I'll be honest; this most likely isn't my best chapter, as I really struggled with certain parts of it.
Thank you to my friend Aragorn II Elessar, whose story 'The Apocalypse is here' did help me find the inspiration to finish this chapter.
TW: Yep. Bruce is still afraid of Ross; he hid from him in Infinity War. He'll make himself scare when Ross shows up.
Ellie Bishop: Thor I preparing for war you could say. Yep. Yeah, Gwen is going on a journey that will inevitably bring her to Peter. Yeah, Ross is gonna be a problem. Possibly, although Ross was in the military, so working with a team is not a foreign concept to him. Indeed it does.
Guest 1: Don't have any plans to give Gwen powers at the moment, but that might change later.
Guest 2: No he does not LOL! While I definitely don't mind how they gave May Ben's role in NWH, it's really only because of the context that Ben doesn't seem to have had a big impact on MCU Peter's life. Peter and Gwen will definitely cross paths and that's all I'll say for the moment. It really just seemed to fit for what I wanted my version of Marko to be.
Guest 3: Not sure yet, T'Challa's trying not to egg Killmonger on just yet, so he may decide to put that off or he might choose a different location.
Guest 4: Why? Even if this was canon to Phase Four, why do I need to change something I wrote months ago to make sure everything matches exactly?
Lagos
Afternoon
Sitting at the café with Natasha at her back at another table, Wanda felt a sense of déjà vu as she surveyed the scene.
"It's just like in the recordings," Wanda said quietly. "A quiet street, standard beat cops."
"Well let's hope that's all the similarities to the recordings today has," Natasha muttered behind her.
"Sam, any sign of the truck?" Steve asked over the Comms.
"Yeah, it's just heading in," Sam said as he spotted it with Redwing. "Wanda, Nat, get ready."
Sam then flew Redwing towards the truck, not bothering to scan it. He already knew what was inside.
Once Redwing was by the front wheels, he had Redwing fire on the wheels. The bullets pierced the wheels, deflating them and the driver had to swerve at the unexpected loss of the front wheels. The truck was then surrounded by red energy and moved of its own according to a less populated part of the street.
Wanda lowered her hands as Natasha ran up behind her. Realizing he had no choice, the driver jumped out but before he could even reach for a weapon, Wanda had raised her hand and used her powers to send him flying into a nearby wall. Her aim struck true and the driver fell to the ground, out cold.
"Cap, the truck and driver are secure," Natasha radioed in.
"Then let's take care of Rumlow and his men."
Outside the building with the nerve agent, Redwing flew over one of the trucks Rumlow and his men were using, scanning it and finding them inside.
"Got one of the trucks," Sam said over the Comms.
"I see it," Steve said from where he stood watching it all from the hotel room.
Deciding he'd seen enough, Steve opened the window and jumped out of it. Using a nearby ledge as a trampoline, Steve jumped onto the roof of a nearby building and ran. Within seconds, he was overlooking the truck and jumped. Landing on top of it, Steve pulled out his shield and smashed it into the windshield. The truck skidded to a stop, attempting to shake Steve off but he held on. The back opened up and Rumlow and his men got out. They opened fire on Steve but Steve used his shield to block the barrage of bullets.
Sam then flew in behind the men, delivering a spinning kick to the back of one of them. They went down as Sam opened fire and the other truck rolled up. The back opened up and the rest of Rumlow's crew jumped out.
"Yeah, just a typical day!" Natasha told Wanda as they rode up to the scene on Natasha's motorcycle.
Avengers Compound
Same time
Rhodey was in the living room, reading a book. Sif and Vision had 'left' so Rhodey was just waiting. This Skrull had to make its move soon, as Cap and the others would be away until at least tonight and Sif and Vision had made the appearance of heading away from the Compound. They had a limited time to act.
"Hey."
Rhodey looked up, surprised to see Tony standing there, as he knew Tony was working with Pepper today on a plan for helping set up the relief effort contributions before remembering the Skrulls could shapeshift.
"Hey Tony," Rhodey said as he closed his book. "Things with Pepper go well?"
"Yeah, things went fine. We're meeting for lunch tomorrow," 'Tony' said with a shrug. "Looks like things are getting back on track for us."
Rhodey nodded, acting like he didn't suspect a thing. So they knew about Tony and Pepper's relationship, but not why they had been meeting. Just how much did they know Rhodey wondered uneasily.
"Wanna go get a drink or lunch somewhere else? It's too quiet around here for my taste," 'Tony' suggested and Rhodey nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Rhodey said, hoping Cap and the others were having better luck than him.
Lagos
Same time
Steve used his shield to block the barrage of bullets before Wanda waved her hand, creating an energy shield that deflected the bullets. They stopped firing as Natasha hit them with her Widow's Bite. They went down, spasming in pain as Steve jumped forward, throwing his shield at another of Rumlow's men.
Sam knocked one of Rumlow's men out when he saw Rumlow and some of his men retreating towards one of the car. Sam called Redwing, who shot at the ground in front of the group, preventing their escape. In frustration, Rumlow pulled out one of the containers of gas and tossed it at their feet.
"Wanda!" Sam called out in panic as he flew away.
Seeing the gas, Wanda used her powers, creating a force field around the container a second before it went off. She then used her powers to direct the gas away from the ground as quickly as possible. But in the chaos, realizing they couldn't get passed Redwing, Rumlow and his remaining men had fled into the streets, splitting up.
"Cap!" Sam called out but Steve had seen as he knocked out the last of Rumlow's men still there.
"Split up and fan out. Try and take them out as quickly as you. And whatever you do, don't let Rumlow distract you," Steve ordered.
"That goes double for you," Natasha warned him.
Steve nodded before they headed out.
Avengers Compound
Same time
Rhodey and 'Tony' were walking down the hallway when Rhodey realized the Skrull's plan. It needed to get him away from any kind of security footage so they could grab him.
"So how's Pepper?" Rhodey asked conversationally.
"Pep's good. Busy at the company, you know how it is," 'Tony' shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah I do," Rhodey nodded as if everything was normal. "So where do you feel going?"
"Not sure, why don't you decide," 'Tony' said and Rhodey smiled.
"Tony always has to decide where we're going when he goes out with someone," Rhodey said and the Skrull stiffened. "He's also really busy at home today, with Pepper. Pepper even took the day off because they're going to be that busy."
Realizing he'd been made, the Skull assumed its form, green skin and pointed ears. It attempted to lung for Rhodey but was suddenly tackled away and kicked to the floor. The Skrull looked up, stunned to see Sif standing over him.
"You will not be replacing anyone," Sif sneered before pulling out her sword and lunging for the Skrull.
Lagos
Same time
Wanda was running through the streets when one of Rumlow's men jumped out at her, opening fire. Wanda quickly created an energy shield to deflect the bullets before, with a shoving motion; the man was sent crashing into a wall, getting knocked out.
"One down," Wanda radioed in.
Elsewhere in the streets, Sam used his wings to block the bullets another of Rumlow's men was firing at him before he whirled around, striking the man with his wings into a nearby wall, knocking him out.
"That's two. We should have only one more and Rumlow," Sam added.
Steve was running through the crowd when he paused, seeing Rumlow's gear on the ground. He realized what was about to happen a second before the explosive landed on his shield.
"Run!" Steve shouted at the nearby people as he tossed his shield into the air.
The explosive went off before Rumlow struck Steve from behind, sending Steve flying. Steve landed on the ground, cursing himself for not seeing that coming as the people scattered.
"I have been waiting for this!" Rumlow shouted as he stalked towards Steve, flexing his gauntlets.
Knowing what Rumlow would do next, Steve rolled out of the way before Rumlow could strike again. Steve jumped up and grabbed onto the one of the gantlets, trying to rip it off Rumlow's arm. The struggled for a moment before Rumlow elbowed Steve in the face before following up with a punch with the gauntlet. Steve went down on his back as Rumlow approached. But before he could do anything else, Sam flew in, kicking Rumlow in the side and sending him flying back.
"How is it I'm always saving your ass?" Sam joked as he landed next to Steve, offering him a hand up.
"We can talk about it over drinks once this is over," Steve said as he got up.
Rumlow got back to his fee as well, roaring as he rushed them again.
Natasha rushed after the last of Rumlow's men, heading in a market place she had seen in the recordings. Jumping over a table, she tackled the man to the ground. They wrestled briefly before getting up and beginning to trade blows. Knowing she needed to end this fast, Natasha shot her Widow's Bite at him and the man cried out in agony, falling to his knees before Natasha delivered a spinning kick to his face, finally knocking him out.
"Just Rumlow left," she said over the Comms.
Steve and Sam were facing off against Rumlow, whose gauntlets gave him an edge. He sent Sam flying back with a punch before engaging Steve. Steve was backed up against a wall before he managed to pull one off and toss it the ground.
"This is for dropping a building on my face," Rumlow sneered before deploying a dagger from the gauntlet.
As Steve dodged Rumlow's strikes, Sam flew towards Rumlow. Sam shot a wire out at Rumlow, wrapping it around the gauntlet. Sam then flew back towards the shield, attempting to pull it off. Rumlow pulled out a knife and used it to cut the wire.
Steve and Rumlow began trading blows again, Steve trying to wrestle the gauntlet away from Rumlow as Sam flew in. Sam grabbed Rumlow's arm, the one he had used to trigger the bomb that had killed so many in the recordings, and powered up his jet pack. The two Avengers struggled with Rumlow for a moment before –
Crack!
Rumlow cried out in pain as Sam yanked the Gauntlet off him, his arm bending back slightly and breaking from the unexpected angle. Sam flew away a few feet, tossing the gauntlet to the ground.
Steve then kicked Rumlow in the abdomen, sending him flying a few feet back. As Steve stalked towards him, Rumlow pulled his mask off before Steve pulled him by his collar so he could see him.
Whereas in the recordings the sight of him had given Steve pause, now Steve didn't hesitate. He slugged Rumlow hard enough to knock him out and, once Rumlow fell to the ground, Steve searched him, grabbing the bomb and cutting the trigger.
"You alright?" Steve asked Sam, who nodded as he landed next to Steve.
"Yeah, although I'll be a lot better when we drop him and his crew off with the authorities," Sam said.
"Me to," Steve said before tapping the Comms piece in his cowl. "Rumlow's down. It's over."
Avengers Compound
Not long after
Sif and Vision threw the Skrull into one of the space bedrooms, outfitted with an Asgardian collar that would neutralize its abilities.
"What happens to me now? Am I your prisoner?" the Skrull demanded.
"For now. You shall soon be escorted back to Asgard," Vision informed him.
"King Thor would like a word with you," Sif added, smirking at the look of fear that crossed the Skrull's face.
Any encounter the Skrulls had had with Thor had never ended well for them. Now that he was king, it pleased Sif immensely to imagine how scared they now were. Sif laughed before closing the door and locking it, heading back with Vision to wait for the return of the other Avengers.
And so Lagos went off a lot easier this time because the Avengers knew what to expect. Of course, given the nature of time travel, expect time to start fighting back.
Did have a plan for a larger fight scene with the Skrull but let's be honest, even Sif alone is more than a match for one Skrull. Wouldn't be much of a fight tbh.
Hope you all enjoyed the 'Falcon and Winter Soldier' reference. Even though I don't like the show, that fight was awesome.