Marvelous Pals #46

As I stepped onto the private island, the familiar sights and sounds did little to calm my frustration. The encounter with Kraven still fresh in my mind, I made my way towards the main compound.

My clothes were torn, and I could feel the dried blood and sweat caking my sleeves. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

Dugan was leaning against a tree near the entrance, casually smoking a cigarette. He looked up as I approached, a smirk spreading across his face. "Holy hell, you look like you fell into the lion cage at the zoo or something."

"Very funny you should say that..." I snapped. "Because someone from SHIELD tipped off Kraven the Hunter about me and he ambushed me with a fucking lion!"

"Kraven the what, now?" Dugan's smirk faded, replaced by a look of genuine confusion. "I don't know who or what you're talking about, that's not possible. No one from SHIELD would—"

"Don't fuck with me, Dugan!" I interrupted, my voice rising. "Who else could have known about my whereabouts? Someone from SHIELD must have given him my location. I need an explanation, Dugan, and I need it now."

He straightened, tossing the cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his boot. "Look, mate, I don't know what you're talking about. There's no way anyone from SHIELD would do that. We've got protocols, and we don’t just hand out intel like candy."

"Protocols?" I scoffed. "You think I give a fuck about protocols? Kraven rigged my car! It blew up in my damned face! Someone set him on me, and I need to know who!"

"Calm down," he said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Let's think this through. Maybe it was HYDRA, or someone else entirely. You can't just jump to conclusions without proof."

"I don't need proof," I snarled, my temples throbbing. "I have instincts, and my instincts tell me that this came from inside SHIELD.... whether it was one of your own or HYDRA, it doesn't matter. If this relationship is going to work, you need to give me a proper explanation."

Dugan's eyes narrowed, his own frustration bubbling to the surface. "And I’m telling you, you're barking up the wrong tree. We’re on the same side, remember? You can't go around accusing us without evidence."

The pain in my head intensified, and I pressed a hand to my temple, wincing. "This headache... it's getting worse. I can't deal with this right now."

"Where are you going?" Dugan asked as I turned and made my way to the Palbox.

"I need to see a doctor," I said, my voice strained as I held my head. "I need to figure out what's wrong with me before I end up dead... by the time I'm back you better have a name or a head waiting for me, or I'll go looking for one myself!"

Taking one last look at Dugan, I continued. "Believe me when I say, that won't end well for any of us..." With that, I activated the Palbox, its familiar hum filling the air as it prepared to teleport me back to New York.

Dugan watched, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. As the world around me began to blur, I couldn’t help but wonder who had set Kraven on my trail.

One thing was certain: I wouldn’t rest until I found out.

...

Walking out of the hospital, I winced at the bottle of painkiller pills in my hand, my frustration boiling over. With a sharp flick of my wrist, I tossed it into the first garbage bin I saw.

"Throwing away a doctor's prescription, eh?" Vito materialized beside me, chuckling with amusement. "If you can't punch the doctor, then his prescription is the next best thing..."

I shook my head, irritation seeping into my voice. "The guy's an idiot. I wasted my time coming here."

Vito disappeared and then reappeared, now walking alongside me. "Yeah, what a fucking idiot for not having telepathic powers and figuring out you have two people in your head..." His sarcasm dripped heavily.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "At least now I know there isn't anything physically wrong with me." Shooting him a glare while holding my head in pain, I continued. "Looks like this is your fault. Again."

Vito shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, go ahead and blame all your life's problems on me, why don't you. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I glared at him, the throbbing in my head intensifying. "You make it easy to blame everything on you, Vito. That's just how big of an asshole you are."

Vito laughed, a carefree sound that grated on my nerves. "Aww, shucks. You're gonna make me blush."

I said nothing, just shook my head and kept walking. The city around me blurred slightly as I tried to focus through the pain.

"So... Where to next?" Vito raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by my next move.

I clenched my jaw, trying and failing to shake away the pain in my head. "If doctors can't figure out what's wrong with me, I'll just have to go and see a professor about it..."

In a secret facility in New York, Steve Rogers stood inside a dimly lit room, his gaze fixed on a cryopod that held Bucky Barnes' body. The cold, translucent surface of the pod shimmered slightly under the sparse lighting, casting an eerie glow over Bucky’s still form.

Steve's thoughts raced, a whirlwind of memories and emotions. Just as Vito had told them, they had found Bucky within a Hydra base in Siberia. Teaming up with Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff, they had fought their way through to free him, leading to this moment.

The door behind him slid open with a soft hiss, and Nick Fury walked in, his presence commanding even in the low light. Before Fury could say a word, Steve spoke up, his voice resolute.

"We need to unfreeze Bucky."

Fury shook his head firmly, his expression unreadable. "If Bucky Barnes is as brainwashed as the asset implied, unfreezing him could be disastrous."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "The asset has a name, you know?"

Fury scoffed, crossing his arms. "Until he proves he’s trustworthy, he’s nothing more than a nameless asset—a potential threat even."

Steve shook his head in disapproval, not bothering to argue further. His mind was already working on the next step. "Where is he anyway? Vito?" he asked, a hint of urgency in his voice. "He might know a way to free Bucky from the brainwashing."

Fury’s expression hardened. "He might, but the asset isn’t exactly in a cooperative mood right now. He believes someone from SHIELD sold him out."

Steve frowned, his brow furrowing with concern. "What are the chances of that being true?"

Fury's expression darkened, a rare hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "Higher than I'd like to admit," he replied. He pointed at the cryopod containing Bucky Barnes.

"Although every intelligence agency out there refused to believe in the existence of the Winter Soldier, they still had a profile for him. Bucky Barnes fits the description perfectly—the build, the height, everything matches."

Steve's frown deepened. "Do you believe his theory about HYDRA's survival?"

Fury sighed, crossing his arms. "A part of me wants to believe that the Soviets alone were responsible for the Winter Soldier and the chaos he caused, but in this business, there's no room for optimism. Until we know for sure, there's no use making wild guesses."

Steve nodded, frustration clear in his voice. "This just brings us back to square one. I need to talk with Vito Moretti."

"That's not possible right now," Fury said, shaking his head. "The asset left the private island and went to visit a hospital."

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. "Is he sick or something?"

Fury took out his phone, scrolling through some information. "Not according to his doctor. The doctor prescribed him a bottle of painkillers that the asset proceeded to throw into the trash."

Steve gave him a blank look, filled with confusion. Fury shrugged. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

Steve sighed in exasperation. "Do you know where Vito is right now?"

Fury was about to shake his head and explain that Vito had been on the move for a couple of hours when a beeping noise came from his phone. He glanced down, eyes widening slightly.

"The asset might be in a more cooperative mood than I imagined. He's paying a visit to someone who might be the only one capable of helping Barnes."