Chapter Eleven:

Time to Close The Book on The Mandarin... for now

We didn't catch The Mandarin, but technically speaking, we almost did.

I was perhaps one of the luckiest people in modern civilization to see the legendary infamous Ten Rings leader in person while understanding the source of his power. And, with all due respect, we didn't lose the battle in Chernobyl. Wenwu and his dedicated followers only made a tactical retreat.

After we estimated how many casualties our side suffered, and how many men were injured in the battle, we decided to return to base. Director Fury needed to know how the mission had gone, and I knew Tony would be shocked to hear the story.

Following the events of today, after the report was filed, every American intelligence agency and its foreign counterpart would be looking everywhere for The Mandarin's whereabouts, and S.H.I.E.L.D would likely be on the hunt for a time.

I flew the Quinnjet out of Ukraine, and let Ketlan inspect us for traces of radioactive contamination. I mean, we'd set foot in the site of the biggest nuclear disaster in history, and that opened the door to us getting irradiated in many ways, not to mention we weren't so sure the super serum would protect someone like Steve Rogers from radiation sickness.

Thankfully, our exposure to radioactivity wasn't very severe. Ketlan got a reading that the radiation exposure was low, and he didn't seem to find any radioactive traces on me. Guess the serum worked like a charm.

We were out of European airspace within an hour, and were flying over the vast Atlantic Ocean. It was almost like the ending of Predator, where Dutch was picked up after narrowly getting away from the beaten Yautja self-destructing, or the original Jurassic Park, where Alan Grant, Hammond, Elsa, Malcom, and the kids made it out while the T-Rex dealt with the Raptors.

Obviously, the difference was that we hadn't been dealing with cloned dinosaurs or rogue alien hunters, and this was not a movie.

The helicarrier soon appeared, and I steered the Quinjet onto the deck as carefully as possible before turning off the engines. I dusted off my shield, then we lowered the ramp and I headed for the bridge while Burke and the others headed to the armory to retire their weapons before they got some much-needed recovery from the fighting in Chernobyl.

I put away my shield, then I headed to the bridge to make my report on the situation. Director Fury was waiting when I arrived, and his beard seemed to have gotten a little thicker, which meant he'd be shaving again at some point.

"You made it back unscathed." Fury commented, "And considering the insanity that happened in Chernobyl in the 1980s, did you find anything useful that related to The Mandarin?"

"We found him." I replied, "And, according to deceased former Ten Rings agent Marcos Drostin, his real name is Xu Wenwu. He's lived for centuries, and he wields ten rings of unknown mystic power, which grant him immortality. Wenwu and his followers ambushed us, feels like the trap had to be meant for someone else, and he didn't expect me to show up.

"We fought, and he's pretty tough for someone who's lived for a thousand years. The Mandarin got away, and there's been no sign of him anywhere else in Europe. With all due respect, Director Fury, we don't know when or where he and his followers will strike next."

"And what did he look like, Cap?" Fury inquired, "You did see him up close during your battle."

"Asian, probably Chinese or Manchurian, maybe Korean. He looked young for someone who'd used those rings for centuries, had black hair. His outfit had an ancient Asian-theme to it, but those rings don't look like they were from this world."

"The rings will be documented for future studying, and the profile on The Mandarin will be updated." Fury remarked, "We'll make sure to keep an eye out for future Ten Rings activities, especially with The Mandarin still at large, and we'll make sure to get in touch with some friends in the intelligence department about the situation, which is quite troubling."

"Letting him escape wasn't a plan of mine." I said, "He pulled a ninja move that took us by surprise, and, with those rings giving him power, he can strike without warning. Chances are we won't be prepared for the next Ten Rings terrorist attack, and people should be told about the real Mandarin."

Fury looked at a S.H.I.E.L.D agent gravely, and a few attendants looked at one other cautiously, then the director looked back at me, "Rest assured. We'll do what we can, but it's likely the information on Wenwu's source of power will be kept in the dark for a time. For now, you've done what you could. Why don't you take leave for a time until your next mission, Cap?"

After tracking The Mandarin for what felt like days, I knew he was right, it was time to call it quits before my next mission.

I left the bridge, ready to hang up the suit for now. It would be some time before Captain America was needed again, and there was a lot more catching up to do on what had changed since I went into the ice. This is Captain Steve Rogers signing out...

The End