Renegade (Marvel/ Captain America)

Chapter 9: HOPE Falls

Steve's pov:

I can't believe what I'm seeing. Tatum Black just dived in front of an innocent and took a bullet for her. I watch in pure shock as she hits the ground, grunting in pain. I'm not sure who's more stunned; me or Powers.

Tatum gets to her feet, a glint of pure, murderous rage in her eyes.

"You think this is a joke? The lives of innocent people, the LIVES OF MY PARENTS?! You think killing and experimenting on human beings is a damn game?!"

As she advances on Powers, he raises the weapon, as do his agents. But before he can fire it, Tatum has grabbed his arm. She twists it and an audible crack is heard. Powers screams in pain, only to be cut off by a fist to the jaw.

"Go ahead. You can do your worst, but it doesnt change a thing. It all ends now." Black growls. The HOPE operatives go to pull the triggers, so I step out from behind cover.

"Stand down!"

When they don't follow my order, I become nervous. Until a gunshot goes off from behind me and takes one of them down.

"He said stand down." Natasha snaps, striding up beside me. She watches Black curiously.

"My hunt for information led me here. Reinforcements will be here within two minutes." the agent informs me.

Neither of us know what to think. The most-wanted person in the United States.... just sacrificed herself for a civilian. And is now beating the crap out of the leader of HOPE. Black has Powers on the ground, and punches him in the face until he's hardly conscious. She's way to angry to stop.

"Do it. Kill me. Prove to the world that you really are a monster."

That one word, "monster", seemed to have the greatest effect on her. Some of the malice in her eyes fades away as Tatum drops the near-dead leader. She shakily stands up, bleeding heavily from a wound in her abdomen.

"I'm not the monster. You are. And now everyone can see it."

It all happens too fast to stop. A shot fires off, and Black stumbles back. Setting her jaw, she glances at us, asking a silent question. Believe me now? The ex-CIA operative then begins to shift. Soon enough, a cheetah is in her place, and bolts away. The concerning part: its coat is soaked with blood.

Natasha mutters a curse and slams her fist into the stomach of the man who fired the shot, before flipping him onto the ground. Everything that just happened changed our perception of Black, and HOPE. Nat glances at me as several black SHIELD SUV's  show up, and agents pour out, aiming guns at the HOPE operatives.

"Go after her. We have to get to the bottom of this. I'll stay here." I nod and take off in the direction the cheetah went, guided by bloody pawprints on the cement.

Tatum's pov:

I run through the streets of Orlando, my animal form taking me faster than my human side ever could. Usually I feel only pure power when I'm a cheetah, but not today. Adrenalin is the only thing keeping me going at this point. The transformation was beyond painful. The bullets in my abdomen and shoulder were displaced from the changing of my body. I don't even want to think about how much damage that did. I had to do it. I had to get out of there, live long enough to expose HOPE.

I run until I find a place that will be relatively safe, in case SHIELD or HOPE come after me. The latter is less likely, since I just whipped their leader's ass. Entering the abandoned warehouse through a broken window, I stop in the middle of the floor, unable to go any further. I shift back to my human form, releasing a groan of pain. Alright, so this is bad. But I'm so close, I can't give up now.

Pulling out my laptop, the disk and hard drive, I begin to go to work. My bloodstained fingers move acrossed the keys quickly, my eyesight growing dim. The adrenalin that was seeping through my veins is now long gone, and pain threatens to overwhelm me.

After what seems like eternity, I finally finish it. By this time, I only feel a dull throbbing in my wounded areas. About to collapse, I press the send button. And it's done. Every secret HOPE has is dumped onto social media sights, sent to every email address on the planet, and posted on blogs and websites. Every dangerous drug given to consumers, every experiment on innocent people, every person they had killed is now free information. Including how they knocked off my parents and killed my team.

A feeling of grim satisfaction settles over me. It's all over. My dead family and friends have gotten the justice they deserve. I smile weakly, my vision turning black around the edges, and closing in. My body gives into the bloodloss, and my vision turns black. Maybe Yukio was right after all. At least I could say I died a hero.

Steve's pov:

By the time I find Black, it's done. Nat tells me that the Internet is basically blowing up with HOPE's sins. It turns out Black was telling the truth. And I respect her now more than ever. However... it's unclear if I'll ever be able to tell her that. When I arrive at the building, all I see is a dim light glowing in the center of the room. The lights are off, so I have to locate the switch. Flipping it up, the dull yellow bulbs produce their limited light. The sight I'm greeted with makes my stomach drop. There's Tatum lying on the ground, her laptop open and a pool of crimson soaking the ground beneath her. The woman is obviously on the verge of death.

Kneeling down beside the unconscious mutant, I can't help but feel a twinge of regret. This woman may have made the ultimate sacrifice for what she believes in, something I can strongly identify with. And I viewed her as an enemy. I touch a finger to my earpiece.

"Nat, we need a medical team, Stat."

Tatum Black uncovered a threat that we were all too blind to see. But at what cost?

Well, what do you think? Everything has finally come together!

-Vega8282