Captain America is a broken man, his reputation tarnished by the Skrulls! Attempting to return to his role as the one true Sentinel of Liberty, this poor supersoldier is getting a real rough go-around from everybody… supervillains and the public included! Can the Star-Spangled Man prove himself to the people? Will the Avengers find a way to get his reputation ship-shape? Read on, true believers, as Captain America learns an age-old tactic for dealing with change…
Chapter 37: Adaptation
Another day dawned over New York City, a day that came with a sense of relief and rejuvenation. The Skrull threat was finally over and the good citizens could get back to their regular routines worry-free that evil shape shifting aliens were lurking around their workplaces.
In his townhouse, Matthias Peterson drained the last of his coffee and polished off the remnants of his pop-tart. It was set to be another busy day for the freelance contractor, especially after the Skrulls' attempted invasion.
A knock at his door disturbed his morning routine, and he quirked a brow. "Who's calling at this hour?" He wondered, confused. No one ever knocked on his door at this hour. He went to answer it, popping the door open just wide enough to catch sight of long blonde air. Matt opened wider, recognizing the woman before him. "Carol?"
"Matt… hey," she greeted with a nervous smile and a shaky wave, "do you… have a moment?" Matthias had not spoken to Carol for a long time and it seemed almost odd that she was suddenly here on his doorstep.
"Uh, yeah. Come in." He invited, opening the door wide. Dressed in a jacket and jeans, her entire was very much civilian, suggesting she was not needed as Miss Marvel anywhere any time soon. "I was just getting ready to leave for work."
"Right, yeah. I-I'll make this quick." Carol promised, clearing her throat in the hope of clearing up her stutters. She brushed some hair behind her ear, struggling to make eye contact. It was hard for her to do this. In fact, she felt almost unworthy after the way she'd treated him. "Look, I'm… I'm sorry I've been blowing you off. The Skrulls, I… I didn't know who to trust once I found out about them. I've been so lost, felt like I've been going crazy," she blurted out, "I wasn't sure who was real and who was-"
"An alien in disguise." Matthias surmised.
"Exactly. I didn't want to ignore your calls. I just… I just lost myself." Carol confessed with a sigh. She fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "Think you can forgive me?" She asked. Smiling softly, Matt nodded.
"I think I can do that… as long as you come get coffee with me to make up for lost time." He replied. Breathing a sigh of relief, Carol smiled and nodded.
"Deal."
"I saw what went down in Washington. Looked crazy." Matt added, recalling the live broadcast that had been playing on every accessible news channel.
"It felt crazy. Still can't believe it really happened, or that it's really over." Carol agreed.
"Was that… really Captain America on the news?" He pried. The heroine's eyes shot wide.
"No! No, gosh no. It was a Skrull, using his face." Matt nodded in understanding.
"I figured it was. No way the Captain America I read about in high school would encourage us to bend a knee to aliens." He determined. Carol gave him a wistful look.
"If only other people thought like you do." She murmured.
Elsewhere in the city…
As the morning sun rose higher, it bathed the Statue of Liberty in a brilliant rosy glow. Beside it, the Captain America memorial should have been just as bright and shiny. Unfortunately, something was amiss…
"We got the call about an hour ago." A police officer explained. Beside him, Iron Man and Hawkeye studied the pair of statues depicting Captain America and his youthful sidekick Bucky, erected after their apparent demises near the end of World War Two… only the head of Captain America had been broken off and lay at the foot of the memorial.
"It got hit in the Skrull invasion?" Iron Man asked.
"No, sir. We checked the security cameras. It was pushed over by an angry mob." The officer explained. "Everyday people did this." Like a dark cloud settling over them, the two Avengers exchanged concerned looks.
"Good thing you gave him the day off. Poor guy might be crushed to see this." Hawkeye remarked offhand. "I thought SHIELD and the government were supposed to be doing something about it?" He wondered quietly.
"They are." Iron Man answered. "Unfortunately, I don't think anything is gonna be able to get ahead of public opinion." The two turned around and surveyed the random civilians strolling around the memorial, either passively interested or incredibly disinterested.
"What does that mean for Cap?" The archer inquired.
"Nothing good…" Iron Man grimly surmised.
Meanwhile in Avengers Mansion…
"What year is it again? Because every time I set foot in Cap's room, I get confused." Wasp wondered as she strode carefully into her fellow Avenger's room. She looked around at the dated color of the walls, the extremely old transistor radio, and the low-sitting bed with incredibly crisp (maybe even itchy) sheets. "Seriously, it's like a hotel room from ninteen-forty."
"Nineteen-forty-three actually, Jan. Apparently Tony called in outside help to get it looking this good." Cybernaut corrected as he stepped in behind her. "Now… where's the man it belongs to?" He and Janet had dropped by to see if they could help cheer Steve up, given how the man was struggling to overcome negative public opinion after the Skrull agent Pitt'o Nili had tarnished his image on a global stage. The seemingly irreparable harm hung over Cap like a cloud, and for good reason.
"He's been back for a few days now. But he's still bearing the brunt of everyone's mistrust. He's lost his credibility! His name's been dragged through the dirt! I'd hate to think he's out there, probably all sad and moping around all by himself. He's probably hanging out in a museum or something, trying to relive the days when people didn't think he was the scum of the Earth." Janet said sadly, running a hand across one of the few photos in the room, a framed one featuring Captain America, his sidekick Bucky, and his benefactor Howard Stark.
"Well, we did give him the day off. He could probably use the recoup time. Two months in an alien prison aside, that Skrull did a real number to his reputation." Connor concurred. Before they could continue their musings, the technopath's ID card beeped a steady alert and he was quick to answer it. An image of Iron Man appeared in the top right corner.
"Avengers! I need help dealing with an intruder alert!" He called out. Connor quirked a brow as Janet moved closer to see what the deal was.
"Really, Tony? You've got a burglar?" She wondered in disbelief.
"This 'burglar' happens to be AIM and they're raiding the Stark Industries experimental technology warehouse!" Tony responded hurriedly. That seemed a bit more meaningful.
"Huh. Not as trivial as I thought." Connor determined, sliding his card away. "Looks like it's time to go. We'll have to worry about Cap later." He made to leave and Jan followed, but not before casting one final wondering look at Captain America's room.
"Hopefully, he's having a good day off at least…" She murmured.
Meanwhile, in Times Square…
Steve Rogers, despite having the day off, was still hard at work. Clad in his star-spangled uniform and wielding a new shield (one shaped like an actual shield and not just an oversized discus), the supersoldier was busy taking down fugitive villains still at large. Today, four of them were going down. A colorful assortment that were all deadly in their own right.
"Destroy him my brigadiers! Destroy Captain America!" Their leader bellowed, ordering the other three to attack. Notable for his orange and purple bodysuit and a seriously impressive moustache, Georges Batroc was a former member of the French Foreign Legion, taking his leave to become a mercenary and gaining the nickname 'Batroc the Leaper' due to his unparalleled skill in savate, a form of French kickboxing. With his body as his only weapon, his skill was equivalent to that of an Olympic athlete and not to be underestimated.
Paul Norbert Ebersol was an intuitive genius at weapon invention, as well as inventing other electrical and mechanical devices. Via his Tech-Pac, he could control modular components that could reshape themselves into almost any weapon he could think of, as well as link up with other weapons and technology and bring them under his control. This mastery of invention earned him the alias 'Fixer'.
Ferdinand Lopez was a former revolutionary from the country of San Diablo who began plying the skills he learned in the mercenary trade, becoming a feared and notorious hand to hand combatant. Best known for his array of machetes and daggers, his signature weapon became his alias: 'Machete'.
Maximilian Zaran left MI6 behind to become a mercenary and assassin. An expert in ancient and modern weapons, his talented marksmanship was something to be feared, as were his martial art skills and deadly arsenal of knives, bows, staves, maces, spears, nunchaku, shuriken, and more besides! Such talent and equipment is how others came to refer to him as 'Zaran the Weapons Master'.
Rebuffing Machete's attack with his signature bladed weapon and dodging a spear thrown by Zaran, Cap turned and hurled his shield towards Batroc. The Frenchman executed a leaping split and the shield ricocheted harmlessly off the ground where he had once been standing. "I must confess, Mon Capitan, Batroc Ze Leaper is not impressed with your mighty shield." He sneered.
"Sorry to disappoint, 'Batroc', but I wasn't aiming for you." Cap retorted as his shield struck Machete right in the face and knocked him out cold. His ability to calculate angles still accurate and unhindered, the shield came soaring back into his hand, just in time to block an axe kick from Batroc. "I don't know what you and your crew are plotting-"
"Crew? I prefer 'brigade'." Batroc interjected. "Zaran!" The weapons master responded to his name, hurling a storm of shuriken that Cap deftly avoided by somersaulting backwards. The black-clad mercenary closed the gap as he brandished a pair of short swords.
"-but you're on our list of villains-to-incarcerate. And where I'm from," Cap grunted as he parried two strikes and retaliated with a push kick, "we take bad guys down!" Lunging ahead, Cap launched an uppercut that sent Zaran flying, knocking him out cold as well as his body joined Machete's on the pavement.
"Gee, that's a real different tune you're singing. A few weeks ago you wanted us to kneel before our new alien overlords." Fixer sneered as his tech-pac sprouted a trio of arms. "You sure you're still human? Not gonna trade Earth to the next set of invaders, are you?" Cap frowned, ignoring the taunt as he braced himself for another attack.
"Fixer, right? You're going to have to do better than a few metal sticks to beat me, son." He retorted.
"Oh, don't worry, Captain…" Fixer replied as a blue glow thrummed through the end of his arms, "I intend to!" Revealing to be conductors, a tree-way burst of electrostatic energy struck his shield hard, sending Steve sliding across the pavement and right where Batroc wanted him. He executed a leg sweep that took Cap's feet out from under him, putting him in the perfect position for Batroc to land a crescent kick that flipped Steven end over end until he landed hard on the pavement.
"Alas, Captain, as much as my country appreciates your contribution in the second Great War… I am afraid that ze current circumstances require we break France's treaty with you." Batroc remarked as he struck with two more kicks that were blocked by a hastily-raised shield. Cap tried to recover, only to be attacked again by Fixer's electro-conductors.
"You really didn't think my tech-pac was a threat, did you? What else about humanity are you gonna underestimate?" The green-clad mercenary sneered.
"Fixer, please. Surely you can see that this is the real genuine article, no? But do continue, we'll find out if he is a Skrull or not." Batroc proffered. "I heard they turn green when they die." Fixer grinned and unleashed another bolt of energy that struck the red, white and blue shield. Batroc moved in next striking with a back-kick that Steve managed to shrug off.
"I may not be familiar with you, mister," he growled, "but I know when someone is talking too much!" Hurling his shield with all his might, Cap successfully took down Batroc with a blow to the head before the ricochet smacked Fixer upside the head, putting the last two brigadiers down for the count alongside Machete and Zaran.
Catching his shield and slinging it back over his arm, Captain America exhaled heavily as the battle drew to a close. The rush of wind from above drew his attention skyward as a familiar form descended from on high. "Victory is yours, Captain!" Thor called out as he landed. "And yet you look as if Ragnarok itself were upon you. Thor Odinson would know why." He pried, studying the unconscious villains. "You fought well from the looks of things." Despite his praise, Cap's gaze was heavy and tired.
"Not well, Thor. I just barely got by." He replied. "I was sloppy. I got distracted by Fixer's verbal taunts. I gotta admit, the old saying's wrong… words can hurt me." He muttered. Looking up, a crowd watched from the sidelines, some of which were recording the fight with their smartphones, while others shot the supersoldier dirty looks wrought from angry mistrust. "People. Humanity. I let them down. I know I still have a job to do, that Captain America is still needed… but I'm not a hero any more. I'm just a man trying to save whatever face hasn't been kicked in yet." He muttered.
"I understand." Thor replied, catching Steve's attention.
"Is that so?" He wondered with a raised brow.
"Aye. Once, long ago, I was young and foolhardy. I used my powers vainly and was consumed with pride. My father forced me to live under oath; I could not so much as lift mighty Mjolnir until I learned to be worthy of my powers. I was brought low and had to learn to stand all over again." The Asgardian described. "I have been where you have been, Captain. And I believe that you too, will learn to stand again. One day you will win the hearts of the mortals of Midgard back." He promised, a beefy hand on Steve's shoulder. All of a sudden, a familiar electronic chirp could be heard and Thor frowned at his belt. "Odin's beard! I cannot say I have missed mortal technology. T'would seem this card sounds off more frequently than before." He grumbled as he retrieved his Avengers ID card.
"Avengers, assemble!" Iron Man called from the other side.
"That's strange… my ID card didn't go off." Captain America noted as he slung his shield over his shoulders.
"Iron Man believes you to have 'the day off', as he calls it." Thor explained. "But you are a warrior! And a warrior does not need vacation! Follow me, Captain, for battle is nearby!" He urged with an eager grin.
A short while later…
The Stark Industries experimental technology warehouse was located in the industrial district of New York, on the edge of the city. Normally it was peaceful, quiet, and seemingly unimportant. But a cadre of AIM drones were on the scene, having broken through the main doors and shorted out the security measures in order to access the goods within. Loading crate after crate onto one of their transports, their act of grand larceny was going well.
"That's the last one! We only have a minute and a half left!" The leading drone ordered the others. "Get this on the transport before the Avengers arrive. We need it all if AIM is to pick itself up after the betrayal of Getz."
"I think not, villain!" A new voice thundered, causing the AIM agents to freeze in their tracks and look in horror towards the newcomers.
"Ohhhh darn…" One gulped in right.
Captain America slowed his motorcycle to a halt as Thor hovered close beside him, Mjolnir gripped tightly and ready for action.
"If you know what's good for you, gentlemen, surrender." Captain America ordered.
"You think we're not prepared for the Avengers, Skrull-lover?! Our science has been forged by the greatest minds to ever walk the planet! We will destroy you before we surrender!" The lead drone retorted.
"This is Two-Two-One, we have a situation. Send in the Adaptoid." Another called into a walkie-talkie.
"Adaptoid?" Thor repeated with a scoff. "You mortals are just making up words now, it would se-" The Asgardian was cut short when an object moving nearly at the speed of light bowled into him from behind, knocking him to the ground.
"Thor!" Cap cried as he bolted off his motorcycle. "You alright?" Thor grumbled as he picked himself up.
"Nay, Captain, I am not. But I will be once I smite these scientists." He said with a frown, Mjolnir crackling ambiently. Turning towards their newfound foe, Steve's eyes narrowed.
"We may have a bigger problem." He stated.
Across from them, a humanoid figure slammed into the concrete, revealed to be a very strange-looking bipedal… thing. It had no discernible physical features, apart from being potentially modeled on the average male body, and was slate grey in color. It had no eyes, not even a face, but the centre of its chest did glow green, hinting at a concealed pwoer source.
Thor sized up the 'Adaptoid' with a grim gaze. "This… thing… it is no threat. I will deal with-"
"Wait, look!" Cap interrupted as the Adaptoid's hand began to shimmer. Portions of its metal body flowed like water at the wrist, spiralling into its outstretched hand to take on a very familiar form… the form of Mjolnir, Thor's own hammer! Lightning crackled within, replicating the powers and abilities of the thunder god's signature weapon perfectly. "MOVE!" Steve shouted, leaping out of the way along with Thor before a bolt of lightning erupted from the Adaptoid's weapon. It struck the shipping containers behind them and would've vaporized the two had they not been so quick.
Rolling to his feet, Captain America caught sight of red and gold out of the corner of his eye, and looked up to see Iron Man arriving with the rest of the Avengers in tow. Hawkeye flew in aboard his sky-cycle while Miss Marvel, Cybernaut and Wasp arrived under their own power. "Cap! We've got this! Avengers, take this guy out!" Iron Man ordered.
"Tony…" Steve paused, watching the Adaptoid shift its focus to the other Avengers. He had a bad feeling about this. If it could replicate Thor's weaponry, what else could it do? "Tony! Pull back! Get the Avengers out of here!" He urged, but the armored Avenger wasn't in a listening mood.
"Alright, whatever you are, you've got no chance here. Stand down and we'll-"
"Iron Man, wait. Perhaps we should listen to the Captain." Thor insisted as he moved in to join the team.
"Hey! Something's happening!" Wasp pointed out, drawing their attention back to the Adaptoid. Just as before, it's body shuddered, coming alive like it was a separate entity entirely. Entire sections began to remould themselves, taking on new shapes to replicate those of the heroes. Cybernaut's plasma cannons sprouted over his shoulders, Hawkeye's bow appeared in one hand as Captain America's shield materialized over one arm, Iron Man's ARC reactor formed in a bright green ring in the centre of its chest, flanked by the starburst emblem of Miss Marvel. Last but not least, Wasp's signature antennas sprouted along either side of its head, while it's face mimicked the look of Hawkeye's own mask.
The Avengers were astounded by the new array of weapons their foe now had access to. "Thor's hammer, Cap's shield, Marvel's scarf, Cybernaut's blasters, your arc reactor and my bow and arrow?!" Hawkeye cried in disbelief. "Just what is this thing?"
"The scientists called it an 'Adaptoid'." Captain America explained. Hearing the designation, Cybernaut snapped his fingers in realization.
"Of course! It's adapting to all of our power sets."
"You say that like it's a good thing." Hawkeye snarked, drawing his bow and fitting an arrow. "We shooting it or what? Anyone have a plan?" Tony's sensors raked over the Adaptoid and noted the sudden swell of power directed to the chest region.
"Yeah…" The ARC reactor glowed brighter, an intense emerald shine that heralded only one thing, "DUCK!" Tony cried and the Avengers split up as a green ARC reactor beam raked through the group. Immediately going on the offensive, the Avengers attacked with all they had. Carol blasted twin golden photon beams as Connor unleashed twin columns of orange plasma from over his shoudlers. Hawkeye loosed an explosive arrowhead, followed by an electric one, as Iron Man fired both repulsors simultaneously. Wasp barraged the Adaptoid with her biostings just as Thor channeled a bolt of lightning from Mjolnir.
All of their attacks struck home, while some rebounded off the improvised shield. But the Adaptoid carried on, barely looking scathed at all.
"Okay. This looks bad." Miss Marvel commented.
"Yeah. I think it morphed to take on Thor's godly invulnerability." Connor noted.
"That's… definitely not good." Carol realized, diving out of the way as the Adaptoid retorted with an arsenal of its own. Firing openly on the Avengers it could target, the Adaptoid was seemingly oblivious to Wasp as she moved in behind it, ready to make another play of her own.
"I'm calling foul for having too many players on your team!" She quipped, channeling her Pym Particles to grow first to normal size and then to giant size, dwarfing the Adaptoid as she punched it into the pavement before wrapping her massive yellow hand around it. "Into the sin-bin with you!" At first, her efforts seemed successful, until the Adaptoid used its bow to land an explosive arrow that caught her between the eyes, causing her to stumble away with a cry.
Turning back to the others, the Adaptoid hurled it's personal Mjolnir and knocked Hawkeye off his sky-cycle before unleashing a green photon beam from its right hand that collided with Tony's repulsors while using it's ARC reactor to blast back and counter Miss Marvel's own photon beams.
"Now what?" She called out over the din.
"Try to divide its focus! Hit it from all sides!" Iron Man suggested. Cybernaut moved to attack just as Janet shrank back down to Wasp size and joined him. Her biostings peppered the Adaptoid's shield while Connor blasted his plasma beams. The Adaptoid countered with its photon powers, now turning its own plasma cannons on Hawkeye, Miss Marvel, and Iron Man, firing intermittently. "JARVIS! Analyze the Adaptoid's atomic structure." His AI swept over the body, giving Tony as thorough a reading as it could get. "It's some kind of nanotech android-" He cut himself short, watching the Adaptoid go on the move again. "Wasp! Watch out!" Turning with the swiftness of Thor, the Adaptoid promptly blasted Wasp with all three of its beam options, knocking her out of the air.
"WAAH!"
"Jan!" Connor surged in, running hot as he tackled the Adaptoid from behind. "If you're made of tech, then you're all mine, ugly!" He growled, attempting to quickly hack his robotic foe with his technopathic powers. But before he could get a good grip over the creature, and only managed to bypass a few layers of programming, the Adaptoid raised Mjolnir and summoned a lightning strike on itself, repelling the technopath and sending him hurtling into a shipping container where he bounced off and hit the ground hard.
"Connor!" Miss Marvel swooped in to try and beat the thing herself, only to suddenly be on the receiving end of a hard hit as the Adaptoid hurled it's shield and struck her in the face. Then it hurled its hammer, smashing into Carol's gut and knocking her out of the air. Then, hammer and shield collided in midair, generating a shockwave that overloaded Miss Marvel's senses and put her down for the count.
The Adaptoid turned on Hawkeye, twin plasma cannons bowling him over as it primed a bow and arrow that struck Iron Man.
"Thor! ACK!" The armored Avenger was promptly taken down by an adhesion arrow that glued his panels together, trapping him in place. All of a sudden, the Adaptoid grew to giant size and used a supersized hand to swat Thor out of the air before it raised its boot and stomped Iron Man into the ground, leaving his armor dented and shattered in the middle of a crater.
The Asgardian managed to recover, standing with Captain America as the Adaptoid shrank back to normal size, surrounded by the bodies of their fallen allies. "Only we remain, Captain. If we meet our end this day, so be it… but I swear this machine will fall with us!" Thor promised. Cap's eyes narrowed, searching the Adaptoid for something Tony overlooked with his sensors. His team needed him. And deep down he felt the urge to prove himself again, to prove he was an Avenger and not the Skrull imposter who had them fooled for two months. Steve Rogers was the genuine article, and now was the time to set the record straight.
"If it's a machine then it needs an engine. No matter how high tech it is." He stated at length. He turned to his comrade. "Thor, I need an opening."
"Then by Odin, you shall have it!" Thor responded, rising into the air and churning Mjolnir at high speed. The clouds darkened, thunder boomed overhead, and Mjolnir glowed blue as the power a million storms surged to life within the hammerhead. "HAVE AT THEE, ADAPTOID!" Thor roared as he unleashed a lightning storm upon the machine, striking it over and over again with dozens of thunderbolts. Using the flashy distraction, Cap made his move, timing his swing just right and hurling his shield with impeccable aim. The pointed lower end wound up imbedded right in the Adaptoid's ARC reactor, shattering the casing and striking home deep within its innards.
At once the machine staggered in place, it's summoned abilities began to fade as its body slowly reverted back to its original formless shape. Wobbling in place, the green glow died and the Adaptoid toppled backwards, landing hard on the ground and remaining still.
Thor and Cap released breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding, the thunder god shooting the supersoldier a proud smile. "Forsooth! Your mighty arm has been the machine's undoing!" He praised. "They will sing songs about your victory, Captain! And a well-earned one at that." Steve couldn't resist a small smile as he started walking over to retrieve his shield. As he did, the other Avengers came to.
"Okay, that went horribly." Hawkeye coughed as he clutched his singed chest.
"You're telling me." Miss Marvel groaned. "Ugh, I feel like the Hulk just tap-danced on my head." She complained, rubbing her temples.
"What even was that thing?" Wasp asked as she nursed a bruised shoulder. "Connor?"
"I only managed to touch it for a second… but I know it was some kind of nano-generator, it was analyzing and replicating our powers mechanically. And the more mechanical the better." The technopath replied.
"That's how it copied stuff like my bow and your blasters so quickly." Hawkeye realized.
"Yeah, and Cap's shield, Thor's hammer, and Tony's ARC reactor." Cybernaut concurred.
"I'm impressed. That's some of the most advanced tech I've ever seen. Apart from mine." Tony wheezed as he picked his dented and battered body up. "How'd you know where to hit it, Cap?" He wondered as the supersoldier plucked his shield from the shattered chassis.
"He knew because he is Captain America. Our Captain America. A truer warrior there is not." Thor stated proudly, clapping Steve on the back.
"A wise man once said; 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'. Every machine needs an engine, no matter how advanced it is." Cap replied. The simple yet sage wisdom was timeless and the team shared smiles as they recognized their ally for who he was.
"Yup. That's our Cap." Wasp mused with a grin.
"Breath of fresh air to have you around again." Cybernaut added. Even Hawkeye got in on the compliments.
"Nice to have you back in the field with us, old man." He remarked. Surrounded by his allies, his team, Captain America was starting to feel just a bit better about his standings.
"Thank you. All of you." He replied sincerely. "You don't know how much I missed this. How much I missed you all."
"As did we all." Thor agreed. "Now, we must celebrate this hard-earned success… with drinks!" He declared. The others liked that idea very much.
"Uh… guys?" Iron Man called out. "AIM's currently getting away with my stuff." He stated, pointing to the fleeing orb-shaped transport. Realizing their task was not yet over, the Avengers resigned themselves to finishing the mission before drinks could be enjoyed.
"Hero's work is never done and all that." Miss Marvel determined as she took flight. The others did too, Hawkeye climbing onto his sky-cycle.
"Why don't you take point this time, Cap?" Iron Man proffered. Taking him up on his offer, Captain America returned to his motorcycle and revved the engine to life, the throaty roar an echo of his own swelling confidence.
"Avengers, assemble!" He cried out, tearing off across pavement with the team in tow as he led the hunt for AIM.