Chapter 23:

[Raijin POV]

[Weeks later, Avengers HQ, New York City]

[Living-area.] Skye and I arrive at the party right on time. It's already in full swing. Everyone is here together, celebrating the anniversary of the AVENGERS formation. 'Can't believe it's been a full year already.' It's nice. Unconsciously, I tug at the collar of my suit, still getting used to the formal wear. "You're really not used to this, are you?" Skye tells me, standing at my side. I shake my head, "Nope. Hell, technically, this is the only party I've ever been invited to." Skye rubs her hands together, "Know the feeling. Orphans like us tend to be the outcasts." I take her hands in mine, "Least we're outcast together." She giggles, "That was so cheesy, but yeah. Least we got each other now."

I gaze around, taking in the surroundings. Bruce Banner is chatting with Helen Cho. Rhodey's telling one of his stories to a group of old military veterans. Cap, Wanda, Thor, and Hill are among them. Sam and Danvers sneak off together. 'Guess those two are officially dating now.' Bucky and Nat are on the upper-level balcony, enjoying each other's company. Clint is hanging with Bobbi Morse. On the dance floor, Karai is sharing a dance with some girl. I turn to Skye, "Like to dance?" She beams a bright smile, "I would love to."

The party starts to wind down after a few hours. It's only the AVENGERS left. We're all gathered around the table, drinking, talking. Overall, enjoying ourselves. The whole team is taking a shot to see if any of us could lift Thor's hammer. Clint went first, mostly because he instigated the game. Every member of the team took a turn at lifting Mjollnir, and each failed. Cap's the last to try his hand. All eyes are on the man. He places his hands around the handle of the hammer and pulls. The hammer moved. Just slightly, barely noticeable to the naked eye. But it did move. Thor's face of shock is a confirmation of that fact. Cap plays it off like he failed to lift it. "It's rigged!" Tony calls out, jokingly. Everyone rolls their eyes at the genius. The eggheads of the team throw in some theories of how Thor's hammer works, explaining why they couldn't lift it. Thor clocks his head back, amused, "I have a simple answer," takes the hammer and twirls it in his hand, "You're not worthy." We all groan and laugh at Thor's words.

"It's been a while, Clint. What have you been up to?" Nat asks her best-friend/partner. "Finishing up prior commitments. When I got roped back into the AVENGERS, I was still working a SHIELD and IMF op in Europe," he says. "A joint task force?" Skye questions. Clint nods, "That's right, rookie." I peer over to the Kree/human hybrid, "What about you, Carol?" "Humanitarian missions mostly, until a few weeks ago. I was assigned to bring down a rogue group of SUPERS called the Brotherhood of Mutants," Carol tells us. "Brotherhood of Mutants?" I ask, never hearing about the group before, "Who are they?" She sighs, "They're a terrorist group of craze nutjobs who believe they're a master race. They've been giving me the run around for weeks." Well, if you ever need back-up, all you have to do is call," Sam comments. Carol holds Sam's gaze for a moment, "Thanks, Sam." Skye leans in and whispers into my ear, "They're totally banging each other." I hold in a laugh, "Oh yeah."

"Thor. How are things on Asgard?" Cap asks. "Still rebuilding, unfortunately. Malekith left much destruction in his wake in his campaign. But things are slowly returning to normal," Thor informs the team. Tony perks up, "Haven't seen or heard from Jane for a good while. How is she doing?" Thor shifts uncomfortably in his seat, "I'm not entirely sure. We have not spoken to each other for some time. It seems my time away has put a strain on our relationship, and Jane decided to end it. A mutual agreement." "Damn. Sorry to hear that," Karai says to the Thunder God. Thor gives Karai a nod.

[1 month later, Bunker, New York City]

I sit in front of the holo-computer, checking for any sign of trouble in the city. Suddenly a pair of arms wrap themselves around my shoulders. I smirk, "Did I wake you?" Skye sighs, "No, an empty space did." "Sorry," I tell her. She rubs my shoulders and places a quick kiss on my cheek, "It's fine. I knew what I signed up for when we started this." She takes a seat next to me, "So, what's going on?" I sigh, "As of right now, nothing. Been fairly quiet." Skye chuckles, pulls me away from the workstation, and props herself on top of me. She leans in and kisses me passionately.

For some odd reason, this kiss is different from the other ones. This one is raw and emotionally powerful. It fills me with a rush I never felt before, if every ounce of breath is taken from my lungs floating into the air like midnight smoke. The world just stopped, leaving just the two of us to wander the earth together. Skye never leaves my mind; she's always there, mentally, if not physically. It's just incomprehensible. She's been my one stable force. I'm in love with her, and I can't believe I've only just realized it. This feeling is so strange; it stretches throughout my whole body. It's overwhelming yet makes me feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth; it's just absolute. It feels as though I'm in a dangerous fire, yet I'm completely safe at the same time. It feels as though someone has given me peace. It feels as though my heart is dancing around my chest, and a hole I was never aware of has been filled. It's strange, frightening even, how you can go from someone being a complete stranger to then being something so much more.

We pull back as if the two of us felt a jolt of electricity. Skye and I peer deeply into each other's eyes. There's an air of silence, yet our eyes did all the talking. She caresses the side of my face as if she's permitting me to fulfill my wants and needs. I hoist her up into my arms and carry her toward the bedroom.

[Room.] Still hoist in my arms, Skye looks at me, eyes bright, cheeks flushed. Her breath rising and falling rapidly. I kiss hard, catching her off guard. The moans of enjoyment that escaped her lip fill me with a rush. I like the way she kissed. Her mouth is soft, eager, and warm against mine. Slowly, I lay Skye on the bed and move down to her neck. Skye takes my hand in hers and places it on the zipper of her suit. I slid the zipper open at a reasonable speed, exposing Skye's perfectly shaped and rounded mounds. She reaches out a hand, guides me toward her chest, where I take her breasts into my mouth, kissing and sucking on them both, making Skye yelp with pleasure as my tongue trails the skin. We shed our clothes and fall into each other's embrace. Everything else fades away.

[Skye POV]

[1 day later, SHIELD HQ, New York City]

[Mission-room.] I stand watching Ward via the surveillance monitors. Exactly at 6 AM, the man wakes up and starts doing a session of exercises. "6:00 AM on the dot every morning. But there's no clock, no light, no way he can know what time of day it is," Karai says, walking in. "You've been watching him?" I ask her. She nods, hands me a cup of coffee, "Yup. Every free time I get when not on patrols or on a mission." "Thanks," I say, taking the cup of coffee. "Honestly, I don't know how you do it, going down there, talking to him. If it were me, I would've asked Wanda to rip all on the intel out of his head and call it a day," she tells me in a tone that suggests it's not an empty threat. "Coulson considered that option. But Ward was implanted with a neurological chip that would kill him if we tried it," I say, disappointed. We turn our attention back to the monitor. Ward's staring into the camera, knowing I'm watching him, practically calling me like a dog to fetch for information he has. "Sacrifices we make for valuable intel," I comment, exiting the room.

[Detention-center.] As I make my way down the stairs, Ward keeps his eyes locked on me. "I'm surprised it took you so long," he says, "Some would jump at the intel I can provide without a moment's hesitation. Is our talk making you that uncomfortable that you compromise valuable intelligence due to your personal misgivings?" I glare at the man, "You know how this works, Ward. I ask the questions you answer." The man smirks, "No. I give you the intel; you shut up and listen." My jaw tightens in controlled fury. "Now that we confirmed our roles in this relationship, let's get down the business. Leviathan." My forehead creases at the name; it sounds vaguely familiar. Ward continues, "They're a terrorist that was formerly a secret division within the Russian intelligence. Peggy Carter crossed paths with them, even managed to stop one of their bigger operations."

I scoff, "Does that mean you know some of the players?" He rolls his shoulders, "Only by reputation. When Russia collapsed, they all went underground. They expanded their power by basing themselves in economically poor regions that had been devastated by reoccurring wars. They're involved in every evil deed known to man. Human-trafficking, assassination, terrorism, drugs, you name it." My expression hardens, 'HYDRA isn't the only Boogeyman that lurks in the shadows.' "Where's the base of operation?" I question. "Madripoor," Ward tells me, grinning.

[Raijin POV]

[New York City]

Patrol the city via rooftops. EPYON tags an op. Switching on stealth-camo, I go to check it out. [Waypoint.] [Rooftop.] Down below, an armored van drives into an isolated Street. Suddenly two cars pull up, boxing in the armored vehicle. Eight armed masked goons exit the cars, move toward the armored van, weapon ready. The masked man on point barks out orders to the driver. But the driver doesn't comply with the goon's demands, mostly out of a state of shock and fear. These security guards are not trained to deal with high-stress situations like these. Just everyday civilians with little to no real combat experience, only doing a job that pays very little money. One of the goons fires a warning shot. The bullet cuts right through the bullet-resistant glass, piercing the wall near the driver's head. 'So they're using armor-piercing rounds? Good to know.' From my pack, I toss a smoke-grenade, jump down to ground-level.

[Ground-level.] The narrow street is quickly engulfed with a cloud of thick white smoke. Using both the stealth-camo and the smoke as cover, I make quick work of seven of the goons. When the smoke cleared, it's only one left. I signal the driver of the armored van to escape, he does. Now it's just me and the last goon. Quick-drawing my pistol, I drop the masked goon with a stun-bolt. Once the goons are cuffed and secured, I leave them to the cops. EPYON tags a high-priority mission from SHIELD.

[Hours later, Madripoor, Principality of Madripoor]

[Quinjet.] Skye runs the team and me on the intel of the mission over the comlink. The squad consisted of a 3-man team: Cap, Natasha, and me. "We'll reach the drop zone in 5 minutes," the pilot calls out from his station. We ready our gear. "What do we know about Madripoor?" Cap asks. "It's a cesspool of scum and villainy," I tell Cap. "That's putting it mildly but not wrong," Natasha remarks; she eyes the team leader, "Take the worst, grimmest and darkest side of society, give them a place where all their sins are given free roam to be expressed, collect it into a system that can just barely sustain itself and you'll get Madripoor." I cut in, "The island itself also has strong geographical factors due to how classes are divided up. Madripoor is the name of the capital city; it's split into two distinct areas. These two areas are known as Hightown and Lowtown. As you'd imagine, Hightown is full of riches and wealth, where the most powerful reside; often international folk. Lowtown, on the other hand, is far grimier and stricken with poverty."

[Lowtown.] In stealth-camo, the quinjet drops us down within a desolate part of Lowtown. Once ready, we make our way farther into the city. We move through the street, not drawing any attention toward ourselves. There are a few wandering eyes as we trek by, but they turn away, fearing to cause unwanted trouble. Madripoor is the type of place if someone screams for help; no one would come. It reminded me of the days when the Viceroys controlled NYC. We cut into an alleyway, following the waypoint on our HUD. Every block we cross, we witness the worst this city has to offer. Cap is forcing himself not to go off-script. Hell, I would be lying if I said I didn't try when I first came to this city. But there is such a thing as a lost cause, and Madripoor is it. 'I hate this place.'

[Steve Rogers POV]

[Leviathan Base, Madripoor]

[Hill.] We perch ourselves right on top of a hill, reconning the facility via the HUD. The heavy rain gives us a decent cover. I straighten sharply, "There's an aircraft heading our way." Right above us, a carrier craft flies straight toward the Leviathan base. A squad of tactically-suited troopers fast-rope out of the craft. With precision and speed, they eliminate the patrolling guards. "CERBERUS," I growl, recognizing the gear they're sporting. We infiltrate the base, staying low, moving fast.

[Inside.] I raise a hand to signal the team to stop their advancement, hear footsteps making their way toward us. Two sentries. Once they come around the corner, we jump them. I eye the surroundings and double-check it. Clear. Together the team and I push on into the base, dropping a few goons along the way. We prowl the hallway until we reach the control room. All of us stack-up by the door; I hold up three fingers and start to count down. Once it hits zero, the team quickly storms the room, dropping all armed troopers inside. [Control-room.] Raijin strolls toward one of the computer stations and puts his skillset to work. His fingers dance over the keys, downloading the data into a USB drive. Once done, we sneak to the lower level.

[Lower-level.] [Chamber-pod-room-A.] Going stealth, we breach into another pod room. The Leviathan troopers inside are completely unaware of the situation going on outside or of our presence. Raijin and I station ourselves behind a large container, out of sight. "The base appears to be under CERBERUS's control," I whisper to Raijin. He nods his head in agreement. The troopers stand at attention, watching a speech by the Leviathan commander on a stage up ahead. He addresses the troopers. As the commander finishes his rhetoric, a sarcastic clap echoes through the room. The troopers and commander gaze around, puzzled. A man emerges from behind the commander, clapping his hands as he struts forward, "Arousing speech, commander." The Leviathan commander turns to face the intruder, "Who the hell?!" "A silver tongue. A mark of a good leader. But in your case, a lair," the mysterious person states.

Several troopers rush to the commander's side and train their weapons on the intruder. The troopers advance, but they're held back by the commander, "Identify yourself!" My eyes widen in shock when I catch a clear view of the masked man. "Zemo," we both say in unison. The Leviathan commander snaps, "What do you want?" "To purge the unwanted rivals," he tells the commander. Raijin and I move to a different location. A stealth-camo arm reaches out for the commander and grabs him from behind. It's a CERBERUS commando. Zemo raises a device above his head, "This base carries enough C4 on its key structural points to erase it off the map of Madripoor at the touch of the button." Some of the troopers sway uneasily. A squad of CERBERUS commandos rappel down from the ceiling and take up positions, covering Zemo from the Leviathan troopers.

A handful of Leviathan troopers draw their guns on Zemo. He quick-draws his pistol with lightning speed and buries one bullet in each troopers' head. As they fall to the ground, Zemo pulls out the detonator, "Show's over! If you wish to live, I suggest you run now!" The Leviathan troopers scramble. The CERBERUS commando holding the commander hostage slits his throat, killing him. Showing no mercy, the CERBERUS commandos gun-down the retreating troopers. Zemo climbs up to the upper platform. Natasha and Raijin go to engage the CERBERUS commandos while I sprint toward Zemo. "ZEMO!" I yell out, grabbing the masked man's attention. He looks down on me, "Captain. It's been ages." "How are you still alive?!" I demand. "I have evolved far beyond your understanding, Captain," he says. Zemo leaps off the platform down to me.

I charge forward, jump in the air, and hit Zemo with a shield-bash, knocking him back. He straightens, "Excellent. I was worried you have gotten weaker since our last encounter. I would not want you to be anything less than perfect when I take your life!" Zemo draws his sword and comes at me. I manage to dodge his attack, but a few breaks through my defense, tagging my shoulder and chest. Using my shield, I go on the offensive. The two of us clash with hard blows. He swings his sword. I block, quickly grab his arm and arm-throw him to the ground, disarming him of his sword. Zemo jumps to his feet. I stay on him, not giving him a moment to breathe. Slam him toward the wall and bash him with a storm of punishes. Zemo traps my arm, palm-strikes me in the face, knees him in the gut, then front-headlock-drops me to the floor. Recovering fast, I upper-cut Zemo and bash him over the face with my shield, sending him flying. Zemo raises, his mask cracked. He pulls out the detonator and triggers it, "Enough of these games." Multiple explosions rock the base. The CERBERUS commandos and Zemo escape by teleportation.

Raijin, Natasha, and I dash for the exit, narrowly getting out the Leviathan base's destruction. [Outside.] Tap my comlink to call in an extraction. [Quinjet.] Peer over to Raijin and Natasha; each has a questioning expression on their faces. No doubt on the topic of Zemo. By my actions, it was obvious to them, the two of us have a history. I take the initiative and fill in the blanks, "Zemo was Red-Skull's enforcer. HYDRA's own SUPER-SOLDIER.

Contrary to popular belief, I spent more time battling him than Red-Skull during the war. Zemo is an embodiment of an extreme megalomaniac: overconfident, ruthless, relentless, and sadistic. He feels absolutely no remorse for his actions and is extremely proud of them. All that he wants is to create chaos and destruction. He hates anything and anyone who challenges him. Hell, I go as far as to say he's a monster who surpasses the Red-Skull's depravity." The three of us peer toward the now burning installation via the window. I let out a sigh. 'This is only the start of something worse over the horizon.'