The Raft

A few miles off the east coast of America sat the Raft, a newly-constructed superhuman prison on a man-made island. Hawkeye viewed it through a pair of high-powered binoculars given to him by the Fixer. He lowered the binoculars and passed them to Songbird.

“I remember hearin’ about them building this place,” said Hawkeye. “Lots of powerful people backed its construction. Different from the Vault or the Cube in that it’s run by the federal government.”

“And that’s where they have our target?” asked Songbird.

The Fixer nodded. “That’s it, baby. Nuke went rogue, recently, word has it Captain America himself took him down.” Ebersol offered a side-glance at Hawkeye accompanied by a slight grin. “Y’know, before he decided he couldn’t hack the hero life anymore.”

“Here’s a thought, Ebersol—keep your mouth shut about things you’ve no idea of.”

MACH-IV had no need for the binoculars, the technology in his helmet allowed him to focus in on the facility perfectly. “What sort of approach are we looking at?”

“This needs to be a precision strike, we go in like a scalpel, not a shotgun.” Hawkeye checked the specialized arrowheads he stored in the pouches on his costume. “Zemo says Nuke most-likely went rogue because of Control. That means he’s got some valuable information in his head and we need to know about it. So we get Nuke out and Nuke alone.”

“Would’ve been nice if Zemo teleported us right inside…” muttered Songbird.

“Teleporting with the moonstones isn’t an exact science, Mel,” said MACH-IV. “There aren’t any coordinates to punch in, so Zemo basically has to guess. At least when we leave, he can lock onto us specifically.”

“I know, it’s just irritating,” said Songbird. She looked at Hawkeye. “What’s the plan?”

Hawkeye stood and pointed off to the skies above the Raft. “Abe and Ebersol go in from the air. Mel, you an’ me will come up from underwater. That way, if either group gets picked up, we’ll have a better shot of finishing the job if we’re split up.”

“And in the unlikely event I’m caught, how exactly do you plan on getting in?” asked the Fixer.

“You let me worry about that,” said Hawkeye. “Meantime, you just do your part, Ebersol. Bad enough Zemo insisted you came with.”

“Funny,” said Ebersol as the anti-gravity technology in his Tech-Pack activated and lifted him into the air. “I was about to say the same about you.”

He flew off towards the sky and Hawkeye felt an urge to fire an arrow at him. At this range, he couldn’t miss if he shot now. MACH-IV put his hand on Hawkeye’s shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you, Clint. We’re going to do this our way, okay?”

Hawkeye smiled. MACH-IV nodded and took off into the air after his partner. Hawkeye looked at Songbird. “Ready?”

Songbird used her sonic carapace to generate a solid sound bubble around the pair of them. They rose into the air and the bubble fell beneath the surface of the Atlantic. Under Songbird’s command, the bubble moved through the water, heading towards the Raft.

“It’s good to work with you again, Clint.”

“You too, kid. Just wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Unfortunately, it looks like this is our lot in life.”

“For now,” said Hawkeye. “You don’t belong here, Mel. You should be in the big leagues, not slumming with Zemo.”

“What about you?” asked Songbird. “You were big league and now here you are.”

“I’ve got my reasons.”

“Same here.”

“Feel like sharing?”

Songbird looked at him. “Do you?”

Hawkeye offered no response and Songbird turned her attention back to the direction they were headed. “I didn’t think so.”

MASTERS AND SLAVES

Part I

By Steve Seinberg and Dino Pollard

Castle Zemo

“BRING IT ON!” shouted Carnage on the coastline of the castle.

The alien-powered serial killer charged at the Swordsman, who stood calm with a blade held firmly in each hand. The sight of a madman that looked like something out of H.G. Geiger’s nightmares rushing towards them would be enough to reduce even the most hardened individual to a simpering child.

Andreas von Strucker, however, came from stronger stock.

He raised both blades above his head, blocking an axe Carnage shifted his arm into and brought crashing down towards him. Carnage’s other arm shifted into a massive pike which he tried to impale the Swordsman on, but Strucker reacted a second quicker, bringing one of his blades down to deflect that strike.

The Swordsman took the initiative, rushing in and striking at Carnage’s chest. The symbiote, however, was strong enough to prevent those blows from doing anything more than scratching the body of Cletus Kasady. The Swordsman dove between Carnage’s legs, sliding on the ground and coming up behind him. When Carnage turned, the Swordsman activated the abilities of each blade and thrust both inside the madman’s chest. One generated heat, the other electricity and the combined might of both was enough to overload Carnage’s system and leave him lying unconscious on the ground. The symbiote retreated into his body, leaving only the naked form of Cletus Kasady lying on the beach.

“Very impressive.”

The voice the Swordsman heard had a German accent, much like his own. He sheathed both his blades and removed his helmet as Baron Zemo hopped off a nearby rock he had been perched on and began to walk over.

“I still don’t know why you wasted our time liberating this one,” said Andreas, giving the unconscious Kasady a kick.

“A few years back, Carnage nearly destroyed New York almost single-handedly from the ground level,” said Zemo. “He squanders the great power he possesses, which makes him easy to manipulate. He’s a weapon.”

“And what of me, Baron?” asked Andreas. “Am I also easy to manipulate?”

“No. In fact, I’m not sure I even like you all that much. And I trust you even less. But you are no one’s puppet, I know that much.”

“Our feelings towards each other appear mutual,” said Andreas. “So why bring me into this operation when you know there is a good possibility I will cut your throat while you sleep?”

Zemo smiled beneath the mask. “You may try, but that is a far cry from actual accomplishment.”

“So you say.”

“Our goals intersect.” Zemo turned towards the water, clasping his hands behind his back. Although Castle Zemo existed in a pocket dimension, the Baron included a bit of the surrounding water to come with them into this dimension. He had always been fond of the sea. “You wish to kill your father and I see that as a good thing.”

“I’ll do more than kill him,” said Andreas.

“I’m aware. You want his position and you will have it.”

“If I take over Hydra, you’re simply exchanging one enemy for another. Where is the benefit to you?”

“Because now I am certain that Strucker is one of Control’s agents and Control is what interests me,” said Zemo. “With you running Hydra, that provides me a stepping stone to Control.”

“And I would help you because…?”

“Because you and I both know that Control would not take kindly to someone usurping their prized puppet,” said Zemo. “But working together, we can help each other.”

“The devil you know…” said Andreas.

The Raft

MACH-IV pulled up alongside the Fixer as they soared closer to the Raft. “I notice Donnie has been acting strange lately.”

The Fixer didn’t even glance towards MACH-IV. “What’s your point?”

“This morning at breakfast, his hand wouldn’t stop shaking, he spilled coffee all over the place,” said MACH-IV.

“So he needs to switch to decaf, big deal.”

“I think there’s more than that. I think he might be on something.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious,” said MACH-IV. “I’ve seen junkies before, man. And normally I wouldn’t care—if he wants to fuck up his life, let him go do that. But I’ve gotta work with him, he’s supposed to watch my back, and I’m not too comfortable with that thought when he’s strung out.”

“Yeah well, if you’re relying on fucking Blizzard to watch your back, you’re already asking for trouble,” said the Fixer as he began to descend. “That dumb shit could get his ass kicked by Frogman.”

“That’s not the point,” said MACH-IV, following in his descent. “He could turn it around. Look, I know all about being a loser. I used to be one, remember?”

“Used to?”

“Oh fuck you.”

The Fixer grinned as they approached. He raised a hand to stop MACH-IV from coming any closer.

“What is it?”

“Motion sensors, I’m getting them all over the grid,” said the Fixer.

“Hawk, hold up, we’ve got motion sensors,” said MACH-IV, transmitting a message through his built-in comm-link to Hawkeye and Songbird.

“Waiting on your word, Abe.”

“Any solutions?” asked MACH-IV.

The Fixer had one of his arms stretched out and his free hand entered some commands on a small holographic keyboard that displayed over it. “I bet that toothpick-shooting neanderthal is glad I came along now.”

“What are you doing?” asked MACH-IV.

“What’s it look like, you moron? I’m hacking into their power grid. If I shut off the sensors, it’ll raise an alarm. But if I restrain the power flow to them it’ll be like a flashlight with a bad battery.”

The hologram vanished and the Fixer lowered himself, touching down on the ground. He grinned. “Damn, I’m good.”

“We’re a go,” said MACH-IV.

“Understood. Meet at the rendezvous point.”

As the Fixer moved around the small island, staying clear of any cameras he could see, he thought about what Abe told him. He gave Donnie that sample of neuroin, but hadn’t heard from him in a while. He just assumed Donnie didn’t enjoy it, but there was the matter of his increased twitchiness.

When the Fixer turned a corner, he found himself staring down an arrow and Hawkeye just a few feet away from him with a grimace on his face. “Geez,” he said. “Scared the shit out of me.”

Hawkeye didn’t move, kept his eyes and the arrow trained on the Fixer.

“The hell is wrong with you?” asked the Fixer. “This wasn’t part of the pl—”

Hawkeye released the bowstring and the arrow flew over the Fixer’s shoulder. He heard a groan and turned around, seeing a guard lying on the ground. When he looked back at Hawkeye, he had the bow lowered as he notched another arrow.

“Be more careful.”

“Thought Avengers didn’t kill,” said the Fixer.

“They don’t and I didn’t,” said Hawkeye. “The arrow went through his right shoulder and released a sedative. He’ll need some stitches and he’ll have the mother of all hangovers when he wakes up, but other than that he’ll be fine.”

“This way.”

The voice they both heard in their ears belonged to Songbird. The two went to her location and MACH-IV had already touched down. “This is it, Zemo said this seemed like the point with the lowest security,” said MACH-IV.

The Fixer stepped in front of them and raised his arm. Wires snaked out from a flap on the arm, plugging into the system. The number display flashed through numbers rapidly and then slowly settled on a few. Once the final digit was determined, the door opened for them.

“You have the layout, Abe?” asked Hawkeye.

“Got it on my HUD,” said MACH-IV. “Down this corridor and turn right.”

Hawkeye nodded and the four of them began moving through the Raft. “We can either take the elevator down to the third sub-level or we can take the stairs.”

“Stairs,” said Hawkeye. “Less security.”

They moved into the stairwell and the Fixer stepped forward, noticing the cameras. “Abe, power down everything but your essential systems.”

“Why?” asked MACH-IV.

“Chaff grenade,” said the Fixer, holding up a small, metallic orb. He dropped it into the stairwell and the lights began to glow before it released tiny pieces of aluminum to confuse the camera systems. “Go!”

The four moved down the stairwell as quickly as they good before the chaffs died down and normalcy was restored.

“Unless the guards were sleeping, won’t be long before that stunt was noticed,” said Hawkeye.

“Doesn’t matter, bought us some time,” said the Fixer. “Abe?”

“I’m back online,” said MACH-IV. “Follow me.”

He led the way down this corridor, solid metal doors with tiny video screens right beside them. Better than using a glass window or something that could be broken. Instead, just show who’s inside by means of a camera.

He stopped at one of the doors. “This is it.”

The Fixer plugged into the system and after a few moments, the door slid open. Hawkeye raised his bow, pointing the arrow right at the prisoner’s head and he slowly walked in. “Be ready for anything.”

Frank Simpson sat in shackles, asleep. Hawkeye lowered his bow and the Fixer went to work disarming the shackles. He also raised his finger and a small needle emerged from the tip, which he stuck inside Nuke’s shoulder.

“Elephant tranq, wanna make sure he stays out the entire time,” said Ebersol.

Songbird surrounded Nuke in a sonic bubble.

“You sure you got him?” asked MACH-IV. She nodded in response.

“Good, now let’s get out of here,” said Hawkeye. But as soon as he set foot outside of Nuke’s cell, the alarms began to blare. “What the hell?”

“They must have detected something,” said the Fixer.

“So now we have to fight off a prison full of government agents?” asked MACH-IV.

“Not if I give them something else to worry about,” said the Fixer. He moved to the cell right across and activated the video screen. Satisfied by the prisoner he saw, he plugged into the system. Within moments, the restraints she wore snapped open and her eyes began to crackle with energy. “Okay, let’s go!”

The Fixer took the lead and the others followed. “What did you do?” asked Hawkeye.

“Provided us with a distraction!” said the Fixer. A giant explosion came from behind them and Hawkeye turned to see a blue-skinned woman glowing brightly emerge from the cell.

“Holy shit…” he muttered. “Half-Life?”

“Distraction, Hawkeye!” shouted Ebersol as they left the facility. He transmitted a message back to Castle Zemo. “We need a transport now! Lock onto our location!”

As they ran, golden energy surrounded them and they were transported away from the Raft.

Castle Zemo

Nuke sat chained down in the depths of Castle Zemo with Helmut standing over him. Zemo looked at the other individuals in the room. The Fixer stood behind Nuke with his hands laid on the man’s shoulders. In the back stood the Abomination. Given his espionage background, he seemed the perfect one to oversee this operation. And finally, seated beside Nuke was Lady Mastermind.

“Regan, my dear?” asked Zemo. “The floor is yours.”

Regan Wyngarde offered a smile as she tapped into her mutant ability. Nuke slowly began to wake and he found himself standing in the middle of a war zone, as if the Vietnam War had never ended. He stood looking at the carnage around him with his face bright and a wide smile plastered on his visage.

“Beautiful…” he said, watching as the napalm bombs took the forest. “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

“Do you know why you’re here, Frank?” asked Regan.

“I’m a soldier,” said Nuke.

“Not anymore,” said Regan. With a wave of her hand, the war-torn landscape was replaced with a bustling, bright city. “They’ve taken your war from you, made you just another drone. Don’t believe me? Just see for yourself.”

Nuke turned to the side and caught his reflection in a store window. The American flag painted on his face was gone and he was dressed in a three-piece suit, holding a briefcase and wearing glasses.

“And this…?”

Nuke turned. He saw Regan lying on the hood of a brand-new sports car. “This is yours,” she said. “No more air-drops. No more guns. No more knives. No more primary-colored pills. Just the monotony of corporate America.”

“No…this isn’t me, I can’t do this,” said Nuke. “I-I’d go crazy.”

Regan stretched out and turned on her side, tossing a flirty glance up at him. “Oh really? Well in that case, maybe we can work with you.”

“What do you mean?”

Regan hopped off the car and stepped right up to Nuke. She pushed her body to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I mean we can give you the men who are stealing your war, the ones who are making you obsolete. No more fighting wars in corporate boardrooms and with the media. No, we’ll give you a tangible enemy, one you can actually hit.”

“Y-you will?”

“Would you like that, Frank?”

He nodded and Regan smiled. “Good. Now listen very carefully…”

“Fixer?”

Ebersol nodded, the machinery over his eye pulsing brightly. Zemo looked at the Abomination while Lady Mastermind and Nuke sat silently in a trance. The former KGB operative eyed his leader and offered a grin.

“An interesting method, Baron,” he said. “I’m not sure why you brought me here.”

“Regan has simply provided the tools,” said Zemo. “But you…you provided the inspiration, Emil.”

Regan’s eyes slowly fluttered open and she rose from her seat. “Baron?”

Zemo and the Abomination looked at her and she smiled. “It’s done. He’s your weapon now, all you have to do is aim and shoot.”

He approached her and took her hand in his own, lowering his head to it and lightly kissing it through the purple fabric of his mask. “You are a vision, my dear.”

The Radioactive Man stood and watched with his arms crossed as Lady Mastermind escorted Nuke onto the beach. Dr. Octopus, Jack O’Lantern, Bullseye and Tiger Shark stood there as well. The Swordsman approached Chen Lu.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Nuke’s escort,” said Radioactive Man. “Zemo felt it would be better if only Americans accompanied him, given his…volatile nature.”

“An interesting group the Baron has assembled,” said Andreas. “Perhaps a bit too unpredictable, even for him.”

Chen Lu regarded Andreas suspiciously. “And that means…?”

Andreas smiled. “Nothing, my friend. Simply musing.”

When the team rematerialized outside a facility, Lady Mastermind draped her arms over Nuke’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. “There it is, baby. That’s where those asshole bureaucrats are.”

“And I just take them out?” asked Nuke.

“That’s right,” said Lady Mastermind. “Do your thing.”

Nuke grinned and ran towards the facility. After he was gone, Bullseye scoffed. “The hell we need that guy for? With this crew alone, we got enough power to level that place.”

“Zemo wanted to send a message to Control,” said Dr. Octopus. “No better way than attacking a Hydra facility.”

“I used to hear stories about that Nuke guy,” said the Jack O’Lantern. “Didn’t he take pills or something?”

“Not anymore, he can create those effects himself now,” said Lady Mastermind.

Dr. Octopus looked at Regan in shock. “Are you sure that’s wise? Now we have no way of controlling him.”

She smiled back at him. “That’s the point, Doc.”