Chapter 8 – The First Avenger Meets the Guardian 7

Previously…

"Something wrong?" Vudren casually asked, and, were it not for his helmet which he seemed insistent on wearing 24/7 in front of anyone but him, Agent Carter, and the Colonel, Steve swore he would see a smirk on his face.

"No. Nothing at all," he replied. Gesturing toward the still-burning factory, he asked, "I assume this was your doing?"

"It was," he straightforwardly replied. "Once I found what we were looking for, I happened across a quite volatile-looking pile of explosives just sitting there, where anyone could fiddle with them. I primed one of them to explode, giving me enough time to get out safely."

The man's brows furrowed. "Another super-soldier? Impossible. The doctor only had one success."

"Not another one. At least, I don't think so. But it is another man. There's…something about him. I can't quite put it into words. But he's been assigned to work alongside the captain. He might be a problem."

"I see. Does the S.S.R. have anything on him?"

"That's the thing: nothing. They don't have so much as a file open on this man."

The man said nothing for a few seconds, processing what he just heard. "I will make sure our superiors know about this as well."

Six months later

In a familiar secret meeting room, six figures were present to discuss the latest of the war in Europe. The familiar five all present, four seated and one giant standing behind her chair, but now their esteemed leader was present.

Currently, he was testing the room's acoustics and the effectiveness of the soundproofing and anti-spyware equipment.

"This is unacceptable!" Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, and leader of Hydra shouted in his thick German accent. "All our work, our future, is being taken apart by fools!"

"Please calm down, Herr Schmidt," the second one said. "I do not recommend we push the limits of this room's privacy."

"Do I sound like I am in the mood for levity?" Schmidt growled.

"No, Herr Schmidt," the second one answered. "I am merely saying that all it takes is one overheard sentence and the damage we are taking could be increased tenfold."

Johann Schmidt said nothing in reply, merely gripping the shoulders of his seat with enough force to rip the chair in half if he wanted to.

"What is the status of our main site?" he growled in demand.

The third one elected to answer. "Our stronghold in the Alps was able to receive the materials and parts needed to complete the Valkyrie and the bombs, though they are still behind schedule."

"How long?"

"Three weeks, Herr Schmidt. Three weeks and the Valkyrie will be ready to fly."

Johann Schmidt nodded, seemingly placated by the relatively good news and assurance. He had trusted everyone in the room long enough to know they mean what they say. It would be foolish to start doubting them now when they were so close.

Well, he thought as his eyes snapped to the outlier of the room, the floating giant thing that had wormed its way into his council, except for you.

To this day, he would never be comfortable or relaxed around the Witch, as he heard some of his soldiers calling it behind its back. He knew it was not human, and he had an idea of what it might be, but he did not dare alienate it yet; not while it might pose a threat if he did. For now, he tolerated it, as it occasionally provided some valuable insight and information.

"It is time we take the Allies only advantage against our newfound power off the board." He looked each one of his followers in the eyes and said, "Any suggestions?"

"In that, Herr Schmidt," the fifth one – the Witch - said in its sickeningly smooth feminine voice, "I might have a suggestion for you."

"Pfft," the third one scoffed and said under their breath, "about time."

Ignoring the snide comment, the Witch said, "The best way to deal with a rodent in your home it to bait it. No, Herr Schmidt?"

"A trap?" the first one clarified. "Is that the best you have?"

"It might be our only real option," the fourth one said. "Aside from fighting this war until we wipe out the Allies entirely."

Johann Schmidt hummed to himself, considering the possibilities. "Did our people in London get us the files on Captain America and his team?"

"Yes," the first one said, picking up and placing a briefcase on the round table, "they did, though at considerable risk to them. Our man is saying they may need to vanish soon."

"Yes?" Schmidt asked while opening the briefcase and picking up the file labelled Captain Steve Rogers.

"They have done a remarkable job getting us information so far, Herr Schmidt," the second one said. "And it would be an unnecessary risk to leave them there to be picked up later if their covers are truly in danger."

"Take care of it then," Schmidt replied, his attention dedicated to the files he was reading. A quick glance at the number of them, however, told him that something was wrong. "There seems to be one file missing. The one on their unusual member. Why is that?"

"It seems," the Witch said as she began slowly gliding around the room, "that the Strategic Scientific Reserve has gone to great lengths to keep this new soldier of theirs secret. Apart from second-hand testimony from your people in the field, and the fact we know he exists, we know nothing about him."

"Is that so?" Schmidt said, his mind concocting and rejecting a dozen plans in seconds. "We need to draw this idiot Captain America out so we can eliminate him. Leak that Doctor Zola is being transferred to one of our remaining facilities. Make this 'opportunity' so attractive this Captain America and his cronies cannot ignore it, and we will have them where we can deal with them on our terms."

"Surely," the first one asked, "we won't truly be jeopardizing one of our most valuable assets?"

"Do you truly think me a fool? Of course not. Relocate Dr. Zola to our main stronghold in the Austrian Alps. In the meantime," he turned his attention to the Witch, "I will entrust this unknown soldier to you. Prove your capability, or do not bother showing your face again."

The Witch smirked, bowed, and said, "It shall be done."

Turning to address the room, Johann Schmidt said, "My friends, this war is drawing to a close and both sides are now poised to claim victory. Let us disavow them of any hope. Hail Hydra!"

"Hail Hydra!" everyone the room replied.

All but one truly meant it.

It had been a truly busy six months for the members of the Howling Commandos.

Six months of traveling back and forth across the war-torn European front; fighting Hydra and the Nazis, seizing their weapons and supplies at their bases and factories when they could and leaving behind nothing for them to salvage when they could not.

They had made quite a name for themselves; both as an inspiration to their allies and a bane to their enemies.

So much so, in fact, that Vudren knew that any chance of him disappearing from the world's memory after this war was over was gone. According to Agent Carter, he was as much a celebrity now as Captain America himself. Even in the unlikely event the public forgot about him, SHIELD certainly would not, nor HYDRA.

But that was a problem for his future self; a decision he knew he would curse himself for. Right now, his main concern was ending this war and beginning his long-term plans of building up humanity.

Quite the broad goal he had given himself, and one he might not see finished in a normal lifetime.

But he was a Guardian and immortality had some benefits.

Back in London after the success of their latest mission, the Howling Commandos were celebrating their, so far, undefeated record by going out on the town. Vudren had lost them around the third pub and decided he'd had enough celebration and booze for the night.

Back home, in his time, Vudren was never really one for parties. Sure, he attended the seasonal festivals and gatherings, but heart of the party he was not.

Neither was Cloud, come to think of it. His Ghost could truly be a stick in the mud, as his old "ally", the Drifter, liked to say.

He spent a couple hours walking around the city, enjoying the relative quiet of the sleeping city that would surely grow into quite the metropolis in the future before he headed back to the S.S.R. base and his quarters to get some shut eye before the next mission. He was working almost as hard now as he was back in his own time. Quite a feat, considering he was usually needed throughout the solar system.

However, before he could even step foot into his sparse personal quarters and get undressed to sleep comfortably, Colonel Phillips had appeared out of nowhere and said they were calling an emergency meeting regarding some new information that just came in. He stared blankly at the wall for a few seconds after the Colonel's abrupt departure, seriously considering shooting himself in the head for the brief rest his latest death would afford him.

Fortunately, he had more self-control than that and was one of the first ones to take his seat in the meeting room. The Colonel was standing at the head of the round table in front of a large board with a map of Europe on it and dozens of small pictures, notes, and reports pinned on at various places. He recognized much of it, being at least partially responsible for at least some of the intel on it and made mental notes of the rest.

Over the next hour, one by one, the members of the Howling Commandos trudged into the room, clearly perturbed at being called away from their fun, but professional enough to focus on the meeting. Once the last one arrived, Steve locked the door they entered through before taking his seat.

The Colonel began. "Good, you're all here. I'd apologize for dragging you all from whatever the hell you were doing if I was interested, but I don't care enough to bother. A few hours ago, we received intel from one of our few deep cover moles in HYDRA that they're moving one of their most valuable assets: one Doctor Arnim Zola, the man responsible for much of HYDRA's weapon advances. He's also one of the few we know are close to that nutjob Schmidt. Capturing him will not only deal a massive blow to HYDRA, but also net us some incredibly valuable intelligence about HYDRA's plans."

"So that's the mission?" Dum Dum asked. "We're going after this lunatic Nazi egghead?"

"Yeah, why? You got a problem with that, soldier?"

"No, sir." He replied. "Just clarifying."

"No need for clarification. This is an order. Now, fortunately, we don't have to guess where Doctor Zola is going to be. In five days, he will be traveling onboard a Schnellzug EB912, which the lab coats downstairs tell me is a damn fast armored train, through the Austrian Alps, so make sure you boys pack warm. Captain Rogers, you are to take your team to the interception point, board the HYDRA train, and recover Doctor Zola alive. Your secondary objective is to neutralize all hostiles onboard the train and stop it so a retrieval team can board and salvage it. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Colonel." Steve said from where he was seated at the opposite end of the table. "We'll get it done."

"Good to hear. As usual, the armory's open to you boys, within reason. Get this done and try not to embarrass me in front of our bosses. Despite our successes, there are some who think we are an extravagance, a black hole of resources during a crucial time in the war."

"Trust us, sir," Steve said, "we won't let you down."

Colonel Phillips looked each man of the Howling Commandos in the eye, bar Vudren due to his helmet, and managed a little smirk. "I know you will," he said. "Wheels up in one hour at our private airstrip, where one of Stark's prototype aircrafts will be waiting for you. Happy hunting, gentlemen."

"Thank you, sir."

Five Days Later…

Even though Vudren had not lived nearly as long as some of his fellow Guardians, such as Zavala, Ikora, and certainly not as long as the Drifter, there were very few things he was afraid of. It was not that he was fearless, regardless of what others might say when speaking of his accomplishments. It simply took something truly outrageous to send shivers down his spine.

Heights was not something he was afraid of. If he was, then he would not be standing on the edge of this snowy cliff while staring at the train tracks their target was expected to use. Above him, a reinforced zipline was whipping back and forth in the wind, one end affixed to the mountain behind him and the other at the mountain the train tracks were built into…

…across a ravine that wasn't quite as deep as the Hellmouth on the Moon in his time, but still intimidating. Certain death for anyone that fell into it.

Most of the team was busy bundling up behind him, taking cover by the mountain to hide from the cutting wind, while setting up their radio equipment so they could hopefully listen in on Hydra's transmissions sent to and from the train. Steve and Bucky were standing nearby, looking out across the ravine, and talking.

"Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, and I threw up?" Steve replied.

"This isn't payback, is it?"

"And why would I do that?"

"I got it!" Private Jones shouted, causing everyone to turn to him. Kneeling next to the radio with a headset in his hand, his multilingual skills were proven useful for the hundredth time. "Hydra Dispatcher gave the train engineer clearance to open up the throttle. Sounds like wherever they're going, they need the good doctor bad."

"I'd say our need take priority." Vudren quipped.

"I agree," Steve said. "Let's get moving! Vudren, Bucky, Gabe, get ready to move! Everyone else, pack everything up and head for the rendezvous point!"

Steve, Bucky, and Gabe quickly fastened a pair of goggles over their eyes and scarves over the lower half of their faces to protect them from the wind on the way down. It would be a terrible way to go, missing their target because a bit of snow made it into one of their eyes. Vudren did not need it as his helmet, which he never took off when others were around, was still firmly set on his head.

The distant sound of a chugging noise drew Vudren's attention to the incoming train in the distance. Despite the relative primitiveness, Vudren could tell it was moving fast; faster than anything he expected in this time.

Time to disabuse myself of that mentality, he thought. We knew almost nothing of our history before the Fall.

Steve stepping up to the zipline and hooking a handle onto it brought him out of his musings.

"We only got about a ten second window to get on that train! You miss it, then you're getting a hero's funeral!"

"Better not miss it then, heroes!" Dum Dum shouted. "Don't want to spend my weekend at four funerals!"

The train's whistle blew as it came around the mountain and James, who was standing next to Steve at the zipline, raised his hand and shouted, "Ready!"

Steve loosened his body, getting ready for the risky ride down.

"Go!" James shouted as he brought his hand down.

To Vudren's admiration, Steve did not hesitate as he jumped off the cliff and placed his life into the zipline. Bucky, following his best friend and leader's example, was next. Private Jones, though less certain with a look of anxiety on his face, was third. Vudren was last, and he was ready as usual for this mission.

The freezing wind would have been a problem were it not for his helmet, but Vudren still struggled with a wave of unbidden memories. Memories of Europa, mostly, and the many, many adventures and missions he went through there, alone and with his fireteam. Fortunately, he was getting used to these unwanted recalls into memories and he was able to snap out of it as he descended.

Once in range of the train, he let go of the handle and landed on the train roof in a crouch. With his feet now securely on solid ground – or as solid and secure as a moving train could be considered – Vudren drew the Ace of Spades from his holster and moved forward to join the other three.

"Alright!" Steve shouted over the noise of the train and wind. "We all know the plan. Bucky and I will clear the train from back forward while looking for Zola. Vudren, you and Gabe will get to the engine, secure it, and shut it down. No time to waste, let's get moving!"

With that, the quartet split up into the designated pairs and separated, confident in their skills and each other, and completely unaware of the danger they were in or the trap they had just sprung.

It took less than three minutes of careful walking to reach the engine, but when the train one is walking on top of is going at least 200 MPH on a winding track in the mountains, it can make it seem longer. More than once Vudren felt the train shudder beneath him as it rounded a corner or went over a stone bridge and he, not for the first time, feared exposure. While he may have come to trust these men with some of his secrets, he still had not yet decided if he could with anymore.

Fortunately, the two of them, Private Gabe and himself, made it to the train engine with no problems. Vudren signaled for Private Gabe to prepare the breaching charge while he updated the Captain.

"Steve," he said, activating his short-range radio. "Vudren here. We've reached the engine and are preparing to breach. What's your situation?"

The tell-tale sounds of fighting were heard before a loud clang of Steve's shield made Vudren's ears ring. "Two cars clear," Steve finally replied. "We're moving on to the third. We've run into some Hydra resistance, nothing we can't handle."

"Good to hear. What's your status on finding Dr. Zola?"

"It's strange, Vudren. We haven't seen any sign that he's here. And I don't want to tempt fate, but I expected more guards for someone that's supposed to be vital to Hydra's R&D." His voice changed then as he addressed Bucky off the radio. "Cover the door, Bucky. We'll keep searching. Cap out."

With the call cut, Vudren gave a thumbs up to Gabe who nodded in reply. On the train engine roof between them was a small block of explosives. Not enough to destroy the train, but enough to breach the undoubtedly reinforced ceiling. The two backed away to what they hoped was a safe distance before Vudren nodded at Gabe. A press of a trigger later, the roof exploded, and the two soldiers jumped down through the newly made hole.

Once safely inside, Vudren brought the Ace of Spades up and quickly scanned the room he was now in. The breaching charge did some damage, not enough to disable the train, fortunately, but there was no one here. The train was running, but there was no engineer, no guard, nobody.

"I don't like this, Vudren," Gabe confessed, his eyes and hands holding his M1928 sugmachine gun darting back and forth, looking for the slightest hint of something wrong.

"I don't either, Gabe," Vudren replied, visibly calmer but internally anxious. Seeing the control center for the train at the front of the room, he said, "Get to work on the engine controls. See if you can stop this thing."

"On it."

While Gabe did as ordered, Vudren continued to examine their surroundings, knowing – just knowing – something wrong was about to happen. As if to prove him right, his radio crackled to life and Bucky's voice came shouting over the line.

"Come again, Bucky? I didn't catch that."

"-under attack…sort of monster…need back-up…" A loud explosion cut the signal short, but Vudren heard enough.

Private Gabe, who was still working on the controls and heard the whole thing, shouted before Vudren had a chance to, "Go! I'll finish up here and be right behind you!"

Vudren nodded. "Okay. Lock the door behind me and keep an eye on the roof. Don't let anyone sneak up on you."

Vudren did not wait for an answer, nor did he have the time to. As soon as he opened the door leading to the back of the train and took a step out, he almost ran into a procession of Hydra soldiers that had taken up firing positions on the door – the door he was standing in front of.

Fearing, not for his life, but the life of his teammate behind him, he quickly slammed the door shut and brought the Ace of Spades up, and said, "You picked a bad day to come into work."

Five minutes Earlier…

On the five-day journey here, Captain Steve Rogers had planned out several different scenarios in his mind about how this mission would go. He had, of course, expected a fight – this was a Hydra transport train, after all – and he got that. He did not expect this mission to be as easy as going down to the corner convenience store for milk and – surprise, surprise – it wasn't.

But what had never, in a million years, crossed his mind was to open the door on the next train car and come face-to-face with whatever-the-hell he was looking at right now.

The…monstrosity that he was looking at was at least two feet taller than he was, and he was considered a giant now compared to what he was a year ago. It was massive, in both size and mass, its arms and legs were bigger than his torso. And it's entire body was covered in some sort of…bone…armor. But what captivated his attention was the three burning green eyes above a mouth of sharp fangs and the massive sword it was holding in one hand.

"What the hell is that?" Bucky fearfully asked.

Before Steve had a chance to respond, the monster growled, "Your end."

And then it charged.

Despite its size and the fact it barely fit in the train car, the monstrosity before them was faster than either Steve or Bucky expected.

"Move!" Steve shouted as he raised his shield to cover him while darting to the side. The two friends managed to avoid the massive sword, barely, at the last second. However, the monster's sword did not just stop. Once safely out of the way, Steve saw the sword was not merely for show or crushing. The second it made impact with the train floor, it tore through the floor enough that he could hear the rattling of the trains wheels on the tracks.

And then it pulled its sword out of the floor with seemingly no effort, turned to the two of them – who had retreated to the other end of the train car to put some distance between them and it – and laughed.

"We're in trouble." Steve said.

"No shit," Bucky replied. "Now what?"

Steve's mind ran through a dozen possible plans and disregarded all of them. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to decide.

The monster held its sword out, the blade pointing menacingly in their direction, and it growled out one word that sent shivers down Steve's spine.

"Run."

And then it charged at them again.

Neither of them had to say a word; their joint unspoken response was to turn and run for the door. Though it only took a second to open and another to pass through, it felt like time had slowed to a crawl while they were slamming the door shut behind them. The image of the charging sword-wielding monster probably had something to do with that.

Finally, the door shut, and they slammed the lock into place. No sooner had they done that, however, did the entire wall suddenly explode. The door – no, the entire two train car walls – did nothing to stop the monster's charge as it knocked Steve and Bucky into opposing walls before coming to a stop in the middle of the car. As they lay there, groaning in pain, the monster turned to face them, its burning green eyes staring at their prone forms.

Shaking his head to rid him of the oncoming headache, Steve looked up and saw the monster staring at him with malevolence in its three eyes and a sinister grin on its face.

"We're in trouble," he said as he got to his feet. Grabbing his radio from his belt, he tossed it over to Bucky, who also made it to his feet, and said, "Get Vudren here. Now." Then he readied his shield and put himself between the monster and his friend.

Bucky, seeing what his friend – brother – was doing, quickly activated the radio and said, "Vudren. We need reinforcements now!"

"-ome again…didn't catch…"

"Steve and I are under attack by some sort of monster, Vudren. We need backup now!"

Before he could explain further, Bucky was cut off when the monster swung its sword at Steve who barely managed to dodge in time. Dropping the radio, Bucky brought up his submachine gun and started shooting the monster. Unfortunately, it seemed to have little effect as the monster only growled in annoyance.

To Captain Steve Rogers' credit, he did an excellent job squaring up to the monster. He blocked the sword with his shield when he could and, when he couldn't, he dodged. For his part, Bucky continued shooting despite the minimal effect it was having.

However, neither of them could keep this up for much longer. At least a few minutes passed since Bucky radioed Vudren for backup and the toll of this fight was taking its toll. Bucky had run out of ammo for his gun and had drawn his sidearm, the pistol having less of an effect on the monster that his SMG did. And Steve was clearly running low on steam. Every time he blocked the monster's sword with his shield took a chunk of Steve's dwindling stamina.

With how little damage they were doing, and how much endurance the monster seemed to have, it was only a matter of time before this battle was decided.

Expecting the monster's next sword swing, Steve was too late to notice it change its stance; instead balling up its giant hand into a fist and snapping it directly into the center of his shield. The force of it not only slammed the edge of the shield into Steve's helmeted forehead, but also propelled him back into the previous train car, momentarily unconscious…

…leaving Bucky alone, armed with two weapons that had no ammunition, with the monster that had its gaze now locked on him.

As the monster menacingly approached him while laughing its demonic laugh, Bucky frantically examined his surroundings, trying to find a way out of this. Desperate, when the monster was within arm's reach and it moved to grab him, Bucky dashed to the right, trying to make it to the car Steve was still unconscious in. Before he could make it, however, the monster had stabbed its sword into the wall just in front of him, cutting off that attempt.

He didn't know how, but Bucky knew that it was too late.

Before he could do anything else, the monster grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor, causing him to drop his gun in the process. His arms flailed and his legs kicked, desperately trying to break the monster's grip. He did not even feel it loosen.

In his desperation, Bucky did not notice the monster moving toward the train car's right sliding door until it opened it and snow and wind came blowing in.

He froze then as he dangled off the edge of the train; not because of the shock of the cold, but because he deduced what the monster was about to do.

Somehow the monster seemed to deduce that he figures it out as its evil smile became more sinister.

Then the monster reared its arm back and then it threw him out of the train.

The last thing Bucky saw was the door to the front of the car opening and the horrified look on Vudren's face as he fell.

Even years later, Vudren never forgave himself for freezing the way he did.

He should have anticipated this; he really should have. The Traveler had warned him that the Darkness would have agents here in humanity's past. Enemies that were working tirelessly to set up humanity to fall and destroy the Traveler once and for all.

But he had become lax in his vigil. He had gotten used to the relative ease of fighting a human force that did not have even the most remote chance of killing him.

But when he had entered this train car and saw the always-intimidating form of a high-ranking Hive Knight, he froze.

A shame that he would take to his grave.

A shame that just caused him a fellow soldier – a great soldier – and a good friend.

There were, at least, four to five Hydra soldiers in every train car that Vudren fought through to get back to Steve and Bucky. He could not leave them be or charge by them as they would undoubtedly just follow him on his rescue mission or continue along the car until they reached the engine and Private Gabe.

Yet, his thoroughness was paid for with the life of another.

Another friend.

He wasn't sure when, he knows he didn't consciously do it, but before he knew it, he was channeling a large amount of pure Light energy in both of his hands of a type and feel he never felt before. Then, with a roar, he threw both of his hands forward and a wave – no, a wall - of Light energy shot out and hit the Knight that just noticed his presence. The…blast took the Knight completely off its feet and slammed it into the corner.

Later, Vudren would examine every moment of what just happened, but for now, he dashed to the open train car door and leaned out, desperately looking for any sign of Bucky.

"Mayber it's not too late," he frantically thought. "It's mostly snow down there. Maybe I can find him before…"

"Vudren," Cloud interrupted his panicked line of thought, "he's gone."

"No. Maybe he's-"

"Vudren. Stop. There's nothing…Behind you!"

Vudren only had time to spin around to see what Cloud tried to warn him about: the Knight that had recovered while he was distracted and was bringing down its sword with intent to bisect him from head to toe. An unpleasant experience and horrific way to die, especially if the attacker is not strong enough to cut through the body in one swing, but that was not what had Vudren's attention.

No, what did have his attention was Steve leaping into the train car, clearly trying to save him before the Knight's sword could end his life.

"Shit," he said as the Knight killed him.

Fortunately, and never say Vudren never looked on the bright side every once in a while, it was quick.

It was quick; a brief, fleeting moment of almost unendurable pain and then it was over.

Vudren was dead, and it was time for Cloud to fulfill one of his many jobs as part of being a Ghost.

It had actually been a while since Cloud had to resurrect his Guardian. Ever since their arrival, Vudren had set a personal record and had not died once – an odd thing to boast about for anyone else – in the six or so months they had been here.

But as Cloud retreated to a safe distance so he could resurrect his Guardian, he noticed the Knight and Captain Rogers about to clash.

He won't last long. Cloud thought to himself. I need to get Vudren back.

Once safe in the next train car, Cloud's shell separated into pieces and then expanded, creating a sphere of light around its central eye. After a few seconds, Cloud tensed up before it emitted a bright flash of light and then Vudren dropped to the ground before it. Collecting itself into its normal form, Cloud asked, "What do you need?"

Looking down at the Ace of Spades still in his hand, Vudren's thumb gently rubbed over the spade symbol on the hand cannon's grip before he slid it into its holster on his hip. "Give me something with a bit more…kick."

Despite not having any facial features, Vudren knew Cloud was smirking when it replied, "I have just the thing."

Vanishing back into his Light, a second later, a larger weapon fell into Vudren's hands. One look, and Vudren nodded in satisfaction.

"This'll do."

As he adjusted the weapon in his hands, Vudren's eyes ran over the engravings of the Chaperone, memories of its previous owner – one of his oldest friends – came to mind. The family relic that once belonged to Amanda Holliday had become a mainstay of Vudren's arsenal since she had given it to him and she always approved of using it for Hive extermination. She would smile and applaud him were she here right now.

Twirling the shotgun's lever in his hand, automatically loading the first shot in the barrel, Vudren hurried back to the train car with the Hive Knight.

The moment he stepped through the door again, he saw Steve Rogers lying on his back, beaten, facing away from Vudren, and the Knight raising its sword to claim its third victim today.

And your last, Vudren vowed.

Raising the Chaperone, Vudren fired.

Despite its deceptive size, anything hit by the Chaperone's slug rounds would feel it; death at best, agonizing pain at worst.

And even for a massive naturally armored being like the Hive Knight, Agonizing pain, well, hurt.

The first shot hit it right in the chest, knocking it back and causing it to drop its sword.

When Vudren fired the second shot, it hit the Knight in the shoulder, further pushing it back from the Captain and causing Vudren to step closer.

The third shot hit the Knight in the knee, tearing right through it, causing it to let out an agonizing shriek of pain and falling to its good knee.

And the fourth shot was aimed for the Knight's head, finally knocking it onto it back.

Vudren could not deny he felt a grim satisfaction at seeing this monster brought low. But, as he stepped past Steve to stand over the Knight, he did not let his guard down. He knew, better than anyone else on the planet, the danger of letting down one's guard around a member of the Hive, even a wounded one – especially a wounded one.

Wounded, cornered animals were the most dangerous.

So, Vudren set about eliminating the threat this Knight posed by reloading the last slug in the clip and pressing the Chaperon's hot barrel against the Knight's center eye. Vudren could feel the look of pure hatred the Knight was sending him with its two remaining eyes, but he was not afraid.

The Slayer of Oryx, the Godslayer, did not fear a simple Hive Knight.

"Who is your leader?" he demanded of his foe.

The Knight did not answer. Instead, it laughed a gurgled laugh, its blood flooding the train car.

"When did you insects get here?"

Again, no answer.

"Fine," Vudren said, "then tell your master that I'm coming for them."

And then pulled the trigger, splattering the Knights brains all over the floor of the ruined train car, and said, "Never mind. I'll tell them myself."

Before Vudren had too much time to dwell on his victory, he heard Steve call out to him from behind.

"Vudren?" Steve shakily said from where he was still lying on the floor.

Vudren placed the Chaperone in its holster on his back and approached Steve. He held his hand out, but Steve merely stared at him.

"What did you…?"

"I'll explain later, Steve. Let's just…let's just finish the mission. Alright?"

Steve nodded. But then his eyes darted back and forth, as if seeing the train car for the first time and asked, breaking Vudren's heart, "Where's Bucky?"