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Issue #21 by Steve Crosby
"Dashed Hopes" November 2017 |
The nurse had only caught a brief glimpse of her from behind. Slightly taller than average, dark hair, and a green dress that may have been too formal for a hospital. Even a hospital such as this, that catered to the wealthy and powerful. Such as the man she’d visited.
The nurse entered the room to find him in the same position she’d left him, seated in a chair looking out the window. He neither liked nor disliked it. It was a mild sensory stimulation that could help maintain what little brain activity he still possessed.
“I saw you had a visitor,” said the nurse. “I’m sorry to have missed her.”
He received few visitors nowadays. When first admitted, visitors came in all the time. The occasional family, but mostly co-workers or other corporate heads. More than a few politicians even, and once that dreamy Captain America had checked in. He’d asked to be notified if the patient’s condition ever changed, and had shown photos of people who may visit.
The nurse had never seen any of those people that she could recall. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember any of the faces in those photos. Security may still have them. She remembered one had been of a woman.
“Are we feeling any better today?” she asked, aware he couldn’t answer. Talking helped, for her. Working in silence with another person in the room just felt creepy. “Well, it’s good she came when she did. It’s time for dinner, and then your bath.”
She’d set up the wheelchair to move him. But as she reached for him, she noticed a movement, a faint rustling of his hair. Absent of mind, she reached up to brush what she was certain had been nothing. A trick of the light perhaps. Instead, her hand drew back sharply, a spot of blood appearing where she’d been bit.
“What on earth?” Her eyes went from bewildered to horrified, as the finger blackened. The sickness spread rapidly to her entire hand, and a scream erupted from her mouth.
It was a terrible scream that could be heard throughout the hospital, and seemed to go on forever. In truth, it ended abruptly a few seconds later, just before she slumped to the ground.
An orderly was the first to rush in, followed by other nurses and a doctor. They found her on the ground, unconscious and breathing in shallow gasps. Her hands appeared perfectly normal.
“What could have happened?” The doctor started forward, but then stopped dead in his tracks.
“I couldn’t guess,” said the man in the chair. He’d risen easily to his feet, unusual considering how long its been since he’s moved on his own. “One moment she was fine, and the next she was on the floor. You can just never tell with some people.”
“Mister…sir, you’re. I mean…” The doctor struggled for the words.
“The name, doctor, is Hugh Jones. And it’s about time I checked out.”
# # # # #
“Are you sure this isn’t too soon?” Cathy Webster asked. “That was a bad beating you took.”
Steve Rogers had just walked out of the hospital, where he’d been treated for injuries sustained from a fight with his former ally Nomad. The bruises and swelling had gone down significantly, and there was no longer blood in his eye. There was still a throbbing in his skull, but he nodded in answer to Cathy’s question.
“I can finish recovering on the trip. You’ll drive.”
Steve handed her the keys, and she took them reluctantly. He’d had the van brought to them, complete with the motorcycle inside.
“Yay.” Cathy placed the keys in her pocket and pulled out her phone. “Hayden College here we come. From these news alerts I’ve been getting, things have gotten bad.”
Steve glanced at the article headlines. “Men are being attacked?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like something I should care about, huh. But I’ve been reading the articles, and for almost every attack there’s been a girl present. A few had been found unconscious, drugged.” Cathy took a sharp breath. “I called some of the people I know on campus. Let’s just say these men were known to be avoided.”
“So this is the work of a vigilante,” Steve deduced. “Those men were being watched, and attacked before they could assault women?”
“Again, it doesn’t seem like I should care.” Cathy started tapping her phone. “But look at the comments below these articles. The sympathy is all for the wrong victims. Granted, none had ever been charged with anything, but this is completely shifting the message of what’s going on.”
Cathy continued tapping between articles. “So far this seems to still be online, but Hayden is becoming a powder keg. One or two more attacks, and things could get-”
Steve grabbed her phone, his eyes fixed on the screen. “What was that? Go back.”
“Huh?” Cathy swiped her finger across the screen. “It’s just a dumb pop-up ad. No, if you tap on it, another page opens.”
Slowly, a new page loaded onto Cathy’s phone, that appeared to advertise a planned community of sorts. Steve Rogers had his eyes fixed on the name of company behind that community.
“I’ll need to look into this.” Steve walked past Cathy, towards the van.
“What? Hey.” Cathy hurried to catch up. “It just looks like another lame safe-space for our terrified majority.”
“Exactly, and the beginning of something a lot worse.”
“Well, so’s my thing,” Cathy protested. “And we agreed we were doing mine next.”
“And you are,” Steve stopped at the back of the van. “This will be a quick investigation. If it’s what I suspect, I’ll let SHIELD or the Avengers know, and meet you at Hayden College. It may be easier to ask a few questions around campus without me there.”
“Yes, obviously,” said Cathy. “But if I stumble across another assault, and there’s a fight, I’d like to have backup. We’re traveling in opposite directions here. Can’t your thing wait?”
“No.”
“Compelling argument, but given your condition I’m not sure you should travel alone.”
“Open the door, Cathy,” Steve said instead of answering.
Exasperated, Cathy grabbed the keys and unlocked the van remotely. “Fine, be that way. I still don’t see the big deal. Hope Yards Development/Relocation Association? It doesn’t exactly scream evil.”
# # # # #
Captain America rode his motorcycle into Jersey City. It had always been there, just across the river, but he’d never paid the city much attention. As such, Captain America didn’t know his way around. Fortunately there were a lot of signs to follow.
A massive billboard for Hope Yards adorned the roof of a building across the street from a corner store. It looked as good a place as any to get some information. Captain America parked the motorcycle and, in civilian clothes, walked into the Circle Q.
Inside, Steve Rogers saw that it served as a teen hangout. Two young men were browsing the magazines near the entrance, and he noticed a small group hanging around the drink machines. The cashier had textbooks that he would study between ringing up sales. Steve grabbed a bottle of water and moved toward the sandwiches. A young woman was gazing at them, particularly the B.L.T., with a forbidden longing.
“Delicious infidel meat,” she was muttering.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh sorry, I-” Most of the time it didn’t matter that Captain America’s identity was publicly known. Even in New York City, he was rarely recognized, but he could tell this girl knew exactly who he was. “Uh, sorry, uh…what are…”
“Thanks,” Captain America stepped past her and opened the display. Hopefully she wouldn’t expose him. He took the sandwich and water to the register. “Those look pretty advanced.”
“You have a problem with that?” He rang up the items. “$4.27, I think. The math might be a little advanced for me.”
The hostility told Captain America he wasn’t wrong, and that it was already starting. He paid the money with a smile. “They’re certainly too advanced for me, though a friend tried to teach me something. The idea that Vibranium could be rendered transparent for use in solar panels is fascinating.”
At this display of knowledge in the subject matter, the cashier’s mood lightened considerably. “Uh, yeah, though right now the cost in materials would be prohibitive. Sorry, I thought…there’s been a new element in town lately.”
“Oh?” Captain American glanced out the window, up at the billboard. “Does it have something to do with that?”
Behind Captain America, the girl behind him let out a squeak. Now she suspected why he was there. Another young man went up to the register with his own items for purchase.
“I could have told you he wasn’t part of that crowd, Bruno. That is your bike out there, isn’t it sir?”
“Yes, it is. I’m almost back home from a cross-country trip. Don’t remember hearing about a Hope Yards before I left.”
“They just appeared overnight,” said another young woman, wearing a hijab. “Suddenly all the stores that have been here for years were gone, replaced by sushi restaurants and yoga studios. They even have their own security, harassing anyone who doesn’t look like them.”
Her tone suggested that it was people who looked like her being harassed, and people who looked like him were doing the harassing.
“That’s not right,” said Captain America. “Not all change is bad for a neighborhood, but the old souls shouldn’t be paved over. Creating divisions, pushing out anyone who doesn’t fit a plan, that’s something the residents should stand up against.”
“Wow, that is so insightful and I completely agree,” said the young fangirl. “There’s a rally later today. You should come and say more stuff like that.”
“Why would we want someone from outside the community to speak?” said the other woman. “No offense, but it’s outsiders who are doing all of this.”
“No, I understand,” said Captain America. “And I’m just passing through anyway. Good luck with everything.”
Having devoured his sandwich, Captain America hurried out, before the girl could protest and possibly give him away. He finished the water and threw the bottle into a recycling bin outside the Circle Q. But when Captain America reached for his keys, he found a note. Someone, he could guess who, wanted to meet him in alley two blocks down and across the street.
With a sigh, Captain America decided to go. He crossed the street, passing directly under the sign for Hope Yards Development/Relocation Association.
# # # # #
“Sir, we have something.”
The project manager for Hope Yards, his name was Chuck, approached the technician who was seated at an array of computers. “What is it?”
“We got a hit off one of the billboards.” Every major sign for Hope Yards contained a hidden camera, and every individual was run through facial recognition camera. On the main screen was a photo of Steve Rogers, split-screen with a file image for Captain America. “Prime enemy number one is in Jersey City.”
“We knew it was only a matter of time. Deploy the security drones.” Chuck took a sip of his coconut-milk latte, purchased downstairs at the recently opened bistro.
“Yes sir. Set for capture or destroy?”
Another sip, as though he were considering paint swatches. “I suppose we should learn what he knows. Capture.”
# # # # #
Still out of costume, Captain America entered the alley to an unexpected sight. Standing in the center of the alley, facing him in a pose of stoic heroism, was clearly the girl who’d recognized him in the Circle Q. Except now she was dressed in a makeshift costume.
The domino mask didn’t do much to conceal her identity, and she wore the same long-sleeved shirt from before. Instead of jeans and jacket she now wore red leggings with high blue boots and a long blue tunic that went past her waist. Criss-crossed the length and width of the tunic was a yellow lightning bolt similar to what Warbird wore. The long red scarf around her neck was also similar to the sash Warbird wore around her waist, and Captain America remembered that in her original Ms. Marvel costume the sash had been around her neck as an aviation scarf.
At seeing that Captain America wasn’t in costume, the girl’s large smile diminished. “Why aren’t you ready? This is supposed to be our big team-up!”
Captain America gave a disapproving sigh. “I’m sorry, miss, but that isn’t why I’m here. I suspect that Hope Yards is more than a typical development company, but for now I’m just investigating, discreetly. The proper authorities, including the Avengers, will be notified if my suspicions are confirmed.”
The smile returned. “That’s why I asked you here. I’ve been watching those miscreants from the beginning. They’re trying to take over the city…by backing politicians supportive of their goals. But if you give a speech at the rally, the neighborhood will turn fully against them and they’ll go away.”
“You say you’ve been watching,” Captain America told her. “But you have no idea what’s come to your city.”
One of the alley walls had a poster advertisement for Hope Yards. Over the name of the development company was the tag line “Homes - Affordable, Irresistible, Luxurious.” Captain America motioned to it.
“Take the first letter of each of those words, that’s how blatant they are.” Captain America looked her in the eye and said it. “H.A.I.L. H.Y.D.R.A.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “What?” Her head turned from the poster to Captain America, back to the poster then back to Captain America. “They’re seriously…a terrorist organization is gentrifying a neighborhood?”
Captain America nodded. “Their roots are in the Nazi philosophy. Economic inequality, pushing out undesirables, this is a rare use of soft power but it fits. At this stage, a quiet investigation and swift enforcement may corral them with minimal damage. But if they learn I’m here and are spooked into using their hard power, things could get dangerous.”
“Right you are do-gooder!” Chuck’s voiced boomed across the alley. It was coming from insect-like drones that flew into view. “So excuse me while I quietly take you out so that we can get back to improving lives that matter.”
Though he lacked the shield, Steve Rogers was still Captain America. He shifted into a fighting stance, making sure the young woman was behind him.
“Don’t worry, Ms., “ he said. “I’ll take care of this-”
“Embiggen!”
Tall legs stepped over Captain America. The costumed girl appeared to have the power to alter her size, and not in proportion. While her legs were about eight feet tall, her body was normal size. Likewise, one of her arms elongated, and the attached hand inflated to larger than her whole body. The massive hand swatted the drones against the wall, smashing them all.
Just like that, it was over. Her legs and arms returned to normal size, she leaned against the wall, nearly overcome with excitement. “That…was…awesome!”
“And impressive,” said Captain America. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Jersey City had an active hero. You’ve obviously been doing this for some time.”
Color came to her cheeks. “Not too long. There was this…person, who called himself the Inventor. He was snatching up kids, one of them was Bruno’s - you saw him working at the Circle Q - Bruno’s brother. So we got involved - in that, we aren’t…”
She closed her eyes in embarrassment and took a deep breath. “Anyway, I was exposed to this weird gas, and could suddenly do this. But stopping the Inventor has been it so far, as far as crime-fighting. Since then I’ve just been practicing. Until now.” She looked down at the broken drones. “I did that.”
“You certainly did.” Captain America held out your hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. What do you call yourself?”
With tentative excitement, she took Captain America’s hand with both of her own. “I haven’t really figured that out. I mean, there’s a notebook dedicated to names, and I keep coming back to one. But it’s not really mine to take.”
Going by the costume, Captain America had one guess what that was.
“My name is-”
“Your greatest secret,” Captain America said. “And while I’ve been proud to carry many, you shouldn’t get into the habit of revealing it to every hero you meet.”
“Oh, okay.” Kamala Khan still wanted to tell Captain America her name, but understood his warning. Even the most trustworthy of heroes could get brainwashed or impersonated, or even have their entire history rewritten so that they were always an evil Nazi. Kamala fought back a smile over the idea, and mentally hid it away for her fanfic. “But we’re totally going to team up against HYDRA now, right?”
Captain America. “Oh, absolutely. I’ll suit up and meet you at the rally.”
# # # # #
“Take Back Jersey” it said on the giant banner over the stage for the outside rally. Project leader Chuck was on the stage, microphone in hand, addressing the large crowd of people in attendance. Nearby was a crowd of comparable size protesting the rally, with a line of police officers keeping the two separate.
Captain America saw this as he was running across the rooftops, dressed in full costume. It was disappointing for Captain America that he could clearly see the difference between the two crowds. Though Chuck’s words were amplified enough to be heard, Captain America wasn’t paying attention. Similar speeches had bombarded his ears all his life.
“I think the worst thing is a lot of those protesters would agree with him,” said Kamala Khan. She was struggling to keep up with Captain America, using long strides. “Family. Tradition. I hear a lot of these buzzwords every day, at home. The problem is my family’s the wrong color.”
“HYDRA works by promoting division,” said Captain America. “They highlight problems that keep us from the dream, and tell us who to blame for it. The solution is to talk to one another, to communicate our views and work together to achieve shared goals.”
“Does that include punching?” Kamala asked. “Because right now I really want to punch that Chuck guy in the face.”
“Oh yes,” Captain America responded. “With this sort, there must always be punching.”
With a might leap from the rooftop, Captain America threw his shield at the armed men he’d initially thought were police officers. Hired security weren’t necessarily meant to keep the peace, but to advance their employer’s agenda. And with the employer being HYDRA…
The rifle was struck, the barrel forced down as it fired. Normally there would have been ricochets off the pavement, but Captain America’s had correctly identified the weapon. Explosive rounds fired from an automatic rifle tore into the pavement instead of civilians. Less than a second later the shield was in Captain America’s hands and he was in the midst of HYDRA, fighting for all.
“Yay punching!” Kamala stretched out one fist, punching out three men in a sweeping arc. The other hand had gone massive, grabbing up weapons before they could be used.
The relatively harmless gunfire had broken up the rally in a big way. Screams had erupted from both sides, and people were scrambling to get clear. On the stage, Chuck pinched his nose in frustration.
“Curse you, Captain America. At the least, I can still kill you. And anyone else in HYDRA’s way!”
Chuck tapped his phone. The facade of a Hope Yards model home fell away, revealing a massive HYDRA assault ship. Energy blasts fired from it’s eight “arms”, damaging property but fortunately no bystanders.
At the same time Captain America hurled his shield at Chuck, he opened his mouth to say something. It would have been a command for Kamala, but he quickly saw it wasn’t necessary. The young woman was already rushing at the attack ship with a yell of “Embiggen!”, growing to match it’s size. Two blasts would have missed her, striking civilians, but Kamala Khan moved to take the hits. Though pained, she kept going, colliding with the HYDRA vehicle and slamming it against another Hope Yards building.
In the time it took Kamala to bring the ship down, Captain America had disabled the rest of HYDRA’s forces. Standing over the unconscious Chuck, Captain America grabbed the phone and pressed the deactivation command. Police cars were rapidly approaching.
“That was good work,” Captain America said to Kamala. Immediately, her expression went from haggard to beaming.
There wasn’t much to be done, later. Between Captain America’s statement, and the quick confessions of some cowardly HYDRA agents, the authorities quickly arrested Chuck and his men. At Captain America’s suggestion, Kamala kept out of sight during this, but reappeared the moment Captain America was alone.
“That was so cool,” Kamala exclaimed as she grew to normal size. “I just hid inside Captain America’s shield! Wait’ll I tell…the one person who knows my secret.”
“You should be very proud of yourself.” There was a message on Captain America’s Avengers ID card. He read it, and frowned. “It’s wonderful when new heroes emerge. I’ve lost too many friends of late.”
“Is that…is that what we…we are?” Kamala asked, stammering. “Friends?”
Captain America placed a hand on her shoulder. “Anyone who would risk their life for others, I consider a friend. I need to be going now. A good friend was left waiting while I investigated this, and unfortunately they’ll have to wait a while longer. There’s Avengers business across the river, and I’m sure be proud to know a new hero is wearing her symbol.”
Kamala Khan suddenly blushed. “What? I…I don’t know what you mean…
Captain America smiled. “Oh, I’m sure you do, Ms…”
# # # # #
The costume was torn, her face bloodied, but she was still unmistakably Free Spirit. Though every movement was agony, she crawled across the floor. Just another few seconds, she tried to tell herself. Just a brief moment to catch her breath, and Free Spirit would be back in the fight.
That moment was not to come. The weight came down hard against her back, pinning Free Spirit to the floor. A glove hand reached down to take her by the hair. It yanked back hard, forcing Free Spirit to arch herself in a painful and provocative pose.
“Did you really think this would go any other way?” Every word that came from the lips of Superia dripped with a mixture of contempt and amusement. The large, powerfully built woman bent down to speak into the ear of her failed creation.
“You are not the hero in this scenario, nor even the sidekick. You are the damsel in distress. It is the man who comes to the rescue.” Superia then gave a smile. “But will Captain America arrive to find you in the fridge? That is the question.”
Next Issue: No.
The nurse entered the room to find him in the same position she’d left him, seated in a chair looking out the window. He neither liked nor disliked it. It was a mild sensory stimulation that could help maintain what little brain activity he still possessed.
“I saw you had a visitor,” said the nurse. “I’m sorry to have missed her.”
He received few visitors nowadays. When first admitted, visitors came in all the time. The occasional family, but mostly co-workers or other corporate heads. More than a few politicians even, and once that dreamy Captain America had checked in. He’d asked to be notified if the patient’s condition ever changed, and had shown photos of people who may visit.
The nurse had never seen any of those people that she could recall. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember any of the faces in those photos. Security may still have them. She remembered one had been of a woman.
“Are we feeling any better today?” she asked, aware he couldn’t answer. Talking helped, for her. Working in silence with another person in the room just felt creepy. “Well, it’s good she came when she did. It’s time for dinner, and then your bath.”
She’d set up the wheelchair to move him. But as she reached for him, she noticed a movement, a faint rustling of his hair. Absent of mind, she reached up to brush what she was certain had been nothing. A trick of the light perhaps. Instead, her hand drew back sharply, a spot of blood appearing where she’d been bit.
“What on earth?” Her eyes went from bewildered to horrified, as the finger blackened. The sickness spread rapidly to her entire hand, and a scream erupted from her mouth.
It was a terrible scream that could be heard throughout the hospital, and seemed to go on forever. In truth, it ended abruptly a few seconds later, just before she slumped to the ground.
An orderly was the first to rush in, followed by other nurses and a doctor. They found her on the ground, unconscious and breathing in shallow gasps. Her hands appeared perfectly normal.
“What could have happened?” The doctor started forward, but then stopped dead in his tracks.
“I couldn’t guess,” said the man in the chair. He’d risen easily to his feet, unusual considering how long its been since he’s moved on his own. “One moment she was fine, and the next she was on the floor. You can just never tell with some people.”
“Mister…sir, you’re. I mean…” The doctor struggled for the words.
“The name, doctor, is Hugh Jones. And it’s about time I checked out.”
# # # # #
“Are you sure this isn’t too soon?” Cathy Webster asked. “That was a bad beating you took.”
Steve Rogers had just walked out of the hospital, where he’d been treated for injuries sustained from a fight with his former ally Nomad. The bruises and swelling had gone down significantly, and there was no longer blood in his eye. There was still a throbbing in his skull, but he nodded in answer to Cathy’s question.
“I can finish recovering on the trip. You’ll drive.”
Steve handed her the keys, and she took them reluctantly. He’d had the van brought to them, complete with the motorcycle inside.
“Yay.” Cathy placed the keys in her pocket and pulled out her phone. “Hayden College here we come. From these news alerts I’ve been getting, things have gotten bad.”
Steve glanced at the article headlines. “Men are being attacked?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like something I should care about, huh. But I’ve been reading the articles, and for almost every attack there’s been a girl present. A few had been found unconscious, drugged.” Cathy took a sharp breath. “I called some of the people I know on campus. Let’s just say these men were known to be avoided.”
“So this is the work of a vigilante,” Steve deduced. “Those men were being watched, and attacked before they could assault women?”
“Again, it doesn’t seem like I should care.” Cathy started tapping her phone. “But look at the comments below these articles. The sympathy is all for the wrong victims. Granted, none had ever been charged with anything, but this is completely shifting the message of what’s going on.”
Cathy continued tapping between articles. “So far this seems to still be online, but Hayden is becoming a powder keg. One or two more attacks, and things could get-”
Steve grabbed her phone, his eyes fixed on the screen. “What was that? Go back.”
“Huh?” Cathy swiped her finger across the screen. “It’s just a dumb pop-up ad. No, if you tap on it, another page opens.”
Slowly, a new page loaded onto Cathy’s phone, that appeared to advertise a planned community of sorts. Steve Rogers had his eyes fixed on the name of company behind that community.
“I’ll need to look into this.” Steve walked past Cathy, towards the van.
“What? Hey.” Cathy hurried to catch up. “It just looks like another lame safe-space for our terrified majority.”
“Exactly, and the beginning of something a lot worse.”
“Well, so’s my thing,” Cathy protested. “And we agreed we were doing mine next.”
“And you are,” Steve stopped at the back of the van. “This will be a quick investigation. If it’s what I suspect, I’ll let SHIELD or the Avengers know, and meet you at Hayden College. It may be easier to ask a few questions around campus without me there.”
“Yes, obviously,” said Cathy. “But if I stumble across another assault, and there’s a fight, I’d like to have backup. We’re traveling in opposite directions here. Can’t your thing wait?”
“No.”
“Compelling argument, but given your condition I’m not sure you should travel alone.”
“Open the door, Cathy,” Steve said instead of answering.
Exasperated, Cathy grabbed the keys and unlocked the van remotely. “Fine, be that way. I still don’t see the big deal. Hope Yards Development/Relocation Association? It doesn’t exactly scream evil.”
# # # # #
Captain America rode his motorcycle into Jersey City. It had always been there, just across the river, but he’d never paid the city much attention. As such, Captain America didn’t know his way around. Fortunately there were a lot of signs to follow.
A massive billboard for Hope Yards adorned the roof of a building across the street from a corner store. It looked as good a place as any to get some information. Captain America parked the motorcycle and, in civilian clothes, walked into the Circle Q.
Inside, Steve Rogers saw that it served as a teen hangout. Two young men were browsing the magazines near the entrance, and he noticed a small group hanging around the drink machines. The cashier had textbooks that he would study between ringing up sales. Steve grabbed a bottle of water and moved toward the sandwiches. A young woman was gazing at them, particularly the B.L.T., with a forbidden longing.
“Delicious infidel meat,” she was muttering.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh sorry, I-” Most of the time it didn’t matter that Captain America’s identity was publicly known. Even in New York City, he was rarely recognized, but he could tell this girl knew exactly who he was. “Uh, sorry, uh…what are…”
“Thanks,” Captain America stepped past her and opened the display. Hopefully she wouldn’t expose him. He took the sandwich and water to the register. “Those look pretty advanced.”
“You have a problem with that?” He rang up the items. “$4.27, I think. The math might be a little advanced for me.”
The hostility told Captain America he wasn’t wrong, and that it was already starting. He paid the money with a smile. “They’re certainly too advanced for me, though a friend tried to teach me something. The idea that Vibranium could be rendered transparent for use in solar panels is fascinating.”
At this display of knowledge in the subject matter, the cashier’s mood lightened considerably. “Uh, yeah, though right now the cost in materials would be prohibitive. Sorry, I thought…there’s been a new element in town lately.”
“Oh?” Captain American glanced out the window, up at the billboard. “Does it have something to do with that?”
Behind Captain America, the girl behind him let out a squeak. Now she suspected why he was there. Another young man went up to the register with his own items for purchase.
“I could have told you he wasn’t part of that crowd, Bruno. That is your bike out there, isn’t it sir?”
“Yes, it is. I’m almost back home from a cross-country trip. Don’t remember hearing about a Hope Yards before I left.”
“They just appeared overnight,” said another young woman, wearing a hijab. “Suddenly all the stores that have been here for years were gone, replaced by sushi restaurants and yoga studios. They even have their own security, harassing anyone who doesn’t look like them.”
Her tone suggested that it was people who looked like her being harassed, and people who looked like him were doing the harassing.
“That’s not right,” said Captain America. “Not all change is bad for a neighborhood, but the old souls shouldn’t be paved over. Creating divisions, pushing out anyone who doesn’t fit a plan, that’s something the residents should stand up against.”
“Wow, that is so insightful and I completely agree,” said the young fangirl. “There’s a rally later today. You should come and say more stuff like that.”
“Why would we want someone from outside the community to speak?” said the other woman. “No offense, but it’s outsiders who are doing all of this.”
“No, I understand,” said Captain America. “And I’m just passing through anyway. Good luck with everything.”
Having devoured his sandwich, Captain America hurried out, before the girl could protest and possibly give him away. He finished the water and threw the bottle into a recycling bin outside the Circle Q. But when Captain America reached for his keys, he found a note. Someone, he could guess who, wanted to meet him in alley two blocks down and across the street.
With a sigh, Captain America decided to go. He crossed the street, passing directly under the sign for Hope Yards Development/Relocation Association.
# # # # #
“Sir, we have something.”
The project manager for Hope Yards, his name was Chuck, approached the technician who was seated at an array of computers. “What is it?”
“We got a hit off one of the billboards.” Every major sign for Hope Yards contained a hidden camera, and every individual was run through facial recognition camera. On the main screen was a photo of Steve Rogers, split-screen with a file image for Captain America. “Prime enemy number one is in Jersey City.”
“We knew it was only a matter of time. Deploy the security drones.” Chuck took a sip of his coconut-milk latte, purchased downstairs at the recently opened bistro.
“Yes sir. Set for capture or destroy?”
Another sip, as though he were considering paint swatches. “I suppose we should learn what he knows. Capture.”
# # # # #
Still out of costume, Captain America entered the alley to an unexpected sight. Standing in the center of the alley, facing him in a pose of stoic heroism, was clearly the girl who’d recognized him in the Circle Q. Except now she was dressed in a makeshift costume.
The domino mask didn’t do much to conceal her identity, and she wore the same long-sleeved shirt from before. Instead of jeans and jacket she now wore red leggings with high blue boots and a long blue tunic that went past her waist. Criss-crossed the length and width of the tunic was a yellow lightning bolt similar to what Warbird wore. The long red scarf around her neck was also similar to the sash Warbird wore around her waist, and Captain America remembered that in her original Ms. Marvel costume the sash had been around her neck as an aviation scarf.
At seeing that Captain America wasn’t in costume, the girl’s large smile diminished. “Why aren’t you ready? This is supposed to be our big team-up!”
Captain America gave a disapproving sigh. “I’m sorry, miss, but that isn’t why I’m here. I suspect that Hope Yards is more than a typical development company, but for now I’m just investigating, discreetly. The proper authorities, including the Avengers, will be notified if my suspicions are confirmed.”
The smile returned. “That’s why I asked you here. I’ve been watching those miscreants from the beginning. They’re trying to take over the city…by backing politicians supportive of their goals. But if you give a speech at the rally, the neighborhood will turn fully against them and they’ll go away.”
“You say you’ve been watching,” Captain America told her. “But you have no idea what’s come to your city.”
One of the alley walls had a poster advertisement for Hope Yards. Over the name of the development company was the tag line “Homes - Affordable, Irresistible, Luxurious.” Captain America motioned to it.
“Take the first letter of each of those words, that’s how blatant they are.” Captain America looked her in the eye and said it. “H.A.I.L. H.Y.D.R.A.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “What?” Her head turned from the poster to Captain America, back to the poster then back to Captain America. “They’re seriously…a terrorist organization is gentrifying a neighborhood?”
Captain America nodded. “Their roots are in the Nazi philosophy. Economic inequality, pushing out undesirables, this is a rare use of soft power but it fits. At this stage, a quiet investigation and swift enforcement may corral them with minimal damage. But if they learn I’m here and are spooked into using their hard power, things could get dangerous.”
“Right you are do-gooder!” Chuck’s voiced boomed across the alley. It was coming from insect-like drones that flew into view. “So excuse me while I quietly take you out so that we can get back to improving lives that matter.”
Though he lacked the shield, Steve Rogers was still Captain America. He shifted into a fighting stance, making sure the young woman was behind him.
“Don’t worry, Ms., “ he said. “I’ll take care of this-”
“Embiggen!”
Tall legs stepped over Captain America. The costumed girl appeared to have the power to alter her size, and not in proportion. While her legs were about eight feet tall, her body was normal size. Likewise, one of her arms elongated, and the attached hand inflated to larger than her whole body. The massive hand swatted the drones against the wall, smashing them all.
Just like that, it was over. Her legs and arms returned to normal size, she leaned against the wall, nearly overcome with excitement. “That…was…awesome!”
“And impressive,” said Captain America. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Jersey City had an active hero. You’ve obviously been doing this for some time.”
Color came to her cheeks. “Not too long. There was this…person, who called himself the Inventor. He was snatching up kids, one of them was Bruno’s - you saw him working at the Circle Q - Bruno’s brother. So we got involved - in that, we aren’t…”
She closed her eyes in embarrassment and took a deep breath. “Anyway, I was exposed to this weird gas, and could suddenly do this. But stopping the Inventor has been it so far, as far as crime-fighting. Since then I’ve just been practicing. Until now.” She looked down at the broken drones. “I did that.”
“You certainly did.” Captain America held out your hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. What do you call yourself?”
With tentative excitement, she took Captain America’s hand with both of her own. “I haven’t really figured that out. I mean, there’s a notebook dedicated to names, and I keep coming back to one. But it’s not really mine to take.”
Going by the costume, Captain America had one guess what that was.
“My name is-”
“Your greatest secret,” Captain America said. “And while I’ve been proud to carry many, you shouldn’t get into the habit of revealing it to every hero you meet.”
“Oh, okay.” Kamala Khan still wanted to tell Captain America her name, but understood his warning. Even the most trustworthy of heroes could get brainwashed or impersonated, or even have their entire history rewritten so that they were always an evil Nazi. Kamala fought back a smile over the idea, and mentally hid it away for her fanfic. “But we’re totally going to team up against HYDRA now, right?”
Captain America. “Oh, absolutely. I’ll suit up and meet you at the rally.”
# # # # #
“Take Back Jersey” it said on the giant banner over the stage for the outside rally. Project leader Chuck was on the stage, microphone in hand, addressing the large crowd of people in attendance. Nearby was a crowd of comparable size protesting the rally, with a line of police officers keeping the two separate.
Captain America saw this as he was running across the rooftops, dressed in full costume. It was disappointing for Captain America that he could clearly see the difference between the two crowds. Though Chuck’s words were amplified enough to be heard, Captain America wasn’t paying attention. Similar speeches had bombarded his ears all his life.
“I think the worst thing is a lot of those protesters would agree with him,” said Kamala Khan. She was struggling to keep up with Captain America, using long strides. “Family. Tradition. I hear a lot of these buzzwords every day, at home. The problem is my family’s the wrong color.”
“HYDRA works by promoting division,” said Captain America. “They highlight problems that keep us from the dream, and tell us who to blame for it. The solution is to talk to one another, to communicate our views and work together to achieve shared goals.”
“Does that include punching?” Kamala asked. “Because right now I really want to punch that Chuck guy in the face.”
“Oh yes,” Captain America responded. “With this sort, there must always be punching.”
With a might leap from the rooftop, Captain America threw his shield at the armed men he’d initially thought were police officers. Hired security weren’t necessarily meant to keep the peace, but to advance their employer’s agenda. And with the employer being HYDRA…
The rifle was struck, the barrel forced down as it fired. Normally there would have been ricochets off the pavement, but Captain America’s had correctly identified the weapon. Explosive rounds fired from an automatic rifle tore into the pavement instead of civilians. Less than a second later the shield was in Captain America’s hands and he was in the midst of HYDRA, fighting for all.
“Yay punching!” Kamala stretched out one fist, punching out three men in a sweeping arc. The other hand had gone massive, grabbing up weapons before they could be used.
The relatively harmless gunfire had broken up the rally in a big way. Screams had erupted from both sides, and people were scrambling to get clear. On the stage, Chuck pinched his nose in frustration.
“Curse you, Captain America. At the least, I can still kill you. And anyone else in HYDRA’s way!”
Chuck tapped his phone. The facade of a Hope Yards model home fell away, revealing a massive HYDRA assault ship. Energy blasts fired from it’s eight “arms”, damaging property but fortunately no bystanders.
At the same time Captain America hurled his shield at Chuck, he opened his mouth to say something. It would have been a command for Kamala, but he quickly saw it wasn’t necessary. The young woman was already rushing at the attack ship with a yell of “Embiggen!”, growing to match it’s size. Two blasts would have missed her, striking civilians, but Kamala Khan moved to take the hits. Though pained, she kept going, colliding with the HYDRA vehicle and slamming it against another Hope Yards building.
In the time it took Kamala to bring the ship down, Captain America had disabled the rest of HYDRA’s forces. Standing over the unconscious Chuck, Captain America grabbed the phone and pressed the deactivation command. Police cars were rapidly approaching.
“That was good work,” Captain America said to Kamala. Immediately, her expression went from haggard to beaming.
There wasn’t much to be done, later. Between Captain America’s statement, and the quick confessions of some cowardly HYDRA agents, the authorities quickly arrested Chuck and his men. At Captain America’s suggestion, Kamala kept out of sight during this, but reappeared the moment Captain America was alone.
“That was so cool,” Kamala exclaimed as she grew to normal size. “I just hid inside Captain America’s shield! Wait’ll I tell…the one person who knows my secret.”
“You should be very proud of yourself.” There was a message on Captain America’s Avengers ID card. He read it, and frowned. “It’s wonderful when new heroes emerge. I’ve lost too many friends of late.”
“Is that…is that what we…we are?” Kamala asked, stammering. “Friends?”
Captain America placed a hand on her shoulder. “Anyone who would risk their life for others, I consider a friend. I need to be going now. A good friend was left waiting while I investigated this, and unfortunately they’ll have to wait a while longer. There’s Avengers business across the river, and I’m sure be proud to know a new hero is wearing her symbol.”
Kamala Khan suddenly blushed. “What? I…I don’t know what you mean…
Captain America smiled. “Oh, I’m sure you do, Ms…”
# # # # #
The costume was torn, her face bloodied, but she was still unmistakably Free Spirit. Though every movement was agony, she crawled across the floor. Just another few seconds, she tried to tell herself. Just a brief moment to catch her breath, and Free Spirit would be back in the fight.
That moment was not to come. The weight came down hard against her back, pinning Free Spirit to the floor. A glove hand reached down to take her by the hair. It yanked back hard, forcing Free Spirit to arch herself in a painful and provocative pose.
“Did you really think this would go any other way?” Every word that came from the lips of Superia dripped with a mixture of contempt and amusement. The large, powerfully built woman bent down to speak into the ear of her failed creation.
“You are not the hero in this scenario, nor even the sidekick. You are the damsel in distress. It is the man who comes to the rescue.” Superia then gave a smile. “But will Captain America arrive to find you in the fridge? That is the question.”
Next Issue: No.