The wait is over everyone. Now this chapter is shorter but it should still be a nice read. I've been dealing with a few things which I hope are eventually resolved. Till then I may be slowed down by it.


Chapter 26: The Legend Returns part 2

The two opposing WW2 combatants stared each other down before Zemo made the first shot. The super soldier ducked before running at the masked demon while evading his next shots. When he got close enough, he delivered a flying roundhouse kick that knocked the blaster out of his hands. While he was still in the air, he followed that up with a frontal kick to his enemy's chest that knocked him down. When he landed, his right boot was over Zemo's chest pinning him down.

"Excellent!" Zemo seemed to praise with genuine honesty. "I was worried your time away had left you weak. After all I wouldn't want you to be anything less than perfect… when I bring you down!" with that he flipped his feet up kicking Captain America in the back with the soles of his boots and making him stumble off him. The masked demon then quickly flipped himself up and grabbed the super soldier from behind before putting him in a sleeper hold.

The super soldier grabbed at Zemo's arms trying to pry them off. It was a struggle as it seemed that Zemo was a bit physically stronger than the last time they fought. However, he managed to pry them off his neck and then pulled the masked demon's arms as he threw him over his body. The former leader of Hydra rolled on the ground before quickly getting on his feet.

"How are you still alive!?" Captain America demanded wondering how his adversary was still around after all this time.

"Death means nothing for one such as me." Zemo began clearing the confusion. "I have evolved my body as the years passed, keeping myself as strong as in my prime." He then took out his sword and poised it at the super soldier. "I must confess Captain, when I heard of your supposed demise at the Red Skulls hands I was displeased. But now fate has seen fit to return you to the world, so that I may claim my revenge against you!"

Zemo lunged at the Captain as the super soldier stepped back to avoid each slash from the villain's sword. Without his shield to block the strikes, he was forced to be more evasive. Soon however Zemo began to strike faster and managed to deliver a cut across his foes chest. Rogers held his chest in pain as he felt a burning sensation. Trying to go on the offensive the super soldier went to deliver a right across. Unfortunately, Zemo managed to sidestep and delivered a counter slash at the Captains waist. The second cut caused the super soldier to fall to the ground as he suddenly felt the burning sensation from before increase.

"W-What's happening to me." Roger's spoke out as something felt wrong with him. It wasn't the pain from the cuts that bothered him as he was used to pain from his time in the war. The burning sensation however was something different from what he's ever felt as his muscles started to feel stiff like from the biggest cramp ever.

"Feeling sluggish Captain?" Zemo told his downed foe. "I imagine that you're feeling a very stinging burn at this moment." He then raised his sword while trailing his fingers over it. "To answer, I've coated my sword in a special toxin that affects your nervous system. It was designed so that in a regular person it would cause immediate paralysis as if they had just become crippled from the neck down. The fact your still able to move is impressive."

Honestly Zemo would've preferred a more lethal toxin. He wanted to see Roger's writhing on the ground in agony as he stood over him. But because he needed the Captains DNA he couldn't use any of the lethal versions. If he did it would risk damaging Steve's genetics and ruin any chance of Arnim Zola getting what he needs to make a cure. So instead, he had to go with a less harmful variant. However, because Zola didn't know the exact strength levels of the super soldier serum, he wasn't 100% sure how potent the toxin would be. He only knows it would work on the captain, but for how long remained uncertain. It didn't matter anyway, as the saying went, mild but effective.

He then walked towards the downed soldier. "You are all alone Captain. Your allies of the past are gone and your new ones will be eliminated soon. Arnim Zola's creations will see to that, but your death is another matter. The Red Skull took Bucky from you, but I shall be the one to take your life."

"D-Don't count on it." A shaky voice said.

Zemo turned to see the small flying saucer rise off the ground. It went over the green puddle as Goop began rising and reforming himself. The effects from his electrocution now appearing to be wearing off as he pulled himself to his gelatinous feet. Goop shook his head in a vain attempt to try and clear his head from the dizziness.

"You're going to regret doing that to Wasp and me." Goop threatened.

"I think not." Zemo told the alien before reaching for something behind him as he pulled out a glass vial containing a green-colored liquid substance of some kind. He threw the vial towards the alien hero who stretched his body out of the way as the vial passed by harmlessly and its contents spilled out on the floor.

"You missed." Goop taunted.

Zemo merely crossed his arms. "I wasn't aiming for you."

At hearing that Goop got an alarmed look and turned to check on Wasp. Thankfully, she was fine as the vial's contents hadn't spilled on her. However, the remnants of Doughboy suddenly began to twitch and seemed to come alive again. The purple substance that spilled onto its remains began to mix with it creating a mud brown looking color. The blown up remains all lunged at the same epicenter as they came together and reformed into a new form.

It started out at first in a spherical shape like Doughboy had been but then began to change. The sphere then became oval like as the end developed into a long tail while a pair of frontal arms popped out the front. A head soon sprouted which developed into a long mouth like a crocodile or gator. A pair of white eyes like from Doughboy snapped open as if awakened as the new monstrosity gave a groan like roar.

Goop blinked. "Great… as if he wasn't ugly enough already."

"As you can see I came here prepared." Zemo said before pointing at the alien. "Deal with him while I handle the Captain."

"Deal with this!" Rogers called out as he suddenly flipped himself up while kicking Zemo in the process.

The super soldier feeling better as it seemed his immune system had nearly finished eliminating the toxins in his system. The former Hydra leader had made the mistake of taking his attention away as he got flung across the hall. He looked to see super soldier closing in and flipped himself back up while slashing at him. This time however Steve reacted accordingly stopping right before the sword could touch him. He then flung himself at Zemo catching his armed hand before he could swing his blade back. The two wrestled with each other as the war hero managed to force his enemy to drop his weapon. He then spun and threw the hydra leader away as he then ran at him and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Goop turned to the revitalized monstrosity as it took notice of Wasp and lowered its maw to eat her. "No you don't!" the slimy alien quickly denied him as lunged at the creature.

The two blobs collided and flowed against each other like two opposite currents. Their colors of green and purple smashed and wrestled each other for dominance as one tried to pin the other. Eventually Goop changed his tactics and began manipulating his body. A sizzling sound soon rang as Goops now acidic body began to eat away at his enemy.

The reptilian looking Doughboy's face emerged from the mixture between them. He gave a pained roar before detaching himself from Goop and putting some distance between them. Goops body reformed back into its base appearance as he brought his hands back.

"Don't like that, then allow me to rub some salt into the wound." With that Goop hurled his hands throwing spheres of his structure at the creature. Reacting quickly Doughboy stretched out of harms way before growling at its opponent.

Unknown to Ben however was that this new version of Doughboy was more than just stronger. After receiving whatever was in that vial that reconstituted him it also gave him a type of intellect. It wasn't capable of speech or using technology but what it was capable of was observation and resolve. Which was why it had noticed the craft above his opponents' body that always moved along with him.

Goop suddenly got a knowingly bad feeling. "What're you looking at?" he questioned at how it was staring at him. No wait… he looked more closely and saw its head seemed to be a bit upward. Since Doughboy had no pupils it was a little harder to tell where he was looking. But from the position of the head, it seems like it's looking at… his eyes widened in slight panic "Oh no."

As if that were the signal Doughboy lunged at the small saucer. A green flash quickly caused the saucer to disappear as Shockquatch replaced the former alien. The electric yeti like alien quickly charged up his body and unleashed a burst of electricity at the purple blob. The electricity however didn't seem to deter the creature as it rammed into Shocksquatch and slammed him into the wall painfully before trying to smother him. A green flash emitted from within the purple substance before Fourarms burst out of the blob. The Tetramand smashed his four fists from above, flattening the creature and splattering parts of its body. However, that only seemed to stun him for a moment before it reformed and burst from underneath the alien. It threw him against the ceiling before slamming him back down to the ground. The floor giving in from Fourarms earlier hit as the alien and glob fell to the lower floor.

Fourarms struggled out of the purple monsters who was trying to smother him again. Another green flash of light emerged before the monstrosity was suddenly blown off his opponent and into pieces. The form of Cannonbolt spun in place for a moment before rolling out and running over the remains of his scattered opponent. He uncurled himself and looked to see his enemy once again pulling himself together.

"This is getting bothersome now." Cannonbolt remarked in growing impatience and annoyance at his persistent foe.

Doughboy finished putting himself back as he roared at Cannonbolt. Curling himself up again the alien rolled away with the reptilian slime chasing after him.

"I need to find a way to exterminate this thing." The alien thought wondering how to go about it. Psychical and energy atks don't seem to be working on it. Goops acid did hurt it but he can't risk it anymore since it learned to target the UFO he required. He thought maybe Upchuck could just devour that thing but immediately turned down that idea after recalling Wasp hurling after getting some bits in her mouth. After a few moments he got an idea and knew what he had to do. First thing was to lead it where he needed. "Ok ugly, follow the leader then."

Cannonbolt ran across the halls with his pursuer hot on his tail. When he reached the living room, he quickly opened the hidden entrance and ran inside to head down. As soon as he reached the elevator he transformed into Upgrade and merged with it before descending rapidly. When his chaser reached the end of the hall, it saw the opened entrance and followed after him. He tore the sealed elevator doors open and saw its prey heading downward. The reptilian slime immediately jumped down after him, intending to prevent any escape.

The elevator reached the bottom and Upgrade unmerged with it as he ran toward a corner of the cavern. A loud smash later and the purple mutation had torn the roof open to enter and exit the elevator. It spotted Upgrade at a distance and quickly started running at him.

"Ok you live disgrace of Grimer and Muk. Get ready to experience a massive breakdown." Upgrade said before transforming into Heatblast. "Or should I say a burnout!"

The Pyronite unleashed a massive wave of fire at the monstrosity once it got close. The beast let out a roar of pain as it's body began to feel like it was going to boil and bubble. It reared it head back before spitting out a torrent of slime at the fiery alien. Heatblast got flung back as the substance covered his entire torso area, leaving only his head and legs uncovered.

"Urgh I'm starting to see how Wasp felt." The pyronite remarked as he saw the purple beast approaching. "I don't even how you'd plan to try and kill me but I'm not letting it happen either way!"

With a concentrated effort the Pyronite's body began to burn hotter than before. The slime that held him solidifying into a black concrete looking substance before it broke apart, freeing him. The fiery alien unleashed another furious assault at the beast, causing it screech again. Suddenly realizing that it couldn't win this battle the creature turned and ran.

"Oh no you don't!" Heatblast denied him as he fired a high stream of fire that struck the ground in front of the creature. An eight-foot-tall wall of fire was burst into life, halting the beast in its tracks. The fire then spread out in a circular pattern encasing both combatants inside. The now trapped creature turned to its adversary with an angry look, clearly not liking the current situation. "Trapped like a rat, ironic for one who resembles a reptile."

Seeing it was now trapped the living slime snarled as it charged. Heatblast was ready for it as he waited till the beast was almost upon him. As soon as it was a few feet apart he suddenly lite up giving a battle cry as his entire body erupted into scorching fire. Like an explosion a widespread wave of fire washed out over the surrounding area. The purple slime was engulfed by the heat and fire that was unleashed. The entire area around them was like standing on the surface of a star. From an outside view it would look like a dome of fire that was swirling around itself.

It was an unimaginable pain for Zolas creation as his entire body began to go completely numb. Its slime made body began to blacken as its structure was being scorched like burned toast. It gave one final roar before its voice died out along with the rest of it. Heatblast finally relented and the flames began to die out to reveal the two of them. Heatblast's body was powering down at the flames he emitted slowly extinguished themselves till he was back to normal.

The creation of the Hydra scientist however was completely changed. It's slime body was now completely solidified into a dark grayish concrete looking substance. Even its white eyes had been petrified as it showed no signs of life anymore. It now looked like a statue or a perfectly preserved fossil.

"You made a mistake following me down here." Heatblast said before punching the now helpless enemy. It's body immediately cracked and shattered to pieces as if it had been made of glass. "Glad my plan worked."

The plan had been inspired by the memory of an old battle back when he was ten. His mind recalled the fight against the Lenopan parents of his future in law aunt Camelle who had been set to marry his cousin once removed Joel Tennyson. Apparently, the parents had held on the grudge their kind had against the Plumbers and wanted to destroy any chance of a treaty. The fight against them was tough but in the end, he managed to come out on top. Using Heatblast he scorched the two parental aliens, trapping them in their own bodies under a hard and thick layer of their fossilized remains.

So, he employed the same method to see if it would work on this similar mucky creature. First was having to lure it down here where he could unleash as much fire as he wanted without concern. Down here there was no risk of setting the mansion on fire or causing harm to Captain America who would've been nearby. The pyramid facility had been built to be fortified so it could withstand the heat he just unleashed. Thankfully, it seemed that whatever Zemo's minion had been made from produced the same result.

"I should get back and see if Roger's needs my help." Heatblast said as he transformed into Big Chill and prepared to fly back when a sudden thought came back to him. "Capt's shield!" he recalled the super soldier leaving it in the assembly hall and how he wanted to pick it up when they were heading out. "I better get his shield and bring it back to him."

Big Chill phased through the walls and went straight into the assembly hall. He went to the data console to get the shield only to see that it was gone to his confusion. "What? Where is it?" He searched the room trying to find out but found nothing. "I don't understand, where is it? Wasp and I were the last ones in the room, and I know we left while it was still in here, so how the heck could it just disappear?" a possibility came to him. "Did Zemo come here before attacking us?"

With that thought Big Chill turned back into Ben as he went to the console and began checking the data. If Zemo was down here, then he surely wouldn't have just taken the shield but also gotten information. So, he began running a check on the system to try and see if anything's been accessed.

Unknown to Ben was that a black figure was silently scaling up the elevator pathway with the missing shield on his back.


Meanwhile back on the upper floor of the mansion, Captain America was still fighting his nemesis. He had been concerned when the floor gave in and Ben had fallen down the hole along with the purple monstrosity. However, he maintained his believe that the man was alright. Surely a little fall wouldn't bring him down and he wouldn't lose to a mindless beast like that. Right now, he had to focus on his own fight.

The two WW2 combatants had been fighting each other none stop in hand-to-hand combat. At least it had been until Zemo got his sword back while Rogers remained unarmed. The two were currently continuing their battle by the main entrance on top of the stairs by the intersection where it split two ways.

Captain America ducked under a swipe from Zemo's blade before a leg swipe that knocked his enemy down. The super soldier went to punch his enemy's face but the masked demon rolled out of harm's way before quickly getting up. Zemo went in to stab Roger's through the heart but he sidestepped and countered by hitting the sword's blunt area. This caused Zemo to unintentionally stab his weapon into the floor. The super soldier followed that up with a chop to Zemo's arm forcing him to release his blade before he could pull it back. He then delivered a shoulder strike at the hydra leaders chest knocking him both back along with the air in him.

Zemo momentarily gasped for breath before he got a right cross that knocked him on his back. He glared at his longtime enemy before he quickly flipped himself as Rogers closed in. The masked demon delivered a double kick to Captain America's chest pushing him back as Zemo sprinted off him. The hydra leader then he used his hands to push himself off the ground as he landed and then flipped backwards to land standing up. Zemo ran forward and regained his sword as he closed in on the captain while pulling out his second blade.

Roger's eyes widened a bit in alarm as he sprung back to avoid a slash only for Zemo to suddenly jump forward and spin in midair. His fast rotation was too quick, and the super soldier received a gash on his chest. His hand went to his new injury out of reflex as blood started to leak out. Before Zemo's feet touched the ground, he stabbed his other sword down before using it like a pole to change his body's angle. He delivered a powerful midair kick on Roger's shoulder that knocked him backwards and caused him to fall and roll down the stairs before reaching the bottom.

"Finally!" Zemo thought in delight as he saw the blood stains on his blade. This small sample would be a good start for Zola to device a cure for him before proceeding to reverse engineer it to create their own super soldiers. Of course, he planned to bring him so much more once he killed Captain America. Even if by some chance the captain managed to turn the tide, then all he'd have to do is escape with the sample he had. In the end he'd still win regardless of the fights outcome so long as he escapes.

Roger's tried to fight the effects of the paralysis he felt but was barely managing to move his arms at a slow rate. He turned his head to see Zemo slowly walking down the stairs. No doubt savoring the moment he was enjoying.

"You've lost captain." Zemo began declaring his victory. "You are all alone, a mere relic dug up into a world you no longer have a place in. All your allies from long ago are gone, your new companions will soon be destroyed." He raised his other sword up in preparation. "You let the Red Skull have Bucky, but your life is what shall be mine to take!" With that he sprung into the air to stab his sword straight down on the super soldier's heart.

Suddenly a familiar object spun through the air, striking Zemo in the chest making him drop both his swords. The object then hit the floor before ricocheting of it, then the wall before returning Zemo's way as it impacted on his head. The collision knocking the masked demon out of the air as he got a bit disoriented. A black hand rose to catch the soaring object when it returned in his direction.

The two WW2 combatants turned their sights to see a figure hanging off one of the columns. A figure completely dressed in black that looked to have features of a jungle cat added. In this person's hands was Captain America's shield.

"My shield?" Steve thought at seeing his beloved weapon in this strangers' hands. Who was he? Is he another avenger he hadn't met yet? Or was he someone else?

"Who are you!?" Zemo questioned in outrage at his moment of triumph being stopped.

The black costumed figure did not answer the masked demon. Instead, he raised his other hand which revealed a triangular and purple metallic dagger of some kind which lit up with matching purple energy. With a quick flick of his wrist, he fired an arrow of energy. Which destroyed one of Zemo's swords… the one that had Captain America's blood stained on it.

"NO!" Zemo screamed in alarm at seeing his obtained sample now destroyed. His weapon shattered to bits that now looked smoldered beyond use. He turned to his new enemy with anger. "You will pay for your interference!"

The stranger responded by throwing the captains shield again. This time however at the super soldier himself who caught it and strapped it on as he got back up. The effects of the paralysis fading away faster than last time as it seemed he was slowly but surely developing a stronger resistance to it.

Seeing Captain America was now alright and reunited with his signature weapon, the stranger made his departure. He leaped from the column and towards another one before jumping out of both their sights.

"Ok sock face!" Steve called out as he took a fighting stance. "You want a fight, then you've got one!" he charged at Zemo who picked up his other sword and went for a slash. The super soldiers shield easily blocked it before he swings his arm sideways causing Zemo's sword get pushed away as well. This left him open to a frontal kick that pushed the hydra leader a few feet back. He spun and threw his shield at the masked demon who ducked to avoid it. Recalling it's features he turned just in time to use his sword to block it when it ricocheted off the wall as he hurled it away. However, that turned out to also be a mistake as Roger's closed the distance between them and sucker punched Zemo across the face.

The masked demon soared several feet in the air before falling to the ground hard as he struggled to pull himself back up. Captain America regained his shield as he now approached his downed foe. "Give it up Zemo!"

Slowly Zemo rose his head to glare at his most hated enemy. "Never!" he defied him. "This is my world captain! You do not belong in it!"

"I may not know a lot about the future." Captain America countered. "But I do know one thing about the past. Which is that you lost and will always lose whether I'm here or not."

Seething at his words Zemo pondered his course of action. It was now clear that victory wasn't in his sights anymore. The sample he had obtained was now lost and continuing this fight would be pointless now. His eyes turned to the hallway where the body of the female avenger was still unconsciously situated. He then turned his gaze back to the American soldier. "You may have won this battle and our war from long ago is indeed over. However, our new war has only just begun!" He then pulled out a remote that was as big as a cellphone before throwing it down the hallway.

The faint beep Captain America heard was all he needed to suspect it was a bomb. His eyes widened in alarm as he raced after it when he saw Wasp was still unconscious where it was thrown. The remote landed right in front of her body as it counted down from 5 seconds.

four

Roger's raced as fast as his leg's would allow and beyond to reach her.

three

Captain America jumped into the air and as he soared.

two

The super soldier gave a determined yell as he began to descend.

one

He landed and lied down on his stomach with Wasp under his arms and right behind his shield. Standing as the only thing between them and the bomb.

zero

A massive explosion detonated in the hall. The fire expanded into the corridors while parts of the walls and floor were turned into rubble. The only place that hadn't been affected was the area behind Captain Americas shield. This trusted weapon had protected them and repelled the force of the explosion away, thus saving their lives.

Captain America got up as he looked to where Zemo had been only to see he had escaped. A part of him was a bit frustrated that his hated enemy escaped. But the rest of him was content as he had won the fight against Zemo despite him now having decades of more experience than him. That he had managed to save the life of Wasp was also the most important thing he accomplished.

Speaking of whom, the lone female avenger began to wake up no doubt from the loud explosion. Her head quickly rose as she looked around in surprise at her surroundings which were quite wrecked. She looked up to the super soldier with a puzzled look. "What'd I miss?"

Crouching down he extended his hand to help her up which she accepted as she grew to normal size. "A very bad reunion."

"Are you both ok?"

The two heroes turned at the voice to see Big Chill's transparent form solidify after he had risen from the ground. "I heard an explosion and-" he suddenly stopped when he saw the fire and wrecked hallway behind the two heroes. "Never mind." He then looked around. "Where's Zemo?"

"Escaped unfortunately." Captain America admitted. "But he left defeated so at least that's something."

Big Chill nodded as he returned to human form before turning to Wasp. "Good to see your back on your feet Janet."

The female hero crossed her arms with a frown. "I'm just sorry I didn't get a chance to sting that jerk for his sneak attack."

The super soldier placed a hand on her shoulder assuredly. "Something tells me you'll get another chance at him." He then turned to the alien. "I take it you handled Zemo's resurrected pet?"

"Oh yeah that nuisance is done and done. Best of all there's really nothing left for me to clean up." He then playfully turned to Wasp. "Unlike the one Wasp made in the hall when she blew him up."

"You try getting swallowed by that cross thing and see you don't make things messy." Wasp shot back indignantly as her mind recalled the horrid sensation from being inside as well as the unfortunate taste of it. Just the thought nearly made her cheeks puff in wanting to puke again. The two male heroes chuckled a bit before Ben suddenly got a startled look.

"Oh, crud we forgot about Tony!" Ben reminded them as he pulled out his ID card. "Tony! Are you alright!?"

"…"

"Tony!?" Ben called out again.

"I read you, could you please tell me you're on the way here now!" Ironman called out while the faint sounds of his repulsors firing were heard in the background.

"We're on the way!" Ben called out as he hung up and turned to the others before transforming into Jetray. "No time to waste getting to the Quinjet, I'll fly you there myself Cap." The manta alien told the soldier before turning to Wasp. "Better let me fly you there as well since I'm faster."

Wasp shrugged her shoulders. "I'm alright with that." She then shrunk down as she flew onto Jetrays back while he held the super soldier by the arms.

"Let's move out." Jetray quipped before the three heroes were soaring out of the mansion and towards Liberty Island.


After a gross battle

"Victory… is ours." Thor declared with a complete lack of his usual enthusiasm as he wiped his face of the remains of their opponent. This truly had to be his most unsightly and literally messiest battle he had ever been in.

"Great… grimed again." Wasp cringed in disgust as she was once again covered from head to toe in the remains of the larger Doughboy who had been attacking Liberty Island. The other Avengers were all in the same boat as each was covered by the leftovers of their enemy.

Ben, Wasp and Captain America had quickly arrived on Liberty Island. Ironman, Thor and Ant-Man had been encountering trouble in how to defeat an enlarged mass of Doughboy. Ant-Man's physical assaults were useless, Thor's lightning only made it grow larger and ferocious and Ironman's repulsor's didn't really affect it. The other half of the team quickly got to work in freeing their comrades. Wasp's stingers proved to be the most affective weapon as it made the large mass split in pain. Seeing this Ant-Man and hearing from the super soldier how this creature was one of Arnim Zola's creations he figured out how to defeat it. By altering the frequency of his helmet to match Wasp's stingers he created a soundwave that began to destabilize the monster more rapidly. Ironman followed his lead by modulating his repulsor's for the same frequency to assist. Ben doing the same by using Echo Echo to match the same sonic frequency. With their combined efforts the enlarged Doughboy quickly fell apart and partially dissolved. Too bad the entire island, including Lady Liberty herself was now covered in traces of him.

Before anyone else could answer the air was suddenly filled with the cheers of the public. They all turned to see the tourists who had been on the island during the attack coming out of hiding to root for the heroes. However, the Avengers noticed that the majority were staring at a certain star-spangled hero.

"Looks like the people still think the world of you Cap." Ben said with a smirk as he stood beside him.

The man from out of time smiled as he looked to the people of different nations giving him praise. "Maybe the world really does still have a place for me in it."

With their mission completed the Avengers returned to the mansion. Tony was not happy to see that part of his mansion got blown up. He made immediate plans to have it repaired. Wasp wasted no time in heading straight for her room to take a shower, wanting to scrub herself clean after the gross day she's had. Ant-Man and Captain America took the time to introduce and speak with each other, having been too busy during the fight to chat. Thor had also returned to his quarters to clean up, especially since he felt such a state was not worthy for a certain female paramedic. Ben had gone to his room, wanting to do some work on his laptop and check on a certain project he was developing.

A few hours later Ironman and Captain America were in the living room. Tony was currently sporting some civilian clothes while the super soldier was still in uniform. He'd need to take him shopping for some new wardrobe tomorrow. Both were watching a news broadcast of their battle on Liberty Island showing their victory.

"So, Cap. Is this what your days were like back in the 40's?" Tony questioned about their experience from the whole day.

"Actually no." The super soldier answered before he turned to him with a smirk. "Somethings things got really strange."

Tony blinked as he stared at the man. "Did you just make a joke?" he asked not sure he believed it for a moment. "So even Captain America has a sense of humor."

"Don't get too used to it soldier, also call me Steve." Captain America politely requested.

"Well first of all Steve, don't call me soldier." Tony remarked. "There are no soldiers other than you in this team. Hanks a scientist, Thor's a so-called god, Wasp is a thrill seeker and Ben's a former secret agent."

"Sorry force of habit." Steve said before seeing Tony left himself out. "So what would you say you are then?"

Tony smirked. "A genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Steve returned the smirk. "Not very modest, are you?"

"Still a work in progress in that area." Tony admitted before he remembered something. "Oh yes, I have something for you." He got up and went to a desk drawer where he pulled something out before walking over and offering it to the super soldier. "Here."

Steve took the object in hand and turned it over to see that it was a picture frame. The photo was of him, Bucky and Tony's father. He smiled at seeing the picture. "Howard Stark."

"My father as you well know. He looked up to you, we all did and still do for that matter." Tony said with a slight sense of longing that he hid from showing.

Steve lowered the picture as he looked at Tony. "So did I." he revealed. "He was a good man. I remember seeing him in person for the first time during his very first Expo. He was showcasing what would be the very first hover car." He then chuckled at the memory. "It worked at first before it then crashed back onto the ground and he reminded the public it was still in development."

"Guess I know where I got my spectacular presentation from." Tony remarked.

"Would you like to hear more about him?" Steve offered.

The billionaire shook his head. "Maybe another time." He then got up and approached the soldier. "Tell me Steve, you wanna join us and become an Avenger?" he asked wanting to make it official.

The super soldier smirked. "Of course, after all Zemo is still out there and even thought the world I knew has changed I can still show that this old soldier still has a lot of fight left in him.

With that said the two shook hands, sealing the agreement as the team of heroes just expanded.

"By the way, when I can I meet the Avenger who saved me from Zemo?" Steve asked recalling the one who saved him. "The one in the catsuit."

At hearing that Tony blinked dumbfoundedly. "Who?"

Meanwhile in a secret location buried underground, Zemo had returned to Arnim Zola's lab. He entered the room with a truly angry and displeased mood.

He had been so close! Captain America's allies were all occupied. He had fought and brought the super soldier to his knees. He had acquired a sample of his blood and had him at his complete mercy as he was about to extinguish his life. Only to be thwarted by the intervention of some unknown figure who returned Captain America's shield to him. Once he had his beloved weapon back it all went downhill for him. He had lost the fight against his rival even with all his greater years of experience and experimental enhancements.

"Your creatures have failed me Zola." He called out as he walked in. "In order to defeat Captain America we must destroy the Avengers he has sided with." He stopped when he reached the center of the darkened room but didn't see the scientist around. "Arnim?" he called out again.

A light suddenly flickered in the room and Zemo turned to see the source. He saw Arnim on the ground laying knocked out and injured giving how his robotic head was sparking bolts of electricity. The ones responsible were a tall muscular man with an axe and a beautiful blonde woman in green who held a bright sphere of energy in her hand.

"Baron Zemo." The Enchantress spoke up with a small grin.

Zemo narrowed his eyes at the intruders, as he wasn't familiar with either of them. "Who are you?"

"I'm called the Enchantress, and this is my companion known as Executioner." The Asgardian introduced themselves. "I have come to make you an offer you won't refuse."

"And what might that be?" Zemo questioned only halve interested as his curiosity was minor while his suspicion was at its height.

"You wish to eliminate someone you despise because he's stood in the way of your conquest. I have my own kind of conquest I desire to make reality. However, the Avengers have also stood in my way. To defeat them you will need powerful allies and so I've come to recommend that we form an alliance. The three of us shall be the foundation that will bring the Avengers to their knees. But to do so we'll need to find more valuable allies to join us. Once we've gathered enough, we will launch an attack on the Avengers that will bring them to submission. However, I prefer if you captured them alive."

"And why should I listen to you when I wish to eliminate Captain America?" Zemo questioned feeling livid at the idea of taking the man he despised most alive rather than killing him right away.

"Because killing is not as satisfying as breaking their spirit." The figure responded. "Even if you kill him, he will die believing that others will succeed where he failed. He would die in peace which I can imagine is something you wouldn't want to let him have in death?" the silent look from Zemo answered her question. "I thought not, so don't just defeat him, make him suffer, have him see that there is no hope in the future. Succeed and you shall be rewarded greatly."

Zemo gave a slight glare at being offered a prize as if he were some mercenary. "And what reward will that be?"

"The entire planet." She revealed earning a raise brow from Zemo.

"You make it sound as if it were already in your possession?" The masked demon questioned disbelieving at her reward.

"Considering I helped orchestrate your escape along with all the other villains in those prisons I should think that would be a testament of my capabilities." Enchantress revealed earning a surprised look on Zemo.

"So that was you?" Zemo questioned.

"Not me per say but rather who I serve." Enchantress elaborated. "He is the one who orchestrated the freedom of you and all others who had been imprisoned. And it is he who will give you this planet of you succeed."

Zemo processed that information. Silently admitting to being impressed that whoever her superior is was able to pull off something of this magnitude. Apparently without being caught or even identified considering Zemo had tried to see who was responsible out of mere curiosity. When he couldn't find anything he simple turned his focus to Steve Rogers after finding out he had returned to the world. "Ok then, tell me more."

His full attention was now peaked.


So yeah I decided to skip the battle against Doughboy on Liberty Island. I just didn't find it as necessary after showing the fight in the mansion. I'll be trying to make sure the next chapter isn't shorter like this one. Till then I hope you enjoyed it after the wait and continue to show support.