Four months later. New York. Avengers Tower.
Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, was one of the very best espionage, infiltration, diversion, combat experts in the world, and is arguably one of the very finest of SHIELD operatives. That is besides being one of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, as the public had proclaimed them to be. The list of her accomplishments was as extensive as it had gotten, and if one were to also include all of her secret operations that she had done under SHIELD, KGB, Red Room and independently, she could actually outshine even the good old Steve Rogers in accomplishments department.
Unfortunately, right now she had called in all of her hacking and programming skills, as well as all the knowledge she had about Stark's tech and his assistant AI Friday, and still it seemed to give her nothing, only blanks. For over two hours she had been going through all of the data banks, programming codes and more, something that she shouldn't really be doing, but right now, there were no tech savvy people to help her with her conundrum. Stark was off the coast of Vladivostok, helping save a damage submarine, while Hank Pym and his wife were in Europe, and Vision was also knocked out, just like all of the system in the Tower.
She had arrived her three hours ago, finding the entire place without power and without anyone to explain anything, yet Captain America was supposed to be here on a shift, as per schedule. However, there were no trace of him, nor a mini-Quinjet, designed for a single person transportation, with the system wiped clean of anything and any trace. Natasha did not know who did this, or what had happened, but whoever it was as good as they been, and all she had managed to accomplish so far was contact the SHIELD via her own communication devise. She had managed to reboot the operational system, but there was nothing that could point her in the direction of what had happened and where Captain America was.
"Any luck restoring the security footage?" Fury asked of her from Triskelion, with Widow shaking her head. "I've already sent two tech teams to get the Tower up and running again, but are you sure that only Cap and that Quinjet are missing?"
"Yes, I'm positive. I have checked the Stark's and Pym's labs, not a single item was taken from those, nor were the doors opened recently. Whoever, or whatever it was, it seemed to have wanted only Captain, and knew this system inside and out." Natasha responded, as she went through the logs. "They were thorough too, completely cleaned the history, not a single trace, plus wiped the primary OS itself, making me restart it again, yet also managing to not alert Stark or anyone of us, by rerouting into a secondary OS Friday… That is some top of the line work."
"We've reached Stark, but he is still of the coast of Russia, some serious complications on his end, while Pym is on his lecture, while Banner is unavailable, because of Hulk." Fury informed her. "Technicians should arrive in a few minutes. In the meantime, I've decided to call up some back-up for you, which should be arriving right about…" At that moment, Widow heard a strange tearing sound in the air and turned around, already her weapons ready.
From a tear in the reality emerged Hadrian Black, dressed in his casual version of usual attire, holding Yamato in one hand, before closing the portal, while looking at Widow and noticing her surprised look. Natasha was a little bit surprised to see Nephalem, though she was not worried or troubled, since she was well aware that he was a member of the SHIELD for a good while now, and he has often helped out Avengers when he had a chance, either in Europe or here in America. Though he was one of SHIELD's most wanted targets in the past, nowadays he was one of its most effective and powerful assets, considered to be one of the heaviest hitters, but also with the skills that rivaled those of Romanoff.
And while Romanoff could confirm that Hadrian was as good as her, maybe even better, since some two years ago she was sent after him, either to bring him in alive or dead. She chose dead, and he had given her one hell of a run for her money when she had tracked him down in Ural Mountains, infiltrating a secret Russian bunker under Mt. Yamantau. She didn't know why he was there, but she sealed off the exits behind her and began her chase. For three days they have hunted each other, with both managing to land a few solid hits on each other, with Widow being forced to retreat into a medical center to patch up. Nephalem had cornered her there and seemed ready to kill her, but she had expected him, so she jury rigged an oxygen tank, making it a bomb that he triggered.
The explosion knocked her out and she didn't get to see for certain if she took him or not, but once she came back to her senses, she found only a smoldering right, covered in his armor very badly burnt and damaged. She had then searched the entire place for hours, checked if he had survived or not, and after she was certain he didn't, she reopened the bunker and left, taking he arm with her. After that, it would be a while before even rumors appeared of Nephalem being alive and everyone assumed he was dead, but when he did make his appearance, it was as if nothing had ever happened to him, as he had both arms in his place.
And now that person, whom Black Widow blew up and who had saved her life in London and in a few other encounters, now stood here as an ally and a friend, looking like nothing had ever happened between them. Truth be told, while Hadrian had interacted quite a bit with other Avengers, Widow was always a bit more distant from him than the others were, and surprisingly, she was the sole person from the Avengers who never teamed up with him. She knew that he was on their side and respected him for his help, even trusted to some extent, she just was wary that he would feel not comfortable working with her, after what had happened in Yamantau. Putting away her guns, she sighed and spoke up.
"You know, Fury, when you said you were sending back-up, I was expecting Hawkeye or Captain Marvel." Natasha noted, as Nephalem summoned away Yamato and stepped closer to her, looking at the holographic image of Fury.
"Danvers is near Saturn, dealing with some Scrulls recon ships, while Barton is on vacation with his family, and Black was available and able to make it here in but one second." Fury explained to her why he chose Hadrian.
"Yeah, and pulled me straight away from my date, might I add, Director." Hadrian commented, with Natasha looking at him with small surprise, knowing that both Carol and Wanda had their eyes on him.
"Buy her flowers next time, take her to restaurant, say you are sorry and that you were saving the world. If she is as smart as you brag, she'll understand." Fury gave a little smirk to his godson, before getting serious again. "Now, Romanoff will brief you on what is going in here. Help her find out what has happened here and where Captain America is. The tech teams will be here in ten minutes. Fury out." Fury stated, before logging off.
"Well, not much to explain, really. Someone or something had hacked into our systems, wiped them clean and made off with Cap and one of our single passenger Quinjets. I've tried to find anything to indicate who it was or what had happened, but there is nothing." Widow stated, as she looked around the living room and bar. "Vision has been deactivated along with systems, while Friday has no idea who it was or what had happened too, so… Yeah, we've got a mystery on our hands."
"That is basically what Fury had told me, when he called me five minutes ago." Hadrian said, as he looked around the place. "Strange seeing it so empty. Every time I was here there was at least someone in here."
"Well, this is one of those cases when most of us are not home. Tony is dealing with damaged submarines, Pyms are in France, The Hulk is smashing up AIM somewhere in South America, Pietro and Wanda are visiting relatives in Transia, Thor is in Asgard, and as for Hawkeye and Carol, you've already heard." Widow said, with Hadrian nodding to her. "Look, I'm sorry to have dragged you into it, Hadrian. If I had a choice, I…"
"Hey, don't worry about it, Widow. Amelia may not have liked it, but we both know that in our line of work, we can get called in at any time, and she's had to run off on her own during our dates a couple of times, so it's okay." Harry assured her. "Besides, Barton deserved his break, especially after that mission in Singapore we did back in February, so let him have his family time."
"I heard about it. Sounded like it had gotten a bit too hot for Fury's liking." Widow commented casually, before returning to the matter at hand. "We can chat about it later, right now we've got a mystery to solve and Cap to find, and I've got not a clue on where to start."
"Are there any evidences of forced entry or fighting, or maybe security measures being activated?" Harry asked of her, with Widow shaking her head negatively. "So, no evidences of forced entry, a completely wiped OS, disabled vision, and not a single security measure triggered or activated, with only Cap and one of your Quinjets missing… Either I'm having a déjà vu here, or this is doesn't make sense, and is really, really bad."
"Care to share your thoughts?" Widow asked of him. "You think that this was an inside job, that someone has managed to pull it off, but the only person who was here was Cap himself, and no other Avenger or SHIELD agent were present here. As much as I may be trained to expect the worst, I am having a very hard time believing that Steve would do such a thing, and willingly at that."
"But what if he had done without having any choice?" Hadrian asked of her, with Natasha raising her eyebrow in question. "I am with you on what you just said, but what if Cap didn't have a choice in the matter? He could've been put under a mind control by a telepath or someone similar, and while I know he does have psychic barriers I've helped install, they could still be penetrated by someone strong enough."
"Wait, you've helped install psychic barriers in Cap's mind? When did that happen?" Widow was surprised to hear that.
"Back in November, when we were sent to intercept an experimental weapon of Hydra's in Colorado. Turned out to be an augmented mutant telepath who had managed to take control of Cap, but I have knocked him out and freed Steve. After that, he asked about those barriers and I helped put them in place." Hadrian explained, with Widow nodding to him. "Those barriers are pretty tough, I've made sure that they were, and it would take someone top tier to tear them down without raising any alarm like this, plus they would need to be right here to affect him."
"That is just a theory, but what if they had some kind of amplifying device, like Cerebro?" Romanoff asked of Hadrian.
"It's possible, but that thing is one of its kind, and I know for a fact that it's very hard to make a telepathic amplifier like that." Hadrian said, as he looked around and thought it through. "No, if there is no trace anybody being here and I know there aren't… Then maybe there really wasn't anyone, aside from Vision and Captain."
"In case you might start suspecting Vision, both Stark and Pym had checked his OS and found not one trace of Ultron in him, so he is didn't do anything." Widow stated. "Meaning that only Cap would have the ability to do it all… But how did he get affected and where he left?"
"That's the question, or at least one theory." Harry said. "If it was his shift, then was here the whole time?"
"No, at that time of the evening when he approximately disappeared, he would've been in his room. Friday would've informed him if anything was wrong or going on in the city, and there are computers linked to the main system in all our rooms." Widow stated. "You think it's worth checking his room?"
"At this point, do you have any other idea where to look for clues?" Hadrian asked, with Widow agreeing with him. "Well, lead on." He told her and they went towards Steve's room.
"So, this Amelia… I've heard from Carol that it's pretty serious between you two." Natasha spoke up, as they moved through the hall. "Gotta say, you've surprised us all with that move, especially Wanda and Carol. Didn't think you had it in you to just pick up a girl like that."
"Yeah, I've heard that plenty of times before." Harry sighed. "I know that it was not an orthodox way, yeah, but so far, everything is working out for us and we are pretty happy with each other." Harry answered to Widow.
"Hey, I'm not judging, just saying that none of us expected you to make this choice. Honestly, we all thought that it would either be Carol or Wanda, given how close you are to two." Natasha admitted. "My money was on Carol, since you've been with her longer and you do look rather good with one another."
"Carol and Wanda are my good friends, best friends even, but Amelia… She makes me feel things I never thought I was possible of feeling, and whenever I think about her I can't help but blush and at times I just drift towards her in my thoughts." Hadrian sighed.
"Ah, I get it. First love and crush… Well, I will not pry any further... Just make sure you do not get burned if it suddenly backfires." Widow said without thinking, instantly recalling Yamantau, as well as catching the look on Hadrian's face. "Wait, I didn't mean to say it like that, I was just…"
"I know, you are telling me to be careful with my feelings and not let them hurt me or Amelia, because of all the stuff in my life. I've heard something similar from Carol, so don't worry, I get it." Harry assured her. "Although I must admit, I'm a bit surprised at the way you are acting towards me."
"Excuse me?" Widow asked of him.
"I've worked with pretty much everyone on this team, but you, and whenever I help you guys out, you tend to keep your distance, even if you are not showing it. I've asked Cap, Clint and Carol if I've offended you in some way, but they said no and that you've never said a bad thing about me." Harry admitted to her. "Not that I want to pry or anything, but if you are uncomfortable with me, then better say it now, before things get out of hand."
"I… No, I do not have any bad feelings about you, Nephalem, and if anything, I know that I can rely and count on you. It is just… It's about Yamantau." Widow admitted, with Harry understanding now what has been the cause of her distance. "You may have been under control at the time of Weapon Plus, but we did still fight there, and I did blow you up, so I feared you would have… negative opinion of me. It's nothing new to me, before I came to SHIELD I also did a lot of damage to it, and after I switched sides, I've had to earn the trust and it wasn't easy, so if you need…"
"Need what? For you to earn my trust? Well, you already did that, way back in the last year." Harry admitted to her, surprising her a little. "I was actually the same way when I came to SHIELD and I know that quite a few people in it have been apprehensive of me joining it, including Sub-Director Hill, and yeah, I did work and earn their trust, plus Coulson and Fury helped me out as well. But I've never had a bad thought about you and never had any bad feelings about Yamantau."
"You sure? Because I did blow you up, and made you lose one your arms, plus I'm certain I hit of your kidneys before." Widow reminded him.
"Eh, I've had Elektra stab the same kidney earlier and it just grew back, and as for the whole blowing me up and making me lose my arm… Hope you don't get mad, but it was all part of the plan." Harry smirked at her, with Widow blinking at him. "You've locked up the exits in the bunker, trapped us in there with me not having any way out. I figured that the only way to get out of there was to make you leave, and you made it clear you were there to put me down for good."
"Yeah, but I chased you in that underground city for three days straight. What took you so long come up with that idea, you could've come up with that idea long before that." Widow stated.
"I came up with the general idea on the first day, and actually implanted in your brain during our second encounter. Oh, and sorry about that one." Harry apologized, with Widow remembering that the idea did come up unexpectedly at the time.
"Back when I was in KGB and trained in Red Room, I've received special training to prevent me from being attacked psychically." Widow noted, since she didn't think it was that easy for most telepaths to get into her head. "How did you manage to get into my head, without me realizing it?"
"I've had plenty of practice to get into someone's head undetected, back in Weapon Plus, thanks to my secondary neural network. It was one of the few things that I've had liberty of doing and so I honed my skills with telepathy as much as I could." Hadrian stated to her. "I couldn't actively harm the personnel or do anything to jeopardize the project, but I've found a couple of loopholes that I exploited, like subtly implanting a general idea into someone's head. Like, for instance, what to choose in cafeteria, or double check the results, that kind of stuff. Although I'll admit, planting that idea in you was quite a challenge, since you were trying to kill me with a machine gun at the time."
"That was back when we were in the upper levels and I've locked you up in the shooting range, less than three hours or so after I've arrived." Widow recalled, with Hadrian nodding to her. "But if you've planted that idea in me way back then, why did it take me this long to think about it?"
"I still had a mission to complete, so I've put it on hold in your mind, made it into a subconscious command that would be activated upon my mental contact with you, and you ever wondered why I went in there?" Hadrian asked of Widow, who recalled what was there under Yamantau.
"That bunker was supposed to be a secret government and military center and a gathering place in case of nuclear war. Even if it was mothballed, there could've been plenty of things to take from there, even if KGB had cleaned the place before closing it up." Natasha stated. "I didn't really think about what you could be doing in there, rather than how to take you down."
"Well, Weapon Plus sent me there to find confirmation if Yamantau still held in it schematics for Soviet's secret anti-missile defense system that they were working on. I was going in there blind, completely unfamiliar with the place and what I was looking for, and you were also hot on my trail, hence why I needed that long to get what I was after." Hadrian stated to her, with Widow surprised and impressed he had managed to pull it off without her noticing it. "Took me two days to find out where to get those schematics, and after that I needed to shake you off my tail for long enough to retrieve it without arousing any suspicion, but not killing you."
"And that's why you destroyed the elevator when I reached the lower levels, but only disabled the second one, back when I was chasing you in the bowels of that place." Widow figured out what he did, with Harry nodding to her. "I'm actually impressed you've pulled it off without making it look strange. Took me half a day to figure out how to repair the panel though…"
"Yeah, and it got me a little worried, if I'm being honest. I was afraid that I've accidently wounded you and you didn't make it to technical tunnel, but I didn't expect you to repair the second elevator." Hadrian admitted, with Natasha looking at him with confusion. "The technical tunnel? You know, the tunnel connecting all the levels, with the wires and all that, plus secondary exits?"
"Черт (Damn)… I didn't even think about that one." Natasha cursed in her native tongue. "Although to be fair, you did leave me with a pretty bad case of headache and deafness, so I could have forgotten about those. Still, I didn't think that you would go this far for the mission, but losing a limb… That takes guts."
"Well, it did help that I have a regeneration factor, although it took me about a week to regrow it back. I was honestly surprised that it did grow back, since I thought I would just have my wound close up quickly." Hadrian admitted to her, surprising Widow. "Besides, I didn't have much of a choice, thanks to the bio-chip. I just took a gamble and it paid up."
"Yeah, it sure did." Widow stated. "Anyway, so… No hard feelings about that time?" She asked just to be sure.
"Nope, none at all. No hard feelings about it from you?" He asked back, with Widow shaking her head. "See, then we are all cool about it. Now, let's see if we can find something in here to point us towards Cap." The two have reached and Widow opened the door inside, letting Hadrian in, before following him.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, from the first glance." Widow stated, looking at the spacious, yet moderately decorated room, being in pristine order, with everything placed in some form of order. "Compared to Tony or Pietro, Cap is a model of tidiness and pristine cleanness. I wouldn't be surprised if his table would squeak from the sheer cleanness." Widow walked to the table and moved her finger, finding not a single speck of dust in here.
"Hm, something we have in common, he and I, though I can't say the same about my workshop in my adjacent room. It does at times get a little messy, when I'm painting my figures." Hadrian admitted, as he observed the bookshelf. "Gotta admit, I didn't think Steve would take my recommendation about Agatha Christie to heart."
"Yeah, he's been reading Poirot for the last couple of months. We at times compared our thoughts about it. Also, what is it about you painting models?" Widow asked, as she went to look in his closet.
"Oh, that is a hobby I picked up back in January, when Tony sent me a 3-D printer of his work as a New Year present. Probably he got the idea when I mentioned getting into Warhammer 40K, so he decided to spare me the expenses of buying the models. Gotta say, it's a lot of fun, designing them and then painting them, most of the time I don't even notice when the sun is up, so it's something to keep me up at night." Hadrian said, as he moved to the computer and checked it. "System is down and not operational, probably because of the OS being down in the entire building."
"Yes, and I've not reconnected them." Widow stated, as she was done with the clothes and moved towards the bathroom. "So is it true that you don't even need sleep?"
"Not really, I mean I now need to sleep once half a year or so, almost like with Odin, but aside from that, I just rest up without needing it. Girls back home even call it "Blacksleep." Harry chuckled, as he finished going examining the room, with Romanoff returning. "Anything?"
"No, everything is the same and in order as it usually is." Natasha said with a sigh, before turning her head and then focusing her attention on one particular thing. "Harry, look." She pointed him towards vinyl player recorder, with a vinyl already in place.
"A player recorder… With Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man already in place. Not my favorite album, but can't argue that it is something that one needs to listen." Hadrian noted, before he realized what Widow meant. "A vinyl already in place, and Cap left it here? Does he ever do something like that?'
"No, he'll always make sure to turn off all that needs it and put back in place his books and disks." Natasha said, as she looked at the recorder. "The recorder stops automatically once the album ends, but for Steve to up and leave like that is unheard of. He is a perfectionist when it comes to these kinds of things."
"Yeah… Unless this is the thing that had made him leave." Hadrian suggested, with Natasha agreeing that it could be possible, though she couldn't fathom how. "Do you have SHIELD's issue earplugs?"
"Yes." Widow took them out and put them in her ears, while Hadrian pushed the play button, with music beginning to play, with both listening to it for a bit. "I don't hear anything wrong…"
"Yeah, nothing is wrong, maybe it was… Wait, do you hear that?" Hadrian suddenly asked of Natasha.
"Some kind of a background noise… And now something like woodpecker pecking the wood, but at a strange…" At that moment, Natasha recognized the patter, with Harry also doing so. "It's Morse code, hidden in the song, on some strange frequency, along with some other sound." Natasha stated, seeing as Nephalem grabbed a paper and a pen, already translating the code and writing it down.
"Well, I think we now know what had happened." Hadrian said, as he finished writing the message, and stopped the recorder. "Time to call Fury and tell him what had happened."
Fifteen minutes later.
"A double layered ultrasound recording, hidden within a vinyl album, containing in it coordinates and commands for anyone who hears and recognizes them." Fury surmised, as the technicians worked, while Natasha and Hadrian stood before the screen and reported. "And you are positive that it was intended for Cap?"
"The frequency at which those two layers were created were intended for someone who possesses enhanced hearing capabilities and mental processing, in other words, who can hear and recognize such sounds and things." Natasha answered. "Hadrian and I were able to hear it, but we just had techs to listen to it as well, and they didn't hear a thing and Hadrian confirms that they are not faking it."
"The first layer is a special sound, which when transmitted at the right frequency can make mind of a person extremely susceptible to the suggestions and commands, making the highest authority to anyone in their mind." Hadrian stated. "The second layer on is a Morse code message, starting right after the first sound and planting it as a command. Cap's enhanced senses of hearing and mental processing made him the only one in that tower who could be affected, while Widow was able to hear that sound thanks to the earplugs, but didn't process the first sound."
"And what about you?" Fury asked of him.
"I've already had a run in with that sound, Director, and have been put under the effect of about four years ago, when I was sent on a mission to where that signal was developed, so I recognized what had happened to Captain America." Hadrian stated. "During the 70s and 80s, The Soviet Union had initiated the construction of special radar systems called Duga OTH radar system. Three arrays overall were constructed for three special projects, and one of those arrays was used in the secret KGB program known as "The Woodpecker". The purpose of that program, or project as it was also known, had the same purpose as The CIA's MKULTRA program, only instead of LSD, they used radio waves and frequencies to influence and alter the behavior of the person."
"Duga OTH… We've heard rumors that those things had different purposes, rather than just locating our planes and missiles." Fury said. "However, after the dissolution of the USSR and even before that, all of the projects that were connected to it were stopped."
"They were canceled, Fury. Back when I was still in KGB, I've heard rumors about that program, that it was still being funded and developed through backchannels by some of Soviet's leadership, who had hoped to prevent the dissolution of the Union." Natasha stated, recalling the stories. "However, the end results were always not what they had expected, ranging from nothing to people losing their minds and their brains receiving extreme damage that degraded them to mere beasts. After it became clear that the program was going nowhere, The Woodpecker program was shut down, all associated scientists eliminated and all records either sealed off or destroyed."
"Or so everyone was made to think so." Fury said, with both nodding. "Not the first time we find out that one of Soviet's supposedly canceled programs had continued its existence. Hadrian, you said you've had a run in with that signal, or sound, back when you were in Weapon Plus?"
"STRIKE Intelligence received information that one of the decommissioned Duga radars was operational and they sent me to investigate and retrieve any valuable information and data. As it turned out, The Woodpecker program was not canceled and that array nearly scorched my brain when I got to it, before I managed to develop an immunity and resistance to, hence why the sounds had no effect on me." Hadrian stated. "Those are the same coordinates to which I was sent, and now Captain America is there. Back then, I have infiltrated the place and destroyed their equipment, but not before taking all the data in regards to that project. The people who operated it belonged to a splinter faction of KGB, left over radicals from the days of USSR, but now… Now I have no idea on who holds that place."
"Widow, Nephalem, go to those coordinates, investigate and retrieve Captain America at any cost. After he is secure, destroy the whole place and leave nothing standing, nothing that could be made useful, not a single bit of information is to leave that place." Fury gave his commands, with both understanding them. "Where is that Duga OTH located, exactly?"
"Northern Ukraine, Kiev Oblast, 6 kilometers west of city of Chernobyl." Hadrian stated, with Fury's face hardening. "It's Duga-1, Director. Where better to conduct illegal and supposedly non-existent experiments, then in one of the most dangerous places on Earth?"
"That is one twisted irony, for you two to go there on the anniversary of that catastrophe, to prevent another one." Fury commented. "I'll mobilize the Avengers, but right now, you can get there the fastest. Godspeed." After that he disconnected, leaving Widow and Hadrian alone.
"Chernobyl… Never thought I'd ever go back there." Widow stated, as she fixed up her special anti-radiation suit, before putting on the mask with rebreather installed into it. "What about you? Stark has made a male version of this for Clint and Cap, should be your fit alright."
"Thanks, but I've got that covered." With a single gesture of the hand, Hadrian's attire was replaced with his usual dark purple one, with Yamato appearing in his hand. "You've got all you need?"
"Yes." Widow confirmed, as she checked her Widow stingers and pistols, along with kali sticks and the rest of her gadgets.
"Alright." With a swing of his sword, Hadrian opened the portal straight to the place. "Ну, с Богом." Hadrian said in perfect Russian, and stepped through the portal alongside Black Widow.
Northern Ukraine. Kiev Oblast. Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. One hundred meters east off Duga-1.
The portal immediately led them where Hadrian desired, before it closed behind them, and the two observed the thick green forest that surrounded them, taking in the air. Widow's sensors immediately picked up the heightened radiation in the air, immediately sealing off her body to prevent contamination. And as for Nephalem, he has had multiple encounters with radiation and experienced lethal doses that would kill a person within hours, yet he simply gained immunity and resistance to it, or rather his organism was able to process the radioactive elements and deactivate them, as he was once told. Whatever the reason for his immunity may be, the important thing was that he could be here without any harm for his life, and so he chose to forego any form anti-radiation protection.
Moving through the forest and towards the massive seemingly defunct radar station, Widow activated her sensors and soon they showed her the results.
"No clear signs of life around us, but I've reading massive energy concentration up ahead." Widow stated. "The station should not be working, but the readings indicate that it is either still operable, or that there is something hidden underneath it."
"Both, actually." Hadrian stated to her telepathically. "The array is transmitting the signal we've heard on the vinyl, only at a much greater power and concentration, enough to knock out a person. Sorry for the intrusion, but I have tapped into your brain and put block on your audio receptors and processors, to prevent you from being exposed to it. If you want to talk, use your mind."
"Thanks, I only now noticed that it was active." Widow thanked him, as they have reached the borders of the control center. "Looks like it was deserted years ago."
"Appearances are deceiving, I saw the same thing back when I was here, and right here I was ambushed by a squad of GRU Spetsnaz, who nearly took me down." Hadrian stated to her, as he scanned the place with his telepathy. "No signs of any living being in here, but that array makes it harder for me to properly map the area or find anything below ground level."
"Meaning that they could be hiding underground. If you've been here, then you know where the entrance is, right?" Widow asked of him, with Hadrian nodding to her and leading her into the local club building. "A local club? Makes sense." Widow thought seriously, as Hadrian led her to the abandoned basement.
"Hm… Something is not right. Last time I was there, there were-LOOK OUT!" Nephalem psychically cried out and then pushed Widow away from the false wall, before something had flown through it and grabbed Nephalem with it, flying straight through the floor and out of the place
"Nephalem! ARGH!" Widow cried out, before she felt the worst headache in her world, which quickly rendered her unable to stand, and brought her down on her knees, before she lost consciousness, but not before she saw two men stepping out of the hole to grab a hold of her and bring her inside.
Managing to withstand several impacts from breaking through concrete, metal and wood, Hadrian's disorientation had left him when he was finally in the air, realizing that he was held in a metal grip of some kind of a robot or drone, which was flying in the air and holding Hadrian tightly. Deciding that he has had enough of this, Nephalem blasted the drone's head with his blue energy destroying it's processor, but not freeing him. Now falling down, Nephalem expelled a powerful energy wave out of him, blasting the arms of this drone apart and allowing him to create his wings and glide down, landing softly near the wreaks of the drone.
Taking a look at it, Nephalem was surprised to see that this thing, though in a seriously battered state, sported technology and equipment that was not just similar, but clearly based off Tony Stark's Iron Man armor. Less sophisticated, a bit more bulky and not so advanced as Stark's current gizmos, but Nephalem has fought alongside Stark plenty of times to recognize his technology. And when he finally recognized the colors on this thing, it immediately became apparent who had constructed it.
"Hydra…" Hadrian said with a scowl, before heard a distinct holographic activation sound, turning around to look at the projector and the person who it was projecting. "Zemo… So you've survived our last encounter." Nephalem stated, as he looked at the black and purple clad leader of Hydra.
"Indeed I have, Herr Nephalem, though you have rendered me powerless and comatose for a long time, you have made a mistake of not granting me the mercy of death. And now, it is time that I got to return the favor." Baron Helmut Zemo said to Hadrian. "Allow me welcome you to the city of Chernobyl, the namesake of one of world's greatest manmade catastrophes, and one of Hydra's strongholds, in the middle of which you now stand."
"Well, points for not sending me to Pripyat, at least." Hadrian simply joked, as he looked around himself, already sensing that there were people coming towards him, with not so friendly intentions. "I should've guessed that it was you who had taken hold of Cap. Tell me, out of curiosity, did you need Faustus' help to pull that trick off, or did you manage all by your lonesome?"
"I do not require the assistance of that slab of narcissistic fat, and as I am quite certain you are aware, I have already surpassed him in terms of… persuading people to do my bidding." Zemo answered. "And to think that I have you to thank for providing me the information about The Woodpecker program, Herr Nephalem." Zemo smirked under his purple mask, with Nephalem realizing what he meant.
"So the STRIKE really was selling the secrets… I'm gonna be laconic with you, Zemo: free Cap and Natasha, or this time I'll kill you for certain." Hadrian stated to him, with Zemo laughing in his face.
"You have had your chance, Herr Nephalem, and you have wasted it. I, on the other hand, shan't make the same mistake." And after he said that, at least a hundred Hydra soldiers, armed with advance weaponry, along with two specially modified Soviet tanks with Hydra weaponry, appeared surrounding Nephalem, before additional ten Hydra's Iron Drones landed and readied to fire on Nephalem. "You should feel honored, Herr Nephalem, for these are some of Hydra's finest soldiers and our most advance weapons, all of which I've deployed specifically for your destruction."
"And this is not even my birthday. I've gotta admit, Zemo- you sure as hell know how to make a person feel special." Harry joked. "You even brought your knock-off Iron Men just for me. I hope Steve doesn't find out, 'cause he might get jealous."
"As amusing as your pathetic wit is, it will not save you this time. These Hydra Drones may not have the sophistication of Stark's latest inventions, but they will be more than sufficient enough to take you down. And to prevent you from leaving without tasting my gifts…" Zemo pointed upwards, with Nephalem seeing a magical force field covering the city. "A small favor from Baron Mordo, one that I specially reserved for you, Nephalem. Let this ghost-city become your grave, for the injuries you have inflicted upon me. Auf Wiedersehen, du widerlicher Plebejer!" And with this Zemo disappeared.
"Filthy plebeian? If only he knew just how noble my bloodline was compared to his." Hadrian shook his head jokingly, as he manifested Yamato, turning to the Hydra soldiers and Drones. "Alright, you Neo-Nazi wastes of air, flesh and life… Anyone wishes to surrender?"
"HAIL HYDRA!" The soldiers chanted and opened fire at Nephalem.
"Good, time for a bit of a culling!" And with this Nephalem disappeared from the view, before beginning the slaughter.
Meanwhile. Underground secret Soviet bunker.
Natasha's faced was splashed with water, bringing her back to her senses and she spewed out water, before collecting her thoughts and bearings, finding herself in the central section of an underground Bunker, where she was taken to after she was knocked out. She was seated and fixated in one place by steel restraints, designed clearly to hold someone of much greater strength than her, and once she had fully collected her bearings, she saw the man who had brought her here.
"Zemo." Black Widow breathed out, with the man looking at her with contempt. "I should've guessed that those rumors about your death were a bit exaggerated."
"Believe me, Fraulein Romanoff, there was more truth in those tales than some might realize, but like Hydra, I rose once again, stronger than before, though scarred and disfigured, at the hand of your current companion." Zemo told her with his usual German accent.
"So it was Nephalem who had done the deed. Thanks for the information, now Fury owes me ten bucks." Natasha joked, before Zemo slapped her across the face with his backhand. "Is this any way to treat a lady by a noble?" She asked sarcastically, as she spewed out blood.
"We both know that you are no lady, but a serf-born sow, carrying neither noble nor royal blood of your namesakes, and I have had my fill of pathetic quips from your soon to be dead companion." Zemo responded, with Natasha not even blinking at what he just said. "Did you truly think that we would not be prepared for someone to come here after your precious Captain America? We had counted on you to come here first, but to bring Nephalem along… You have my gratitude, Fraulein, and as a token of it, I shall make your end far painless than you deserve it to be, once we are through with you."
"Do you worst, Zemo. We both know that you won't get anything of value from me, so you might as well kill me." Natasha stated to him. "And just a friendly advice: don't discount Nephalem off just yet. He has a knack for surprising people."
"He won't be surprising anyone anymore, Fraulein. And you forget: I now possess means to make you want to tell me all that you know." And with this, Zemo moved towards what looked like an audio transmitter which was turned towards Black Widow. "Before we proceed with our conversation, I would like to express my genuine gratitude towards your people's scientists, for they have achieved what Hydra had strived forever. This device is a miniaturized version of the transmitter array, effects of which you have had the pleasure of experiencing a few minutes ago. Once it is activated, there shall be no secret that you will be able to hide. You shall all your being before me and Hydra."
"And I though Zola and Faustus were the creepy ones in your little group." Natasha commented, as Zemo prepared to activate the device, before the door into the chamber opened.
"Helmut that is enough." Natasha widened her eyes when she recognized that voice, immediately turning her head and seeing Steven Rogers, of all people, dressed in Hydra colors, step inside. "I told you that I would talk to her myself, without the need for this." Natasha was in the state of shock and confusion when she saw one of her closest friends treat Zemo as if he was his underling.
"Apologies, Steven. I have gotten a little too excited, when I saw our guests." Zemo said with a friendly tone, further shocking Widow, the look of whom Zemo clearly reveled in. "Do not look so shocked, Fraulein Romanoff. Your eyes and ears do not deceive you, and as much as you may want to believe it, no, there is no mind control involved. This man truly is Steven Rogers, your comrade and brother-in-arms… And the man who shall topple your world and lead Hydra to victory."
"What… What the hell is going on?!" Anger swelled from confusion and Natasha lashed out. "Steve, what in the name of all that is holy, are you doing here, dressed akin to von Strucker?! Nephalem and I came here to save you and you just…"
"I know, Natasha, and I must say, that even in this world, it is good to know that Steve can always count on you two, just like I did in my world." Steve Rogers stated cryptically and also directly. "Zemo didn't anticipate who it would directly, but I knew from the start, that the moment my counterpart was discovered missing, you would come here first, and Fury would send his best to assist, Hadrian Black, or Nephalem as he is known. Glad to see that the two of you work together here as well." Steve stated to her with a small smile, something that creeped up Natasha.
"In your world?" Natasha asked again, before she pieced it all together and concluded. "You are not Steve Rogers of this Earth and Universe, are you?" She narrowed her eyes at him, with Steven shaking his head to her.
"No, I am not, Natasha. I am from an Earth and Universe that are so very similar to your own, that even I at times struggle to not mistake this one for one I came from." Steven admitted to her. "In both worlds, you and I were comrades, though in mine, Harry was already an Avenger at this point and my closest partner. The best one, just like Bucky was: loyal, able, energetic and willing to fight no matter what… And I see that your version is much the same, though not yet an Avenger."
"At this point, he is pretty much a member of the team, just not one to hang out at the Tower." Natasha stated with the gritted teeth. "And if from what I know about him, Nephalem would never work for Hydra, nor would real Captain America be a part of it."
"Ah, yes, that too was a shock and surprise for all back then, when I finally revealed to them who I was, where my true loyalties lied. Harry too was shocked and shaken, but at that point he had no choice the matter but to follow me till the end." Steven told Natasha. "Much like your Steve Rogers, I've taken up the flag of America upon myself and fought as symbol of freedom and justice from World War II and till these days. However, beneath all those symbols, hidden even from myself at some point, laid the truth, that I was a member of Hydra since I was 6 years old, when a member of Hydra in America adopted me after my father killed my mother. It is thanks to her that I've discovered the virtues and values of Hydra, what it truly strived for: unity, prosperity, empowerment of the human race…"
"Enslavement and complete and utter control of humanity by a group of amoral sociopathic and psychotic bastards." Natasha commented. "So, you were their agent, fighting for the Allies and passing info to the Hydra in secret?"
"During the war, yes. Initially, I was tasked to kill Dr. Erskine, but instead, he gave me an opportunity to become who I am now, and I so I became Captain America. Though despite my work and effort, Hydra and Germany were doomed to lose the war, but Hydra would live, and when the time would be right, I would lead it into the future, and so my true nature was hidden, buried behind a façade of true patriotic son of America, much like your Captain." Steven continued. "It would be many years after I was reawakened from the ice, when the time was right and I was allowed to finally become who I truly was made to be- Hydra Supreme."
"And so you betrayed your friends and allies. Avengers, SHIELD, everyone… And what of Nephalem?" She asked of him.
"If you believe that it was easy for me, Natasha, then believe me it was not. It was the hardest decision in my life, but that was what the world needed. When the Hydra rose to take control after gathering our strength, I gave everyone a choice: join Hydra, or die." Steven continued on his tale. "All chose to resist, all except for Harry, though had he been able to, he would've been the first one to denounce me and Hydra. Though it always troubled me to have had to put that bio-chip back into him in secret, when the time, he didn't hesitate to do what was needed for me and Hydra."
"You've taken away his freedom. How very Hydra of you." Natasha stated with disdain.
"It was a sin I had to take on, if the vision of Hydra was to come to pass, and Hadrian… I needed him to do what Sinister made him for, and he was always excellent at his work." Steven stated, with Natasha already guessing what he made him do. "When the dust had settled and Hydra took over the US, we've managed to take out most of the heroes and those who resisted us, but some escaped and fought back as resistance. However, against them, I had the perfect for that job."
"Nephalem… You've sent him after his friends, to be your executioner." She said with venom.
"Not just friends, but family as well, including you, his wife." Steven stated, with Natasha looking at him with surprise. "Tony, Thor, Sam Wilson, Spider-Man, and Wolverine- those and many more are those that Harry had killed to ensure the victory of Hydra, with you, his wife being the last one, before he had broken off the control. Like you have stated, he always did have a way of surprising people, and he surprised me and everyone else."
"I can imagine just how furious he was at you." Natasha commented. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that he is the reason why you are here, on our Universe and Earth."
"Quite correct, Fraulein Romanoff. Just like this world's Nephalem, the one from Steven's world had thwarted the plans of Hydra by obtaining the Cosmic Cube and using it to undo Hydra itself and restore the world to the way it was, but not his mentor, for he wished him to suffer for all the loss and pain he brought to the world. A fatal mistake, one that cost Nephalem his heart and brain, when two bombs went off in them, and yet, he destroyed my friend's dream and forced him to find refuge in here, bringing with him what that fool von Strucker lacks- vision and determination." Zemo spoke again. "I was apprehensive at first too, but now… I can see that with this Steven, Hydra shall accomplish what was always it's destiny, and when Captain America returns to the USA, we shall begin our march to victory."
"So you've killed Steve and now plan on replacing him with this doppelganger? He will be found out within a minute by anyone who has a brain. Even The Hulk will see that this is no real Steve Rogers, but a fake." Natasha stated to them.
"You are right, Natasha, as always, hence why we need Steve alive for now, because despite so many similarities, we are worlds apart in differences: memories, habits, even small biological things." Steven replied to her. "I will take all that made this Steven, and once I have it all, I will bring the vision of Hydra to the world, and this time, there won't be any mistakes, hence why the first priority was to take care of Hadrian."
"Yes, as we speak, a company of my most elite forces, armed with weapons and assisted by technology provided to me by our friend here has already finished him off." Zemo stated with complete confidence. "My only regret is that I was not there to finish him off myself…" At that moment, the entire base shook and the sirens went off.
"What is going on?" Steven asked, with Natasha smirking a little, as one of Hydra soldiers ran into the room.
"Herr Zemo, Herr Rogers, Nephalem, he…" The soldier looked shocked and struggled to speak because of it.
"Calm down, soldier, and tell us what happened." Rogers commanded him.
"Y-yes sir. Nephalem, h-he has breached our first and second underground defense lines." The soldier reported, with both of Hydra commanders standing in shock.
"What?! Impossible! He should be dead by now, not…" At that point, another tremor went through the base, nearly knocking the men on the floor. "I-Impossible…"
"I told you, he has a way of surprising people." Natasha reminded them, already seeing the Hydra commanders getting out of here to contain the threat, leaving her all alone, finally.
"They are now coming after you, Hadrian. I'll get Steve, you take out Stevil." Black Widow told to Hadrian, with whom she was telepathically communicating for quite a while now, just as she had finally destroyed the cuff thanks to one of her wrist stingers.
Meanwhile. Secret underground tunnel.
"Take out evil Hydra Captain America? Definitely not in my bucket list, a Hydra Cap is crime against humanity, reality and sanity, so it will be my genuine pleasure!" Hadrian excitedly responded, just as cut into two another T-72 and then used his power to send the two pieces hurling towards the last barricade.
With the amount of power he put behind that attack, the two severed parts hurled straight into the barricade and leveled it, scattered the remaining soldiers, before the following explosion completely eradicated the resistance, while Hadrian remained unharmed, walking towards the massive gates. Leaving behind a track of death, destruction and pure devastation, Hadrian had to admit that Zemo did indeed at first put him in a pretty bad looking positon, but once he got over the surprise, which took him about a second, Nephalem did what he was made to do. Using his telepathy to disrupt the aiming and cause the living soldiers to hallucinate, Nephalem only had to take out the Hydra Drones, which while were pretty impressive on paper, did not possess enough processing power to keep up with Nephalem, plus making Hydra tank operators fire at those Drones also helped.
In short, the situation had turned in Hadrian's favor and then he had to find a way out of Chernobyl and reunite with Natasha, and luckily, for him, he recalled from his last time here, that there was a secret underground tunnel that the Soviets had built to secretly house and deploy troops. After quickly scanning the minds of the Hydra officers, Hadrian found the entrance and rushed inside, and once he was far enough in it, he had managed to establish telepathic contact with Widow. She brought him up to speed and allowed him to listen in on the conversation that she had with Stevil Rogers, as she called that double of their Cap. To say that this was a bit much to take in was somewhat an understatement, but the more he listened, the more shocked Hadrian became. It took him a little effort of his will to remember that this man was not real Steve Rogers, not from here and that he was just another one of the megalomaniac bastards that comprised Hydra. Still, Hadrian could not argue with the fact that he was going to enjoy breaking this bastard with particular pleasure.
Finally reaching the closed hangar doors, Hadrian manifested two massive ethereal hands, which immediately clawed into the steel, before breaking the doors off their hinges and sending them into separate sides. Stepping inside through clouds of dust and cement, Hadrian came straight face to face with Hydra Supreme Steve Rogers, standing wearing the uniform that Captain America wore, with same colors and features, with the round shield at his side.
"Nephalem, it's good to see you." Hydra Cap greeted Hadrian, seemingly trying to throw him off. "Quickly, Zemo has Natasha imprisoned. If we don't hurry he…"
"Put that shield down." Hadrian demanded of him, surprising Hydra Cap.
"What? Nephalem, what are you talking about, soldier?" He asked of Hadrian just like normal Steve would, but Hadrian knew better.
"That shield belongs to a man whom you will never be, so put it down. You defile it with your touch, you Hydra Supreme bastard." Hadrian's eyes narrowed when he looked at him, with Hydra Steve realizing that Nephalem knew who he was.
"How did you know?" He asked of him with sincerity.
"Guess your Nephalem and I have a few things that make us distinct from one another." Hadrian replied to him, with Hydra Cap hardening his look on him.
"Yeah, I suppose you are different!" He stated, before he threw Cap's shield at Nephalem with same speed and strength that Steve would use against his enemies.
For normal people, this would be it, but for Nephalem who possessed reflexes, speed and strength that surpassed that of Captain America ten times over at this point, it was as easy to catch as a slowly falling snowflake. Intercepting the shield and catching it in his arm, Nephalem immediately equipped it, before he raised it to stop an attack by an axe-hammer, which Hadrian accomplished, stopping the hammer and them pushing it and Hydra Cap off him. Once he had a moment, Hadrian saw that around Steve now appeared a high tech armor that was similar to that of Iron Man, only with Hydra colors, and an Asgardian looking weapon in one hand, while a kite shield of same tech as the armor was in the other.
"Let me guess, you grabbed a few souvenirs from your Earth before coming here." Hadrian stated, as he summoned away Captain America's shield.
"Gifts, something to remind me of the home I can no longer return to. Tony made this armor for me, before I turned on him and as for this... You brought Mjolnir to me after you have killed Thor. Still amazes me how you manage to kill him." Hydra Steve stated to Hadrian, as he gripped the massive hybrid of axe and hammer. "You made it look easy."
"Doesn't Mjolnir have an enchantment that prevents unworthy from lifting it?" Hadrian asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Not my version." And with that, Hydra Cap flew straight towards Hadrian, before striking him with the hammer again.
If Hadrian hadn't put up a magical shield around himself, he would've had more than a few of his bones broken, but instead he was simply thrown through the concrete walls and corridors of this bunker. Stabilizing himself from the flight, Hadrian quickly realized that he was now in the center of the bunker, with Natasha running up to him from one of the corridors.
"Hadrian, what…" Without a word, he threw her Cap's shield.
"Steve is two levels higher, corridor B6, third cell. I have sent a mental pulse to the guards, they are knocked out. Get him and take the tunnel to Chernobyl from which I came in, he is cleared." Hadrian mentally told Natasha, as he gripped Yamato in his right hand. "I've got a Neo-Nazi to put down." And with this, Nephalem disappeared from the view of Black Widow.
With the speed and might of a bottled up hurricane, Nephalem moved through the blasted out corridors and halls, before he reached Hydra Cap and slashed at him with Yamato, with Hydra Cap's shield breaking in two and sending the armored Hydra Supreme flying into the concrete wall, crashing through it. Hadrian looked at his attempts to get back up, while he casually moved Yamato to his left hand, before behind his back appeared the sword that he had taken from Grendel with its power, given name Force Edge.
Created of materialized Chaos energy and sharing several properties with Yamato, the sword in it's initial form while was mighty, it's ergonomics and some esthetics bothered Hadrian, and so with the help of Morgana, he learned that the blade itself was able to adjust to the wish of his owner. The handle became slightly shorter, the crossguard took form of demonic horns while the blade lost a good portion of broadness, taking a more traditional look, but gained much more length and reach, without loss of mass. Overall, the sword now had an esthetical look that suited Hadrian, and he was now itching to put it to good use, as Steve got out of the hole and back into the hangar.
"You… You are stronger than I remember you to be." He said, as he gripped Mjolnir with both hands.
"No, I'm a different Nephalem, not one you betrayed, made into your pawn and killed." Hadrian stated, as he readied himself. "And for what you did to my Earth's Steve and him, I'll make you pay."
"You do speak like my Nephalem, though. But do you really think that I've been serious before?" Steven asked of him, before moved at a much faster speed at Hadrian, with Mjolnir blazing with lightning.
Nephalem answered his assault with his attack, as he pushed forward and put Force Edge in the way of Mjolnir, blocking it, before sending Yamato to cut down Hydra Cap. He managed to dodge by flying upwards, before dropping his hammer down on Nephalem with the blade preparing to imbed into Nephalem. Hadrian dodged by jumping backwards, with Hydra Cap imbedding Mjolnir in the ground, yet before he was able to drive it out of the earth, a red destructive wave hit Hydra Cap and sending him flying backwards again. The armor suffered damage, which was already repairing itself, thanks to a shard of Cosmic Cube that was imbedded in it, which had also protected Hydra Cap from most of the damage, as Nephalem peered from his mind.
"A shard of Cosmic Cube as a battery and repair system… You Hydra idiots can't seem to understand that playing with such things is bad for your health." Hadrian commented, deciding not to hide the fact that he could read minds from Hydra Cap, as he summoned Mjolnir in his hand. "Is this how you've managed to get into our Earth?"
"We've made a perfect Cube, but you took and used it against me and Hydra, so I had to resort to using broken pieces of previous ones." Cap said with anger in his voice. "I would've made the world as it was supposed to be, I would've given you everything you could ask for! And what did you do?! You destroyed everything that I fought for!"
"Guess my counterpart hit you really bad in the head, because you keep confusing us." Hadrian commented, with Steve preparing for an attack. "Still, doesn't really matter, 'cause I'll break you all the same." And with those words both rushed at each other again.
The ground and concrete shook and trembled from their attacks, as the blows were exchanged and blocked, as cracks began to appear all over the bunker. After a few seconds, Hadrian decided to move the battle from the hangar, in order to give Natasha and Steve, who she had rescued from what he sensed, a route of escape. Focusing both of his energies in his respective swords, Nephalem unleashed them in a two wave attacks, sending them at Hydra Cap, who blocked them with Mjolnir, before he was kicked in the head by Hadrian and sent through the wall deeper into the bunker. Landing in the command center, Hydra Cap struggled to stand up from the powerful kick, while Hadrian landed on his feet and turned his attention towards the Hydra soldiers who prepared to fire on him. A mental pulse later, and they all laid on the floor drooling, while Baron Zemo stepped inside, just as Hydra Cap rose up.
"Herr Nephalem, your annoying tendency to survive the odds has become rather annoying." Zemo stated, as he grabbed his energy pistol and fired at Hadrian, but he did not even flinch and just deflected the shots back at Zemo with Yamato, wounding him. "Argh! Y-you are too powerful… This is wrong! How c-could you have become so powerful?!"
"Simple, I've never stopped fighting." Hadrian honestly answered, before he focused energy in Force Edge. "And this time, I'll make sure to end you, Zemo." And with this, Hadrian unleashed a pulse of Chaos energy at Zemo from his sword, disintegrating one of Hydra leaders where he once stood.
"Helmut! You… You dare take away my friends again?!" Captain cried out in fury, as he sent lightning storm at Nephalem, who separated the bolts with Yamato and sent them all over the base, causing massive destruction and beginning to collapse the place. "What manner of power is this? It's almost like you are playing with me." Hydra Cap stated, as he realized the fact that Hadrian was holding back.
"Not exactly playing, more like holding back for sake of people around me. I always have to keep my might and power in check, making sure that I don't hurt people by being careless, by using too much of it." Hadrian stated to him. "True, I may be limiting myself, by not going all out and just pulverizing all in my path, but if I did that all the time, I'd be doing far more harm than saving people. And until now, I just needed to keep you off busy."
"Keep me busy, but why… Natasha…" Hydra Cap realized what Hadrian did. "You always could understand each other without words. You have been keeping me busy, while she found and rescued your Steve Rogers." Hydra Steve stated, as the bunker began to collapse around them.
"Yeah, and now that they are safely out of range…" Just as those words were sounded, Hadrian shed his human form in favor of his demonic one, shocking Hydra Cap. "Now we can finish this!"
With the force of a rocket-propelled locomotive, Hydra Cap flew through tens of meters of soil, concrete and steel, finding himself in the air, as he spewed out blood from the might of Nephalem's kick. Reeling from the shock and absolute terror that Hydra Cap now felt, he was not prepared for Nephalem to appear right in front of him, grabbing Mjolnir from Hydra Steve's hand by literally pushing him away. Feeling the absolute might of the Asgardian super weapon rushing through his veins and imbued with the power of Thor, Nephalem summoned a storm of impossible proportions, dark clouds as thick as they got came together, at the command of the new wielder of Mjolnir. Hydra Steve looked with horror in his eyes as the lightning and thunder came together, before Nephalem flew as high as he could.
At his command and will, all of that monstrous and ungodly might came together in one form, a bolt of pure destruction, and Hadrian unleashed it downwards, sending it towards the secret base and Hydra Supreme. The massive pillar of light pushed Hydra Steven down with the force of a moon, before it connected with the ground, and then all of Eastern Europe felt the impact of it, for the ground quacked and buckled. The thunderous and monstrous sound was heard, as the forest surrounding Duga became ashes and cinder in radius of 5 kilometers, while all of remaining windows in 20 kilometers radius were blown away. And as for the place that was once Duga-1 and a military town that was attached to it, nothing but a massive and deep crater remained, encompassing the radius of a full kilometer, filled with ashes. Only one being alive was still there, to which Hadrian flew and landed near, dispelling his demonic form, walking towards broken and destroyed Hydra Steven Rogers, laying on his back, his armor destroyed, and the shard of Cube that he took with himself turning to glowing dust and dissipating, finally expired of its power.
"I… I would have given… You everything… I-if you… Hadn't…" Hydra Steve tried to speak, as he was quite literally broken in all places.
"That is the thing: he already had everything he could ask for, as do I. All you did was take it away because you chose to be a monster." Hadrian stated him, as he looked in to Hydra Steve's mind, before he gripped now his hammer. "You ruined his life, destroyed all you have fought to protect, and couldn't even learn to appreciate it… You truly are Hydra Supreme." Nephalem stated grimly, as he raised Mjolnir and summoned one more lighting.
"H-hail… Hydra." Were the last words of Hydra Supreme Steven Rogers, before lightning disintegrated him from existence, with Hadrian letting a sigh, leaving to find Black Widow and his universe's Captain America in Chernobyl.
Three hours later. Avengers Tower.
"An alternate version of Cap that was made into Hydra agent, was going to infiltrate the Avengers and SHIELD and take us down from the inside…" Fury rubbed his eye, as he stood before Nephalem, Black Widow and Captain America, having decided to arrive here himself. "Hydra Captain America, that is one thing I never thought to hear or say in my life."
"Join the club, sir." Black Widow stated with dry humor. "If what Richards says is true, then it's not beyond the realm of possibility to find an Earth or two in the multiverse where Hydra includes Captain America, despite how absurd it may sound."
"Thanks Nat, now I'm gonna have even more trouble sleeping because of that thought." Cap stated with a sigh, as Nat had a small smirk. "Still, he… He looked and talked like me… It's scary to think what would've happened if he had succeeded with his plans, with Zemo's success with that mind control device, it's possible that Hydra really would have taken over the country, if not the whole world."
"At least that's one less thing to worry about, because someone here has turned into a massive crater and burned away all vegetation in 5 kilometers radius." Fury turned to Hadrian, who didn't even seem bothered by what Fury just said. "Couldn't you just handle in a less blockbuster way? Do you have any idea how much reports I'm gonna have to make to how many people, just to explain what the hell happened there?" Fury asked of Hadrian in an irritated tone.
"No offence, Director, but didn't you order me to do exactly that?" Hadrian asked of him, with Fury blinking at him.
"Yeah, I believe your exact words were, quote: "Destroy the whole place and leave nothing standing, nothing that could be made useful, not a single bit of information is to leave that place." Widow recited the whole quote with a rather amused look on her. "You gave us the specific orders, and we carried them out, to the letter, might I add. And if anything, Hadrian acted with my authority, and as a senior Agent, I take responsibility for what had happened there"
"Yes, but… Really, Romanoff?" Fury turned his attention at her. "You talking to me about authority? You just turned a patch of Exclusion Zone into a surface of Moon, and I've got at least ten European presidents and prime ministers calling, trying to figure out what the hell was that, not to mention UN, and you are talking to me about authority? You know I've got the authority to downgrade both your asses to waste disposal management for that firework you pulled off?" He asked of them both with a loud tone.
"We are aware of it, sir." Hadrian responded calmly, with Fury turning his attention to him, before calming down a little.
"Now, are you certain, that nothing had survived that Independence Day reenactment?" Fury asked of them.
"Positive, sir. Not a single Hydra officer, solider, scientist, piece of technology or information had survived, including Helmut Zemo and Hydra Stevil Rogers." Widow responded with a bit of humor.
"Stevil… Please don't tell Tony about it." Rogers immediately understood what she meant.
"No promises." She jokingly stated.
"And what about this thing?" Nick pointed at the alternate universe's Mjolnir, which rested behind Hadrian's back. "Are you now going to keep it as a souvenir, like you did your Chaos Edge?"
"Force Edge, actually, and no, I've already made arrangements to get it out of this universe for good." Hadrian stated to Fury, who nodded to him. "If all goes well, we'll be rid of it within a week."
"See to it personally, Hadrian. That thing just made a lot of very important people nervous, me included. At least without our Thor we've got that enchantment, but this is too much a risk to keep around." Fury stated to him. "And good work on getting Cap back and chopping off one of Hydra's heads."
"More like burning it to ashes." Natasha pointed out.
"Kinda like Hercules in his Labors." Hadrian added, with Fury looking at these two with exasperation.
"Yeah, yeah, I can see that the two of you are now thick as thieves. Well you better be careful, Romanoff, 'cause this kid has a girlfriend now. I'll see both of you on next week." Fury said in a semi-joking manner, before turning towards the exit, leaving the Avengers Tower.
"You think he's gonna chew you up for what you did?" Steve asked of the two once Fury was out of the earshot.
"No, he's just annoyed at having to explain what had happened in Chernobyl." Natasha stated, before turning to Hadrian. "By the way, I've heard a rumor that you've punched James Potter during that time in Christmas when you were forced to attend Hogwarts. Is that true, I was curious?"
"Punched him? No." Hadrian said dismissively. "I broke his face and made him throw up his wine at my feet, after he insulted my mother. I guess Coulson has been spreading stories about me."
"Let's just say that I've got a friend or two in Wizarding World who saw you there." Natasha smiled to him. "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it without you." She told him sincerely.
"No problem, my pleasure working with you." Hadrian responded with a smile.
"And thanks for saving me." Steve offered Harry a hand, who shook it immediately.
"Anytime, anywhere, Cap." Harry answered with a smile. "You would've done the same for me, I'm sure."
"Yes, I would." Cap told him. "And on a more positive note, you have been active as a hero and a Special Agent of SHIELD, and you've proven yourself time and time again. I am sure you have heard that we would be glad to have you in our team, but now… Now I'd like to make it official."
"You want me to officially join the Avengers?" Hadrian asked with a bit of a surprise.
"You've more than earned your place on the team, and we've worked plenty of times together, saw you in the field and how you act and move." Steve told him. "We were confidant in you after London, but now we are certain that you would make a great addition to the team. So, what do you say?"
"I'd say that I'm honored, Cap, but…" Hadrian said, before sighing. "Don't take it the wrong way, but after today, what I saw in that bastard's head and what he told Widow… I know that the two of you are worlds apart, I do, but right now, I'm don't feel too confidant with such form of commitment, and after what he showed me…"
"Don't worry, son, he shook us all in one way or the other." Cap assured him, with Harry feeling bit easier. "We've all had a difficult day, and you've earned some rest and respite, after taking down Zemo for good. Just keep in mind, that whether you accept the invitation or not, in our eyes, you are an Avenger already, a member of our family." Hadrian smiled to him.
"Thanks, Cap." Hadrian told him. "Well, I guess I'll be going. I've got some flowers to pick up for my girlfriend as an apology for leaving her so soon."
"I know a great flower shop not far from here. C'mon, I'll show you." Natasha offered and took Hadrian with her, leaving Steve and heading to the exit. "Not exactly what you would expect from me is it?" She asked, referring to the mission.
"Considering the circumstances, it could've gone far worse, and besides, I still shudder a little from remembering you at your best." Hadrian joked, with Natasha chuckling at it. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to put up a full on block back there. It was careless of me."
"We all have our bad moments, and you've done more than enough to save the day today. Like you said, it could've gone a lot worse, and the worst that had happened is us ending up shaken up and having Fury chew us up." Natasha responded. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead." Harry nodded to her.
"Steve… I mean Hydra Stevil, he mentioned that his universe's us were married." Natasha said, with Harry confirming with a nod that it was so. "Did he… Did he say anything else about them, or us?" She asked of him with a bit of insecurity.
"No, only that he could've given me anything I wanted, but I'm pretty sure that he was driven a bit mad by Nephalem of his world, for what had happened. I did see in his mind a few glimpses of his version of us… And they were happy, even had children." Hadrian responded, with Widow looking at him with surprise. "What? I'm only saying what I saw."
"No, I… I'm just surprised to hear it." Natasha said, as she collected her thoughts. "And those children… Were they ours? I-I mean, theirs?"
"Um, yeah, they were." Harry responded, though taken aback at the attention she was paying to his words. "Are you okay, Widow?"
"Yeah… Yeah, and call me Natasha, like all my friends do." She told him softly, putting the thought away.
"Sure, Natasha, then you can call me Hadrian, or Harry." He responded with a smile. "Now, what's this about the flowers you told me?" And the two former opponents now close allies and trusted friends departed the Avengers Tower, putting behind them any and all rifts.
Okay, I will be the first to admit that I did not intend this chapter to be like this. I planned a completely different one, but then… Then I finally caught up on my comic book reading, having finished up the Secret Empire storyline and Hydra Cap…
Let's just say that it left me morbidly and positively inspired, and I could not keep myself from not taking a shot at that crime against one of greatest Marvel symbols and heroes. To actually have the balls to make Captain America into a Hydra agent… As infuriated as I am, I can't deny the sheer audacity to actually make it happen. The only good thing it did was provide that iconic meme at least…
But on the more positive side, I was finally able to get Nephalem and Black Widow to interact and reveal their history together, and as you can see, they are completely fine with each other and all that. Oh, and yes, the alternate Mjolnir will be removed from this story, as Nephalem had stated, and it was based off of Ultimate Universe Mjolnir.
And as always, thank you all for your support of this story and helping me make it better. Leave a comment, review, suggestion about romances (by the way, the harem will be relatively small in size 3-5 members only), future events and ask questions about story and characters.
And as promised, next chapter begins a new arc, which will focus on both Hadrian and Wizarding World.
Next time: Destruction of Privet Drive; Morbid revelations to Black Family; Avatar of Vengeance.