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(General P.O.V)
The Austrian Alps loomed in the distance, their jagged peaks hidden beneath a thick shroud of clouds.
The wind carried the hum of engines and german voices.
Hydra's fortress, carved into the mountain, pulsed with dark blue energy from the Tesseract, guarded by men who believed themselves invincible.
'They are wrong.' Bond thought to himself, crouched beside Captain America on a rocky ridge, adjusting his rifle scope.
Panning out wide his sight landed on the Fortress's loading bay, where several planes sat.
"There you are." Bond grinned, magnifying the scope to get a clear image of Red Skull, giving out instructions as soldiers carried cargo onto the planes.
"Shmidt? You see him?" Cap asked.
"Yup. In the flesh. I could take him out right now." Bond replied, putting pressure on the trigger.
"Not yet." Steve stopped him. "We need eyes on the Tesseract first."
"Technically I outrank you, Steve. Or have we forgotten about that?" Bond questioned and Steve nervously chuckled while saying, "You said I could take point on this sir."
Bond sighed, removing Red Skull from his sights."That I did. And although I'm not a gentleman, it would be uncouth for a senior officer to bully their junior. Alright Captain what's our next step?"
"Thank you sir." Steve breathed out, eyes growing confident. "Next, is covering the men. Take out anyone that get's too close to them."
Below, the Howling Commandos moved silently through the snow, setting explosive charges along Hydra's fuel lines. Bond tracked the Hydra sentries through his scope, noting their predictable patterns.
"Guards are lazy," Bond muttered. "Good. Makes it easier for us."
Steve shifted beside him, shield resting on his knee.
"You always this cheerful before a fight?" he asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Bond smirked. "Only when I know we're going to win."
Peggy's voice crackled through their radios. ("All teams in position. Charges set. Awaiting your signal, Captain.")
Steve exhaled, tightening his grip on his shield. "Alright. Let's bring this place down."
The first explosion shattered the night, flames shooting skyward as Hydra's supply depot erupted. Sirens wailed, searchlights sweeping the snow.
Steve led the charge, shield raised, bullets ricocheting off the vibranium as the Howling Commandos followed, crashing against Hydra's defenses.
Bond was a one man team, moving through underground tunnels, damp and neglected.
His knife silenced the first guard, a suppressed pistol the second. He lost count of how many Nazi's he'd killed by the time he emerged inside the facility.
The walls trembled with gunfire and explosions at the same time as Steve, Bucky and a few soldiers arrived from the opposite side of the facility.
This had been Steve's plan. To cut off escape and box Shmidt inside.
Red Skull and his men immediately saw them, and the facility erupted into a gunfire. Under the cover of his soldiers armed with energy weapons, Skull grabbed the Tesseract, and made his way to the loading bay.
Bond crouched and raised his rifle, finger set on the trigger.
"Got you now bastard." he muttered.
But he never got the shot off.
A shadow dropped from the rafters, landing with cat-like grace between Bond and Red Skull. Clad in sleek black armor and a panther-shaped mask, the figure was a mystery.
The first strike came without warning. One Commando crumpled, weapon clattering to the floor.
Steve charged, shield raised. The Panther met him head-on, claws scraping against vibranium. Steve stumbled back, surprised.
Bond fired. The bullet ricocheted off the Panther's armor.
"Bloody armor," Bond cursed, holstering the rifle for his knife. Whatever the stranger was wearing absorbed kinetic force like Cap's Vibranium suit, making bullets and other piercing attacks useless, but probably not slash or cuts.
Bond leaped over Steve and came down with a slice. The Panther blocked the blade with its claws while kicking out.
Bond used his knee to block the foot without moving an inch, surprising him and the Black Panther but for different reasons.
"You're strong. Almost Super Soldier strong." Bond remarked.
"As are you." The Panther spoke in a deep voice that carried an accent.
'African maybe?' Bond reasoned, the two of them meeting for a second clash.
The fight was brutal.
The Panther moved like smoke, striking with precision. Bond fought with raw power and skill, but the Panther's calculated grace left him scrambling. Not even Steve's shield could pin the guy. And time was running out. If Skull got into an aircraft, the Tesseract would be lost.
"Steve!" Bond shouted, blocking another strike from the Panther. "Take Bucky and go!"
"Good luck Sarge."
Steve hesitated, then he and Bucky sprinted after Red Skull, leaving Bond to face the Panther alone.
Steve pursued the head of Hydra through the chaos, dodging gunfire and explosions.
He and Bucky reached the hangar just as Red Skull boarded the Valkyrie, a massive, Tesseract-powered aircraft. They quickly hid as Skull's guards opened fire at them.
Bucky grabbed a Hydra rifle from a nearby crate and returned fire.
"Cap, I'll cover you, go get the Tesseract!"
"Thanks Bucky! Don't die!"
Steve leapt onto the plane as it took off through the loading bay. He was determined to stop Shmidt no matter the cost.
Inside the Valkyrie, Steve confronted the red faced man.
The two clashed in a fight for survival, their strength evenly matched.
Red Skull wielded the Tesseract, its blue energy crackling dangerously. But when he attempted to harness its power directly, the Tesseract proved too much for him to control.
With a bright blue flash, Red Skull was disintegrated, his scream of surprise and pain cut off midway, with the Tesseract innocently falling onto Steve's lap.
With Red Skull gone, Steve realized the Valkyrie was still on course to New York, with explosives set to destroy the city he called home.
He contacted Peggy over the radio, his voice steady but filled with regret.
"Peggy, I'm going to have to put her in the water," Steve said.
Peggy's voice trembled. "Steve, wait. We can find another way."
"There's no time," Steve replied. "This is the only way."
Steve steered the Valkyrie into a steep dive, aiming for the Arctic. The plane crashed into the ice, and Steve was presumed dead.
(2 days later)
-SSR BASE-
The war room was thick with tension as the remaining agents processed the news of Captain America's disappearance.
Bond dragged a restrained maskless Panther into the room, shoving him into a chair.
Colonel Phillips raised an eyebrow at the dark skinned man staring at him with ferocious eyes. "Who the hell is this?"
"The reason Rogers didn't make it. He's only alive right now to prevent an international crisis. But give me the order and I'll correct that mistake Colonel." Bond said coldly, his voice dripping with venom.
The Panther straightened, his movements slow and pained. "I am Sw'Thandi of Wakanda."
The room fell silent.
"Wakanda's real?" Bucky muttered, his voice hollow with disbelief.
Bond's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. "Oh, it's real," he snarled, stepping closer to Sw'Thandi. "And because of you, Steve's dead."
Sw'Thandi's gaze was steady, but Bond saw the flicker of guilt in his eyes. "I did not intend for this outcome," Sw'Thandi said, his voice calm but strained. "The Tesseract is too dangerous to be left in the hands of any nation—yours or Hydra's."
"What did you say?"
Bucky, who had been silently grieving at the corner seethed. His rage boiled over and he lunged at Sw'Thandi, grabbing him by the collar of his armor and slamming him against the wall.
"You think your ideals justify this?" Bucky yelled, his voice cracking with grief and fury. "If you hadn't interfered, Bond would've blown off Shmidt's head and Steve would be here!"
Sw'Thandi didn't resist, his body limp as Bucky shook him.
"Your anger is justified," Sw'Thandi said quietly. "But my duty as the Black Panther is to protect the world from the Tesseract's power. I could not risk it falling into the wrong hands."
Bucky's fist drew back, ready to strike. His breathing was ragged, his vision blurred with tears of rage and sorrow. "Who gave you the right to play protector?" he hissed.
Peggy stepped forward, her voice sharp and commanding. "Bucky, stop!"
Bond sighed and grabbed Bucky's trembling hand. "That's enough Soldier. Stand down. For now."
"I can't, Sarge. This fucker cost us everything!!" Bucky ground out.
"Buck...listen." Hearing Peggy call him by the nickname only Steve used was jarring. He looked at her, eyes filled with pain but also resolve.
"Steve's gone," she said softly. "And killing this man won't bring him back."
Bucky's arm dropped to his side, and he released Sw'Thandi, who slumped back into the chair.
Bucky then turned away, his shoulders shaking as he fought to contain his emotions.
"He was my best friend. My brother." he whispered, his voice breaking. "And now he's gone because of this damn war."
They watched him stagger out, leaving silence in the room, the weight of Steve's sacrifice hanging heavy in the air.
Bond stood by the window, staring out at the icy mountains with his jaw clenched. Peggy approached, her presence a calming force.
"You can't blame yourself. Steve made his choice." she gently said.
Bond's jaw tightened. "You're wrong, it was his operation but I acted like I was in charge. I made the choice to let him handle Skull." he replied, voice bitter.
He'd thought Steve was ready. He'd thought there was no way Erskine's hope would lose against evil. It won, but the cost was too much.
She reached for his hand. "Then make the next one count."
Peggy left him standing there, his thoughts in disarray. Even after making a promise to himself to never lose anyone again, he'd broken it.
In the past he would have let the guilt pull him to the bottom of despair, or quelled it with a vengeful spree of Nazi murders. But now...feeling the weight of Erskine's journal in his pocket...his resolve hardened.
Bond turned from the window. "This isn't over," he muttered. "Not for Steve. Not for me. And definitely not for Hydra."
'James, continue the work.'
Bond's grip tightened. I will, he thought fiercely. No matter the cost.