Welcome back to Ashes of Midnight. Last time, Cynder revealed to Spyro that getting Agatha involved was initially Lilith's idea. Spyro understandably freaked out, but when told that Ignitus apparently trusted her intel enough, he seemed to calm down. Then, after that near blowout, Captain America informed everyone that Crossbones is setting up his final stand in Transia. Spyro excused himself to work on Agatha's ritual with Scarlet Witch, so it's Cynder and Cap against Crossbones. How's this going to go? Read on to discover...
(Our scene begins on the streets of Transia, where a bunch of Lilin demons are hunting down any civilians they can find on Malefor's orders. The citizens flee the demons only to end up in front of HYDRA troops commanded by Crossbones)
Crossbones: Almost got to give them credit. Almost. (Seeing the oncoming civilians) Fire!
(The HYDRA troops, apparently gaining a conscience at last, look back at Crossbones with surprise)
Crossbones: Hey, this is mercy compared to what's coming next. And besides, I wasn't talking to you!
(Sure enough, he was talking instead to a helicopter crew, who proceeds to launch missiles at the civilians on the bridge in front of them. Several are trapped under rubble as the helicopter fires again, but thankfully, that's when a familiar shield flies into scene, ricocheting off missiles and helicopters alike, taking out the latter before returning to the hands of Captain America as Cynder flies in to get the civilians out.)
Captain America: You want to dance with someone, Rumlow? Dance with me.
Crossbones: (With a psychopathic laugh) About frickin' time!
(With that, more helicopters enter the scene. But the duo of Cynder and Captain America don't let that get them down, and soon enough both helicopters are down in the river and Cynder's evacuating the last of the civilians)
Cynder: (To the civilian) Get to safety. We'll handle things from here.
(As the helicopters go down, Crossbones attempts to run out the back of the HYDRA barricade, but he doesn't evade the eyes of Captain America, who immediately gives chase with Cynder in his wake. The two make it past the HYDRA barricade, only to see Crossbones standing in the middle of the bridge, arming something)
Cynder: This ends here and now, Rumlow.
Crossbones: Oh, I'll say it does. Got a little surprise for you, Cyndy. A blast from the past, in more ways than one.
(Crossbones moves out of the way, only to reveal a sight unseen in several adventures, one of Doctor Faustus' explosive magic-gamma devices that I forgot what I've called them up to this point)
Cynder: I thought that thing died with Faustus!
Crossbones: Kept a few around for special occasions. With a little boost from your pops for good measure. Crazy bastard would be smiling in his grave right now, if there were anything left to bury.
Captain America: You'd blow us all apart with that thing, just to keep these people from leaving?!
Cynder: Looks like Faustus wasn't HYDRA's only madman.
Crossbones: You should know by now. Orders. Are. Orders.
Captain America: Come on, Rumlow, this is way past wrong and even you know that! What the hell has gotten into you?!
Crossbones: (With an evil chuckle) Precisely.
(And with that, Crossbones activates the countdown on the device)
Cynder: Cap, if that thing detonates...
Captain America: We lose the bridge, and we lose everyone here. So we're going to end this, here and now.
Crossbones: I was hoping you'd say that.
(And now, the battle is on. Cynder and Captain America against Crossbones, with a literal ticking clock on a bomb to mark the time. Knowing that Captain America and Crossbones are the real muscle here, Cynder leaves them to duke it out while she tries everything she can remember to disable the device before it blows. Finding nothing works this time, Cynder tries to use magic to neutralize it, despite constant attacks from Crossbones that Cap can only barely stop. Eventually, she finds the right technique and the device powers down just as Captain America knocks Crossbones to the ground)
Captain America: Did that actually work?
Cynder: For now, it has. But you can never be sure with these things.
(Crossbones is defeated, but still has the ability to reach his gun, which he grabs)
Crossbones: Screw it.
(With that declaration, Crossbones actively shoots the device, causing it to go critical)
Captain America: The core's about to blow!
(Wasting no time, and with the same conviction he'd jump on a grenade with, Captain America rushes in and smacks the core away from the bridge with his shield just as it blows, throwing everyone around and ending with Crossbones going off the bridge, but not before Captain America can catch him, almost ready to pull him up)
Crossbones: No wonder the old man kept this stuff buried for so long, huh Rogers.
Captain America: Quit rambling and hang on, Rumlow!
Crossbones: He must've known this would happen. Always one step ahead of everyone, except for you.
Captain America: Can we talk about this later?
Crossbones: I'll make sure to say hi from you, when I see him.
(And with that, Crossbones forces Captain America to lose his grip on him, falling into the misty river below)
Crossbones: (As he falls to his death) HAIL HYDRA!
(And that was the end of Crossbones. As Captain America looks on, Cynder breaks down the last of the HYDRA barricade allowing the civilians to escape. And as Captain America looks at his hand, he spots something in his palm, slipped to him by Crossbones no doubt, a data drive.)
Captain America: Not in my lifetime.
(And as everyone looks out on where Crossbones met his presumed end, our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good place to end for now. So, Crossbones is out of the picture now, but he left a parting gift for Captain America, as well as some allusions to an "old man" who only Cap could get ahead of and is no longer in this mortal plane. Who is it? That's something we'll figure out as time goes on, but next time, something else is going to happen. What exactly? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!