CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, ROGERS VILLA, APRIL 4, 2011, 9:30 AM EST

Analyzing compounds was hard. After 11 hours of looking over the little pills picked up for him by Teresa Lopez aka La Bandera, this was the only conclusion James could really reach. Analyzing compounds was hard and not something he was really cut out for. At least he couldn't get things done as fast as he would have liked.

The events of the last 12 or so hours continued to play through James' mind vividly as he typed on his laptop. Despite the fact that he knew things were dangerous he truly never thought that he'd end up with this outcome.

So far he believed he mostly understood everything. The Villamos Cartel were selling drugs that somehow gave very normal people very special abilities. This was obviously very bad, but he could work with that. The truly terrible thing was that the Villamos Cartel weren't the only ones selling.

He still needed to figure out exactly how they were doing it, if it was dangerous to those taking it, and if he could make a counteracting agent. Never had he been kicking himself more for tuning out Tony's chemistry lessons.

There was more to the situation of course. Maybe the biggest thing he did the entire night, and that was giving his blood to a young 7 year old girl in need. Carmen had been one of the many hostages taken by the cartel.

She had also been the youngest and yet the most harmed, for some reason the guards had taken some sort of liking to her. Her death was probable without the blood needed to stabilize her. Of course they both shared the same rare blood type of O Negative and he gave his blood in an instant.

Injuries that should have kept her in the hospital for weeks disappeared and suddenly in just a few hours she was being discharged into his care.

His care.

That was another thing. As he typed on his laptop searching for ways to identify the wonder drug in front of him. Carmen slept in his room. Though she had only fallen asleep after she cried herself to bed, Nothing he did or said was able to soothe her, the physical pain was obviously gone, but mentally the experience was still fresh.

It was confusing for him; he had thought she didn't want comforting but she would only scream louder when he left the vicinity. It was hard…He never thought he'd go to Colombia and find this, but that's exactly what happened.

So now along with trying to deal with a Cartel he had to deal with a little girl who was very clearly traumatized and take care of her until he was able to locate her parents who were also hostages, but hadn't been with the rest.

Things were very hard on the Super-Soldier right now.

"I always knew being an Avenger would mean little sleep. But I don't think you rested for even an hour, Mr. America." A feminine voice called out to him.

He resisted a sigh and turned his eyes to La Bandera but quickly turned back and furiously attempted to avoid blushing.

This was a whole other issue. The defeat of Machete, El Dragon and the other gangsters could have been done alone, and James was sure about that. But La Bandera's sudden turn turned the tides and allowed James to win and save all the hostages. She was definitely a big help. She was also the one who managed to get any samples of the drug.

It was yesterday he learned that La Bandera's real name was Teresa Lopez and that she was Cuba's biggest superhero. She was just 18, not much older than himself, and was kidnapped by the Villamos gang when she caught onto their games in Cuba.

She was planning to go home but only after she helped James deal with the gang. Of course she didn't have a place to stay so she had to stay here which wasn't a big problem. No right now the only problem was the fact that she had no clothes other than her uniform and so she was forced to wear his until he could get some from Valentina.

It was very hard to focus when she was in the room. It was embarrassing the idea that Captain America could so easily be swayed by a pair of long legs. So he shook his head and turned to Teresa.

"This is crucial. I thought I knew everything that was important about the Villamos gang, but I'm quickly finding that to be wrong."

"You and I both Mr. America." Teresa said before yawning and taking a seat beside James. All James could do was look at his computer screen. Otherwise he'd be stuck looking at Teresa's form under his shirt. And that's all she seemed to be wearing. Just one large shirt. He briefly wondered if she understood he was just a teenage boy at heart.

"You can just call me James, Teresa. It's better that way. No one here knows I'm Captain America."

"Oh right. I forgot, but my point still stands. You need to get some rest. Staring at this screen for hours will do you no good."

James could only sigh in response, "Maybe not, but I have to try."

"We can focus on other things. The Villamos Cartel are dangerous but I have a hard time believing they are the ones selling everything in Cuba. This isn't just a Colombian thing my friend, it's a South American problem. This drug has been getting everywhere. We have to find the one at the top."

"I know. I understand Teresa. But this is important too. I believe this product has the potential to be harmful to users. A way to neutralize it would be great. Understanding it at the very least would help me know what I'm up against. Everything else is secondary. If we can kill the product from working we will already be one step closer to figuring out who's running this operation."

"Well I agree with you. But I believe then that this will take some time. Resting for an hour or so will be important especially because you will have more pressing matters soon enough."

"What would that be?" James asked the girl, confused at what she could be referencing. However right on queue storming out of his room was Carmen who ran and quickly jumped into his arms spouting off something in spanish.

"Shhh, calm down." James said awkwardly. He shifted attempting to put her down but she clung to him harder and the look Teresa was giving him made him sigh and hold on to her instead, even if the closeness did make him feel a little awkward.

"Now what's wrong?" James questioned the young girl, she looked up at him in wonder with big brown eyes, and it took him a few moments to realize she had no clue what he was saying. He nearly wanted to slap himself.

"(Now what's wrong Carmen?)" James asked, attempting to use a softer tone. By the small smile he saw on La Bandera's face, and the way Carmen slightly leaned into him, finally less tense, he thought he had done a fairly good job.

"(It…Monsters.)" Carmen finally decided on, face contorting to hold her tears at bay "(They took Mama and Papa…I don't want to go back.)"

At the moment James could only curse those a part of the Villamos Cartel, those who had kidnapped the Jimenez family and caused Carmen all this pain. The way she cried into his chest brought up old, forgotten and repressed memories of when he was just a little younger and had realized he was never seeing his Mother or Father again.

He had waited stubbornly for days, but after the first 72 hours he quickly broke with Torunn and Azari. Tony had been his only comfort back then, but it hadn't been the same, and it took a while for him to get used to the comfort of someone else.

He could only hope that Carmen would never deal with the same situation he had and he could return her to the ones who were probably missing her the most.

"(Breathe little one. I'll be looking for your parents every moment I can, okay? And in the meantime I promise, I will do my best to protect and take care of you just like your mommy and daddy would, okay? I won't let anyone get to you.)"he will be looking to g

"(Promise?)" Carmen asked softly, rubbing at her fallen tears "(You'll find mommy and daddy? You'll stay?)" Carmen asked once more for reassurance.

"(Promise.)" James agreed, and James had no problem agreeing to the whims of the little girl because he had no doubt he would find her parents. The question however was what state they would be in when he got to them. But he didn't want to think about that.

He held onto the girl for a little more, before the closeness became too much for him, reminding him too much of times with his own mother and father. He placed her gently on the couch, stood up and shook his head rapidly, attempting to force his conscience to forget such things.

The attempt was failing pretty badly, but what did allow him to momentarily forget his memories of a different lifetime was the sound of a grumbling stomach.

He turned to Carmen who had a small blush on her face, and James grinned, "(Hungry?)"

Expectedly he got a little nod in return that caused him to smile more. "(Alright then, let's go see what we have to eat.)" James motioned for her to join him, which she did gladly.

It was Teresa who stayed on the couch watching the interaction with a smile of her own. "(You too Teresa.)"

"(If you insist.)" Teresa responded simply standing up and stretching. James immediately headed to his kitchen a small blush on his face and Carmen quickly followed, though her reason for leaving the room was far different than James' not being too comfortable with the other person in the room now that she had really noticed them.

She ran into the kitchen following James, grasping onto his shirt as he searched the cabinets for food. James however was in a slight panic as he realized there actually wasn't much food in the cabinets. He wasn't eating very much these days and he knew that wasn't a good thing, after all the serum demanded he eat enough to stay healthy, which was often more than a normal human needed.

But he usually knew how to manage. Now however with a hungry seven year old, he knew he was going to need much more than half a box of cereal with no milk.

"I think she's scared of me." Teresa spoke jarring James out of his thoughts. Both he and Carmen looked to La Bandera, but Carmen frowned as they once again spoke words she did not understand.

"You think?" James questioned, not really sure if that was right. But as he looked from Carmen to Teresa, Carmen looked to the girl and shifted closer to James once more "I don't get it, she's never had any problems with me. You've been with us the whole time."

"She was focused on you the moment she woke up, and you are her saviour. I am an unknown…who was standing with the enemy." Teresa pointed out.

James considered Teresa's point before kneeling before Carmen "(Carmen, this is Teresa. She's like you and was taken by those monsters. She's with me now and we're both going to help you as best as we can okay?"

She didn't look particularly happy but she nodded anyway, turning to Teresa "Hola." she muttered to the surprise of James.

However La Bandera didn't let the attitude get to her, and instead beamed a bright smile at the young girl, "(Hello Carmen, It's nice to meet you.)"

"(Alright now that you are acquainted, let's get going. We'll get some breakfast.)" James told the girls. "Though Teresa, I'll get you something less distract-some better clothes before we go."

"If you insist." Teresa responded simply again. More words were going to be spoken when the doorbell to James' home rang, leaving James and Teresa immediately tense, and for Carmen to hide further behind his leg.

He had made sure to keep to himself while in Cartagena, so much so that he was sure that Valentina and Mr. Morillo, the only two people he talked with on a consistent basis, had no clue where he might live.

Hearing the doorbell ring made him tense in anticipation, but as they waited and the bell rang again, James realized it would be better for him to confront whatever was at the door.

"Just in case this goes south, use the back exit and escape with Carmen. My motorcycle should be stashed at the back." James commanded Teresa.

He didn't wait for a response and instead headed towards the door, yanking it open to reveal a dark skinned man in a S.H.I.E.L.D. official commander uniform. Over top of it was a black trenchcoat, and he wore his signature eyepatch.

The former Captain let out a sigh, though he wasn't sure if this outcome was better than the cartel. "Fury." James let out cordially.

"Rogers." Fury greeted just as neutral back. They stared at each other for a moment seemingly sizing each other up before the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. spoke once again. "Well, are you going to let me in? I've taken precautions to hide myself, but your neighbors could come out at any moment, and I believe this would be rather annoying to explain."

"Right." James commented and opened the door wider. "I'm a bit short on food, so I hope you weren't expecting a gourmet breakfast."

"I'm sure I'll manage just fine Mr. Rogers, thanks." Fury noted as he stepped into the house, immediately his eyes landed on Teresa and Carmen who were still slightly tense. Though Teresa seemed to recognize his uniform and the fact that James had let him in meant he wasn't a problem.

"This is Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." James spoke to Teresa, filling in the blanks, "I imagine he's come here today to let me know how he feels about this situation."

"More or less." Fury agreed. Teresa noted that the two were certainly cordial, and were at least acquaintances, that much was obvious. But she could tell both men were ready to pounce at any second. And Fury especially was annoyed. More than likely with how everything had gone down.

"Now if you don't mind Ms. Lopez, if you could take the young girl upstairs, I'd like to talk to the young Captain…In private." Fury said in a no-nonsense tone.

James looked ready to tell La Bandera that it wasn't necessary but she quickly picked up Carmen who let out a small yelp and started complaining to James in Spanish, But Teresa ignored the cries and took her upstairs with a disarming smile. "Gladly sir."

As La Bandera's long legs disappeared up the stairs James let out a sigh and turned to Fury with a glare. "You did not have to do that."

"She's a good kid. Knows how to take orders, she'd make a great agent…Unlike a certain shield-toting Avenger, who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'listen'."

"Last time I checked, I'm not a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. We both know that, and even If I was, we both know I didn't do anything wrong."

"You aren't a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent but we did help you set this place up, and you did agree to keep an eye out on things. You're a national icon and agreed that us watching your back was only natural. That half-cocked mission you went on was so far away from what we had ever discussed." Fury quickly disagreed with the super-soldier.

"Time was of the essence. And this didn't seem to be as big as it ended up being. If I wasn't there last night a lot of people would have died." James immediately pointed out. The hero took a deep breath and looked upstairs, before looking at Fury again. "Be honest, the real reason you're mad is because of her."

"Who, the wannabe superhero?"

"No, the little girl who needed my blood and is now infected with the Serum. If you're going to lay into me, fine, do it. But that needed to be done. Saving lives is more important than preserving the safety of my blood."

Fury grunted at this, and took a seat on James' couch, staring at his laptop screen with the information of Banshee on it. "I'm not disagreeing. But if you had informed S.H.I.E.L.D. before taking off, It would have never gotten that far."

"I'm Captain America, I don't really need help-

"And look where's that got you? Saddled with a teenage girl not well versed with her powers, and a 7 year old former hostage now attached to you at the hip, with possible abilities that will affect her for the rest of her life."

"I can handle this. Things got out of order, yes, but that won't happen again. I'm doing even more research, and for someone not too good with her powers La Bandera can fight, I've seen it firsthand. Stop worrying, I can handle this."

And before Fury could interject James continued on.

"If I really need S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help I'll call for it. But the fact is I can do this my way. S.H.I.E.L.D. dropping in now will make the situation hot, and we don't need that. At the moment they don't even know they are facing Captain America, we need to keep things the way they are and allow me to deal. If it gets too large for me, I'll call you and then you can deal with it. Or call the Avengers."

Fury looked like he wanted the conversation to continue, to keep arguing out the odds, but he saw the stubborn look on James face. He wasn't changing his mind anytime soon. So instead he switched to more productive manners.

"So this Banshee? How effective is it?" At the change of questioning, James mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Very effective." He began to respond. "The best way I could describe it is as an instant ability enhancer. And these abilities are seemingly random. However I believe this drug may have some side effects, or else the use would have been widespread. I have yet to determine what it's made of. But I do have some of the product if you could look into it." James produced a small bag of the magical pills, which Fury took and began to inspect before putting it into his pocket.

"Right and you would like S.H.I.E.L.D. to analyze this for you, but you don't want us to mobilize one or two other agents?" Fury questioned. James simply looked on, not willing to answer, making Fury a little more irritated.

"Alright, alright. You'll get your chance to do this your way. Despite all of this, I trust you more than I trust most of my agents. And you know my offer still stands. However I want you to understand that S.H.I.E.L.D. is the reason why no one is questioning why Carmen is with you and no one else, and why no one from that Hospital will be asking questions either. So knowing this, I would expect that some co-operation wouldn't be so hard to come by."

James thought about this, and conceded to the Director with a nod. "You're right about that. And I apologize, and I will be more giving with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future. I just feel like too many more heads might make this worse. Let me make this right, I will notify you of my progress directly if that's how it needs to be."

"That's a good start." Fury seemed appeased, before tilting his head to the upstairs where Teresa and Carmen's voices could be heard "With that being said, have you found anything on the girl's parents?"

"I'd like to say I have. But so far I don't believe I've found anything substantial. How about your end?" James spoke honestly.

"It's the same thing. A lot of information on them is missing."

"Right and people usually don't disappear out of thin air. If it's not there, then somebody more than likely did a fair share of making sure it would be hard to find. I'll be honest, I don't have a good feeling about this." James admitted.

"Me neither. S.H.I.E.L.D. will let you know what we find out about Banshee, and of course keep you updated on the situation with the girl's parents. However James the girl was a hostage. If they took her then they more than likely wanted the parents. And if that's the case then they might never be found alive. And in that case-

"I get it." James cut him off, not wanting to think about what he would need to do in that situation. "It might not come to that, so let's just keep level heads. I want to get some more work done. So if that's all Director…

"Right." Fury got up and nodded and James, before opening the front door "Don't be a stranger Mr. Rogers. Remember, S.H.I.E.L.D. is here to help."

"Wait…" James suddenly called out before Fury could leave. "...How are they doing?"

It was a fairly simple question, one that didn't really point to anyone specifically, but immediately the Director knew who he was asking about.

"So I assume you've seen the news."

"It's been everywhere for the past month. Serpent Society evades Avengers. Doesn't help when the Society publicly mock the Avengers as well."

"Yeah well, I wouldn't overreact. If it happens a third time, I might become worried."

"Wait, it's happened twice?"

At the continued questioning Fury just sighed "Look Captain, you chose to bow out of this, and I respect that. Give these guys some credit. Have they proven to be anything like the O5, not yet. But their new and that type of instant chemistry is unheard of. Even with the O5 you might not have been fighting together but you knew each other for years. Ask me in a few months, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Now." Fury spoke once it seemed like James wouldn't speak again. I have to go. You'll hear from us soon."

And with that the Director disappeared out of the front door leaving James with some things to think about.

He needed to try and figure out more about Banshee on his own. He still needed to find Carmen's parents, and he needed to figure out everything he could about the Villamos Cartel. Not a single one of these tasks would be easy, and while he told Fury he could do it, he'd be lying if he said this wasn't going to stretch him thin.

But before all of this, he needed to get Carmen some breakfast. The thought caused him to sigh, Fury was probably right, this was going to be hard work. But he was Captain America…errr well he used to be, there shouldn't have been a job too hard.

"(Alright you two, let's get going!)" The Super-Soldier yelled. There was a lot to do.

CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, BOCAGRANDE, APRIL 4, 2011, 9:55 AM EST

"(You know I'm surprised, I wouldn't have thought you knew of anywhere good to eat to be honest.)" La Bandera spoke passively as she chewed on her waffles, "(This is pretty good. James?)"

"(Hmm? Oh yeah. I found this place a couple of months ago.)" He finally responded, still unfocused "(Easier to eat out, than to cook something at home.)"

Teresa looked the super-soldier over carefully, watching as he picked at his food, watched Carmen for a little, before turning to look out of the restaurant. The epitome of a man unsettled.

"Are you okay?" La Bandera asked in a low whisper "Ever since that man came-

"I'm fine." James insisted "Just thinking. There is a lot to get done."

"I agree. I've been thinking that it would be best if we begin to split up. That way we can finish this faster." Teresa brought up nonchalantly, however James' head quickly snapped to look towards her with a frown.

"No, I don't agree." She had been expecting a little more, but instead she watched as he eventually went back to his routine, watching Carmen, picking at his food, and staring out the window of the restaurant. But La Bandera was not easily deterred.

"Umm, how about I don't agree? What do you mean No. I appreciate your help and I want to work with you Senor. But I will be fine on my own if I have to be."

At this the Super-Soldier once again turned to face her, frown still etched onto his face. It wasn't a happy look and she noted that James could make his pretty face look quite scary when he wanted it to. "Look Teresa, I believe in your ability, but the man who came here today made me think a little more about things. While you have amazing potential. You're still inexperienced, it's for your safety." James directed at her.

He was speaking to her in a voice she recognized from TV's, and last night on the docks when he ordered her to go as fast as possible. However this time Teresa found herself pushing back. "I can't do that! My home is in danger, my country is counting on ME! I do not have time to play it safe. So with or without you I must go!"

"I understand Teresa, but if you die prematurely, then no one will be able to get your country the help you say it needs. Patience is needed and I'm not comfortable with splitting up."

"Why? Because I'm not an Avenger." Teresa shot back, at the mention of his former team, his face shifted into one of alarm as he looked around the restaurant.

"This isn't the place for this." He responded eventually, "It's for your own safety."

"No, I am sorry but no." La Bandera shook her head in disagreement. "I've told you my plans as a sign of respect. But we don't have much time. I've been following this far longer than you have. I know things are going to move and fast an-

"And I'm working on it. So is S.H.I.E.L.D." James interrupted her, "But these things take time."

"(Hey, what are you talking about?)" Carmen questioned the two, but to her annoyance they kept talking, ignoring her, speaking in words she simply couldn't understand.

"And yet we don't have time. Things are moving fast and you still have to focus on the girl. Finding her parents will be hard enough. And there's no guarantee figuring that out will help us with stopping the drug trade! Splitting up is for the best! I can take care of myself."

"(Hey stop ignoring me!)"

"Excuse me for wanting to keep you safe. It's hard to believe you can take care of yourself when you were caught once already." James pointed out. This only seemed to make Teresa angrier, as she began to go on a tirade about how it was unlikely for that to happen again, and James pointed out reasons why it could.

Carmen attempted to get words in, but was promptly ignored for the moment. She was about to try again, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes that made her tremble in fear. She instinctively moved closer to James, as five men entered the diner. Dressed in heavy cargo pants, and vests made to stop bullets, they were clearly a military force. With the trademark "V" tattoos.

"(It-It's the Monsters!)" Carmen nearly shouted, this remark finally snapped James and Teresa out of their argument, as they immediately shifted into fight mode, searching the area for the Cartel members.

James and Teresa quickly found the offending members, unfortunately they found them too, and to his chagrin, they weren't even staring at him or Teresa very much, no their eyes were on Carmen. Not good.

"Get Carmen under the table. Protect those who can't get out of the diner." James told her, and despite their argument, she agreed quickly, his orders were clear.

The now four Cartel members blocked the exit, but James had already figured that was the plan. He only hoped that no civilians would get hurt in the coming bout. He waited a little longer, dangerously so as one of the men began to take out a pistol aiming it towards him. It was only then that he made his move. Lightning fast Carmen and Teresa's empty plates were in his hands and then soaring through the air, like his very own shield, smashing against two of the men's heads. The super-soldier didn't stop there, launching himself from his seat and kicking the third man in the face, while leg sweeping the fourth. "(EVERYONE GET OUT! HURRY!)"

Men, women, and children screamed through the commotion, but took his advice and herded out of the building. James spared a look and saw La Bandera helping them out whilst Carmen dutifully hid under the table in their booth.

It was all he could spare as a bullet whizzed past him, blasting through a bottle of ketchup and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

At this James flipped forward jumping onto a countertop and springboarding himself forward punching the offender in the face, he let his momentum carry him forward and jumped into a spinning kick, heel slamming into another man's skull instantly knocking him out.

This left the two men who had only just recovered from the ordeal of plates breaking in their face. Blood streamed down their faces but they were more than willing to continue fighting. Shooting their pistols in a frenzy around the shop.

James dodged to the best of his ability but froze as two bullets lodged into his left arm, he had been far too close to dodge all the bullets with comfort. Despite this he felt he had the edge, ignoring the searing hot pain and pushing forward. The men prepared to switch clips, but didn't have the time needed with a Super-Soldier charging at them.

One swung the butt of his gun at James but he ducked under it with ease, swinging his head under the weapon and slamming his fist in the man's gut, dropping him instantly. A knife was thrusted in his direction, but with his only moving arm he caught the attempt with ease, and brought his knee up slamming it into the hand holding the knife, shattering it like candy. The man yelled out in pain and James used the time to deliver a devastating headbutt, knocking the man out instantly.

The four men laid on the ground, unmoving with varying injuries but none were dead. He looked around the shop and quickly spotted Carmen who was still under the table, though Teresa wasn't anywhere to be found.

Carmen was crying once more, eyes wide in fear as she surveyed the store, she began to crawl out from her hiding spot and moved towards James "(Monsters no-)" She however was cut off as James, spotted something outside, despite the pain in his shoulder he dived towards Carmen and went under the table holding her close as the windows shattered from a hail of bullets pouring into the building.

For a while it seemed never ending as the place was lit up, and Carmen's wails managed to reach his ears over the sounds of bullets ripping through the entire building. Glass fell and he unfortunately couldn't protect her from all of it, some of it managing to create cuts on her body along with his own.

Blood from his arm wound had already begun to coat her, making her seem like a figure out of a horror movie. The amount of blood he had lost wasn't helping either, anyone would have been passed out, in danger of dying from blood loss. However for James he was feeling lightheaded, and slightly dizzy, but for the moment it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

After a while the storm of bullets seemed to end unlike the whimpers from Carmen who was once again clutching onto James for dear life, but this time, he couldn't blame her. When James finally decided it might be safe enough to get out, he had to carry Carmen with his one good arm and hoped they wouldn't meet with more Cartel members.

Luckily they were met by Teresa who looked a little worse for wear herself, a slashing wound on her lower abdomen, and some much smaller cuts on her face, otherwise she was still standing.

"There were about five more men. I took them all out, with some trouble. I've checked the perimeter. We are clear for now. But the public will be wondering about this. Will your identity be safe, what do we do?"

"Wait for S.H.I.E.L.D." James commanded. Fury wouldn't be so quick to leave the area, especially with them analyzing Banshee, He was probably even tracking his movements to the best of his ability, so a couple of S.H.I.E.L.D. convoys had to be on the way.

"Yeah okay." La Bandera agreed as she slumped down and sat in the small dinner booth littered with glass and bullet holes. James simply stood, not trusting himself to make any more sudden movements.

"And what do we do about this situation? It's advancing." Teresa eventually asked him again. The super-soldier was tired, the lack of sleep and wounds catching up to him ,but he knew the answer even if he didn't like it.

La Bandera needed to spend time on her own, take the lead on the Cartel situation while he looked into what made Carmen so important, whether it was simply because of her parents or for another reason altogether. He could only hope the problems were linked but it was no guarantee. Regardless he said nothing for a moment until a look from La Bandera prompted him again causing him to speak.

"We wait for S.H.I.E.L.D."

CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, VILLAMOS ESTATE, APRIL 4, 2011, 10:35 AM EST

The property in the name of Ernesto Ramon Villamos had been built many, many, years ago. Standing the test of time since the late 1920s, and touted as one of the oldest Mansion's down in the beautiful city of Cartagena.

The house was in a nice secluded area, in between the cities known as Cartagena and Santa Rosa there was a large stretch of private property that had been in the Villamos family's name since the late 1800s. It was a historic family one that lasted through many horrors and wars.

Even the most recent disasters they survived through, no not even Ultron could remove the Villamos family from the power they held in Colombia. It was a source of pride that they were able to make it through Ultron's reign of terror relatively unscathed. Very few deaths, and their land nearly untouched.

Now with the metal bastard gone. Ernesto and his wonderful wife Carmelita were back in business, leading one of the biggest Cartels in all of Southern America, and the world's biggest drug trade since Escobar who was taken down swiftly a few years before Ultron's reign. Now after years upon years, after gathering a quick stranglehold on the trade there was no doubt that Ernesto Villamos was one of the biggest names in the drug trade.

And with this came money, fame, and a reputation that nearly everyone respected. The few that didn't usually ended up dead. Or in Ernesto's sad case, ended up being his boss.

It was sad, and a secret Ernesto and Carmelita would take to the grave, the fact that they were not the true masterminds of the Cartel. The fact that they bended to the whims of another man, the fact that if they disappointed said man then they would be removed from the earth without another thought was always a sobering reminder when thinking of their success.

Truly they were on a leash, and it's what made recent events very, very annoying. In the Villamos Compound's highest room sat Ernesto and Carmelita behind a desk pouring over their current operation of Banshee.

Standing to the side dutifully was Mariano Lopez aka Machete, a San Diabloan Mercenary for hire. Beside him stood Marco Cabal aka El Dragon. A young project of the Villamos Cartel themselves. Born and bred into the Cartel family, he was one of the few underlings of Ernesto and Carmelita who genuinely mattered to the two cutthroat crimelords.

Scattered throughout the room were men who served under Machete and El Dragon, less important, but still vital to their success. Men in white lab coats flew in out of the room every few minutes reporting on something new with Banshee. One annoying Ernesto enough to the point where a few warning shots were fired.

However nothing ruined the couple's day more than the report from Cartagena. There was a brief but swift knock on the door of the office. Carmelita barely had time to issue a check before a man came barreling through the door. And you either had to be very dumb, desperate, or secure in your position to make a move like that.

Immediately guns were raised, and the Villamos stopped what they were doing, as one of their own came through the door.

"(Don Ernesto, Godmother, we have a situation…)" He said as he kneeled in front of them.

"(Get up Bruno and start explaining yourself.)" Carmelita demanded. Bruno was another one of the few boys that could command respect around the Compound. Maybe it was his ability to make the most of Banshee without many drawbacks, and of course, his relation to Ernesto himself.

"(We found the girl. She was sitting with the traitor and the blond haired man in a diner down south near Cartagena. We had two convoys. First went in armed and ready to shoot but was beaten to the punch by the blond. He might be a mutant. Fought with his fists and dinner plates. He managed to take out two armed men with relative ease.)" Bruno started to explain.

The mention of a blonde man immediately got Machete and El Dragon interested, memories of the night before resurfacing, as they thought of their defeat at the man's hands. But Bruno wasn't finished.

"(Still our boys tagged him. Hit him twice in the shoulder. Couldn't use his left arm anymore. Didn't stop him from taking out the other two with the ease of a practiced assassin. We lit the place up but I bet he survived, and with the girl too. My guess is that he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. The traitor, La Bandera, helped too, taking out five of the guys outside.)" Bruno finished the story.

As they were given the details of the story, scowls made their way onto the faces of Ernesto and Carmelita, and yet they paled in comparison to the ones on Machete and El Dragon's faces. "(So I take it you think he's the guy we fought last night?)" Ernesto questioned.

"(Yes boss. I'm sure of it. Same blond hair, he moves so fast though, hard to get a good look at his face besides that.)"

The room was quiet for a moment as Ernesto and Carmelita thought the situation over. Each thinking and coming to similar conclusions. This man was just that one man, Maybe an enhanced being, however he was just one man. They wouldn't underestimate him, however they wouldn't force themselves into a chase either, there was no point in gaining more attention if they didn't have to.

The girl would need to be found, but that didn't have to happen now. The Big Man didn't need it and so they could forget it for the moment. However if more men and more stoppages happened within the drug trade they would get no warning from the Big Man before he wiped them off the face of earth. The choice was simple.

"(Forget about the Agent and the girl for now. If you see them, I give permission to attack, but for the moment we pause our hunt. Protect our stations, we need to start up fast and quicken our pace. We have a deadline to meet if we are going to get this stuff into America.)" Ernesto eventually spoke.

"(And tell that to everyone. Recall all men, we will get our revenge in due time. However the success of the Cartel is far more important.)" Carmelita finished for him.

Given his orders Bruno nodded fervently and began to head out. "(Yes Don, Godmother, I will see to it and make sure it gets done.)"

He left the room quickly and things were back to business as usual. It slightly annoyed Machete. The fact that he had been bested with relative ease and now he wasn't even allowed to hunt the guy. There went all his plans. "(I swear on my life, when I see that Agent, he's dead.)"

CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, ROGERS VILLA, APRIL 4, 2011, 2:30 PM EST

All things considered James Rogers was feeling like a very stupid man. It hadn't been very long. It still hadn't been 24 hours since he had found Carmen. It was foolish of him to think he could go out in broad daylight, with Teresa with him no less.

As the former leader of the Avengers, as a man who prided himself on being a tactician, as a veteran of this game, he should have known and understood the dangers. Instead he only made things harder for themselves.

At the moment he sat on the couch typing on his laptop. Carmen was curled up next to him fast asleep, and this time he couldn't blame her. He had dealt with a lot in his short life, but even for him it wasn't this much at such a young age. After Ultron had killed his parents he had lived in relative quiet for nearly ten years.

At the moment it didn't seem like Carmen was going to be given that opportunity. Across from him was La Bandera who idly picked at a small cut on her face. He noted that she did look ready for action of any kind. And even if it would be dangerous it wasn't his say to stop her from doing what she wanted to, even if that meant sacrificing everything. But he would do his best to avoid that scenario.

"So…Mr. America, what did we learn today?" The words came from La Bandera in a tired tone letting James know she was just as done with this situation as he was. It was even worse for her considering this involved her home.

"A couple of things," James eventually answered. "For one we can't take Carmen out, it's too much of a risk, she'll have to stay here and even that might be trouble."

"And yet we can't leave her by herself. And she caused quite a commotion at S.H.I.E.L.D." Teresa pointed out. It was true and a bit of an understatement that Carmen caused a ruckus. She flat out yelled to the heavens the moment James wasn't within five feet of her. And that happened to be for a little while considering he needed to get bullets removed from his arm.

Even then he found he had a little trouble getting her quiet, but still could never blame her. This was a traumatic experience he hoped she wouldn't remember too well when she was older, but as this scenario passed (And her now having the serum) he doubted that would be the case. Still he had an idea.

"I have a solution to that. In a little while a friend of mine will come here, She'll take care of Carmen while we figure this all out."

"An Avenger, is it Torunn of Asgard!?" La Bandera asked, suddenly excited.

"Heh, no, This person has no special abilities." James explained with a small smile, "I'm hoping however she will be able to help Carmen where others haven't been able to."

"You mean someone other than yourself." Teresa lightly teased, causing James to roll his eyes "Don't be like that, I think it's cute."

"Regardless, I've already called Valentina. She will be here soon, and you will probably need to be on your way by then."

"Me, really. Do you mean…?" La Bandera asked

"Yeah with the recent developments with Banshee, and Carmen I've decided that I'll look into her parents, and you will look deeper into the Cartel."

"Right things are a little worse than we thought…Just how bad is this MGH?" Teresa asked, because that was what S.H.I.E.L.D. had analyzed Banshee to be a slightly more effective version of the Mutant Growth Hormone. There was more to it than that, however at its core it was a drug meant to induce the X-Gene in humans and mutants alike. And for those who didn't have the X-Gene at all, the pill could, for a while make up the difference, of course it would most likely kill you afterwards.

It was a dangerous game they were playing with people's lives, selling this stuff to a bunch of people and giving them the dream that they could have superpowers, when they were more than likely going to get an early grave.

This Banshee was actually quite a bit better than the MGH formula S.H.I.E.L.D. had on its database, however everyone who had looked at it called it incomplete.

"We need to get it off the streets as fast as possible. Most people won't survive one use, let alone repeated abuse. Those who are already mutants can have their X-Factor activated, and if it's already activated it can sometimes activate a secondary, or even a tertiary mutation. But even for those people it might not affect them too much physically, but it can and will affect the psyche after repeated use. It's just no good. It's why I want you to go on a mission on your own. We need to stop the spread." James explained.

"I can do that, whatever we need to do to save our homes."

"Good, your mission will take you to the Villamos Compound. You're going to have to freestyle. We need information, we need to know when they plan on doing drops, how much security they have, and if there is more at play then what we see. The Cartel isn't just selling Banshee. Cocaine, Heroine, Fentanyl. They will sell just about anything. There will be a S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy that will take you to a secure base of theirs where you will be able to take anything you need, they will offer you assistance if you feel like you will need it. You can head there now if you want…I'll leave the true planning to you, it hasn't been long, but I do trust you Teresa." James finished off seriously.

This caused La Bandera's serious face to light up in a smile before becoming determined once again. "Thank you Captain, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." James returned with a smile, with that the conversation ended and Teresa headed upstairs preparing herself to leave for her mission and leaving James to his thoughts.

His mind drifted first to young Carmen. He wondered what the Avengers would think of him and the responsibility he was taking temporarily. He was sure they would find it funny, but also completely understand the need to find her parents, after all her story felt similar enough to their own.

Thinking about Carmen led to thinking of her parents, he felt like he was closer to what he needed to know now that it became clear that Banshee was an offshoot of MGH. He had already found more information on MGH in the past hour than he had on Banshee in the past day. It was interesting and the first breakthrough in the case.

The reality of MGH however made him think of his friends within the X-Men. This felt like something that they should eventually be made aware of. Who knew, maybe in their hands, working together with S.H.I.E.L.D, They could find a way to make MGH a little friendlier.

His mind shifted to the Villamos Cartel. A group they knew were funneling drugs throughout South America, and not just Columbia. History said they were a prevalent force in Columbia, but to call them anywhere near the top of the South American Drug Trade would be ridiculous. Now it could be a case of them taking advantage of Ultron's appearance, but that felt too convenient, there was more at play, or more than likely someone else, someone more dangerous, but who could that be?

James was pushed from his thoughts as the sound of his doorbell rang, he rose slowly making sure not to wake Carmen, before going to answer the door, noting that this was the most his doorbell had been used since he had gotten here, and also knowing it must have been Valentina. How would he explain this to her, he wondered?

"(Good afternoon Valentina, you look beautiful today.)" James spoke with a smile, and he meant it, tight black jeans, a nice frilly low cut yellow shirt, he was nearly drooling. However it had the added benefit of making her happy, and she needed to be before he tried to explain his way out of this.

"(Why thank you, however, I can't completely say the same. Your arm…and your eyes, you need sleep James, are you doing well?)" Valentina questioned as she stepped into his not-so humble abode. "(I never would have imagined you living in a place like this.)"

She looked around, though James quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the house. "(Y-yeah, that's actually what I want to talk to you about, kinda…)"

Valentina crossed her arms over her chest, gaining James' attention though for all the wrong reasons, she tried to look around him again, but this got the Shield-Slinger to focus one more time blocking her view of the house.

"(Look Val, I want to explain things to you slowly…)" James started, but before the man could finish there was a childish scream that jolted the both of them out of their spots as James headed for the girl he left on the couch.

He never had to go far as Carmen ran to him, launching into him, speaking once more "(Where were you? I thought I was all alone!)"

"(I'm sorry, I won't leave again.)" James tried to soothe the girl, It went like this for a few moments, before she quieted down again. He picked her up and turned to Valentina who simply had an extremely shocked look on her face…

"James…" She started, not fully believing her eyes. She was however quickly cut off by the Super-Soldier.

"(I know.)" James remarked with a sigh, "(I got some explaining to do.)"