-------------
If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11
-----
The Playground
Night
In the med-bay, Caitlin watched as Wanda ate the soup she had prepared.
"My appetite is back," Wanda noted as she lowered the spoon to the bowl.
"That's good. Hopefully, that means whatever they shot you with is wearing off," Caitlin said and Wanda nodded.
"Still not enough to keep me from being sidelined," Wanda grumbled.
"It'll be okay Wanda," Caitlin said and it was silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Wanda said and Caitlin looked at her oddly. "This was supposed to be the happiest day of your life and it's turned into this freak show."
"I knew what I was signing up for when I chose to marry Captain America," Caitlin said with a slight smile. "It doesn't matter to me if we get married today or next week or a month from now. All I want is to be his wife."
"You are too good for us, all of us," Wanda said after a moment. "Steve's lucky to have you."
"And Barry's lucky to have you," Caitlin said with a smile.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," the two looked over as Betty entered the room. "But there's been a problem."
"What do you mean Thea's gone?" Caitlin asked as she, Betty and Harry stood in Steve's office, a hologram of Natasha in front of them.
"This whole thing was a trap for Malcolm to grab Thea. Oliver, Roy and Barry are out looking for her now," Natasha explained.
"Why just them?" Harry asked and Natasha got a grim look on her face.
"The rest of us are responding to an invitation," she said darkly.
New Jersey
Not long after
At the ruins of Camp Lehigh, Steve walked forward, feeling wistful. In a way, this was where it had all begun. It didn't surprise him that Hydra had called him here.
"Ironic," Steve turned his head to see the red haired woman who had attacked him at the wedding emerge from the shadows. "This is where Captain America was born. It's only fitting Steve Rogers should die here as well."
"Listen to me, you're being controlled by a being known as Apocalypse," Steve tried to reason with her but she only laughed.
"Apocalypse doesn't control me. We have a bargain: I recruit as many people as I can; he helps me get the one thing I've wanted since I was a little girl. You, suffering. I will take from you all that you took from me," she sneered.
"Who are you?" Steve asked, feeling like she had a lot of hate for him while he had no idea who she was.
"I think it's sad you don't know. My name is Sinthea Schmidt," Sin said, smirking as she saw Steve pale. "That's right Captain Rogers; I am the granddaughter of the Red Skull. Twice, you have robbed my family of our birthright. And now, finally, I will have my revenge."
"Where are my friends?" Steve asked lowly, knowing reasoning with her would only be a waste of time.
"And even at the end, you still haven't figured out the plan," Sin said as she laughed cruelly. "Here you are, worried about Wilson and Banner when you should be worried about your bride to be."
"What did you do?" Steve demanded, paling as Sin smiled wickedly.
"It's chess Captain. I've been playing the board perfectly as you've fallen for all my traps," Sin said with sadistic glee.
The Playground
Not long after
They had barely ended the call with Natasha when Caitlin's hair stood on end. She whirled around as several men in black tactical gear suddenly burst into the room, aiming what seemed to be assault rifles at them.
Camp Lehigh
Same time
"And even then, you still need to find the bomb I've placed in New York," Sin said, smirking at him. "Even if you save your bride, even if you kill me, the city you love so much will be blown to Hell. Either way, I win."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Steve said before taping the Comms piece in his cowl. "You get all that?"
"Every word Cap," Tony's voice comms overs the Comms.
"The bombs will be somewhere sentimental, look towards Brooklyn or the tower," Steve ordered.
The Playground
Same time
Before the armed men could do anything, a Breach suddenly opened up. Logan emerged, roaring as he slashed at them with his claws. His claws cut right through their weapons as Sara and Sif emerged from the Breach, whirling their weapons. Caitlin's hair and eye colors changed before Frost suddenly shot out an ice dagger, which flew towards the men in tactical gear. They each avoided the dagger, which shattered as it made contact with the wall.
"I'm still pissed you crashed my wedding. You saved me the trouble of tracking you down," Frost said with a smirk.
Camp Lehigh
Same time
"So this was a trap to get me to play my hand. Clever, but it changes nothing. Not even the Avengers can stop this now," Sin said confidently.
"We'll see about that," Steve said simply.
Steve threw his shield, which Sin ducked. She then rushed him, pulling out a knife. Steve dodged her attempted strike before grabbing her arm and threw her to the ground. She got back up as his shield, ricocheting off some debris left from Zola's attempt at killing him and Natasha years earlier, returned to Steve. He brought it up as she attempted to stab him once, her knife deflected by his shield.
New York
Same time
"I have to go," Barry told Oliver and Roy after getting an alert from the Comms. "Hydra has bombs planted over New York."
"We understand, go Barry," Oliver said.
With a nod, Barry turned and sped off. Oliver and Roy turned back to the large building a few feet from them.
"You're sure this is the place?" Roy asked.
"This is where the tracer's signal is coming from," Oliver said pointedly.
"Still can't believe you have a tracer on her," Roy muttered.
"Last time I didn't, she got kidnapped to Lian Yu," Oliver said blankly. "You sure you're up for this?"
"It's Thea," Roy said simply.
"I know. But I see it on your face; you're too emotional right now to go up against Malcolm. If he doesn't kill you, he might mark you," Oliver warned him.
"So what, you're gonna take on every Hydra operative in that building alone? Even if you could do that, you still have to find Thea and deal with Malcolm. And who's to say he can't mark you?" Roy challenged.
"I can control my emotions Roy," Oliver said sharply. "Right now, you're not doing a good job of that."
"Still, you can't go in there alone," Roy pointed out logically.
"Hey," the pair looked up to see Spider-Man swing by, landing on a fire escape of a nearby building. "You two are those archers from one of those other earths, right? What are you doing here?"
Inside the building, Thea was hanging from the ceiling, glaring at Malcolm as he circled her.
"I never taught you how to get out of chains and neither did Oliver, it seems," Malcolm said with a smirk.
"Go to Hell," Thea sneered.
"Oh I've been to Hell daughter. I've come back with a message," Malcolm said ominously.
"Last I heard, you got your ass kicked by the Legends. Now you're Apocalypse's bitch?" Thea said and Malcolm could only laugh.
"I wish I could make you understand Thea. I have a higher purpose now, I serve a noble cause. Apocalypse will bring peace to the multiverse, a world without war or pain. The only way you can understand is if you are marked," Malcolm said as he stopped in front of her. "You hate me, I know."
"You killed Tommy, my father, my real father. You made me kill Sara, sentenced Ollie to five years of Hell beyond anything anyone can imagine. And let's not forget how you offered up my nephew to Damien Darhk. So yes, I hate you. But I'm not gonna let you get to me," Thea said confidently.
"How's Roy?" Malcolm asked randomly and Thea fought to keep the pain off her face. "It must be hard, seeing your brother and Sara together, knowing you and Roy will never have that. Some part of you must envy them."
"No," Thea said confidently, seeing what Malcolm as trying to do and not falling for it. "Maybe the girl you manipulated into coming with you would have felt jealous of them but I'm not her. I have only ever been happy for Ollie and Sara. You're not gonna make me one of Apocalypse's Disciples Malcolm."
"Yes, I know," Malcolm said, taking her back. "You're far more like your brother than me. That's not why I took you."
"I'm the bait," Thea realized with a start and Malcolm smirked.
"You may be above temptation, but others are not," Malcolm said ominously.
Elsewhere in New York
Same time
"Okay, I'm linking up to satellite imagery from Stark Industries' satellite," Tony as he flew through the air. "FRIDAY, anything?"
"Sorry Boss, no explosives detected in the area," FRIDAY said, to Tony's frustration.
"Doesn't mean they're not here. Quill, you find anything?"
"How am I supposed to know? This is the first time I've been to Earth since I was a kid," Peter Quill's disgruntled voice came over the Comms.
"You can stop looking, it's not in the city Tony," Barry said over the Comms.
Avengers Tower
Same time
"It's at the tower and I'm looking right at it," Barry said from the storage room of the tower as he stared at the bomb. "Tony, you need to get here now."
New York
Same time
"You can't stop us Thea, not this time," Malcolm said as he pulled out a knife, twirling it. "The forces at play are beyond your understanding. Oliver can't stop it this time, no matter how many of his super powered friends he has helping him."
"You've always underestimated him. Maybe that's why you always get your ass kicked," Thea said and Malcolm only smirked.
In another part of the building, several guards suddenly looked up towards a door at the end of the hall as they heard what sounded like something hitting the other side. Before they could check it out, there was an explosion as the door was flown open. Oliver, Roy, Natasha, Clint and Bucky burst in, firing arrows and bullets at the guards. The guards returned fire before two lines of webbing yanked the gun out of their hands before they were shot with bullets and arrows, non-fatally.
"Don't you know playing with guns is dangerous?" Spider-Man quipped as he tossed the guns aside.
"You all know your missions. Find Thea, Sam and Banner and get out. Do not engage Malcolm under any circumstances. Leave him to me," Oliver ordered.
The Playground
Same time
Between Frost, Logan, Sara, Sif and Cisco, it had not taken them long to defeat the Hydra agents. Now only one remained.
"Where are our friends?" Sara demanded as she hauled the lone agent to his feet.
"Don't bother lying, I'll know bub," Logan said as he held up his claws.
"Doesn't matter," the agent said with a smirk. "None of you are getting out of here."
The agent opened his hand to reveal a flashing explosive. Sara jumped back but it was too late, as the explosion went off. However, it was soon contained in a red sphere of energy. Everyone looked over to see Wanda in the corner, visibly straining to contain the blast.
"Cisco!" she barked as she struggled to contain he blast.
Understanding, Cisco opened a Breach and Wanda sent the blast through the portal.
In deep space, the sphere of energy appeared before letting out a harmless explosion.
New York
Same time
"Sounds like big brother has come for you," Malcolm said as he and Thea heard the sounds of gunfire outside the room. "I believe its time I take my leave."
Malcolm headed up a stair case as the door burst opened. Oliver fired an arrow, which cut the chains around her hands. She fell to the floor as Oliver rushed over to her.
"You alright?" Oliver asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, go! Make sure he doesn't get away!" Thea said as she pointed toward the stairs Malcolm had fled.
After a second of hesitation, Oliver rose to his feet and rushed up the stairs after Malcolm.
In another part of the building, Sam's head rose as he heard the sounds of gunfire and screaming coming from outside. After a moment, the door opened and Bucky entered the room.
"Oh great, it's you," Sam said good naturedly as Bucky walked over.
"Oh stop whining," Bucky said as he used his robotic arm to break the chains holding Sam up, using his human arm to stop Sam from falling. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah, they just got the drop on me," Sam said embarrassed. "You're never letting this go, are you?"
"Never," Bucky said with a cheeky grin.
Avengers Tower
Same time
Barry, Tony, Scott and Hope stood surrounding the bomb, none of them having good feeling.
"I've seen anything like this before," Tony admitted.
"Me either, it might be from a different time, or a different earth," Hope agreed. "It looks powerful enough to take out an area more than three times the size of the tower."
"So you can't disarm it then?" Barry asked in dread. "So what do we do?"
"Well, I have an idea," Scott said and they looked over at him. "But it might get us all killed."
"At this point, I'm open to suggestions Scott," Tony said.
"Okay, stand back," Scott and they all give the bomb a wide berth. "If we all die, Hope, I love you."
Scott pulled out a Pym Disk and threw it at the bomb. The bomb shrunk down until it was the size of an ant. Scott then smashed his fist on top of it. Lifting his hand, he saw the broken bomb was reduced to pieces.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," Tony quipped.
New York
Same time
Bruce looked up as the door opened, relief coursing through him as he saw it was Clint.
"Oh thank God," Bruce breathed.
"You alright?" Clint asked as he walked in.
"Yeah, just can't get out of these, they put out some kind of pulse that stops Hulk from coming out," Bruce explained.
Clint pulled out an arrow with a metallic head and stuck it on the machine Bruce was trapped in. After a moment, with a beep, the machine opened up, freeing his hands. Bruce would have dropped to the floor had Clint not been there to catch him.
"Small EMP arrow, takes out small machinery," Clint explained.
Bruce only nodded as Clint helped him to the door. He was safe; Hydra couldn't try to use Hulk anymore. That was what counted.
In another part of the building, Natasha rounded a corner, pulling out her pistol as she came face to face with Alexei.
"Natalia," he said with a pleasant smile.
"Where are Bruce and Sam?" Natasha demanded.
"By now, your friends have probably found them. They are unharmed," Alexei said with a smirk. "It's disappointing really. You would be a great asset to our cause. Sadly, you are beyond temptation. Oh well."
Alexei then threw a small explosive on the ground. Natasha jumped back to avoid it and Alexei used the opportunity to flee.
On the roof, Malcolm was running to an escape when he suddenly whirled around. He caught an arrow, stopping it inches from his face.
"It's over Malcolm!" Oliver shouted as he jumped down to where he was standing across from Oliver.
"No, it's just begun," Malcolm said as the symbol of Apocalypse flashed across his forehead. "I would have liked to have you by my side as Lord Apocalypse brings about a new era. But you're sadly incorruptible now. The self-loathing that you carried so plainly last time I saw you is gone."
"It's amazing what being in a healthy relationship and stop taking people's crap will do to your mental health," Oliver said as he notched an arrow. "Let's end this."
"With pleasure," Malcolm said with a smirk.
The two rushed each other, Oliver firing an arrow but Malcolm easily cut it down with his knife. He tried to strike Oliver with it but Oliver blocked with his bow before elbowing Malcolm in the chest. As Malcolm stumbled back, Oliver knocked the knife out of Malcolm's hand with a well-aimed blow to the hand. Sneering, Malcolm tackled Oliver, knocking the bow out of his hands. Now without weapons, the two began exchanging blows.
Back inside the building, Alexei was making his way towards an exit when a red arrow hit the wall inches from where he was standing. With a smirk, Alexei turned towards Roy, who aiming an arrow at his chest.
"Where's Thea?" Roy demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alexei mocked.
Enraged, Roy fired but Alexei only caught it, stopping it inches from his face.
"So trivial," Alexei said as he threw the arrow to the ground. "There is nothing you can do. You can't save her."
Enrage, Roy rushed Alexei. Alexei made no move to defend himself, only laughing as Roy tackling him to the ground and began to punch his face over and over again.
Back on the roof, Oliver and Malcolm continued to trade blows. Oliver grabbed Malcolm's wrist when Malcolm attempted to strike him and threw him to the ground. Malcolm got right back up, sending a kick towards Oliver that Oliver dodged. Oliver grabbed Malcolm's hand when he attempted another strike before slugging Malcolm. Oliver then backed Malcolm against a wall, pinning him there.
"This ends now," Oliver growled.
Pulling out an arrow from his quiver, Oliver stabbed Malcolm in the chest with it. Malcolm gasped as Oliver twisted it for good measure. Oliver let go and stepped back. Malcolm fell to the ground, finally defeated.
Back inside the building, Roy was continuing to wail on Alexei's face when Spider-Man grabbed him and pulled him off.
"Hey, calm down! You're not gonna get answers from him that way," Spider-Man snapped as Roy breathed heavily.
"Roy?" Roy turned his head to see Thea round the corner.
"Thea…you're okay," Roy said, obvious relief on his face.
"Yeah," Thea said as Sam and Bucky rounded the corner along with Clint and Bruce.
"Looks like it's over," Clint said as he took aim at Alexei. "You even breathe wrong; I'll put this in your head."
"It doesn't matter what you do. Even if you kill me, Lord Apocalypse will rise and make you all suffer," Alexei said with a dark chuckle.
Camp Lehigh
Same time
Steve threw Sin to the ground, the red head breathing heavily as Steve threw her knife several feet behind him.
"Cap, we got the bomb. And I got word from the Playground, everything is good there to," Tony said over the Comms.
"We're wrapped up here to, Thea, Sam and Banner are all safe," Clint's voice came over the Comms.
"It's over. You've lost. Come quietly," Steve said firmly.
"Never," Sin said as she pulled out a capsule.
Steve, realizing what it was, moved to stop her but it was too late. She put the capsule in her mouth and white foam gurgled from her mouth. She slumped to the ground. Steve turned her over, staring sadly at her glassy eyes. She was dead.
-------------
If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11
-----