Coney Island, New York.
The ordinary looking grey van turned into one of the side streets between the amusement parks and pulled over to the side of the road. Inside, it was anything but ordinary. It was packed with surveillance equipment and had to agents watching screens while at the back Steve and Natasha sat on benches facing each other, checking over their civilian disguises.
Both had light weight armour under their street clothes. Steve was wearing blue jeans, heavy work boots, a T-shirt and a flannel shirt over that. Nat had black jeans with several slim studded leather belts about her hips, a T-shirt for a band Steve didn't recognise and a black New York Yankees baseball cap.
She opened a make-up case and laughs at the choice of fake beards Steve had. "What look were they thinking of for you? Bemused lumberjack? Evil twin goatee? Hipster barista?"
"Let's try the goatee and glasses look"
She helps him fix the beard on and gives him an appraising look over. "You'll pass casual checks. Let's go!" She grins and climbs out of the van, putting on a hooded top.
Steve follows, doing a double take
"Hey, is that my hoodie?"
"Might be." She grins and heads into the crowd.
He catches up and wraps an arm around her waist. She smiles and leans into him.
The walk past a long row of battered and graffiti covered metal roller shutters and turn through a metal gate into the fun fair.
"That was the place. 1104 Surf avenue. Closed down arcade, two storeys above ground plus basement. Good access, multiple entry points, facilities and power. They could be doing a lot in there"
"I saw. Keep your eyes open"
She winks "So, you going to get me an ice cream?"
They stroll through the amusement park.
Steve is grinning like a kid "I can't believe they still have the old wooden roller coaster and the ferris wheel. You fancy a ride on the big wheel?"
She fakes a stern look "You are not a good enough actor to fake that enthusiasm, you actually are excited! we are meant to be working."
He gives her a squeeze "We're just backing up local law enforcement in case there was anything to those rumours of non-human involvement. We keep a low profile and monitor the situation, lend a hand if needed. It's just when I used to come here I couldn't ride the big rides, my doctor said it could kill me."
"Let me guess, you did anyway?"
"I had to!"
"Well, it seems you survived. "
"of course I did! The roller coaster was fantastic! Then I passed out." He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck "Lost the sight in my right eye for two days. Stuck in bed for a week. Bucky came over and laughed at me. But it was worth it."
"You are something else!" She looks round "Maybe later? We do have a job to do"
"You're on. OK, we're watching the escape route to the boardwalk and pier in case they go for that boat the Police think is connected." He looks round, reading the crowd.
"There are a few suspicious looking people about, what do you think? Kid on the corner?"
"You Americans wear your hearts on your sleeves. He's nervous about a girl"
"Looks like First date nerves?" The boy they're watching looks up and then stands up, nervously smiling.
"Girls friendly but not interested. He's just Meeting a friend he has a Crush on."
"OK. Guy moving fast, eleven o'clock"
"Looking for the restrooms. Guy on the bench, our three o'clock?"
"Nursing a hangover I'd say. Kid on the end of the row, on his phone"
"Looks promising. Earpiece, watching the crowds as much as his phone. Could be watching or listening to something but I'd say he's our lookout."
"So the entry team will have to be quick."
"The plan is to Jam phone signal and grab any lookouts as they go in"
"Sounds good. I'll let them know we're ready"
Steve touches his ear, scratching the lobe as he says "This is Avengers Actual, we are in position between Target and Boardwalk"
"Roger that Avengers Actual, team are moving into position, T minus twelve minutes"
"They're getting ready. Let's go play a few of the games and get an ice cream"
She shakes her head in disbelief then hears the distinctive ting of a projectile hitting a metal gong. Down one of the lines of stalls is a shooting gallery with pellet rifles and rows of metal ducks as targets. Her eyes light up and she grins "well, I could be persuaded. Just to strengthen our cover, of course"
He sees the range and the evil gleam in her eye "Oh, of course"
The range has metal duck targets painted bright yellow, but chipped and battered. The backdrop is a curtain to catch the pellets from the rifles, which are small air power things that have to be broken open, loaded with a pellet then forced closed to pump the cylinder to compress the air to fire them.
Natasha is almost bouncing with glee as Steve puts a $10 down on the counter and gets her ten shots. The bored looking man running the stall has bad stubble and tattoos on his hands but at least gives them both safety glasses
She lifts the rifle, loading and charging it. It's chained down to the counter and obviously seen better days.
Giving it a critical check it's clear the barrel is twisted and the sights are terribly out of alignment.
She winks at Steve "Easy, just watch" but He leans in and whispers in her ear.
"I want you to miss them all, my girl. Miss the target. Don't make it obvious."
She hisses at him "You are SO evil!"
She struggles with herself for a moment then with gritted teeth aims and fires.
PING
She just misses one of the ducks.
He pats her on the ass "good girl". She reloads, grumbling then aims again.
PING
The pellet hits a metal support pole and ricochets past Steve's head
"Hey! Careful! You could have someone's eye out!"
She smiles sweetly at him "That's why the safety glasses are for"
He puts a $20 on the counter and picks up a rifle "I'm a better shot than that!" She frowns at him, glaring at him furiously as it's not fair that he gets to shoot when he told her to miss.
Ping!
Except He misses. Badly.
She bursts out laughing at his fake sad face.
They take it in turns to miss as wildly as they can, always trying to look serious
Finally Nat completely misses the target, hits a pole holding a target up and ricochets back, hitting the stall owners big gulp soda cup and punching a neat hole in it
"Oops. Sorry!"
Over the earpieces they hear "Team is a Go."
Nat looks round then looks at Steve. He shrugs "Relax, we are just here in case things go wrong"
He fires his shot
Ping.
Misses.
She leans close and whispers "We are here. Of course things will go wrong."
Over the radio they can hear the SWAT Team commander give the signal "Entry team go! Go! Go!"
They get a strange echo effect as they head things over the radio and from the nearby building.
Sounds of smashing wood and gunfire. The entry teams all had one man battering rams. The shots are the dull bass boom of a shotgun, they know the teams also had shotguns loaded with Hatton rounds, slugs made of lead dust designed to smash a doors hinges and locks but not shoot through and endanger people in the room beyond.
Then lots of shouting. screaming. Police shouting orders to get down on the floor. Then gunfire, muffled explosions. Then something unusual, the snarl of a large angry animal of some sort.
Steve looks at Nat. "Dogs?"
Nat shrugs "See? Told you things would go wrong."
Over the radio they can hear shouting, screaming and gun fire, the rapid chatter of submachine sounds of panic, screams of pain and more bestial growling and snarling. Frantic voices over the radio called for a medic, reports that people are down and injured.
Then something unexpected comes over the radio, the panicked screams and cries of the assault team
"Dog! Big Dog!" "Saw it!" "He Changed!" "Jesus Christ!" "He Bit him!" "It had Claws!"
"werewolf!"
Steve frowns and glances at Natasha "A werewolf? Is that even a thing these days? Is it magic or aliens or something?"
She shrugs noncommittally. "Who knows? Could be anything. It's big and bestial, so if it looks like a duck...
He nods "It's probably angry and looking to kill someone."
With a scream of twisting metal a huge hairy humanoid shape tears its way through the steel roller shutters at the back of the arcade. Steve looks surprised; it's definitely a big man covered in dark brown hair with a wolf like head and claws. It's wearing the shredded remains of human clothes but has definitely grown in size.
"Well it's definitely big and angry. Suggestions?
"Standard operating procedure?"
"Hit it real hard in the head? Roger that!" He shrugs off his flannel shirt and takes off at a run toward the beast. Around his left forearm is an armoured bracer. He activated the electromagnetic clamp on it and ordered "Deploy shield". The van bleeped a confirmation signal and a section of the roof popped up like a turret, turning to track Steve. With a muffled thump the turret fired his shield over the stalls towards him, and he jumped, catching it on his upraised arm as his leap carried him right to the werewolf.
Natasha tugged her ear. Nonchalantly snapping the chain on the fairground pellet gun she charges it and drops her silver ear stud down the barrel. Tapped the rifle butt on the ground to be sure the stud was seated she shoulders and fires the rifle in one swift smooth motion.
The beast is looking up, ready to claw Steve as he lands but it suddenly screams, clutching the ruin left of its eye as the ear stud hits. Steve lands on it boots first, punching the shield edge into its face.
Nat toggles her radio. "Well, it didn't like silver!"
It growls and claws at him with one hand but he blocks with his shield and kicks it hard in the gut.
It's hardly staggered but he moves to its blindside to duck the flailing claw and punches it again.
"It's still pretty tough!"
Nat frowns. The Silver hurt it but it was hardly slowed by enough neurotoxin to kill five men.
Steve gets behind it and tries to wrestle with it, aiming to pin its arms in a full nelson hold while avoiding being clawed or bitten, but can't reach round its thick neck. It's like it's getting bigger as it gets angrier, which worries him.
As Nat breaks into a run he deliberately wrestles it round to face her.
She understands his intention and palms a miniature flash bang charge. Just as she gets in claw range she throws it point blank into its face. Steve ducks down behind its back as the charge explodes. It's a mix of compressed high pressure explosive and metal dust in a cellulose case, designed to be completely consumed in a thunderous flash with no shrapnel and no traces.
It goes off in its face and hits like a hammer blow, nearly tearing its jaw off and leaving the beast reeling in pain, blind and deaf.
Steve throws it over his shoulder, trying to slam it into the ground but it lands on all fours, its face already healing in front of their eyes. It snarls at them and then turns tail and flees into the park, smashing its way through several stalls.
They both give chase, following through the wreckage, trying to keep up but wary for an ambush
Steve says "well, the flash worked, but not for long enough"
They duck out of the smashed stall and see it climb onto a low roof
"I've never seen anything heal so fast"
"if it's really a wolf the ultrasonic may work" She touches her bracer and Steve winces at the ear piercing shriek at the upper edge of his hearing. People can't hear it but dogs for blocks around start howling.
The beast clutches its ears and stumbles as it goes to jump, falling off the roof.
Steve vaults the steel fence and runs towards it, catching it with a shoulder charge as it gets to its feet and smashing it into the wooden scaffolding around them. He realises they're fighting through the roller coaster and tries to knock it back but is busy avoiding it's claws and teeth.
Nat shouts "Go high!"
Steve pushes up close, punching the edge of his shield at its face and chest. Nat slides in low, kicking its knee sideways with a sickening crunch. As it stumbles she loops a cord round it's good ankle then instead of her usual spin move, knowing wrapping her legs round its neck will just get her bitten she goes round it's body, under one arm and over the other. She braces her feet on its side and pulls the cord tight, hoping it'll trap its limbs. Instead It hunches up then leaps up, throwing its arms wide and howling.
Steve is thrown backwards, the cords all snap like cobwebs and Nat hits the ground hard on her back.
The beast takes off at a run, its legs working fine already.
Steve offers Nat a hand up "That was ten ton line." She grumbles.
"Punch didn't phase it either"
"Eye didn't heal though" She points out.
Steve shrugs "I left my silver sword at home"
"Well its panting and howling, so it breathes"
Steve gets her line of thinking "Let's see if it can hold its breath!"
They take off after it at a sprint. The beast hasn't gone far, it seems confused and disorientated, shaking its head and taking its anger out on stalls and fences. Luckily the crowds have long fled.
Steve slams into it at full speed, smashing the both of them through the tall wooden wall decorated with a design of swirling waves and fish.
As it claws at Steve Nat dives at it, grabbing on and riding it down as she repeatedly punches it in the side, the electric arc of the Widows bite flaring with shock after shock.
It howls in pain and rage then Steve hurls them both over the rail into the Aquariums sea cliff pools.
It tries to howl again but just gets a sudden lung full of water.
All around them water splashes and panicked penguins scatter as It thrashes but Steve holds it under the water until it goes limp. It suddenly starts to shrink, fur and fangs sinking back into its body, which becomes more and more human, until Steve's holding a small scrawny looking naked man covered in blood and bruises.
Steve drags the unconscious man out of the water and checks he's still breathing. He coughs out water then starts to thrash and foam at the mouth.
Nat sighs, of course the poison takes effect now the fights over. She always carries atropine when she's armed with nerve toxins, so she takes an auto injector from her belt and presses it to his thigh.
"Antidote to the Poison dart." She explains, readying another injector. "How much do you think he weights?"
Steve hefts him thoughtfully "About 150, 155?"
She adjusts the injector "sedative to keep him under, can't have him shifting before they can get him to a proper jail cell". She presses the injector to the man's thigh then puts him into the recovery position.
"This will need calling in to the Security council, Fury had a special protocol for handling unknown shape shifters." She produces a small emergency beacon and sets it going.
"He knew about shape shifters? There's a werewolf hunter unit?"
"Not sure what he knew, he never said but I know He was paranoid about them."
"Fury was paranoid about everything"
"Ok, extra paranoid then. Reading between the lines? I think it was something about him losing his eye. He ever say that thing to you about trusting someone once?"
"He tried it once and didn't like it? That it cost him his eye?"
She nods "I think that was a shape changer"
"Great, more things to worry about"
Nat starts to unfold a shiny foil blanked and covers the naked sedated prisoner.
"At least I can get you read in on this with the WSC, I hate having to keep secrets from you"
Steve sits down heavily on part of the enclosures rocky shore and asks "why's it such a secret? Aliens are common knowledge now."
"Yes, but it's more what some beings can do - some powers are deemed a threat to Global security"
Steve paused, thinking things through. As Nat said in their intelligence training, try and understand the implications.
Fury and the World Security Council considered shape changing powers a threat to global security. That made sense, he could see a shape changing spy or assassin would be a nightmare to stop.
Was this just a tenth man policy, a devil's advocate? No, the team was already set up. So there had already been encounters with dangerous shape changers.
Then he thought back. Loki and his illusion powers probably counted. Who else?
Beside him a penguin that was braver than the rest waddled up beside him and honked to get his attention.
"No, I don't have any fish"
HONK! "This is above your security clearance." He shoos the penguin away and looks round. The crowds in the park had fled to a safe distance and were filming on their phones. He could see the uniforms and hats of park security fast approaching.
"So, what else warrants the attention of a special task force?"
Nat starts counting them off on her fingers "Mind control powers. Possession and Mind reading as well, its hard to keep secrets with those around. Shape changing, duplication and creating exact robot doubles of people."
"That's worryingly specific"
She just gives him a little smile as she unpacks a first aid kit."Also Invisibility, Teleportation, Time travel and Contacting or reanimating the dead. They're classed as Global security threats. Oh, and any power with a delivered energy of a kiloton or more."
She starts to look him over, he realises he's bleeding from several ragged claw gashes on his chest and side. As she cleans the wounds and sprays bandages on them she continues "The security council called them SWORD, as a counterpoint to SHIELD. Special Weapons Observation and Response Division"
"So would they cover Vision and Wanda? He can change his appearance and she can mess with minds"
"Yes, if they were to go rogue the Council will call in a SWORD team to 'respond' to them."
"Who's running SWORD then?"
"I've not much intel, they're new and compartmentalised to stop infiltration after the HYDRA debacle."
"You must know something about them."
"Well, a bit. But they're wary of me…. As I may have made them by accident."
"What? How do you accidentally make a secret organisation?"
"When i told the joint chiefs to go screw themselves as we are the best to fight the big threats?"
Realisation dawns "Ah, You think that made them panic and make their own 'secret avengers' that they can control? yeah, that Makes sense."
"I may have over reacted when I threatened them like that."
"We all make mistakes. I'll spank you for it later"
"oh, promises promises" She smirks. "pity we have an audience"
He looks up, the penguin exhibit is surrounded by nervous park security pointing guns at them.
"I'll talk to them; you keep an eye on sleeping beauty and the beast" he stands up, making sure his beard disguise is gone and the shield is clearly visible. From by his foot comes a petulant HONK
"And the penguin"
Twenty minutes later Widow gets a radio message from SWORD and has the police clear a stretch of the boardwalk. The plane that sets down is a longer, sleeker version of the Quinjet they use, without logo or markings.
"Pretty slick looking aircraft. Where are they based?"
"That's a hyper velocity Sub orbital shuttle. Stupidly fast. It flies up at the edge of space, could get anywhere on the globe in under half an hour. The location of SWORD HQ is classified of course.
He can hear it's airframe creaking, the heat proof tiles ping and click as they cool from the heat of re-entry.
The back ramp comes down and figures in Haz Mat suits come out, pushing a gurney.
Nat talks to them as Steve guards the unconscious prisoner, then they approach.
"Lets leave them to it." She says as they start checking the sedated man's vital signs. "They know what they're doing"
They head back to the undercover van as the SWORD personnel wheel the gurney back to the jet.
"So, Are they going to be a threat to us?"
"Possibly. Probably. Just not yet. Best we keep doing good deeds in public so they can't try and phase us out"
They get into the van and head into New York, away from the media circus that's surrounding the scene.
"Are there more surprises like that about?"
Nat sighs. "Some. SHIELD used to maintain a list, they called it The Index. They had agents on the lookout for mentions of unusual powers, if something odd was spotted a field agent would investigate and evaluate if the person or item had unusual powers, what they were and if they were a danger to themselves or others."
"there are a lot of people with minor gifts, small day to day things. Like there was a guy in Hong Kong who could shoot flames a few inches from his hands. Basically never needed a lighter or matches, but that was it. He was a street magician, mostly harmless. Most are like that.
But the rare few are deadly. There's a man who can cause seizures with his voice. Another who can freeze anything he touches. The causes are varied, accidents, experiments, exposure to alien items, random change or worse of all, there is no known cause. They just happen."
SHIELD evaluated them , recruited who they could, helped some live normal day to day lives. The most dangerous were locked away. HYDRA seized them when they took over, tried to use them as weapons. Most of them died.
The Van drops them at a tall Brownstone town house in New york. The middle of a row of narrow four storey buildings, it has the characteristic steps up to the front door.
Steve notices there are three mail slots and points them out to Nat, questioningly.
"It's a Duplex with two apartments over it, we have the top floor and the roof"
She opens the door with a big brass key and leads him inside, where it's cool and quiet with polished wood floors and high ceilings. They go up two floors on antique wooden stairs with carved banisters to their front door.
Natasha opens it and steps inside, looking round cautiously.
"We set this place up as a safe house for covert operations after the battle of New York but the paperwork got lost in the fall of SHIELD . No idea how that happened."
"So you stole this apartment?"
"More like borrowed. We put a lot of work into this place, I'd hate to see it go to waste. We reinforced the whole place into a blast cell High grade armour in the walls, floor and ceiling. Bullet proof windows, but they're designed to push outwards to vent a blast or to act as emergency exits. Whole place is shielded against listening devices.
She puts her bag down and walks over to look out of the windows, then lowers the blinds.
"Hear that rattle and hum from the refrigerator?"
"yes, it looks brand new, but it sounds on its last legs." She leans on a chair and takes off her boots
"Actually an acoustic jammer. it's bolted to the outside wall so it vibrates the wall and windows, Stops directional and laser microphones."
Steve puts his bag down and sits on the couch. She continues, pacing the room barefoot.
"Back of the Couches and the breakfast bar are 2" steel plate with layered ceramic armour over the top. Bulletproof up to AP rifle rounds, laminated with gel to stop the bullets ricocheting."
He watches her, listening but absorbing the information passively. He can see how the furniture has been positioned to give cover in a fire fight without disturbing the flow of the room. Did SHIELD have interior designers with urban combat experience? All that gets filed away as he watches her, she's pacing more now, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet. Post operation energy, the adrenaline and noradrenaline in your system and the sugar rush from liver enzymes and all sorts of things your body feels when you fight but don't die.
"The base of the couch and bed are gun safes, top access so just lift the cushions or mattress. Code is 7418. Plenty of choice and all loaded and ready. Have a look and make a choice now, so you don't feel spoiled for choice and hesitate in a gunfight."
"Why that code?" he asks, suddenly alert
She stops, puzzled "Not sure, the SHIELD people who set this place up chose it. Why? It mean something?"
"it's My birthday. The fourth of July 1918."
She stops, flipping month and day from European to American format and bursts out laughing. "Really?" She'd seen that in his file but thought it'd been part of his cover. Captain America, of course he'd be born on the fourth of July. "I thought that was just a PR stunt?!"
"Nope, it's true."
He reaches out and grabs her by the belts she's wearing, pulling her towards him. She stops her break neck speed briefing and grins, climbing astride his lap as he sits on the couch.
"You" He says, pulling her hoodie – well, his hoodie she borrowed - off over her head "are wired from combat and need to relax"
"Oh yes? Know a good way to burn off excess energy?"
"I do indeed" he pulls the vintage Tshirt out of her jeans, baring the pale grey of the form fitting ballistic vest she was wearing. "It's an important part of debriefing" he tugs the t shirt up, over her head.
"Debriefing sounds good" she teases, unbuckling his belt. She can see he's hard through his jeans and grips him, eager to feel how hard he is.
"No, you first." He says, ripping the Velcro straps on the side of her vest. She struggles out of the armour, it's hard to make something bulletproof and sexy. Under it she's wearing a lacy black bra that frames the swell of her impressive breasts well, even when she's still red and sweating from fighting in armour.
She grins and puts a hand on each of his shoulders, bringing her arms together to push her breasts up and into his face. He leans into them, gently kissing them as he reaches round and unfastens her bra. He never thought he'd get so good at that, but he's had plenty of practise now.
She backs off a little, letting him pull her bra off down her arms. When her breasts swing free she puts her arms up over her head, doing a little wiggle from side to side to show them off
He reaches for her again but she grins
"wait a little" She puts her hands on his knees and spreads them apart, then does a little dance with her hips as she unbuckles her belts and unzips her tight black jeans.
"Now, I've a surprise for you" She grins, turning round slowly "I think you'll like it"
She hooks her thumbs into her waistband and slowly works her jeans down, bending over to reveal the pale skin of her toned ass with only a thin black strip of a thong covering it. Stepping out of her jeans she's bent double, her ass so enticing he can't resist stroking his fingertips down it, onto the tops of her thighs.
She moans softly as he slides his fingers back up the inside of her thighs, until he can stroke her through the thong. It's soaking wet and he grins, one finger pressing in the middle, rubbing so the cloth folds and her lips pout around the cloth.
"Very nice" He says, giving her a little slap that makes her jump. She bites her lip and straightens up, turning so he can see the front of the thong. The material is black, darker where her wetness has soaked through but on the front, in pride of place, is the red white and blue circle and star emblem of his shield.
His face is an absolute picture of surprise and she laughs, grabbing his face and kissing him
"Just for you!"
He splutters "how did you get those?"
"The internet has everything. Even patriotic panties. Now hurry, America needs you!"
"I'm sure it does" he says, gripping her ass and pulling her up onto the couch.
"I hope its worth it, this thing has been sawing me in half all day!"
She gives a small cry of surprise when he cups her ass and lifts her, his arms hardly straining, until his face is level with her thong and her knees are resting on his shoulders. Then he tugs the material to one side and pushes her onto his face. She grips his head with her thighs, both hands in his hair to hold on as his tongue licks at her, sliding up and down
He buries himself in the smell of her excitement, the taste of her eager desire, gently sucking the folds of her then back to using his tongue. He uses the tip of his tongue to seek out the swollen nub of her clit, teasing and circling it as he feels her move in response, her fingers clutching at his head as he presses with his tongue on the flesh around it then teases it directly.
She gets lost in the sensation, feeling carried away by his touch, his tongue and it's knowledge of her most intimate places, by being held aloft as if she was weightless. She almost falls as he slides a thumb up inside her and the sensation makes her double over in pleasure, but he supports her as she makes a wordless sound and clings on for dear life. He's just supporting her with ease, his thumb making a lazy circle as his tongue teases around her clit that's almost too sensitive to touch, but aching to be touched.
Eventually he switches to broad firm strokes over her clit, each making a wave of pleasure flood through her until she cries out, gripping his head desperately as her orgasm bursts through her, making her grip him hard with quivering thighs.
Tenth man Policy = In a group of ten men, if nine agree on something it is the duty of the tenth to be the "loyal dissenter" and assume the opposite, just in case the others are wrong.