Poisoned Freedom

#01

The HYDRA base looms up eerily in front of the Avengers, glinting dangerously in the light. Iron Man zips towards the building, knowing, just knowing, that the object they're all hunting for is inside. "Shit!" he bounces off of a form of forcefield.

"Language!" Captain America chastises reprovingly. "J.A.R.V.I.S., what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken," the A.I. replies helpfully.

"Loki's sceptre must be here," Thor is certain, as overconfident as usual. "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last."

Black Widow swiftly knocks out a group of HYDRA soldiers, "At long last is lasting a little long, boys." Sometimes it annoys her to be the only female on the team; after all this time, you'd expect her to be used to it but you'd think wrong. "I wish Rikki was here. Things go much faster with her around."

Hawkeye dodges bullets from more soldiers, complaining about their lack of the element of surprise. "Where is she, anyway? And Birdboy?"

"Says you."

"Kids, behave yourselves," Cap says. "And I don't know. Somewhere in Europe, I think."

Tony only sighs, shooting beams from his Iron Man suit. "Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" he grumbles, put out.

"I know," Steve groans, launching his motorbike at a truck, filled with more enemy militants and watches it spring in to flames. "Just slipped out."

Suddenly Clint is knocked forcefully to the floor, blinking up at a young, platinum blond male. "You didn't see that coming?" he says mockingly, sprinting away in a silvery blur. Just as the Agent stands up again a bullet rips through his side and he's down once more.

The same blur then floors Steve, "We have an enhanced in the field," the Captain says, regaining his feet. Natasha races to Clint as the Hulk takes down the shooter who injured him. Simultaneously, Iron Man blows up the forcefield, worming his way into the HYDRA base.

"Drawbridge is down, people," the billionaire says cockily. Thor collects Clint, bleeding, taking him back to their Quinjet where he should be safe; for now. Bullets rain down on Tony as he lands in a room filled with HYDRA technicians and soldiers but he simply renders them unconscious using the power of his Iron Man suit.

Soon he finds a sort of secret door with J.A.R.V.I.S.' help and stumbles into a room filled with artefacts from the Battle of New York: Chitauri, old Iron Man armour... And, in the centre, glowing like a beacon, is Loki's sceptre however before he can take it back, Tony finds himself trapped deep inside his own head, visions of death and destruction swallowing him.

"You could have saved us."

His friends are dead, there, in front of him.

They're all dead.

"Why didn't you do more?"

Outside, Natasha finally manages to calm the Hulk down into his human Bruce Banner form and together they make their way back to the Quinjet, arms looped around each other. In another section of the HYDRA base, Steve finds Strucker, the bastard behind it all, confronting him. "Baron Strucker. HYDRA's number one thug."

"Technically, I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D.," the enemy smirks evilly.

"Well then technically you're unemployed. Where's Loki's sceptre?"

"Don't worry, I know when I'm beat. You'll mention how I cooperated, I hope."

"I'll put it right under illegal human experimentation," Steve snorts, but then with a flash of red he finds himself sprawled out at the bottom of some stairs. "We have a second enhanced. Female. Do not engage," he says orderly into the comms. Ignoring Strucker's next pointless words, he knocks him out with his shield and leaves him there on the ground.