Chapter Six:
Meeting The Retired Operative
Looking through the log, we discovered that The Mandarin's next stop, after visiting the base, was somewhere in Western Germany. Y'know what was funny, the news never reported on anybody spotting him there; he must have been traveling in disguise or using some other means of getting around undetected in plain sight.
We apprehended the remaining Ten Rings agents in the area, and took care of the base, using the charges that the SHIELD team brought along; finally eliminating a piece of HYDRA's wartime legacy from the region.
Nick Fury contacted us not long after, telling me that SHIELD had found someone who likely knew a thing or two on The Mandarin.
And that someone was a man, who'd admitted to being a former Ten Rings agent, having retired some time ago. According to a SHIELD document; the man's name was Marcos Drostin. His current residence was in a town in South Germany, where people had claimed to have last seen The Mandarin, despite how few the witnesses accounts were.
I headed there by SHIELD jet, ready to talk with Mr. Drostin. How long had he been in the Ten Rings before retirement, I had no idea, but hearing of a retired terrorist agent was a... special surprise.
The jet touched down near the town of Sto'vȇn'pratz, where Marcos was said to be residing. I reviewed the intel on him, which said he lived in a house in a secluded street corner. Sounded like he preferred to be alone, not wanting anyone to know more about his past.
Who could have blamed him? At this point, he likely regretted the things he'd done for the Rings.
A few agents accompanied me, and we made our way down the streets towards the avenue where Marcos' house was located. The place was quiet, with a few people minding their own business. It was better than the abandoned Belgian town, where the only person there had been a Ten Rings operative waiting to strike at any moment.
My shield remained with me, just in case a fight happened. All we could do was hope that Marcos was reasonable and willing to talk. By golly, we were wondering how he'd react to one of his visitors being the famous Captain America who fought HYDRA during World War II.
We kept an eye on the house for movement, nobody seemed to peak out the windows, which were covered in blinds. It left one to wonder; did he ever go outside?
I instructed the agents to patrol the streets, while I would be the one to talk with Marcos. I walked past a car covered in dust with a bit of leaves on the windshield, an old Volkswagen. With my shield ready, I made the short journey to the front door and knocked on it.
No indication of movement on the other side.
And the SHIELD file said he was alive, they had to have seen him, likely going out for an errand. Or, maybe they'd spoken with one of his next-door neighbors.
I was about to knock again, when I finally heard faint footsteps. I stepped back, watching as the door knob turned. The door opened, and there stood a man in a large blue shirt, white jeans, combed light-black hair, and blue eyes. I prepared to use my shield, taking note of the gun in his hand. He... seemed very defensive.
"Captain America...?" He said in a smooth accent, seeing my face, "Captain Rogers?"
"Yeah, that's me." I replied, "Marcos Drostin, correct?"
He put down the gun. "Incredible..." Marcos said, "I didn't think I'd be meeting the legendary super-soldier at a time like this. And, yes, I am Marcos Drostin..."
"Do you have time to talk?"
"Been a while since anyone visited." Marcos said warily, "I-I suppose I could give you some time. We've all lost time at one point in our lives, losing time, easy mistake."
His living room was comfortable and organized, I sat down on the sofa, and Marcos prepared some water. For an ex-Ten Rings agent, he was quite civil, and perhaps uptight. He looked around every few seconds, as if expecting me to attack him with his shield. But aside from the gun in his pocket, he didn't seem to be causing trouble.
"Water for you." He said to me.
"Yes, thanks."
"And what brings you out here, Captain? I-I've heard of your wartime exploits, and I heard about what happened in New York with the alien invasion and the Avengers. That Loki must have been a real challenge..."
"The Ten Rings."
Marcos froze.
"They aren't here, Captain."
"It's why I'm here." I told him, taking a long sip of my water, "Mostly because of their leader, The Mandarin, and you used to work with the Ten Rings."
"My family worked with the Ten Rings for years." Marcos replied, "But before that... we worked with HYDRA."
"During the war?"
"HYDRA existed long before the war, long before Hitler came to power in Germany. After the rise of the Third Reich, HYDRA integrated itself into the regime, becoming the very HYDRA the Red Skull led and you fought against. We've... bounced around, HYDRA, Ten Rings, HYDRA, Ten Rings, HYDRA, and, eventually, Ten Rings."
"Your parents knew the Red Skull."
"Met him... once." Marcos explained, "But, of course, we've... had business with the Ten Rings longer than we've known HYDRA. And then, there's the leader of the RINGS, the one you seek and call The Mandarin."
"I'm tracking him, you know anything about The Mandarin?"
Marcos looked pale. "His real name... is Xu Wenwu." He said, "The Mandarin is a title, but to his followers, he is The Mandarin, and he's lived for centuries. The source of his power are the Rings, and he can be a dangerous warrior, Captain America. Do not underestimate him..."
"How closely did you work with him as an agent of the Rings?"
"I met Wenwu, The Mandarin, when I was indoctrinated into the Ten Rings. For most of my life, I answered to him, conducted many missions for him, and fought on his behalf when called on, like many of the others. But now, I no longer serve the Ten Rings, and they carry on without me. I was... nothing more... than a tool, Captain. Anyone who serves HYDRA or the Rings is a tool."
"Do you know where The Mandarin is right now? He was sighted in this region..."
"He moves a lot, never lingering for long, always inspecting his followers as they carry out his will. I last heard he was seen in Eastern Europe, in Poland. There have been Ten Rings' activities there, and many people know nothing of what is going on..."
"Hopefully, I'm not troubling you." I said, taking note of how uneasy Marcos was.
"I've lived long..." Marcos said, his face pale, as he sipped his water, "My family has lived for generations, but we wasted our lives as we answered to HYDRA and the Ten Rings. I wasted my life, answering to The Mandarin, and I did nothing... to help those in need... I realized the truth on the day I retired, when I went into seclusion here..."
Marcos reached a shaking hand into his pocket, and dropped something in his water, making it turn white. He looked at me, his eyes full of pain and regret. "Good luck tracking down The Mandarin, Captain Rogers." He said, "But, you cannot lower your guard, and turn a blind eye to the legacy left by HYDRA."
He sipped his water, "You may have defeated them and the Red Skull in the war, but there are those who will follow their beliefs..."
Just then, he coughed, and fell from his chair. I finished my water, and looked at Marcos' water, he'd put something in it. All those years of serving the Ten Rings, combined with his family's service with HYDRA, and all the pain he was feeling after answering to The Mandarin, it must have caught up with him severely.
"Cut off one head. And two more. Will grow back." Marcos wheezed, looking up at me again, "Fallen enemies can rise again. The past. Is never forgotten. Beware. Beware of whom carries on HYDRA's legacy... and don't underestimate... The Mandarin. Go, Captain. Continue with your mission of protecting others, be... what... my family... could never be..."
I nodded, thanking the retired terrorist for his time. And I left the room and departed the house, leaving Marcos to draw his final breath alone.
However, his final warning did trouble me. Sure, the Nazis were gone, but they'd left an impact on the world and there were Neo-Nazi groups out there. Then, there was HYDRA. They'd perished with the Red Skull, but apparently, there were people who followed their beliefs out there somewhere.
Right now, my concern was The Mandarin, Xu Wenwu.
I'd just left the house behind, and regrouped with the SHIELD agents, when I heard an explosion. I looked back, seeing Marcos' house explode. Not only did he poison his own water, but he'd rigged the house to explode. Clearly, memories of years of servitude to Ten Rings combined had impacted him with tremendous guilt.
We looked at what remained of the house one final time, and then, we moved onward, ready to track Xu Wenwu down and bring the infamous Mandarin to justice...