Long Ago and Far Away

01

An announcer said over the PA while Wanda and Pietro Maximoff held hands, "Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack." The Avengers were in the process of infiltrating a HYDRA base in Sokovia, making their way through the woods and fighting soldiers.

Tony, flying up to the base in his suit, hit a forcefield and cried, "Shit!"

"Language!" Steve shot back. "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," JARVIS informed. "Strucker's technology is well beyond any."

Natasha knocked out some soldiers before she said, ""At long last" is lasting a little long, boys." She fired her gun.

In another area, Clint fired an arrow and ducked behind a tree before he said, "Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise."

Soldiers groaned as Iron Man flew around and shot them before he said, "Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said "Language"?"

Steve rode on his motorcycle as he replied, "I know." He lifted himself over his motorcycle and threw it at the truck, causing the men to grunt and fly in different directions as the truck to land on its side. He sighed before saying, "Just slipped out."

HYDRA RESEARCH BASE, SOKOVIA, EASTERN EUROPE

"Who gave the order to attack?" Strucker asked after he climbed a flight of stairs and entered a room.

"Herr Strucker, it's the Avengers," a fortress soldier informed.

Another fortress soldier said, "They landed in the far woods, the perimeter guard panicked."

Strucker said to List, "They have to be after the scepter." He asked the soldier, "Can we hold them?"

"They're the Avengers!" the first fortress soldier cried.

"Deploy the rest of the tanks."

"Yes, sir."

"Concentrate fire on the weak ones. A hit can make them close ranks." He spoke to Dr. List. "Everything we've accomplished... But we're on the verge of our greatest breakthrough."

"Then let's show them what we've accomplished," Dr. List replied. "Send out the twins."

"It's too soon."

"It's what they signed up for."

"My men can hold them."

---

Tony flew to the HYDRA base to break in and JARVIS informed, "Sir, the city is taking fire."

"Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties," Tony replied. "Send in the Iron Legion."

The Iron Legion flew in and said to the civilians, "This quadrant is unsafe. Please back away. We are here to help. This quadrant is unsafe. Please back away. Please back away. We wish to avoid collateral damage and will inform you when this current conflict is resolved. We are here to help." As the civilians chanted "Avengers go home," a man threw a bottle of something corrosive at the Iron Legion and it hit one of the bots in the head. "We are here to help."

HYDRA BASE

Strucker said to his soldiers, "We will not yield. The Americans sent their circus freaks to test us. We will send them back in bags. No surrender!"

"No surrender!" the soldiers repeated.

Strucker said quietly to List, "I am going to surrender. If we give the Avengers the weapons, they may not look too far into what we've been-"