The Steven Rogers

Once, it was simply known as the SHIELD Helicarrier. But now, in honor of their missing friend, Nick Fury renamed it the Steven Rogers.

“A full-scale assault won’t do any good.” Tony Stark rubbed the hair on his face. He had barely shaved since the Red Skull’s reality warp and now the usually neatly-groomed goatee had become a beard.

“We cannot simply allow the Skull to continue with this affront,” said Namor.

“I agree,” said Tony. “But if we charge right in, we know the Skull could stop tolerating our efforts.”

“The forces of Atlantis are poised to strike at a moment’s notice, my people cry out for vengeance,” said Namor.

“As much as I would like to end this as quickly as possible, Tony is correct.” T’Challa, the Black Panther and King of Wakanda spoke with a deep voice that commanded attention.

“So what do we do then?” asked Namor.

“We have to remember that it’s not just the Cosmic Cube we’re dealing with,” said the Vision. “We also have the matter of Franklin Richards’ reality warping abilities as well as Captain Marvel’s Cosmic Awareness. Doom had both these in his possession and we can only assume the Red Skull stole those abilities from him.”

“If Reed were with us, he could help,” said Tony. Those words saddened him. The Skull obviously knew what a threat Mr. Fantastic posed, which is why he was one of the many whose memories were tampered with. “We need to keep things in perspective—we know that some of us slipped through the Skull’s grasp. The Avengers all have memories of the world as it once was. That means the Skull’s power isn’t limitless.”

“Or he’s taunting us,” said Fury.

“Even if he is, we can use that,” said Tony. “The Cosmic Cube may have limitless power, but for all his posturing, the Skull is still nothing more than a small-minded bigot with a superiority complex.”

“What we need is something to distract his attention, some way to keep him off his toes so he won’t expect an attack,” said Fury.

“But with the Cosmic Awareness, how is that possible?” asked T’Challa.

“Perhaps, I have a solution.”

The voice echoed all around them, yet no one could detect the source. With the German accent attached, they all immediately thought the Skull had grown tired with simply posturing and had now come to finish them off in one, fell swoop. Instead, golden energy arced around the room, coalescing into a single spot and forming into a shape surrounded by three, glowing stones. A rapier hung at his left side, a pistol holstered on his right and he wore a full purple face mask over his scarred visage.

“You need someone who can think like Schmidt, and there are few who knows what the man believes than one who was raised with those beliefs,” said the man.

Baron Helmut Zemo, a power-mad megalomaniac in his own right, perhaps every bit as bad as the Red Skull. He recently attempted his own grab for world domination but, like Doom, was overthrown. But unlike Doom, Zemo had been able to escape thanks in part to the efforts of the Thunderbolts.

“And why should we trust you?” asked Namor. “You’re as mad as the Skull.”

“Not quite,” said Zemo. “I have changed my ways, become a new man, just as you once did, Namor.”

“Imperious Rex, you dare compare yourself to me?”

Zemo continued, ignoring the Sub-Mariner’s comment. “Those of you who remember the world that was will also remember that my Thunderbolts and I have spent the past several months saving lives.”

“Just like your Thunderbolts did when you first posed as heroes,” said Tony. “Taking advantage of the void left in the aftermath of Onslaught. Only difference is now, you’re not hiding behind masks.”

“You need one who is powerful enough to distract the Skull,” said Zemo. “I may not have a Cosmic Cube, but the moonstones grant me sufficient ability to cause him some degree of concern. That is how you will slip in and go after him.”

“He’s right.”

The men in the room glared at T’Challa, who remained stoic beneath their gaze. “Zemo’s reformation or lack thereof is not the point. There is only one world and it is not big enough for two rulers.”

“Okay.” Tony crossed his arms, fixing his blue eyes on Zemo. “You’ve got two minutes. Make them good.”

FOURTH REICH

Part V: The Devil You Know

By Dino Pollard

with a plot assist from Derrick Ferguson

Edwin Jarvis maintained a watchful vigil over the comatose form of Genis-Vell. He heard the door open and turned to view Carol Danvers walking towards him, dressed in similar military fatigues to him.

“How’s he doing?” she asked.

Jarvis managed a feint smile. Carol knew it told her no change.

“At least he is comfortable and has not gotten any worse,” said Jarvis.

“How about you?” asked Carol. “When was the last time you slept, Jarvis?”

“I could ask the same of you, Madame Warbird.”

Carol looked into Genis’ sleeping face. When Captain Marvel’s powers were active, his skin transformed into what resembled a star spangled abyss with pure white hair. But when they were inactive, his skin turned pink and his hair blond. It was this appearance that struck Carol the most, because of the uncanny resemblance he bore towards his father, Mar-Vell.

She placed a hand on the thick plexiglass that separated her and Jarvis from Genis. “Come on, kid. We need you more than ever right now. You’ve gotta snap out of this. Swoop in and save the day just like your old man.”

“I shall inform you if there is any change in his condition,” said Jarvis. “But until then, I would like you to get some rest.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Madame, I simply must insist,” said Jarvis once more, his tone a bit more stern.

Carol looked at him and smiled. “Y’know, most guys who talk to me like that would end up flying through this glass.”

Jarvis smiled. “I have a very thick skull, my dear.”

“You win, Jarv,” she said. “Make sure you keep me posted.”

“Of course.”

Cannonball rocketed through the training room, the live rounds from the robot’s arm turrets simply flattening against the blast field that surrounded his body. The robot raised its other arm, a rocket firing out and the young mutant shifted his momentum, narrowly avoiding the rocket.

It couldn’t have harmed him, while his powers were active, he was essentially invulnerable. But it helped his control over his flight path and even though the rocket couldn’t harm him, it could send him off course or disorient him.

Circling around the robot, Cannonball came at it from behind. He pushed harder, moving into his top speed and he blew right through the robot, turning it into scrap metal. He hovered in place for a few moments before slowly disengaging the blast field, lowering his body to the ground.

“Impressive.”

Cannonball looked at the door. Even walking into a room dressed in military fatigues, with her long white hair pulled behind her head, Ororo Munroe still possessed the grace and poise of royalty.

“Although I’m not so sure Nicholas will be happy that you’ve destroyed another training android,” she said, her crystal eyes taking in the mangled heap of metal and circuits.

“Just wish it were Master Man or the Skull,” said Cannonball, raising his goggles to his forehead. He unfastened the dark gold gloves he wore, removing them and stuffing them into the pockets of the brown bomber jacket he wore. On the shoulders, the jacket bore the stylized A in a circle that served as the Avengers’ symbol.

“You will get your chance, Sam. We all will. The world won’t last like this.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Sam. “Any word from Warren?”

“When Blink came to collect the latest group of refugees, Warren accompanied them to Genosha to speak with Magneto and Jean. However, I do not understand why the Red Skull allowed them to remain in command of Genosha when he could have easily destroyed them.”

“From what I know ’bout the guy after hearin’ Cap’s stories an’ now listenin’ to Tony and Nick, I gather the Skull likes a challenge. Ain’t no fun conquerin’ a world if you just gotta blink to do it,” said Sam. “Heck, that’s probably why he manipulated the government into attacking the Avengers in the first place. If Doom didn’t have something he wanted, the Skull may’ve just left him in charge of Latveria. Guys like the Panther and Magneto, he sees ’em as inferior, not good enough to threaten him.”

“Then it is up to us to prove him wrong.”

Baron Zemo stood before the holographic projection. He thanked the mask that obscured his face, rendering it impossible for the amazement spread on it to be viewed by Stark. He wouldn’t want the Iron Man to believe a Zemo could be impressed by him.

“And you believe you can do such a thing?” he asked.

“It’s already being done. I came up with the designs and we’ve had some of the best technicians we can find working ’round the clock to get it working over the past few months,” said Tony. “Forge and Jeffries have been a big help. So has the Machinesmith, a little surprised that he came onboard. But I suppose desperate times makes for strange bedfellows, right?”

Zemo said nothing, simply nodded.

“With your help, we could move this forward,” said Fury. “At first, we wanted this to be a defensive mechanism in case the Skull came at us with both barrels. Now, seems like this could be the distraction we need.”

“Then prepare your forces, Colonel,” said Zemo.

“Go ahead, Nick,” said Tony. “I want a word with Zemo in private.”

“You sure?” asked Fury, his good eye fixed on the German. Zemo paid no mind.

“It’ll be fine. Go on,” said Tony. Fury nodded and left the room. Tony spoke again. “I’m curious—why now?”

“Because now is the opportune time,” said Zemo.

“I don’t buy that. What happened to you, Zemo? What did the Skull do? And where are the rest of your Thunderbolts?”

Zemo had no interest relaying his most-recent encounter with the Skull and a facsimile of his father. He chose to keep the details vague. “I had my own run-in with the Skull, let’s just leave it at that. Thanks to the efforts of the Thunderbolts, I was fortunate enough to escape. Right now, they are between dimensions in my folding castle.”

“We could use the extra manpower,” said Tony.

“It’s unnecessary,” said Zemo.

“And the moonstones, how’d you get them? Last I heard, Karla Sofen only had two but you’ve got an extra one. What did you do to her?”

“Moonstone has not been harmed, although I am certain she appreciates your concern. Our encounter with the Skull left her in a similar state to your Captain Marvel. My Thunderbolts watch over her now.”

“I want you to know something, Baron—if you try to play us, either by using us as a bargaining chip with the Skull or try to take his place, then I’ll kill you myself.”

“And what would Captain America think of that?” asked Zemo.

“Steve’s a much better man than I could ever hope to be,” said Tony. “Now get to work.”

A blue and yellow blur streaked through the air, headed on a collision course with the Steven Rogers. The Master Man slammed into the side of the Helicarrier, creating tremors for those held inside.

“I WANT THE MUTANT SWINE WHO FIGHTS LIKE A COWARD!” he screamed.

Following the Master Man were hundreds of Pterorists, their inhuman sounds of skriiik skriiik positively deafening.

Inside the Helicarrier, Cannonball pulled his jacket on and tightened his gloves. He walked past Fury, who busied himself by issuing orders to the resistance fighters to man whatever weapons they could find.

“Hold up, Guthrie,” said Fury, clasping a hand on Cannonball’s shoulder. “Where do you think you’re goin’?”

“You heard that Nazi scumbag, sir,” said Cannonball. “He wants a rematch, he’ll get just that.”

“The Master Man’s more powerful than we’ve known him to be in the past,” said Fury.

“I beat ‘im once, I can do it again.”

“You’re a spirited one, kid,” said Fury. Cannonball nodded, lowering the goggles over his eyes and he went to the staircase leading to the top deck. As he left, Fury shook his head a bit. “Just hope it doesn’t get you killed.”

Once Cannonball arrived on the top deck, he saw the Pterorists storming it, fighting against the rebellion. He concentrated, extending his kinetic field in a wide radius, pushing many of the Pterorists who came straight for him back and then he shot into the sky.

“HEY ASSHOLE!”

The Master Man looked over his shoulder just as Cannonball barreled into him at full-speed, the two rocketing from the Steven Rogers into the distance. With his kinetic field surrounding him, Cannonball pummeled the Nazi superman. “I hear you’re lookin’ for me?”

“I will take your head as my trophy!” shouted Master Man. He grabbed Cannonball’s fist before it connected with his head. His strength was nothing short of incredible, powerful enough to push Cannonball’s arm back. Master Man maneuvered his body from underneath the mutant, driving his elbow into Cannonball’s back before wrapping his massive arm across Sam’s eyes.

Cannonball’s trajectory was completely thrown off, the pair careening towards the ground. At the last moment, Master Man released him and Cannonball flew straight into the pavement below, generating a massive crater. Master Man smiled and flew back towards the Helicarrier.

Onboard the Helicarrier, Warrior Woman’s whip wrapped itself around Warbird’s neck. The Nazi pulled tight, gripping it as Warbird fell to her knees. “You are pathetic. How someone with the perfect Aryan features could be so weak is astounding.”

The Warrior Woman moved closer, whispering into Warbird’s ear. “Perhaps the Red Skull shall allow me to keep you as my pet. Perhaps I could use you to satisfy the Master Man’s ridiculous desires. What do you think of that, liebchen?”

“I…I think…” Warbird struggled to speak. “I think…I just wanted…you closer…”

“Eh…?”

Warbird reached her arms up, gripping Warrior Woman’s head and unleashed her energy bursts at close range. The impact of the concussive beams at such an extremely close distance was enough to render the Warrior Woman unconscious. Warbird easily tore the whip from her neck as if it were nothing. She looked over to her teammates.

The Black Panther, Nick Fury, Storm and the USAgent busied themselves with the Pterorists, aiding the other soldiers. Namor, however, focused on his own personal enemy—Merrano, the U-Man.

“You traitorous dog!” cried Namor. “You are an insult to Atlantis!”

He threw a punch, which the U-Man caught in his grip. Merrano grinned as he began to squeeze, slowly crushing the Sub-Mariner’s fist, causing bones to crack beneath the pressure.

“Atlantis is nothing and you are a pathetic half-breed,” said the U-Man. “Once the Red Skull has eliminated you and your pathetic Avengers, Atlantis will be mine. And that little niece of yours…she shall be my personal whore.”

Namor threw his head forward, slamming it hard against the U-Man’s nose. The impact caused his nose to break, blood spilling down his blue face. Namor swung again with his good fist, following it up with a kick to the U-Man’s throat. The U-Man gagged and Namor drove an elbow into his chest.

The Sub-Mariner grabbed the U-Man’s head and bent him over, his knee slamming into the U-Man’s chest and breaking a few ribs. As a final insult, the U-Man lifted him into the air, the tiny wings on his ankles amazingly powerful enough to carry the both of them. Once at an appropriate height, Namor threw the Atlantean down, and he crashed into the deck of the Steven Rogers, lying still.

“Time is running short, Tony,” said the Vision, watching the scenes play out on the view screens in the heart of the Steven Rogers.

“I know that, Vision,” said Tony Stark. He wore a skintight, reflective gold bodysuit lined with red circuitry. “We just need them to hold out a little longer so we can get ready to make our move. Are you…?”

“Yes,” said the Vision. His hand lay on a console, wires running from it and connected to the computers. “I’ve successfully interfaced with the systems of the Steven Rogers.”

“Good,” said Tony. He slid a helmet over his head, smaller in size than the usual one he wore with his armor. This helmet had wires running from it to the ceiling. He sat in a chair, wires snaking from it and connecting to the circuitry on his bodysuit. “Zemo?”

“I’m prepared,” said the Baron, the three moonstones circling around his body and beginning to crackle with energy.

“Tony, wait,” said the Vision. “It’s the Master Man, he’s back and…”

“And what?” asked Tony.

“And there are massive energy readings coming from the infirmary.”

The Master Man landed atop the deck with a thunderous boom, seemingly completely unharmed from his battle with Cannonball. He stood upright and stretched out his arms, laughing as he looked over the remnants of the rebellion.

“Earth’s Mightiest Heroes—feh! You are nothing compared to the might of the Master Man, do you hear me? Nothing! Who among you would dare to challenge the supreme might of the Fourth Rei—”

A burst of light appeared and a red blur slammed into Master Man, knocking him from the deck of the Helicarrier. He regained his composure, quickly controlling his flight and rose to see who would dare attack him.

A man hovered before him, wearing a red bodysuit with his face the same color as the black portions of the suit. Inside the blackness were stars, like staring straight into space. The man’s hair had a bright white color and his eyes crackled with energy. He wore a pair of gold bands around each wrist and his chest bore a massive gold star.

“I’ll take that dare,” said Captain Marvel.