Tony answered, "Cap is predominantly against the act because he feels that the Red Skull is the reason the act is an 'issue' now. And I would tend to agree as the act was brought onto the floor shortly after you and the President visited the Red Skull Reich."
"The Registration Act will make it impossible for him to destroy America as he can't beat all of its superheroes," Chaney answered, "It insures our security."
"Yes, but Cap feels that the Red Skull proposed the act," Tony answered, "And the Red Skull is a strategic genius. If he's launched the Registration Act in any way, it must be for a reason that is intended to help him conquer the country."
"The Red Skull is a good conservative ally of the United States," Chaney said pointedly, "He is not trying to conquer us. You're only listening to the lies that communists like Rogers tell. The Red Skull isn't an enemy."
"Then why is the Registration Act needed to protect us from him?" Tony questioned.
"Better to be safe the sorry," Chaney answered.
"Maybe, but as the new leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the leader of the Pro-Registration heroes, I need to concern myself with how all of this affects the superhero community, on both sides of the issue," Tony replied, "The Red Skull's announcement of his 'Reich' was filled with nothing but lies and I'm certain that the present problems are part of some attempt on his part to conquer this country. I can only assume that he has intended that the Pro and Anti-Registration heroes fight it out in all out battles. Now, all superhumans, be they mutants, super powered by some other means, skilled in martial arts to a level above most others, or like myself, rely on weapons or technology are all very powerful. On top of that, most of us live in New York, or at least in the New York area. If we fight each other over the issue, New York could be destroyed in the process, and then any sort of civilized debate about the Registration Act will be ended."
"That is what we want," Chaney said firmly, "There is only one way to do anything, and that is the right way. All this debate is stupid and keeps us from moving forward into a safer society, which is the most important thing anyone wants. It's what America was based on."
"There are many who would argue that America was founded on principles of freedom," Tony answered, "and have tried to balance it with security. Cap is among them."
"Rogers is wrong and is a traitor," Chaney growled, "He is to be arrested as soon as possible. You want to be soft on his followers, fine, but Rogers is to be arrested."
Tony then watched Chaney get up and leave, looking even more furious then when he left. Janet and Hank then came in as Tony only sighed again.
"He could make me start drinking again," Tony sighed in a depressed voice.
"He is rather forceful, but he does want the law to be upheld," Hank commented, "Even if there are holes in it, directly fighting the law the way Cap is won't work."
"You know that his current actions aren't his plan to fight the act," Tony told both.
"We know," Janet answered, "but things are still escalating. If Cap can't get them to break their alliance with the Skull politically soon, we could be looking at an invasion of New York by our own military."
"And that will be even worse then what Cap thinks it is now," Hank said firmly.
"Cap told me he has a plan," Tony sighed.
"Did he tell you what it is?" Janet asked, "All of us could help."
"No," Tony sighed, "I tried to figure out what it was, but he said that the only way would be to go beyond the normal laws, and since I support registration, he didn't want me destroying myself to help him."
"This makes it harder," Hank commented as he looked down.
Red Skull Reich, Red Skull City
Lester gave a sigh as he was ushered into a small apartment that was among a series of apartments south of the Red Skull's palace. The apartment was fairly small and was almost like a military barracks then like an apartment, but Lester didn't argue. He couldn't as it would jeopardize his mission, and he was also told that the apartment building he was 'assigned' was reserved for the Red Skull's new 'SS' and was supposed to serve as a barracks.
"Remember, we are to report to the palace tomorrow for our assignments," his guide said behind him.
Lester turned back and nodded. His guide was the same man he had met at the airport and had vouched for him on the field. It puzzled him heavily how people could look so 'good' be so willing to serve the most evil man on the planet, but he still had to play the part.
"Of course, sir," Lester answered, "See you at dawn."
"Not quite that early, but yes, early," the man answered, "Seven AM."
Lester nodded and shut the door. He then looked about the room they gave him.
Meanwhile, in his palace, the Red Skull was focused on matters that were necessary for forcing the heroes in New York to fight each other. He had his country, and he had a small population of followers, but that was only to the starting point for what he hopped would be an advance across the world. At first things had gone well. He had deceived the American government and manipulated them into passing a law that he knew that his great nemesis, Captain America, would find to be oppressive and evil in its own right. This was successful in driving him underground and making him an outlaw in his own country.
It was after that that things started to go bad. While Stark's move to lead the Pro-Registration heroes was not entirely unexpected by the Skull, the fact that neither group was fighting each other was. He had expected the heroes to divide and fight each other. The fighting would destroy the country and leave it open to his forces to directly claim large sections of the United States in the course of the chaos. It was possible that they all suspected the true nature of his involvement, but he figured that the Registration Act would still be something that they would fight over, regardless of who was ultimately behind it. And the only group involved in the 'superhero field', S.H.I.E.L.D. had just lost its Pro-Registration Director, leaving him with Stark as the new director.
He needed to do something flare up the conflict. Make the Pro-Registration heroes think that the Anti-Registration heroes had become evil and specifically evil under Captain America's influence. And that is where he hit a snag. He couldn't do anything directly, as that would destroy his plan altogether, and he doubted he could find another group of escaped criminals to serve his purposes as one of his agents had done before Stamford. He continued to think long into the night, taking no rest as he tried to work out his problems in his mind. He knew he could find a solution it would simply take time to do so.
The Next Day
Lester joined his 'friend' just outside the apartment he had been placed in and prepared to walk back to the Red Skull's palace to receive their first assignments. Each was dressed in the black uniforms they had been given. They arrived to find Rumlow standing outside the steps that lead into the Palace.
"Most of you will be moved to Camp Sieg as it will be ready to begin accepting prisoners from America's 'War on Terror'," Rumlow spoke as they formed up into lines, "The rest will take various jobs in insuring local security within the city."
The men saluted and prepared to be divided into the groups that they would be assigned to. Rumlow went through the instructions for each person individually. By the time that he got to Lester and his 'friend', he spoke to them as a pair.
"You two have been given a very important mission in acting as guards for the Fuhrer," Rumlow spoke in an authoritative voice.
"Yes, sir," Lester and the other man answered in unison.
Rumlow then lead them into the palace. Lester took the time to look around as he went. He noted several pieces of artwork that looked as though several of the great artists of nineteenth century had spent time glorifying Nazism. There were also a few photographs of the Red Skull's actions during World War II. There were others that showed both Sin and Rumlow in their roles as now within the Red Skull Reich. Each was handed an assault rifle that resembled the American M-16 as they reached a door by two Iron Swastika units that were waiting outside the door.
"The two of you will stand just inside the door and will remain silent, is that understood?" Rumlow spoke in an authoritative voice.
"Yes, sir," Lester and the other man answered in a firm voice.
They were then lead into a high tech room filled with computers and television screens that were covering international news and political news from around the country. Seated in a raised and futuristic type chair was the Red Skull in his golden stylized armor. Sin stood a few feet away in the same uniform that she had worn when the few foreign leaders had visited the Red Skull Reich. Rumlow walked over to stand beside her and faced the Red Skull beside Sin.
"You summoned me, my Fuhrer?" Rumlow spoke with a salute as he approached.
The Red Skull turned to look at Rumlow as he approached and nodded.
"Yes," the Red Skull nodded, "there is something that must be done. We must find a way to escalate the superhero civil war in America. They must begin fighting each other."
"They're still on edge, aren't they?" Rumlow asked.
"Yes, but things in America are different from things in the proper world," the Red Skull answered, "Soon they will be having a new election and the way things are going, I do not think their President will be able to enforce my policy there for much longer."
"We may have to send a team into the US to make them think that the Anti-Registration heroes want to harm their citizens," Sin commented, "Increase their fears and they'll vote for whoever claims to be the most determined to fight the 'cause' of this fear."
"Repeating what we did with those criminals in Stamford?" the Skull asked, "That was already my solution, but the real problem is how to do it. Everything going on here is still rather new and inexperienced. Besides, sending agents into America would attract attention. Attention we do not need."
"What about the RAID and AIM personnel in the United States that obey your orders," Rumlow commented, "You've been smuggling as many of them as possible to help bolster the size of the army and SS."
"Yes," Sin nodded in agreement, "If you won't let Rumlow and I have some fun, and we can't smuggle in spies to have fun, we might as well have the guys we haven't smuggled out start a riot. According to all the books, about half of the RAID troops are still in the United States and most of the AIM troops that also take orders from you are there, although of course, underground."
"The AIM personnel are not my concern," the Skull answered, "They have been hit the worst by recent S.H.I.E.L.D. crackdowns and have splintered. Maybe we can pirate their weaponry, but I see no further use for them."
Sin and Rumlow nodded, knowing that they'd most of the recent damage to AIM when they had earlier been hunting for the murderer of the Red Skull and learned of Lukin's 'Winter Soldier' plan.
"RAID, however, has not only managed to survive, but to at least remain somewhat functional," the Red Skull continued, "Although this will be somewhat of a suicide mission as I'm sure the real Captain will stop them, but it will create enough chaos that the Pro-Registration heroes will have to get involved and might even force them to start a real battle to try and figure everything out."
"We can send 'Screwball' to deliver the orders," Rumlow commented, "He did well in getting those criminals to attack Stamford."
The Red Skull nodded, "Send him. Although, also tell him that I want him to have a direct link with me when he makes contact with the RAID officials."
"Of course, sir," Rumlow answered.
Fury's Bunker
Steve smiled triumphantly as he watched the events come through the screen which was showing them exactly what 'Lester' saw and heard.
"That ought to do it," Steve said with a smile, "That'll show them that what we're dealing with has no interest in justice or peace."
"Yeah, that should be enough to sever the alliance that the Skull has manipulated America into," Fury commented, "Although, I think we ought to keep Lester broadcasting for awhile. I'd like to know what specific plan with RAID that the Skull has cooked up."
"No doubt he's going to have them dress up like us and mindlessly attack people," Sam Wilson spoke in a low voice, "We ought to bust RAID down to size before they get a chance."
"I agree," Buck commented, "We have what we need to prove the Red Skull is nothing but a liar and a villain, why let him do more damage?"
"We might need to let it happen to make the image more believable," Fury commented, "The way things are going, the government will denounce it as a fake and well…. I can't really say what Stark will do."
Steve sighed, "I'm not about to let any more people become victims. The problem is, we don't know where the remaining RAID bases are, and if he's smuggling them into his Reich, we don't know which ones have men there for the Skull to recruit."
"What about Stark?" Fury asked, sounding suspicious.
"Tony doesn't trust the Red Skull any more then I do," Steve answered, "If I can stop the attempt and get this tape to Tony, he'll relay it to the government. That should be enough to end the 'diplomatic' part of the Red Skull's plan."
"You won't be going alone," Sam told his friend, "Buck and I will back you up."
"I thank you, but it might be wiser that I did this on my own," Steve commented, "I don't want you to get hurt."
"That's a risk we always take," Buck answered, "Besides, both you and Fury are right. Even if we don't find these RAID guys right away, and they attack, we'll be sure to find and beat them then, and that could allow you to get the tape to Stark. That would be somewhat easier then trying to meet him in secret."
"This will be dangerous, and depending on when we actually find the RAID troops, things could go very bad very fast," Steve answered.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Sam spoke.
"Just a warning," Steve answered.
"What about the rest of us?" Sharon asked.
"I'm going to need your help getting the tape ready," Fury spoke up, "It will take these guys a little while to download all the know RAID base locations from the computers and get everything ready. I will meanwhile need help getting Lester's recorded images on a tape to give to the government or S.H.I.E.L.D. for evidence. If you want to go with them, that's fine, but I'll need the help getting the tape ready."
Elsewhere, Half an Hour Later
A small group of RAID troops met in the basement of an old beach house on Long Island as a lone man, identified as 'Screwball' by Rumlow in the Red Skull Reich, stood amongst them.
"Let me get this straight," one of the RAID men spoke, "We are to dress like superheroes and attack the city?"
"Yes," Screwball answered, "The Skull requires that America's superheroes fight each other and destroy their country in the process. Something has kept that from happening."
"And dressing up like heroes is going to change that?" another RAID man asked.
"No one will believe we're really them, and we're bound to get caught," a third RAID soldier commented.
"Maybe, but it is likely to draw in both the Anti and Pro-Registration heroes," Screwball answered, "And hopefully, they'll fight each other when they arrive. While they fight, you should be able to slip off."
"What if they don't fight?" the first RAID trooper asked.
"It is a risk the Skull demands you take," Screwball answered, "You will not challenge the Skull on this issue?"
The men quickly looked at each other and shook their heads.
"No, sir," the second RAID trooper said knowing what the Skull would do to him if they did not agree.
"Good," Screwball answered, "Your attire is in the trunk that I brought with me. Remember that you are to make the entire engagement look believable."
"Of course," the third RAID trooper nodded.
Avengers Tower
Tony sighed as he walked about the main areas of Avengers Tower. There were still a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around, but he had sent most of them to other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases to prevent them from getting into things that had historically 'Avengers' equipment, and some of it also included parts for Spider-Man's spider-tracers. The thought of the arachnid themed hero made him stop and sigh. He didn't like the way things had been going. The Avengers had been split down the middle over the Registration Act and the Red Skull's activities and he was now in a position where if things were to go bad, he might end up directly fighting some members of his own team.
As he entered one of the living rooms he found Janet and Hank, along with Carol Danvers watching one of the main televisions rather intently.
"What is it?" Tony asked with a rather heavy sigh.
"I'm surprised a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hasn't told you already," Hank Pym answered and pointed at the screen, "Look."
Tony then looked over at screen to see what looked like Cap, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Daredevil running down a city street shooting at people as they went.
"What the devil?!" Tony spoke in a surprised voice.
"They've been saying that Cap has completely flipped and is 'taking vengeance' on innocent people," Carol commented.
"The only problem is that even if Cap did 'flip', he wouldn't be using a handgun," Tony sighed.
"What do we do with this? They're bound to create trouble," Janet commented.
"We round them before they actually kill someone, if they haven't already," Tony said firmly, "We can't let them do something that would jeopardize Cap's main plans to beat the Skull."
"You think these guys are connected?" Carol asked.
"To the Red Skull, yes," Tony answered, "Come on now, move quickly.
Bronx
Cap slowly looked around an empty warehouse that was rumored to be a RAID base. He, Buck, Sharon, and the Falcon found that it had been a RAID base, but it had apparently been abandoned for almost a month. Dust covered a lot of things and the advanced suits of armor that RAID troopers used to deal with either well protected targets or with the more powerful superheroes lay covered in dust and face down on the ground. It's control panels, which were covered by tarps appeared to remain, although they had all been smashed, making them useless to anyone.
"This is the third one," Sharon commented, "He couldn't have smuggled all of them out, not this quickly. S.H.I.E.L.D. would have noticed."
Buck walked over to one of the fallen mechanical war machines that had been abandoned.
"Maybe they smuggled enough out that there aren't enough to maintain these facilities," Buck commented, "And the equipment has been destroyed to prevent anyone from using it."
Cap had nodded taking a few steps toward the abandoned equipment, but once he got within fifteen feet of them he heard a beeping noise.
"Or they booby-trapped them to leave as much damage as possible behind them," Cap answered as he dove back as the equipment and panels exploded sending shrapnel throughout the warehouse.
Buck and the others were outside the blast radius of the exploding equipment, but hey did raise an arm to try and block some of the incoming fragments. As Cap pulled himself up, Sharon activated a small radio to speak with Fury.
"Colonel," Sharon reported, "We've hit another dead end. It appears they've smuggled most of the people out of their bases, and booby-trapped the equipment they couldn't take with them."
"I'm afraid you have bigger problems then that," Fury's voice answered over the radio, "I've been monitoring the situation in New York, just to keep tabs on everything, and a group of four just appeared out in residential Long Island, dressed like you guys and brandishing handguns. No one's been killed yet, but it has been close."
"We'll get there," Sharon sighed, "I know Cap will want to have a word with them."
Sharon then hung up and turned to Steve and the others who were all looking at her.
"It appears we're too late," Sharon spoke, "the Skull's already got his men disguised and out. They're rampaging through Long Island."
"Falcon, get there and see what you can do to slow them down," Cap ordered quickly, "The rest of us will try to catch up."
"What if Stark and his group gets there first," Falcon asked, "I doubt all the S.H.I.E.L.D. guys they got around them will hold their fire when they see me."
"Hopefully they're focused on doing the more important job which is saving lives," Cap answered, "If they go after you, do what you can and must, but do not harm them seriously."
Falcon sighed and activated the harness that he wore and took off into the air, his red 'wings' providing the African-American hero with added lift. Cap, meanwhile turned to Buck and Sharon.
"We're going to have to move quickly," Cap said firmly, "Falcon is going to arrive first. We can not let him go against those people for long on his own."
Long Island
A man dressed as Captain America lead his small group of disguised RAID troopers on a hard run through the residential area of the neighborhood firing their handguns at any person that got in their way. The shots weren't well aimed and the few people that they did fire on were unarmed and were trying to get away. None of them knew if they even hit some of their targets as they were trying to follow their orders and create as much of a disturbance over as wide an area as possible and weren't paying that much attention.
"I hear sirens," the man dressed as Wolverine, whom the others called 'W', spoke, "The cops have responded."
"We can take the cops," the man dressed as Captain America, who was called 'C', answered, "Let's cut through that backyard."
They then turned and climbed over a wooden fence and leaped into the yard it enclosed. They then kept running. Above them Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and Wasp hovered somewhat above them, while Yellowjacket was following up with ground reinforcements.
"There's only four of them," Iron Man commented, "Marvel, can you move to come at them from behind?"
"Yeah," Ms. Marvel answered with a nod.
"Wasp, since you can only fly while your insect sized, I wouldn't think that they can get a good shot at you," Iron Man spoke, "I want you to get in there and give them a good reason to be distracted."
"What will you be doing?" Wasp asked.
"I intend to head them off," Iron Man answered, "It looks as though they do not want an all out fight, which means that we can easily get them to give up, and if not, they'll split up and probably end up running into Yellowjacket and S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements."
"Alright," Wasp answered as she and Ms. Marvel moved to begin their attempt to capture these criminals.
Iron Man was about to join them when he heard another voice speak from behind him.
"Figured I'd run into you," Falcon spoke as he came in.
Iron Man turned to see the red and white costumed hero fly in to stop to hover by Tony.
"We have things in hand here," Iron Man spoke, "There is no need for Cap to risk anything."
"That actually may be where he does come in," Falcon answered, "Cap's finally got the evidence that we will remove the Red Skull's influence from the country. In some sense he needs this in order to deliver it you or to the government."
"I'd have to go to me before the government," Iron Man commented, "I fear the government has issued orders to the police, army, FBI, anyone that they can completely control to shoot Cap on sight."
"And S.H.I.E.L.D. won't?" Falcon asked.
Iron Man sighed underneath his helmet, "I know you don't entirely trust me, but I assure you, I don't want any arm to come to anyone out of this."
"Doesn't mean some nut is going to try," Falcon answered, "You may not want anyone to get hurt, but Hill assembled a pretty hardcore group of 'yes men' around her while she was director. That means they're likely to think she should have had free reign to do whatever she wanted, which will put you as the new director in hot water. And in the end, your good words and intentions may come to nothing."
"I pray it never comes to that," Iron Man told the man, "I honestly do."
Falcon slowly nodded and looked down. The two dressed as Spider-Man and Daredevil were knocked out by Ms. Marvel's energy blasts and the one dressed as Wolverine was still running, but was swinging his arms to try and get the Wasp away from him. The one dressed as Captain America appeared to be getting away.
"Shouldn't we go after them?" Falcon asked.
"Help Wasp catch them," Iron Man commented, "I'm more curious about these guys."
"They're RAID agents," Falcon informed him, "Probably disguised as they are and acting like they are to get us into an all out fight."
Iron Man looked at him for a moment.
"It's part of the evidence Cap has gathered," Falcon explained.
"We'll move on the one Wasp is dealing with," Iron Man spoke, "I'm sure between the three of us we can knock him out easily. Yellowjacket is coming up with S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements, so the other one won't get far."
They both dove down toward the fleeing man who was still distracted by Wasp hitting him with her 'wasp stings', but he was managing to keep moving. Falcon hit him first, taking his feet out from under him with one of his wings. Iron Man hit him next by driving his face into the grass. He was soon out cold.
"Hey, Sam, coming in to Register?" Wasp asked, "Or is this part of something else?"
"Hopefully something better," Falcon answered, "Something better."
C kept running just as fast as he could. His gun forgotten, he ran solely to try and escape. Armed with only handguns, they couldn't defeat the Wasp, Ms. Marvel, and Iron Man all at the same time. On top of this, no Anti-Registration heroes showed up to fight the Pro-Registration heroes, which left him on his own. He had to get away to fight another day. The area was beginning to transition into a more business type area then the line of residential neighborhoods that they had run through at first. C was about to cross a street and move into an alley between two small convenience stores when a large Greek-like round shield came flying out of it.
The shield hit C in the midsection and took him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The real Captain America then stepped out from inside the alley, Buck and Sharon stood quietly behind him.
"You'd best find cover," Cap spoke, "The guy's down. I'll keep him here until the arresting party arrives to take him in."
"What about you?" Sharon asked.
"I'll probably be taken in with him," Cap answered, "but, this way I can get the tape to the government."
"We'll keep you covered until we know they're not going to just shoot you on site," Buck answered, "I know this is sort of a 'sacrifice operation' you're running, but they could just kill you, and that would ruin it."
Cap slowly nodded and approached C, who was still on the ground, gasping for air. He carefully picked up his shield and held one of C's arms down with his foot.
"You aren't going anywhere," Cap spoke to the downed RAID trooper.
About ten minutes later, Yellowjacket and about ten S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, riding in a large containment vehicle that was designed to hold a person with superhuman abilities came down the street.
"Hey, look," the driver spoke, "It looks like an impersonator took out Rogers."
"No," Yellowjacket corrected, "The impersonator was the one causing trouble. The REAL Cap took him out."
"Then I'm gonna gun it," the driver said enthusiastically, "Rogers can't cause any more trouble if he's flat."
"You'll do no such thing," Yellowjacket ordered, "Stark's orders in regards to Captain America are to treat him with respect."
"He's committing acts of treason," the driver protested.
"Only from a very stupid point of view," Yellowjacket answered, "calling him a traitor because he opposes a law shows a very narrow way of thinking. He is to be treated with utmost respect."
"But Director Hill…" the driver protested.
"Is no longer the Director," Yellowjacket said sternly, "Director Stark has issued orders that Cap is not to be harmed. Now, are you going to do what is right, or just what a group of closed minded individuals think is right?"
"Very well," the driver sighed, pulling by slowly.
Cap stood quietly as the large paddy-wagon came to a slow stop a few feet away from him. Nine S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly surrounded him.
"Drop the shield," one agent ordered directly, "Hands up."
"I need to talk with Director Stark," Cap said in a plain voice.
"You can talk with him after you've been processed and your cloths returned to the United States government," another agent spoke, "but we won't be doing that here."
"Stand down," Yellowjacket commanded as he got out, "He is not the problem."
"He's broken the Registration Act, sir," the first agent spoke, "He is a criminal."
"Things are more complicated then you think, especially if you've only been following what the government has said about Cap," Yellowjacket told him.
"Maybe, but we are obliged to enforce the Registration Act," the second agent, "Director Stark my have overruled President Bush's 'shoot to kill' orders, but he still must be arrested and protocol must be followed."
"Protocol can be followed after he's talked with Tony," Yellowjacket urged.
"That is impossible," the first Agent said sternly, "And remember Dr. Pym, we are in charge here. You are merely muscle."
Yellowjacket sighed, "Fine, I'll take care of his personal belongings."
"His clothing and equipment is property of the US government," the second agent spoke, "Whatever can be done to give him clothing once he's sent to prison will be done."
"Don't fight it, Hank," Cap sighed, "So long as I get a chance talk with Director Stark."
Buck and Sharon, meanwhile quietly watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took Cap's shield and put Cap in the back of the 'paddy-wagon'. Thankfully, from what they could see, he wasn't restrained. They then took C and threw him in. Buck and Sharon assumed he was eventually restrained.
"We'd best get out of here," Buck commented, "If Cap's deal is upheld, Iron Man will let Falcon get away."
Sharon sighed and followed Buck out as the two disappeared back down the alley.
Meanwhile, Iron Man, Wasp, and Ms. Marvel had rounded up the other disguised RAID troopers. Yellowjacket and the S.H.I.E.L.D. troopers found them as they rounded them up at a street corner.
"About time you guys got here," Iron Man commented.
"We had to deal with the traitor," the first agent spoke.
"Traitor?" Iron Man asked.
"Cap," Yellowjacket said.
"We will need to stop by the FBI headquarters to return the Captain America uniform to the government," the second agent reported.
"They will stay with me," Iron Man answered, "Contrary to what the government has said, those clothes and equipment belongs to Cap. The government has never had any right to them."
"But they've said…" the second agent protested.
"The President and the Vice President have only made claimed that the title and equipment belongs to the government because they want a stooge that jumps whenever they growl," Iron Man answered, "That equipment is Cap's and Cap's alone. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, but he is going to prison for life, why not just give to the government," the third agent commented, "It will save on the red tape and allow the rest of us to move forward."
"Or justice system says 'innocent until proven guilty'," Iron Man reminded the man, "I will look after Cap's things until the trial is finished. If you have any questions, I ask you to consult college textbooks on government and justice procedures."
The agent recoiled hard from that. No one had ever reprimanded an agent that way. All of its directors had tried to have them be as close to soldiers as possible, especially Fury and Hill. None of them had ever encouraged them to think, they were taught to follow orders.
"We will take Cap back to Avengers Tower and he will be in Avengers custody," Iron Man answered, "These imposters can be taken to a FBI office for arrest and interrogation."
"Of course, sir," the first agent sighed.
Fury's Bunker
Fury and the Falcon were waiting as Sharon and Buck made their way in. Both of them looked rather nervous as Sharon and Buck approached.
"Cap go with Stark?" Fury asked.
"Yellowjacket, actually," Sharon answered, "But I would assume that he'll get in touch with Stark eventually."
"That's good," Fury spoke with a sigh, "Now, all we have to do is prepare in the event that Cap's plan fails."
"What?" Falcon asked suspiciously.
"What Cap is doing is a 'sacrifice'," Fury explained, "He believes that by giving himself up, he can give them the evidence that will prove that the Red Skull is a villain and put himself in a position where he can sue the government over the constitutionality of the act. If he succeeds, his 'sacrifice' will benefit everyone. If he fails, we will need to figure out what to do next. We can't sit around here and do nothing. We must be ready."
"I'd like not to think about what to do next until we know whether or not Cap has succeeded or not," Sharon commented, "Because if they leave him alive, it may end up being a rescue mission."
"That could potentially be part of it, but it will take time and there are other things that must be done," Fury said firmly.
Avengers Tower
Tony hated having to put Cap in one of the small cells that were part of the tower where they had kept criminals before they could be turned over to law enforcement. But it was the only thing he could really do. The agents would think that he wouldn't enforce the Registration Act, and he was expected to enforce it. He placed Steve's uniform in the room he occasionally stayed in before this whole mess with the Red Skull. They landed on the bed with a soft 'plop' and he turned to leave and talk with Steve himself. He found Steve quietly sitting on one of the benches in an orange jumpsuit that was normally given to criminals.
"It's all part of the plan, no need to look depressed," Steve spoke up as Tony entered.
Tony motioned for the guards to remain outside the room. The door then shut behind him.
"It'd be nice if you let me know a little bit more of this plan of yours," Tony sighed, "It might have prevented this."
"The government would have seen to it that I would have lost my things anyway," Steve replied, "I can hope to trust you enough not to let anything happen to them."
"They'll be waiting for you if you manage to free yourself," Tony answered, "I don't know if the Supreme Court will hear your case."
"Not while the Red Skull is influencing the government," Steve answered, "And we've finally got the evidence to prove that the Red Skull is the true enemy that has been threatening this country, not me."
"Where? How?" Tony asked in a surprised voice.
"There is a tape in one of the pouches on my belt," Steve answered, "On it is video footage of the Red Skull planning the RAID attack that your people mostly thwarted. It also shows that he was somehow involved in what happened at Stamford."
Tony looked at his friend, and the man who had generally lead the Avengers since he came out of suspended animation.
"The tape proves that?" Tony asked, "How did you get the footage? The Red Skull hasn't let foreign journalists into his Reich. I don't know if he's allowed his own people to make their own 'media' or if he's recreated some sort of 'propaganda ministry' yet."
"We stole a Fury LMD and sent him into the Red Skull Reich with cameras in his eyes," Steven answered.
"Wouldn't he recognize Fury?" Tony asked.
"Fury gave him Thor's face," Steve sighed, "Thankfully, there's none of Thor's DNA and that it clearly doesn't have Thor's body type, so if he's alive out there, he won't be too offended by the plan. Hopefully."
"If you needed a duplicate of Thor, you should have talked to me first," Tony commented, "I've kept blood samples of all the Avengers, in case you know, they needed a transfusion."
"A transfusion?" Steve asked sounding suspicious.
"There are so many of us that have very unique blood types as a result of their powers," Tony sighed, "I didn't know if blood from a blood bank would work properly. I mean, Thor's blood doesn't match any human blood type, probably his Asgardian heritage. If he were wounded and needed blood, and we gave him some of ours, we could have made things worse."
Steve sighed, "You're sitting on a powder keg keeping samples of Thor's blood, but we're getting away from what needs to be done. You need to show the tape to the government before I issue my formal challenge to the law constitutionally."
"Right," Tony sighed, "I'll look at it, as it will probably need some explaining. Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," Steve sighed, "I just need your help making sure my plan works."
"I'll do my best," Tony sighed.
"Even if my plan destroys Registration?" Steve asked.
"The way it's being implemented is going too far," Tony sighed, "I'd favor registration, but it seems that they're starting to make it not a vessel for training heroes and into a tool for the government to simply scarring all its perceived enemies. I can understand training, and I would encourage it, but I can't agree to drafting superhumans, and their children as well, to enforce a single line of thought, regardless of whose thought it is."
There was a moment of silence before Tony continued.
"I would favor at this moment removing the Registration Act as it is and creating a new one, one that is somewhat of a compromise," Tony sighed, "One that allows a superhuman being the choice of being trained or being themselves, because the way this is going, any new mutant or superhuman who doesn't want to register and be a superhero, might end up getting drafted anyway."
"I told you this from the start," Steve warned.
"I know," Tony sighed, "Maybe the rest of us were too hopeful that the government would do something intelligent."
Washington DC, the Next Day
Tony slowly made his way in his best business suit through the hallways to the Oval Office in the White House. He had a copy of the tape that Steve had given him in hand. He hoped this would be enough to get the president to break his alliance with the Red Skull. He was greeted by Secretary Rice outside the door.
"Good afternoon, Director Stark," Rice spoke politely.
"Good afternoon," Ton answered back with equal politeness and followed her into the room where both the President and Vice President were waiting.
"Good afternoon, Director Stark," Bush spoke first, "To what do we… uh, owe the honor?"
"I was told you captured Rogers yesterday," Chaney commented, "I trust you're here to ask where he can be buried."
"Actually no," Tony spoke, "What I have to report to you is proof that many of recent events are part of a plan far larger then what you believe, and that the Red Skull is at the heart of it."
"The man is a good ally of the United States," Chaney growled, "We don't want to hear your opinions about him."
Tony held up the tape, "This tape holds concrete evidence that he is not a 'good ally' of this country. In fact it probably proves that he is in fact the real trouble maker that is causing all of the troubles that we are currently enduring."
"How did you get this tape?" Rice asked.
"Cap was carrying it when we 'caught' him," Tony answered, "Although he wasn't really caught."
"Not really caught?" Chaney growled.
"He simply showed up, and surrendered, handing the tape over," Tony explained.
"And you say it proves the Red Skull has lied?" Bush asked.
"That is what we were told," Tony nodded, "And we went through standard procedure when questioning Cap on it. And I've never known him to lie."
"Probably wasn't paying attention to that Communist," Chaney grumbled.
"Do you have a television and equipment with which I can use to show you the tape?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, it'll take a little while to wheel it in here," Bush spoke with a nod, "But don't worry, we'll have guys on it."
Tony stood by patiently while Bush hit a small buzzer and called for a TV and VCR to be brought in. He heard someone grumble about not using a DVD over the intercom, but that wasn't important. About five minutes later, a couple of secret service agents brought in a television and plugged it into the far wall opposite Bush's desk. Once it was set up, Tony put the tape in and let the group watch it. They watched it, and he was pleased to see that his audience was thoroughly shocked.
"He helped plan what happened in Stamford?" Bush asked nervously.
"No, he planned it in its entirety," Tony answered, "Cap always suspected it, but until now has not had proof."
"Why didn't he say that?" Chaney growled.
"You weren't inclined to listen to anything Cap had to say without proof and were determined to move forward with your own plans," Tony answered, "He found that dealing with you was like fighting a brick wall. All he'd do is bloody his knuckles."
"But he said he didn't plan things like this, the Red Skull I mean," Rice commented, "He said the one who performed most of the attacks on this country were Communists."
"Three men have claimed the title of 'Red Skull'," Tony explained, "One was a Nazi spy in the US during World War II named George John Maxon. Maxon was a servant of the original and current Red Skull, Johann Schmidt. The third was Albert Malik, who was a Communist agent, but once Schmidt awakened form a period of suspended animation, Schmidt killed Malik. Nearly everything the Red Skull said in his announcement of his 'Reich' speech was a lie, and that which wasn't a lie, only a half truth."
"So he didn't have America's best interest at heart?" Bush asked.
"If anything he had only its destruction at heart," Tony explained.
"And that is why Rogers's acts of treason is so much of a problem," Chaney answered, "Just in case something like this happened."
"Maybe the fact that he felt the Registration Act was wrong and refused to obey it was criminal, but it's clear in my mind that the Red Skull expected those of us who are supportive of Registration to outright fight those who do not, which would be more dangerous for the country then what has been happening."
"I want Rogers executed," Chaney growled, "We'll have to publicly disavow all 'friendship' with the Red Skull Reich now. The last thing this country needs is a traitor attracting headlines."
"I'm afraid that Cap has already decided to attract headlines," Tony commented, "He informed me that he respectfully challenges the Constitutionality of the Registration Act."
"He can't do that!" Chaney growled, "The Registration Act is a legally passed law. It can't be challenged."
"It can be challenged before the Supreme Court," Tony told them, "I believe they would have original jurisdiction since he is suing the government as a whole."
Chaney only growled angrily while Bush and Rice looked on.
"So the Registration Act will be going before the Supreme Court?" Bush asked.
"If they decide to hear the case," Tony answered.
To Be Continued…
"Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people."
Chief Joseph (Hinmaton-Yalaktit), Nez Perce Chief, on a visit to Washington in 1879, quoted by Chester Anders, Free Chief Joseph (1936)