#I like Steve thinking about ‘There must be more to life than endless combat!

[daydreamerdrew]

Tales of Suspense (1959) #75

[beautiful-eulogy]

So I realized that not everyone wants to click a link for A03 or another site to read a fic, and sometimes its much easier to read things when they are in a post! So I will post the chapters for my fics in separate posts as well! I will tag all chapters to their appropriate fics to keep them organized in their own tags so they are easier to find. I will also post appropriate trigger warnings and other related things in tags! Thank you all for your comments, feedback, and likes as they help me and warm my heart! So enough of my rambling...here is the first chapter of my first fic PETALS FOR ARMOR! I hope you enjoy and let me know if you do!!!

One: Ready or Not

Avengers Compound 11 PM

Natasha settles back into her chair slowly, inhaling deeply the aroma coming from the steaming cup of tea in her hands. She’s hoping the strength and warmth of the tea eases the dull throbbing pain now residing underneath her right temple, or at the very least that it will distract her from it. She forgot how much sparring with Clint could hurt when she let the rare accidental misstep happen in the ring.

The blow to her head that was already in the early stages of bruising, hurt less than the blow to her pride. If there was one person she relished the opportunity to spar with it was Clint, because while his senses are the sharpest of any man she knew, they have never been as keen as her own. Not when it comes to close combat anyway. He always gives her one hell of a fight, but is never quite capable of physically outmaneuvering her...well almost never. On the rare, one in a thousand sparring matches where she miscalculates ever so slightly, Clint with his ever vigilant keen eyesight, will seize the final blow—and Natasha suffers the consequences until the next spar. Not physical consequences, as she has always healed quickly due to her enhanced nature, but the fact that she must endure endless teasing from her best friend about how the famous Black Widow was bested by someone who, while feared for his long range attacks, is a few ticks below her when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.

Clint knows that he is the only person in the world who can get away with teasing her about a loss without suffering her wrath fully, because he knows that she knows that his opinion of her is not truly altered. Natasha knows deep down that none of her teammates would think any less of her ever for a loss, and even deeper down she secretly loves the teasing and joking from the team because it makes them feel more and more like her family. But she can’t let that enjoyment be known otherwise the boys would dial down out of shock and switch to new tactics to annoy her. So Natasha maintains her carefully curated annoyance, which she currently is building up to counter Clint in the morning at breakfast.

Tomorrow she’ll be ready for round two, and her chance to reclaim her title as the resident reigning champion of sparring. But for now she sips her tea, thinking about her best friend, and the look on his face tomorrow when she knocks him on his ass in front of every Avenger in the compound. Every bruise will be worth that moment. She smiles as she finishes off the cup, and rises to shower before turning in. She has a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a good day.

* * *

6 AM

Natasha awakes the next morning as she always does, relishing in a nice stretch after her eyes creak open at six on the dot. She has always prided herself in the accuracy and efficiency of her internal clock. It’s developed over a lifetime of rigorous training and time sensitive missions, and it never fails to wake her early. Even on her days off. A blessing and a curse because she never gets a day to sleep in even if she’s up late, but she also gets the facility to herself for a few hours before everyone else begrudgingly wakes and stumbles to the kitchen for breakfast. This precious alone time gives her the breathing room she needs to eat, do her morning workout, and shower in peace before any of the compounds other inhabitants are up. It allows her the freedom to just be Natasha and not Black Widow for a few hours.

With her mind on the ticking minutes of her coveted time alone, she rises and makes her way down to the kitchen in the first floor living area to enjoy eating her breakfast of mixed fruit, yogurt, cinnamon oatmeal, summer sausage, eggs, and black coffee in her pajamas. Once the team is awake, the boys usually deplete the kitchen supplies and hog the meat, so she enjoys the opportunity to eat her fill and energize herself for the day ahead while surrounded by peace and quiet. After cleaning her plate and putting the dishes and utensils back in their proper places, she makes her way back up to the second floor and into her room to change for her morning workout.

Donning her favorite tank top and leggings, Natasha moves to the fully outfitted gym that Tony so graciously built to be the entire left wing of their new headquarters. The first floor branching off of the kitchen housed their sparring ring, weights, boxing equipment, and anything else required for hand-to-hand combat training. The second floor, just off the hallways containing their bedrooms, is a fully padded mile running track that encircled and looked down on the floor below and could be converted into an obstacle course when needed. The third floor, located off of the labs, offices, and conference rooms, is an area designed for aerial combat and flight training. The roof here is domed to allow for flight pattern, aircraft simulations, and also maintains a visual on the floors below. Tony says the open floor plan is because he enjoys a nice scenic balcony and likes being able to see floor training, jogging, and flight practice all at the same time, but they all know it’s because he doesn’t want to constantly rebuild the floor every time the Hulk decides to smash in a fight.

Natasha’s destination is the second floor, in order to get a run in before doing some floor training. She loves beginning her morning with a ten-mile run to get her blood pumping and her mind and body focused. So she slips her earbuds in and takes off, easing up to her top speed within a few minutes and eventually cruising up past that speed to push herself and see if she can beat her own time. By the time she’s slowed to a halt after her final lap, she is drenched in sweat and can feel the beating of her pulse in her ears. She checks her watch—thirty seconds faster than yesterday. She smirks, guzzles some water from her bottle, and heads down to the ring to go a few rounds with the weighted dummies that Stark designed for her martial training.

After another forty-five minutes of punches, kicks, flips, and body slams, Natasha finally feels fully awake and can feel her senses sending signals through her body to keep her prepped for action and alert to changes around her. The Black Widow is awake and ready to face the day and any surprises it may bring. She glances at her watch and knows she has just enough time to shower and get back to the main room before the boys arrive to hungrily devour a morning meal. With a smile on her face and a lightness to her step, Natasha bounds to her room to clean up and spend the day with her family.

9 AM

Natasha makes it back downstairs to the common areas by nine o’ clock as one by one, her housemates trickle in to begin eating. Steve, Bucky, Rhodey, and Sam arrive first, drenched in sweat from their morning jog, and laughing as they swap stories about military life and “the good ole days”. They are followed by the Vision, Wanda, Bruce, and a still groggy Tony straggling behind, mumbling something about sleeping longer on his day off. Clint and Thor bring up the rear as they are the notorious late risers when the team is in downtime. Most of them are either in their civilian clothes (or pajamas, if you’re Tony). By nine-thirty, everyone has acquired their favorite foods and has settled at the massive dining table, joking and talking about plans for their off day. By ten o’ clock, Thor and Clint are locked in a cage match to see who can fit the most bacon in his mouth at once. By ten-thirty, everyone is laughing as Clint slumps over, looking on the verge of vomiting while Thor downs what must have been his hundredth piece of the morning with a victorious grin. Natasha rises from her place at the table and walks over to Clint’s regretful form and gives him a pat on the back.

“Clint, why do you always do this to yourself? You know that Thor has enough room in his stomach for the entire pig.”

He glances up about to respond, and for a moment it looks as if vomit may spew instead of words. “You know I can never turn away from a challenge”—he pauses to compose himself against the rising bile he’s visibly fighting—“but there’s always a chance he’s having an off day.” His eyes suddenly flash with mischief. “You know, like you were having last night?” At this quip, Natasha can see his shit-eating grin, and she knows he’s trying to rile her up to distract himself from his nausea. She maintains her composure and responds by simply digging her hand a little deeper into his shoulder, right near the pressure point between the shoulder blade and the neck.

“You may want to tread carefully, Barton. I’d hate to hurt you too much before tonight.” At her remark, the conversation at the table dies down as all their friends focus on their bickering with looks of amusement.

His smile shrinks to a smirk as he tries to play dumb. “Tonight? I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t have anything on the schedule for tonight.”

She digs a little deeper, not enough to seriously hurt him, but enough to give her partner the thrill of terror at her public challenge. “There’s nothing on the schedule because I’m adding it now. You. Me. Rematch. Tonight.”

He winces just slightly, and he feigns mulling over her offer just to annoy her—before returning to his casual smolder. “Alright, fine. If that’ll ease the infamous Black Widow’s pride at getting her ass handed to her, then sure. I can take another dance or two in the ring.” He extends his hand to her, waggling his eyebrows. “It’s a date. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

Natasha releases her grip while rolling her eyes, and reaches out her hand to shake his. Clasping his hand and forearm, she smirks and uses her weight to wrench him away from the table, arcing him over her head in a body slam. Letting go at the exclamations of “ooooh” from the table and the sound of Clint slapping the marble flooring, she rises. Natasha pretends to dust off, and as she begins to walk away, she retorts: “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty, dear, so practice your tango. I like my dancing fast and—”

Her snarky reply is interrupted by Maria Hill, exiting the elevator to the second floor and walking toward them. “Whatever date you’re planning, Romanoff, cancel it. Fury wants to speak with you in his office about...” She pauses. “An assignment.”

Maria looks no different than usual, but there is a subtle undercurrent in her voice that causes Natasha to hold back whatever retort she had been about to make about Fury always interrupting her plans. She notices all of this in only a moment, and she steels herself to respond with an assured tone. “Tell him I’ll be there in ten. Thanks Hill.”

Maria gives her a curt nod and a small smile that doesn’t quite touch her eyes, before turning around and heading back to the elevator. Natasha turns her attention back to the group, noticing Clint has scraped himself off the floor and is leaning casually against the kitchen counter several feet away. His eyes, as well as most of the others, bear into hers for a moment after Maria’s mandate. She smirks, trying to ease the sudden tension at the idea that something could be serious enough to call her in on their one day off. “Guess our rematch will have to wait.”

He stares a moment more before giving a patronizing chuckle. “That’s just as well, Nat. I didn’t want to kick your ass two days in a row.” He smirks. “That hardly seems fair.”

“Watch it, Barton. When I get back, you’ll regret those words.” He raises his eyebrows at her, and they both smile.

“You better get up there before the boss man gets antsy. We’ll save you a spot in the rink.”

She gives him a genuinely warm smile. “Thanks Clint.” She turns and walks to the elevator, hitting the button. She calls over her shoulder while she waits: “You all try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone. I’d hate to come back to a mess!” She hears a chorus of scoffing and laughter as the elevator opens with a ding. Natasha enters and selects the third floor button. As soon as the doors close, she steels herself for what lies ahead. For Fury to only ask for her, and to see Hill so shaken—whatever this is, it’s serious, and that scares Natasha more than she would care to admit.

* * *

As soon as the elevator dings open to the third floor, Natasha is greeted by the surprised looks of several agents waiting outside the door. Agents usually give her a wide berth when it comes to work because they know she likes her space and isn’t one for small talk, so with a curt nod she easily steps through them and hangs a left toward Fury’s resident office space.

Neither he nor Hill live in the Compound, but they had both requested office space and rooms for the occasions when they find themselves needing to spend time there. Natasha spends the most time in Fury’s office because she’s the only one who technically still goes on assignments for him, so she doesn’t even need to think about where she’s going. She takes a right, walks to the end of the hall before going left, and walks all the way to the end of this corridor. Fury’s office is the last door on the left. He had requested a room with a view, so Stark put him overlooking the east field.

The office is significantly smaller than his S.H.I.E.L.D. office was, but it is just as clean and bare. No art, no office supplies, no filing cabinets. Just his desk, his black leather chair, and a computer. Fury stands at the window looking out when she reaches the open door. She knows that he knows she’s there, but she doesn’t enter. She just watches and waits for him to speak. He doesn’t turn or move, but after several moments of the silence between them, she hears his calm, collected voice.

“Come in, and close the door behind you, Natasha.” She hesitates only a fraction of a moment, contemplating the need for secrecy, but then she steps through the threshold and quietly closes the door behind her. She turns and waits but remains silent, choosing instead to watch him. His posture is relaxed and his breathing is even. Coupled with the calmness of his tone, anyone would say there was nothing wrong, but Natasha knew better than that. His hands are clasped behind his back, and his grip is ever-so-slightly too tight. That’s his tell. Something has Nick Fury concerned, and that in turn makes her very concerned.

He finally turns to look at her, his good eye appearing casual but reflecting a deep intensity only perceptible to someone with her training. He gestures toward the second chair in front of his desk as he moves to take his own seat. “Please sit, Agent Romanoff.”

She doesn’t move, but crosses her arms while looking directly at him, “The last time you were this bad at faking pleasantries, you got blown up in Rogers’ apartment. Cut the bullshit and tell me why I’m here on my day off, Nick.”

He smiles in his knowing way. “I have no idea what you’re referring to, Natasha. I’m always pleasant. Now please, have a seat. With what I’ve brought, you’re gonna wanna have a chair.”

She sighs with an eye roll but complies, settling into the cool leather of the chair. Fury takes this as his cue to proceed.

“We’ve had a breakthrough in an old case file I thought you’d want to know about. Officially, this record was destroyed, but I managed to make a copy before S.H.I.E.L.D. went underground.” He pulls an old, weathered file from his coat and slides it across the desk toward her. “You may remember this particular case because—well, you opened it.”

Natasha barely registers his words because she’s gone stiff looking at the number printed on the front of the file. Of course she remembered opening this investigation. There was a time where this case was her life’s work. She was sure she’d never see it again after all of her leads went cold eight years ago, and she’s not sure whether to be thrilled or terrified at Fury’s news that the trail has suddenly become warm. She had put her burning desire for vengeance to rest, and while finally receiving a potential line to retribution for all of her suffering sounded like her opportunity to earn her peace at long last, she is weary to open this door again. To allow the emotions she has worked so hard to bury deep to unleash their full power on her, to tantalize her with the chance to finally close this haunting chapter and cleanse her ledger of its red at the source. All of this thought over a plain manila folder, but to her, it is the most weighted in the world. Case RR-3016, the formal investigation she launched upon joining S.H.I.E.L.D.—to hunt down and destroy the Red Room.

* * *

[pseudonymfox]

Abort Mission (13)

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You and your boyfriend have powers, now he is dead and you are expecting a baby. Hydra is interested in the child so they send the  Winter Soldier. What happens if Bucky unexpectedly falls for you…

This Part: Civil War is over and you live your life alone for now...

Warnings: angst, grief, emotional, maybe slight fluff but you won’t notice

A/N:Wow it’s been a while. hello and sorry...btw I saw endgame just like a few hours ago so sorry if that sucks. Haven’t written in a while and I am sad af right now

It didn’t took Steven long before he found you, his face showing somehow hints of guilt and grief, his jaw clenched as he looked around instead of looking straight at you. Exactly like you feared it to be, him trying to find the right words to describe what happened, what Bucky’s decision was.

“We have to talk” he just told you and sat down with you in one of the seats as the jet flew with auto-pilot towards Wakanda.

You felt like the world is about to collapse around you, in complete silence while you waited for these words to come out of his mouth, it felt like hours in these seconds neither of you didn’t speak. The world seemed grey and cold, time is going slower and slower. Steve himself looked tired and kinda rough. But he tried his best explaining to you that Bucky found it a better idea to just go back under without a single word, a goodbye, maybe even a talk. You had nothing from him, just that. The last time you spoke was the phone call. What he told Steve about Archer and you being better off without you, that he felt like this was the best case scenario at least for now, you would understand; Steven repeated his exact words for you. It felt like being left alone, like a break up through text or worse, through the best friend.

A promise seemed worthless in this time.

Speechless with a single tear rolling down your cheek, desperately trying to keep yourself together especially in front of all these soldiers, the king of Wakanda and his family that let you stay as long as you wanted, explaining once again Bucky’s choice and condition. How long it would actually take couldn’t be answered. Steve also was talking about what actually happened in Russia, with Tony’s Parents, the Avengers, his arm and some other stuff. You couldn’t listen much now, everyone talking about other stuff, telling you they are sorry. You just had to see it yourself.

As they lead you through these glorious hallways of this magical place decorated like you would the future imagine to be, just to be cut off here from the rest of the world for decades already. Truly peaceful.

And then there he was, the sleeping beauty you thought the second you saw him laying in there. It remembered you of some mornings you would wake up before him. It was rare but if you had a good night, without nightmares or after a dark day with the sun shining through the windows right to your bed making him glow. It wouldn’t last long this special moment because Bucky always had a sense for it if you would stare at him even in his sleep.

“(Y/N).” you heard Steve mumble out. The room now empty, just the four of you if you even could count Bucky.

“It’s like waiting for him to wake up” you replied, not sure if he understood what you told yourself. Fixed on him you couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

“You want to have a second alone with him?” he carefully asked, sighing and silently laying his hand on your shoulder making you tense before stepping away a few steps not daring to look back at Bucky. Suddenly feeling weird to look at him, he won’t wake up, that was his decision.

“No. Can you show me where I can stay?” you walked away waiting at the door where he followed shortly and directed you a bit outside the big tower into a another one, not far away, where you they let you stay in a apartment. Much different to anything you had before, bigger and more glamorous than you felt actually comfortable with. Steve left after trying to attempt another conversation with you but in the end gave you the time you needed. Archer had his own room, a lot of toys, a paradies for a kid.

You had for yourself a big bedroom with a large bed in the middle of the room pointed to a balcony with open doors as the sun slowly set. A breathtaking sight that let your skin warm up in the last the rays of sunshine before you tried to sleep but everytime you would turn over you saw the empty side of the bed. No snoring, no one there to calm you after a nightmare, no one you could take in your arms or would hear grumble some words in different languages. It was annoying you already so you threw away the covers and went to Archers room and picked him up taking him with you back to your room and laying down besides you. He didn’t even mind and slept through all that. For not knowing how long you just laid there with him admiring his features that looked more and more like Luke until your body seemed to shut down and letting you fall asleep.

Weeks and weeks followed by not knowing what to do. Steve and others visited you trying to come close, you saw almost every corner of Wakanda in your endless free time but still every day you visited Bucky just sitting there and looking. Archer stayed with you actually even tho you started to think that it might be not a good idea to let him see Bucky this way. So the visits got less from every day to a few times a week to once a month. Archer asking a lot for him, the more he learned to speak to do things he hasn’t done before. Things you liked to share with Bucky because you loved how happy he would get after Archer would learn something new or how his eyes would sparkle with joy if he would get to see new stuff, animals for example.

While your free time you decided to start with some training again, it just couldn’t continue like this being helpless the second you were alone, Steven was so nice to introduce you to fellow teammates. Wanda one of them was helping a lot, she didn’t have the same abilities as you did, she is actually much stronger than everyone you could think of but she tried to help you with your hand motions and tricks she did to learn so you could control it much better. Natasha showed you a bit hand-to-hand combat and how to use a weapon.

Christmas was here and you invited Steve over thinking that it might be also not easy for him and he sometimes seemed lonely. To pinpoint it out what was actually up with him was almost impossible but there was for sure something bothering him or maybe he didn’t told you something. Gifts were exchanged, a dinner was held and Steve ended up sleeping in the guest bedroom. New Years, Birthdays and all that just flew away. Time meant nothing anymore.

You hadn’t seen Bucky for a few months now but about a few weeks ago Steve let you know that they actually made a step forward and it might be a breakthrough, Shuri, the smart teenage girl who also is the princess of Wakanda gave you also daily news. All she was talking about was almost not understandable to you but what was coming out that he is supposed to wake up soon, like really soon but you only replied with a forced smile and a ‘Ok’. It was as clear as the day that everyone was worried and also curious about you, opening up to people was still a big problem to you.

“You want to be there when he wakes up?” Natasha asked after the last session as you changed into different clothes.

“I don’t think so” you continued to pack you back. Steve was asking that for a week straight now and everytime you would say the same four words. If you would be there what were you supposed to do. Greet him like he didn’t just left you for a whole year that could have turned into forever if Shuri wouldn’t be able to help him as he requested.

“I know how you must feel, being just left alone but maybe you should see over this. The way Steve is talking about Barnes, it seems like he needs you know more than ever” she explained and watched you putting your stuff almost angrily in your bag just shoving it inside.

“Really? What else did he told you cause from my sight. I was trying for a long time to help him and I really thought it did help and then suddenly I wasn’t good enough and he really thought that he was still danger for us- Maybe I needed him also!?” you shut your locker with a loud thud, voice cracking from every emotion you just kept deep inside you over the year.

“-I don’t know if I should go or if it’s a bad idea if I do. I don’t even know what I am doing still here waiting, it just doesn’t feel right Nat” you steadied your temper a bit and picked up your stuff, ready to leave and go home. She didn’t said anything else afterwards and you should probably apologize later or even tomorrow, it already got late.

“Hello you two. Did you have lots of fun today?” you grinned widely as you stepped into the living room, Steve painting something with Archer as they silently giggled along each other.

“Mommy!!” he run towards you and you picked him up, hugging him and showering him with kissed which made him erupted in even more giggles.

“Thanks for taking care of him again” you let him back down and followed him, sitting back down on the carpet as he showed you his pictures.

“I told you don’t have to thank me everytime, I like the time with him. He’s a really smart and  kind boy.” he ruffled his hair and stood back up.

“I’ll be right back baby” you kissed Archer’s forehead and lead him to the door to say goodbye.

“You coming tomorrow?” he tried once again, tomorrow is the big day. How could you forget, not like that wasn’t letting you sleep for a week now.

“Steve..”you started but he held his hands up.

“I know, I know...Just sleep over it another time” he said and you nodded, hugging him another time before closing the door after he left you alone again with your thoughts.

The next day around noon you decided to visit Bucky. It was time you decided. Shuri encountered you on the way to him.

“Hey (Y/N)..Uhm you are a bit early. He hasn’t woke up yet” she checked another time on her phone his vitals but not like you didn’t knew that.

“I know. Won’t take long” you assured her and went around her into the room. He looked almost like always, laying there still sleeping just this time in a bed. Walking to one of the sides of his bed or well maybe more like table, you looked at him. Peaceful, chest moving with every breath he took. It felt surreal now but you slowly reached for his hand to hold it. It was unexpectedly warm. Naturally you also reached for his face just to run your fingers down his hair to his jaw. For a couple of more moments you waited and as he started to move slightly you backed away and back out of the room.

Bucky was actually almost awake as you came into the room. Still stuck between being unconsciousness and awake he knew someone came thru the door, by the time you held his hands, it was clear who it is. He was sure it was you and wanted to wake up but felt also scared that you would punch right back into a coma or something like this. Bucky wondered how long it has been while being in cryo again, scared that it was way longer and that he might be regretting the whole thing afterwards. The sensation of your fingertips over his face tingled, made him feel safe and comfortable. Bucky already started to think that he dreamed a good dream for once, that nothing was different or changed, that he was still frozen but it was too real for him, no words were spoken, it worried him. He is ready to open his eyes but then your hand disappeared again, footsteps slowly backing away until it was silent again. Just several hours later he actually woke up, with Steve in the room reading something in the seat besides him. You were nowhere in sight.

"Good Morning Sergeant Barnes" Shuris voice called out from the other side which made Steve stand up from his spot and stand by his side.

"How long was I out?" He asked, his voice a bit unsure as he sat up straight.

"Almost a year. Your vitals are normal and it should be all back in place, now obviously we have to run a few tests to try it out before I can really say that I've done my job if you don't mind" she said and proceed with the tests. Was almost like a normal check up and once the tests were done and he got the certainty about it, he got a new more basic outfit for outside but stayed for a while with Steve to get it just over it before it would plague his mind any longer and he had clearly enough of that now.

"How are they?" Bucky asked.

"They are fine. I tried to get them here but (Y/N),she..well they" he stuttered with a loss of words.

"She can have an attitude right? And she is not happy. Are they still here?" He finished Steve's sentence himself knowing well how you must be. Your attitude sometimes was one of a lot characteristics he loved..most of the time.

"Actually I don't know how they are. They are here but well she shut herself a bit off from everyone, started training but Archer is great, has been asking for you." Steve sighed out deeply and nodded towards the exit to follow him.

"Training, why? For what?" He furrowed his brows as he asked like he was expecting that there is going to be another war or something of like that. Concerned for what it could be if started to suddenly train.

"Nothing. Nat and Wanda has been helping her but couldn't say much more about it" Steve remarked and stopped outside by a bench to sit down.

"What do want to do now?" He asked as Bucky stayed silent.

"I guess try to talk to her" he shrugged and had to grin, not knowing where to even start.

"Sergeant Barnes. I was informed you are awake." T'Challa came walking up to them with two dora milaje by his side.

"Just Bucky. Thank you for letting me stay here and my family too"he meaningly and truthfully said, the hospitality was more than he could thank him for.

"You are welcome as long as you wish for." He nodded a quick goodbye to the both of them and walked away again.

"Wanna go to them now?" Steve changed back to their previous subject.

"Why not..I guess" he responded with content smile even he was certain that you had to talk about a lot of things but this felt like the kinda homecoming he wished he had after the war. Like the soldats coming to their waiting wives and kids, having a family had its perks but he wouldn't let go of that, whatever it takes.

Not far away from their spot Steve showed him their apartment, guessing that you would be home by now from your daily walk through the citys. Now leaving him alone, not wanting to be there just because it wasn't simply right if he would stay. With no further hesitation or other disturbing thoughts he knocked on the door a couple of times. With no big anticipation he stood there waiting until the door finally opened, wide enough to let him see you. You clung to the door not saying anything or showing any kind of emotion waiting for him to say something.

You thought about what to say the whole day and even the last whole week since Shuri meant it would be finally the time.

“I know what I did but it was the only solution for me” he straight up brought out, at least he didn’t hesitate you thought and nodded at him with a serious expression, walking back into the apartment so he could follow you inside. First things he saw as he looked around was that it looked like home, things he only remembered to have in your small Bucharest flat. Pictures actually hung up, a few toys scattered around, everything just had a personal touch.   

“Where you in a rush? Was it like one of these now or never situations or more like well either that or I never get the chance again cause I know (Y/N) is gonna say no once she gets here” you mimicked his voice and called him out but you waited a year for that.

“-cause I get it then. Really James that was the right decision. I didn’t know I was that annoying that someone has to freeze himself in order to not see me again. Just tell me the next time please. That would help both of us!” you shouted but not as loud as you wanted to, Archer could sleep through a storm but not with someone fighting in the next room.

“It wasn’t like that and you know that.” he calmly told you, which made it even harder to be not mad at him.

“Tell me how it was cause I wasn’t here as you made this decision and it make me think that we don’t mean something to you and if-”you gulped down harshly before rethinking your choices of words.

“If that is the case then I’ll be gone tomorrow and you don’t have to see either of-” With watering eyes you felt your body began to shake, feeling the beginning of a panic attack rising letting you stumble over your words and thinking out loud, that happened a few times before.

“Woah. I never said that and I won’t. (Y/N) I love you...both! I couldn’t live without you and I don’t want to” he stepped forward stopping you mid-sentence trying to close the distance and finally take you in his arms again but you stepped back and crossed your arms in front of your chest, hugging yourself tightly.

“Don’t. You can sleep on the couch if you want to” you said and walked away closing your bedroom door behind you and laid down besides Archer who still slept most of the time in your bed. Staring at the ceiling you felt your tears burn in your eyes. It would be another sleepless night.

Bucky stood still helpless in the middle of the room, hoping you would return. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he got comfortable on the couch with a blanket draped over his legs and one of his arms behind his head staring around the room, being wide awake.

The moonlight was letting him see enough of the room. The photos that hung on the walls, a few of Archer, you and even Steve, after this conversation he was even more surprised that there were lots of him also. Some things he just missed, photos from Archers Birthday, him meeting rhinos for the first time or his second birthday.

A look around the room stopped on the table by the couch, drawings caught his attention as he sat up again to take a closer look at them. All of them are Archers drawings and some smaller doodles that definitely looked like Steve’s artwork. Seemed to be from him at different occasions even tho he wasn’t there at one of these, another one of him sleeping in the cryotube letting him know that you must have went there a couple of times. Steve was right about you shutting yourself off. He fucked up that’s what he got out of everything and that was nothing compared to fights you had before, it was serious and it might can’t be fixed anymore.

Next Part>>

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[Sophie <3]

[whitewolfwave-blog]

Friends >> b.b. x fem!reader

Word count: 2806

Rating: SFW

Synopsis: You're captured by a mysterious man. Unexpectedly, this goes far better than you could have anticipated, and in the end, you might even make a friend.

Notes: I'm getting fics and stuff done but I can't like ?? Finish everything in the order I want to, or find a pace at which to post what  I want to post. Someone plz help

You didn't know where you were when you woke. You didn't even know when you'd passed out; all that you knew was that your mission was screwed thanks to some asshole who'd shown up to do the exact same thing you were supposed to do.

Your eyes darted around the room in search of any piece of evidence that would clue you in on your location. There was nothing; the room was padded with sound-proofing foam squares, nothing in it except for the cameras in the corners and the chair you were tied to. You tugged on the restraints around your wrists, but to no avail; they wouldn't budge. Unlike most of your colleagues, your "team," you weren't enhanced. Your wit and skill could only get you so far.

You turned toward a camera with a scowl, sticking your tongue out like a child. You doubted this would get a rise out of whoever was holding you, but hey, you were pissed. Relentlessly, you continued to pull at your restraints, grunts of frustration sounding throughout the room. Shock gripped you when a panel of the wall moved forward, and in stepped a man of large stature with long, brown hair that fell into his face. With him, he dragged a chair, turning it around and sitting on it backwards. You stilled, no longer trying to rip the restraints off. Confusion gripped you when you noticed that his left hand- the one on the chair- looked as if it was metal.

"Who the hell are you?" You spat.

"You don't need to know that, Miss Y/L/N. All you need to know is that I know you and that you are in some deep, deep shit. But, if you comply, I can get you out of it." The man's voice was smooth, his tone gentle yet firm enough to unsettle you. You wondered what other information he had on you.

"Comply to what?" You maintained an aggressive demeanor.

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions, alright?" You didn't answer. "What were you doing in that Hydra facility?"

"I don't know, probably the same shit that your stupid guy was doing-"

"Our guy? Do you seriously not remember what happened?" He chuckled, "I was expecting some anger, some guardedness, maybe even some fear, but I certainly wasn't expecting you to flat out not know me. Do you remember anything from your mission today, anything at all?"

"No, I clearly do not-"

"That's a shame."

"Stop interrupting me!" You raised your voice, though you were certainly in no position to do so. Your muscles tensed when the man's calm demeanor shifted.

"What were you doing?" He demanded through grit teeth, leaning towards you over the back of his chair. You vigorously shook your head, refusing to give up any information. "Miss Y/L/N, if you don't give me what I need, we'll find it in other ways. We don't need you alive."

"I'm not telling you a damn thing about the people I work for," you insisted. He nodded.

"Y/N, we took their tracking device out of your neck. You don't have to be afraid of them. We know."

"You... you know?" Your heart raced with the thought of the people who owned their organization, who owned you, finding out you'd escaped their grasp.

"Yes. We know. Now, I need you to tell me why you were there. I need you to cooperate. If you don't, things might get a little messy." In the corner of your eye, you caught the glint of a blade.

Tears threatening to spill over, a fear for your life taking over, you choked out, "I was there to assassinate a scientist- Dr. Fennhoff. Your guy was there to do the same thing when the fucking idiot knocked me out and prevented me from finishing the mission. Hydra probably knows we were there now and the next time your moronic guy goes back, it'll be quite a bit fucking harder to kill him- if I even live to see my next mission."

"There won't be a next mission," he explained, "Dr. Fennhoff is dead, and you're in good hands."

"What- how? Why are we here, then? Who killed him? Who's hands am I in?"

"We're on an airship, doll," he told you, shaking his head, "and I killed him. I'm the idiot you keep referring to. You'll see who soon enough."

"Oh." Blood rushed to your cheeks. "I'm uh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Clearly," he smiled, an amused twinkle in his eye. "I'm not done questioning you, Miss Y/L/N. This won't take long, I promise."

He told the truth; the questioning, as opposed to the usual 4+ hours, was only roughly an hour and a half long.

"Thank you for your compliance, Y/N," he said softly, "I'll get you out of here as soon as I can." He turned to the door, looked at what you presumed to be a camera behind you, and nodded.

You heard clicks and shifts in the wall.  Before he could step out, you cried, "Wait! Can you untie my hands, at least? Please?" He stood still for a moment, a smirk on his lips.

"You know, I like you," he laughed, "but not that much. Not yet." The man, who never told you his name, stepped out of the room, leaving you with endless curiosities.

Only a few minutes must have passed when the panel opened again, but this time, instead of your interrogator, the person in front of you was the one and only Tony Stark. He leaned against the wall, leaving the panel-door open, and stared you down.

"You made quite a mess, Y/N."

"H-how do you..." You trailed off. You'd given up on figuring out how they'd gotten so much information on you. Obviously, if Tony Stark was involved, the possibilities were endless. You weren't even sure if you wanted to find out anymore.

"Look, kid, we're interested in you."

"We?"

"No questions. Just listen, for now."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Stark."

"That show you put on back there, with Barnes, that was unbelievable. We'd like to see if you can do more."

"Barnes..." you said to yourself, the familiarity of the name irking you. "Who is that?"

"James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier. Whatever the kids are calling him these days." You choked on air when the man in front of you revealed who your captor was. I fought THE Winter Soldier and I... I didn't die.

You though that must have been why Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers themselves were so interested in you; Barnes couldn't take you, a non-enhanced being, down in hand-to-hand combat. You'd come to find that the interest wasn't so new, after all.

-

A month after you woke from that drug-induced slumber in a holding cell on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarriers, the Avengers had taken you in as one of their own. Natasha and Wanda sat on your bed as you recounted events from your childhood, stories from past relationships, listening intently to every word you had to say. For the first time since you were taken from your parents at only 5 years old, you had a family. You had people who wanted to know you, and everything about you. This team was nothing like the one you had before; it was far better.

One night, as you laid in Wanda's floor next to Natasha, listening to the young girl complain on her bed, the light filling the room flickered before surging, brighter than ever.

"I just- whoa, that's never happened in here before." The moment the words left Wanda's mouth, it happened again.

"What the hell?" Natasha grumbled, her head popping up from its place on the ground. Not even a minute later, the lightbulb casting light over Wanda's room exploded, shards of glass cascading down. "Fuck!" Natasha yelled, throwing her arms over her face and jumping from the ground.

You'd been facing the light when it happened, a fact that registered immediately when you felt hot blood trickling down your left cheek.

"Y/N, are you okay?!" Wanda exclaimed, rising from her bed to touch the place on your face where the shard of glass had been embedded. "How does that even happen?"

"I'm fine," you breathed, holding a hand under the line of blood. "We need to go see if everything and everyone is okay." The two agreed, allowing you to lead the way to the compound's 'breaker room' that actually consisted of technology so advanced that you'd never seen it before- just to keep the compound running. Tony Stark was certainly a frivolous man, something you'd come to learn about him in very little time.

"The, um, all of the lights are-" Natasha stumbled over her words, wondering how exactly she'd describe the situation.

"-out?" Wanda suggested, "Dead, maybe? I don't know what you'd call this, other than... well, weird."

It is weird, you thought, that a facility run by one of the most intelligent and wealthy men in the world would have a power surge that completely fucked the entire electrical grid. Something is going on, here.

You kept the thought to yourself; while you had trust and love in your heart for the friends you'd made, the part of you that was incapable of total trust remained. You simply shook your head. "Wanda," you said, "mind giving us a little light?"

"Sure."

The young girl's hands were enveloped in red, outlining the furniture as well as the walls in every hallway and room your trio passed through.

"Tony? Sam? Steve?" You called, praying for a response.

"Sorry to disappoint," a familiar voice rang out from around the corner, "but I think they're downstairs. Stark is trying to figure out what happened to the power." Wanda turned her hands towards the figure, causing only a slight stir of irritation in your chest when your eyes lit upon Bucky Barnes. The relationship you had with him, to say the least, was uncomfortable. Eventually, after he'd caught you in the Hydra facility, your memories came back. Remembering the fight was disturbing, in a way. When you saw him, all you could see was his look of murderous determination, his cold eyes, his lips turned downwards as he plunged a needle into your neck and your world went black.

Of course, you knew your luck; not many had encountered the Winter Solider and lived to tell the tale. He let you live. For that, you'd be forever grateful. Still, speaking to him gave you instinctual discomfort.

"Any idea what happened?" Nat was the first to speak, breaking the awkward silence.

"Nope. I'm just waiting it out."

"Great," you grumbled, "useless as always."

"We should split up," Wanda spoke over you, "the compound is large and it would take the four of us forever to find someone alone. Natasha and I will go to the north and west wings, Y/N and Bucky, go to the south and east wings."

"Why-" Bucky cut you off before you could even get a word out.

"Sounds good to me. Let's get goin', doll."

-

The only thing you'd managed to find out that, after the surge, the power was back on. After sweeping two floors, you and Bucky couldn't find anyone, much to your annoyance.

"We should have taken Wanda and Nat's wing," Bucky chuckled, pressing a button on the elevator.

"Guess so."

You tried your hardest to stay cold around him. He intimidated you, just a bit. You never quite knew how to act around him, for you were always scared to make a fool of yourself. As the elevator doors opened, he stepped to the side, permitting your entrance before his. Always a gentleman. Except for when he's kicking someone's ass and kidnapping them. You scoffed aloud at the thought, prompting Bucky to glance at you.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." Cold. Contained. The elevator doors closed, and as always, a feeling of panic set in. You hated tight spaces; the people you'd worked for before the team 'adopted' you were cold, even more so than the instructors of Natasha's childhood 'school,' the Red Room Academy. They would torture you, lock you in small closet-like rooms for days at a time, starving you and keeping you awake for hours on end. They needed you to be ruthless, emotionless, but through all of their efforts, you remained the person you were at your core. You kept your soul, something that many of the enhanced beings who they'd taken in couldn't do.

The organization seemed at first to be an outreach program for people like you. They'd take people in, love and nurture them for a few weeks, and once trust was gained, they would make sure you could never leave. The only time a person could leave the facility was for a mission. Thankfully, your first was your last. The Avengers rescued you; Bucky rescued you, a fact you often struggled to remind yourself of. You knew that his intentions were never to hurt you, but the feeling you got from looking into his eyes, the reminder of the pain he brought to you, was simply too much for you to bear. You didn't know if the Winter Soldier would ever be your friend.

You were pulled from your thoughts when the elevator stalled, causing you to grab on to a rail on one side. "What the fuck?" You hissed. The lights went out, and the elevator's movement halted completely. Suddenly, you felt as though you couldn't breathe. The darkness made it look like the walls were closing in on you. You choked as panic gripped you by the neck.

"Y/N? What's wrong?" Bucky stepped towards you, his brow twisted with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Stay back!" You yelled, your voice shaking, "Don't- don't hurt me!" A red light started flashing through the room, making the situation even worse.

His face fell as he realized how scared you were because of him. Bucky turned away, facing the wall. He had no idea what to do. He turned towards you once again, filled with distress when he saw that you were pressed into the corner of the elevator, cowering away from him. Without thought, he made his way to you, crouching so that the two of you were nearly level.

"Don't hurt me," you whimpered, hiding your face in the crook of your arm.

"I would never," he whispered softly. He grazed the outside of your arm with his flesh hand, hopeful that you'd look at him. You did; just a tiny peek. You didn't move any more than that or invite him to hold you, but your one eye held his gaze. His hand wrapped around your arm, gently tugging to see how you'd react.

Something in you triggered a wave of calm to flow through your body. Your arm relaxed as Bucky pulled you into his chest. You switched spots, his back in the corner. Yours was pressed against his chest as he rubbed circles into the nape of your neck in an attempt to calm you down. "Breathe, Y/N, just breathe. You're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here. No one is going to hurt you."  

"No one is going to hurt me," you shakily repeated, squeezing your eyes shut. Images of torture devices, the smell of blood clogging your senses, the red flashing lights, every single awful thing those people did to you was running a marathon through the lines of your brain. "No one is going to hurt me."

"That's right. You're okay." His hand migrated from your neck to waist as he pulled you closer. "You're safe."

"How-how do I stop thinking about it, Bucky?" It was one of the first times you addressed him by anything other than "Barnes," an action that wouldn't go unnoticed.

"Think about where you are now. You're in an elevator in one of the most secure places on Earth. It's stuck right now. That's all that's happening. You're in a stuck elevator. You're with a friend, now."

"We're... friends?" You asked. Happy to have found a distraction, Bucky chuckled.

"I would like for us to be. I don't think many enemies hold each other like this, so maybe we're on our way."

"Okay," you agreed, nodding with a minuscule smile on your face. "We can be friends, but I think we need to work some stuff out first."

"Deal."

Once you calmed down, Bucky still didn't move. He didn't want to until you gave the okay. He just held you, tracing shapes into your arms, determined to keep you comfortable. Eventually, you forgot about the red light, the instability, and you allowed your eyes to flutter shut.

[beefybuffybucky]

Ghosts of Winters Passed

Pairing: Avengers x psychic&female!Reader - Bucky Barnes x psychic&female!Reader

Summary: Y/N is a member of the Avengers, and is well-known assassin who has unique tactical and combat abilities, as well as the ability to read minds. But when Y/N and Bucky are assigned to go on a mission to extract some files, painful ghosts of the past resurface in ways Y/N never thought they would again.  

Warnings: language - mention of parental death - some sexual references

Word Count: 1.4K

A/N: my blood sugar has been super low recently so i’ve been insanely dizzy for a few days and school is stressful and i’ve gone through a lot of drama shit recently so uh,, go me i guess. anyways, here’s the first part of a fic, not based off a request, but i’ll totally rope a few requests into this one! i hope y’all had a great monday!

The warmth of the sun absorbing into the cement and pooling over your exposed skin reminds you of being a cat bathing luxuriously in sunlight. The idea of being a cat has always been cool to you. Cats have the ability to do whatever they want, whenever they want, can eat as much as they want, can sleep for endless hours on end, and just be a cat. Unlike these majestic creatures, you don’t get the same amount of beautiful freedom.

All of that slipped through your fingers when you signed-on with the Avengers.

Ever since you were little, you were able to see and hear things other people can’t. You never thought anything of it, until you told your adoptive parents, and they lost their shit. They decided to send you to a small, private Catholic school, took you to church every Sunday and Wednesday, and even had a priest bless some of your things, all in an attempt to ‘cleanse’ you.

But nothing ever worked, and it’s not like you were ever afraid of the things you saw. Once you were sixteen, you ran away from home, and spent time bringing messages from the afterlife to loved ones still on Earth. It was all fine-and-dandy until you got dragged into some dark shit, and found that you couldn’t escape from the cold, deadly chains that were binding you to not only the spirits involved, but the people as well. You trained underground for years, and eventually, what started as an innocent adventure into life turned into you becoming a freelance assassin, with a little help from the otherside.

Long story short, the people involved in your own case were also on the Avenger’s list of ‘people-to-keep-an-eye-on’, and one night, instead of packing up your things to leave town, you found yourself stuck in an interrogation room for hours until one golden-blonde, buff angel walked in.

And now you’re here, sunbathing on the main patio of the Avengers’ compound with your best friend Finn by your side.

“You’re doing it again,” Finn sighs next to you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you shrug carelessly, opening your eyes just to be immediately blinded by the intense sun burning through your sunglasses.

“Stop sulking,” Finn whines, propping himself up on his elbows. “You can’t change the past, honey. Besides, you’ve only been here for like, what...two weeks?”

“Are you some sort of psychic?” You joke, pushing yourself up from the ground and padding over to the outdoor bar to grab some water.

“Nope,” Finn calls out from behind you. “Just dead.” You can hear the smile in his voice. The patio door sliding open catches your attention, and you look up to see Bucky Barnes sticking his head through the doorway, the rest of his body concealed behind the wall so it looks like he’s just a floating head.

“What are you doing?” The floating head of Bucky Barnes questions you.

“Just catchin’ some rays,” you wink at him as you drop a few ice cubes into your glass.

“Well, would you look at that,” Finn’s voice hums hungrily in your ear. He suddenly appears next to you, his body slowly building itself out of a thin mist. Finn stands leaning over the counter, chin propped up on his fist, gaze solidly locked on Bucky’s broad figure as he walks towards you, stopping on the other side of the counter. “I can think of a few things I’d like to do with him.”

“Finn,” you hiss in your mind.

“Well, can you blame me?”

Bucky pulls out a stool and takes a seat, resting his elbows on the cool, shiny countertop, completely unaware of the second presence in front of him inching closer to you by the second.

“Isn’t it a little hot out here?” Bucky squints under the overwhelmingly bright, hot sun. You shrug in response.

“Eh,” you shrug back in response.

“What do you think he’s into?” Finn continues next to you. You take a sip of your water. “He looks like he would be into some pretty hot shit.”

Your water suddenly makes a reappearance, forcefully misting into the air in front of you.

“Are you okay?” Bucky blinks quizzically.

“Just dandy,” you mutter, shooting an angry glance to your side.

“That wasn’t my fault.” You see Finn wink playfully out of the corner of your eye.

“So,” Bucky releases a long, smooth breath. “How’s training with Steve goin’?”

“Worse than I ever thought it could be,” you chuckle. “I haven’t had my ass handed to me like that in years.”

“Yeah,” Bucky looks down at the counter as he laughs, a goofy, wide grin spreading from one ear to the other. “Sounds like Stevie.”

“Now that’s somethin’ to imagine,” Finn starts-up again. “Him and Captain America? Oh, Lord.” Your jaw clenches as Finn fans himself with his hand. “I think I’m gonna pass out. This is it...the end is near.”

“Would you maybe want to go inside?” You direct your attention to Bucky, trying your best to ignore Finn, who is currently crumbling into a ball, faking his own, dramatic death.

“Sure.” Bucky looks back up at you. “I’ve never been one for the heat anyway.”

The wink he shoots at you would’ve been enough to make at least thirty Finns melt on the spot.

Shortly after going back inside, you were unpleasantly met with F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice calls both you and Bucky to a mission debriefing. Once you reach the meeting room, you’re greeted by an exhausted-looking Tony Stark and an all-too-calm Steve Rogers.

“About time,” Tony huffs as you take a seat across from Steve, the bottoms of your thighs immediately sticking to the leather cushion. “Murmansk, Russia.” The large screen behind him lights up with a bright map as Bucky settles into the seat next to you. “We caught wind of some crucial files still hidden away in this -” the image of an old, crumbling building pops up “abandoned training facility on the outskirts of the town to the north.”

“If you know where the files are,” you cut it. “Then why haven’t you just gone to get them yet?”

“I was getting to that,” Tony turns with a tilt of his head in your direction. “That’s where you come in.” About a dozen, black-and-white photos of men in military uniforms come up. “These are the commanding officers who had previously worked at the facility. They have more information about the ‘Winter Soldier’ experiments.” A quick glance to Bucky reveals a stoney look on his face. “The only problem is that they’re all dead.”

“That’s useful,” Bucky mutters under his breath.

“We’re sending both you and Barnes on this mission. Your goal is to collect as much information as you can from whatever resources you must use, and to extract the files from the building.”

Steve slowly starts to tap the end of his pen on the table.

“What about Steve?” You focus back on Tony.

“What about him?” Tony keeps his attention on organizing a small stack of papers.

“Why is he here?”

Tony’s jaw clenches tightly as he peers at Steve, a deep look of concern clouding his eyes.

“Because the files are about him.”

“How do you know that they’re -”

“I trust you two will carry out this mission successfully,” Tony cockily cuts you off as he clicks a button and the screen powers down. “Cap,” Tony motions with a finger for him to follow, and Steve darkly trails out of the room on Tony’s heels.

Bucky swivels gently back and forth in his chair, his gaze glued to the tabletop.

“Spit it out,” you groan. His head drags up and his eyes meet your confused gaze as he seems to search for the right words to piece together in your eyes.

“How much do you remember about your parents?”

“What?” You blink back at him, your voice breaking. You clear your throat. “Why?”

“The files, they -,” his breath catches in his throat. “Your parents are involved in this.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You laugh lowly in disbelief. “My parents are dead, Buck. I never even knew them.”

“I know,” he says firmly. His gaze drifts again, and your pulse thumps in your ears. “That’s who we have to find,” he takes a deep breath before turning back to you again. A dull ping of sadness aches behind his icy eyes. “I need you to talk to your parents.”

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

Random Wondy Series Thoughts, Part the Third

Third part of Woman of Truth, here we go!

Part One

Last Time:

Themyscira being revealed was shut down hard by Etta and the Holliday Girls (all of them Scions), who fought Phobos. Zeus went Hank Pym on Hera, and Ares demanded his kids increase their plan. Meanwhile, Hippolyta did the 2017 arc, and Diana won the games, leaving Themyscira as Phobos summoned Decay to hunt her and Etta down.

Onwards!

We open on the boat, the six Holliday Girls including Etta explaining the general state of life for a demigod, establishing a) Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter exist, and b) the Holliday Girls are a quasi-Hunters of Artemis by way of sorority. We also get introduced to the rest of the Girls, who are:

Glamora Treat, a Scion of Athena who spends a lot of time gazing at Diana and her swimsuit.

Lita ‘Little’ and Thelma ‘Tall’ Rhodes, twin Scions of Mercury and the only two Romans. Tall is currently in the midst of an existential crisis, because she was the tallest of the group at 5’11” until Diana and her 6’2” came along, whereas Little just thinks Diana’s really pretty.

Gell Osey, an unclaimed Scion who spends most of her time glaring at Diana.

Gay. No, seriously, that’s her name. She calls herself Gay because she grew up in the Bible Belt with an unmarried mother and a predilection for being a tomboy, and thus a lot of people saying she should ‘look prettier’ so that ‘people don’t get the wrong impression’. She legally changed her name, just in case they hadn’t gotten the wrong impression yet. She’s also, incidentally, a Scion of Callisto, and literally has two mothers.

Etta keeps making reference to a ‘doctor’, and when Diana asks just says that she’s the ‘smartest person I know’. She further explains that she’s not a Scion, but has forgotten more about mythology and lore than any Scion will ever know.

Steve asks about his co-pilot’s face melting off, and Diana explains that the co-pilot was actually a Keres, a spirit of war released from Pandora’s pythos, musing that Ares must be controlling them somehow.

Cutting to Areopagus, we see it explained: the Keres are attracted to Medusa’s Heart, and Phobos and Deimos then bind them, building what is effectively an army of war spirits for Ares. Kydoimos appears and says he’s found Orpheus’ Gateway, leading the three to disappear.

As the party arrive at Gateway City, Diana gets to have her fish-out-of-water comedy moments, though not too many – whilst Diana doesn’t understand stuff like American culture and what a hot dog or ice cream are, she does understand what watches, cars and marriage are.

When Gay makes the mistake of assuming Hippolyta and Phillipus are married, Diana explains that the Laws of Themyscira state the monarch cannot marry – hence for Hippolyta to marry she would have to abdicate the throne. Hippolyta has offered, but Phillipus won’t hear of it.

Eventually, they arrive at their destination – the house of one Julia Kapatelis, the ‘doc’ Etta keeps referring to.

However, also present is one Professor Barbara Minerva, a former student of Julia’s and the second smartest person Etta knows.

Etta starts stumbling over her words, which Steve lightly ribs her for – what, Diana gets no reaction, but one sight of slacks and she’s done for?

Steve and Etta, btw, are that sibling pairing. At some point, Diana is going to compare them to Artemis and Apollo.

Both Julia and Barbara are fascinated by Diana, Barbara a bit more… possessively than Julia. It’s established that Barbara and Julia had a falling out over Barbara’s compulsive need to seek out knowledge, even stuff she should by no rights be seeking out. Essentially Barbara is Indiana Jones and Julia is more Mau from Terry Pratchett’s Nation. We’re also introduced to Vanessa Kapatelis, who almost immediately starts hero-worshipping Diana.

Then everything changes when Decay and a horde of Keres attacks.

This fight scene seeks to establish several things: that Steve is woefully unprepared and outclassed by almost everything else, that the Holliday Girls work well as a team, that despite Steve, Julia and Vanessa being half-delirious through Decay’s application of the Mist Barbara is completely unaffected, and that for as good a fight as the others might be putting up, Diana is a fucking beast. Some individual action beats:

Glamora directing the entire fight from the sidelines – seriously, even Diana defers to her judgement, albeit only because Glamora knows how to utilize Gateway City’s architecture in their favour.

Tall and Little being really good both at paired combat and at stealth and sabotage.

Etta Charmspeaking Decay at one point, though Decay quickly shrugs it off.

Gay animating a small wooden bear she carries around to grow to massive size and defend the mortals, possibly with a Bible reference.

Most importantly for later, Gell making all the Keres turn tail and run with a single smirk.

Diana throughout her fight trying to talk Decay down, getting her closest when she jury-rigs a lasso out of a stray cable.

Regardless, Decay is eventually killed, and Diana, to the confusion of the Holliday Girls, starts praying for Decay to find peace. Diana explains that Themyscira values all life, even the monstrous, and gives a brief overview of the Medusa myth – with the added information that Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon to protect her.

Cut back to Olympus, where Athena and Aphrodite are watching the process. Aphrodite snarks that that would have been a splendid plan if Athena had actually explained it. Athena tells her to be quiet, then muses that they need to advance their plans, given what Ares’ sons are doing.

Speaking of which, we then cut to Phobos, Deimos and Kydoimos arriving at Gateway City, where, they reveal, Orpheus’ Gateway is located (Orpheus’ Gateway being a way into the Underworld that can only be opened by music.) Forcing a Keres to play a harp, they enter the Underworld.

Back on Olympus, Athena and Aphrodite walk into Hephaestus’ forge, where the crippled god is working. Him and Aphrodite bitch at each other for a bit, where it’s revealed that they have been divorced since the early 1910s, a fact that has apparently driven Hera nuts. Aphrodite is also really embarrassed about her previous association with Ares. Impatient, Athena asks Hephaestus if he’s ready, to which he sighs and says yes.

Back at the Kapatelis Household, Vanessa is geeking out over Diana, whilst the Holliday Girls gang up on Gell and ask her what that whole ‘turn back an army with a smile’ thing came from. Gell shrugs, says she doesn’t know, then asks Etta if she’s sure they can trust Diana. Alarmed, Etta asks her why she would say such a thing, and Gell shrugs and says she just has a bad feeling about her.

Julia and Barbara walk in with Steve, who explains they still don’t know why Ares would choose now to attack Themyscira – he’s checked in and the military is saying nothing, which means either they haven’t heard about the boat exploding or Ares is deliberately supressing the information.

Diana remains convinced that Ares must be attempting something in Patriarch’s World and wanted the Amazons to not be able to intervene. Etta mentions she heard tell of Ares being manipulated by something a couple of years ago – maybe that has something to do with it (yes, Lightning Thief happened the same way – this is going to come up later). Julia wonders why Decay came to Gateway City, leading the Holliday Girls to explain the deal – Gateway City has some of the largest examples of neo-Greek architecture in North America, and as such the Gods prefer to come here more than any other city except perhaps New York. It therefore necessarily has both a gateway to Olympus, and one to the Underworld – Orpheus’ Gateway. Speaking of which:

In Hades, the three sons of Ares are walking along, scanning the horizon for agents of Hades. Eventually, Kydoimos stops and says they’ve arrived. The camera pans to reveal…

The Doors of Death. Suddenly, there’s a flapping of wings and a hooded androgynous figure lands in front of them. Kydoimos demands Thanatos, for it is the Death God, stand aside

(Btw, whilst Thanatos is hooded for this episode, in every other appearance she looks like…

Death of the Endless. Also, whenever he shows up Morpheus is very obviously Daniel Hall’s Dream in a toga. Because I can)

Thanatos says nothing, simply takes out a sword. Phobos, Deimos and Kydoimos charge…

Olympus now, where Hephaestus, Athena and Aphrodite enter the council chamber and approach Hestia. Athena asks if Hestia will help, and Hestia replies that she will, but she will not aid in killing Ares. Athena smiles and say that’s okay, what she has planned for him will be much worse. Hestia turns to Hephaestus and tells him to hold out his hands. She collects a portion of Olympus’ Hearth-fire and, musing that she’s only done this once before, drops it in Hephaestus’ hands.

She warns him to not even attempt to speak untruths whilst holding or working the fire, because it won’t work. She then turns to Aphrodite, who is looking kinda gleeful, and warns her point blank to not even think about abusing that fact, because misuse of the fire will cause it to burn out. Athena thanks her, but Hestia has already turned back towards the fire, although on the way out she warns Athena to be careful – and, above all else, to not destroy the family.

Thus, Phobos, Deimos and Kydoimos’ fight with Thanatos is intercut with Hephaestus working the fire into a very familiar shape…

After extensive research, Julia discovers what might account both for the influx of Keres and Ares’ interest in Themyscira – the Doors of Death. Essentially the pressure-valve of the Underworld, opening the Doors even for a second would cause the worst of the worst to come pouring out the Underworld. Therefore, Ares wanted Themyscira for Doom’s Doorway – which could ensure the Doors remained open forever, resulting in endless war as the dead crawled out of the Underworld and Ares rose as the most powerful god of all.

(Whilst this is occurring, the Ares boyz win their fight and walk over Thanatos’ form to the Doors)

Suddenly, the ground is shook with a mighty earthquake, and there’s a flash of light as Hermes appears, saying that Diana needs to come with him. Diana trustingly places her hand in his and they both disappear to…

Olympus, where Zeus is holding court. This scene establishes something: Diana’s treatment of the Gods goes from loving devotion/submission (the patrons, including Hera) to grudging respect (Hephaestus, Apollo) to ‘hey fuckface, wassup?’ (Zeus and Poseidon)

With Ares not present, Zeus is forced to conclude that he was the one who opened the Doors. He commands Diana to find Ares and bring him to Olympus, with the patrons protesting that it is suicide. Diana, musingly, asks what opening the Doors means. Hermes informs her that although the Doors were only open for a second, the worst monsters and humans Hades has to offer still escaped and are now running rampant. Irritated, Zeus declares humanity not their problem, and not worth saving anyway, has everyone forgotten what they did without the Gods’ help?

Flashing back to Hippolyta, Diana sighs.

She looks at Zeus.

She says ‘No.’

She informs the Olympians that her intention is to secure the Doors, round up the escapees and only then, when people are safe, will she attack Ares, and that if they won’t help her she’ll do it herself. Apoplectic with rage, Zeus is about to command her again, when Hera steps up and says that she’ll have her support. The rest of the patrons and Apollo quickly follow suit, Hephaestus refusing because it’s Hera asking, although he does offer help. Faced with the choice of either losing face or risking war, Zeus agrees grudgingly.

Finally, the patrons step forward to offer her items to be used in this task:

From Athena, a circlet that will allow her to think faster than any human.

From Aphrodite, a breastplate that will allow her to project a low level glamour over her outfit (that can only be broken by spinning, yes this is a Linda Carter joke)

From Artemis, two bracelets that block any and all attacks.

From Demeter, a belt that increases her strength.

From Hermes, a gooey substance that can take whatever form she desires (he mentions he stole it from New Genesis)

And finally, Hestia warmly gifts her the Lasso of Truth, which will compel anyone, be they man or god, to speak truly.

Thanking them all, Diana give the Amazon salute and returns to Gateway City, starting to help with the damage. Zeus and Poseidon both storm off, and all but the patrons leave. Aphrodite asks if Diana is ready for the world, and Hestia says that they should be asking: is the world ready for Diana?

Sometime later:

Diana and Steve look out over a now rebuilt Gateway City. Diana asks what Steve will do now, and Steve admits that he’s thinking about returning to the Air Force. Shocked, Diana asks why, and he says that he feels he can do more there – under a different alias, he can find out how much Ares has infected the place, and who is able to resist him. He then asks what Diana plans to do, and she says she’ll take each day as it comes. Steve teasingly asks if this makes her a hero, and she admits all she knows of heroes are her mother’s stories of Heracles – she doesn’t want to be that kind of hero. Steve, a small smile on his face, says she needn’t worry – she’s definitely not. As a fire engine races past and Diana flies off to help, Steve admits that, whatever else she is, she’s his hero, this one they’re calling Wonder Woman.

We close on Areopagus, Ares watching Diana fly off, musing to himself that he can’t wait to meet her in person as he summons his three children to plan for his endgame – the destruction of Themyscira itself.

So, the pilot’s finally done. Thank you all for being so patient and, as always, any questions you have, just ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

[irenenorth]

New Post has been published on Irene North

New Post has been published on http://www.irenenorth.com/writings/2017/12/my-2017-reading-list/

My 2017 reading list

Every year, I make a list of the things I read – books, long articles, graphic novels – and share them. Hopefully, you will find something interesting to read here and expand your mind.

To make it easier in case you don’t like one type of reading, I created sections for each type of reading and then listed in the order I read them.

BOOKS

The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care by T.R. Reid

Does a wealthy country have an ethical obligation to provide access to health care for everybody? Do we want to live in a society that lets tens of thousands of our neighbors die each year, and hundreds of thousands face financial ruin, because they can’t afford medical care when they’re sick? This, of course, is the “first question” that Professor William Hsiao asks whenever he reviews a country’s health care system. And on this question, too, every developed country except the United States has reached the same conclusion: Everybody should have access to medical care. – Pg. 242

Though the question comes near the end of the book, it is researched throughout. Reid looks at the different models used around the world – Bismark, Beveridge, National Health Insurance, Out-of-pocket. If you want to understand health care, you should read this. You will learn there are very good, working models around the world that the United States could use or adapt so everyone has access to care.

Quiet by Susan Cain

There’s a reason this book is a best seller. It provides new insights into introverts and can also be beneficial to extroverts to learn about and understand their friends, family, and coworkers.

Pay Any Price: Greed, Power and Endless War by James Risen

Most of what Risen writes about was not new to me. I had read the stories in other books, newspapers and magazines. By, if you want to know what goes on in Washington, D.C., you need to read this book. It covers everything the United States government has done wrong since 9/11 and shines a light on the many abuses of power of the American government under the cloak of “providing security” and making American safer.

Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder

One of the best books I read this year. I could hardly wait to get home from work each day to continue reading the book.

There are two stories here. First is Sergei Magnitsky’s life and death and second is the corruption and murder in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Browder recounts his journey to becoming the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005. When his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was murdered in prison for uncovering hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud by officials in the Russian government, Browder became vocal about human rights abuses in the country.

Actually, I’m surprised Browder made it out alive.

America’s First Great Eclipse: How scientists, tourists, and the Rocky Mountain eclipse of 1878 changed Astronomy forever by Steve Ruskin

I interviewed Ruskin before the solar eclipse that passed through Nebraska on Aug. 21, 2017.

As easy read that can be accomplished in a day or two, the book discusses the solar eclipse of 1878, including emerging technologies that allowed scientists to better view the sun as well as citizen scientists helping out and the sheer joy surrounding the event.

It’s only $8.99. Pick up a copy and lose yourself in the joy of a total solar eclipse.

Planck: Driven by vision, Broken by War by Brandon R. Brown

Max Planck is considered the father of quantum theory. He was good friends with Albert Einstein. And he was German. Planck stayed in Germany after World War II broke out. He spent his life fighting the fact that he did not think as his government did, but was compelled to remain in the country.

I get a lot of book recommendations from the science and history subreddits on Reddit. This one was highly recommended. However, I found myself slogging through the book, feeling like I had to finish it because I bought it. It was a chore that needed to be done.

There is no doubt. Planck is an influential scientist and more should be known of him. If you’re a fan of Planck, this will probably be a fun and interesting read. It just didn’t do anything for me.

They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by DeAnne Blanton and Lauren M. Cook

I think I read too much because a lot of these stories I already knew.

The book covers a part of Civil War history that isn’t covered nearly enough – that of the women who fought in the war. Hundreds of women fought in the war by disguising themselves as men. The book explores their reasons for enlisting, and staying, as well as their combat experiences and what their fellow soldiers thought of them.

Each of the women in the book could have biographies of their own. Some probably would, if they had been men.

A well-researched book on a topic not many people know about.

Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter’s Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War, and Work by Stanley Woodward

https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Tiger-Sportswriters-Reminiscences-Newspapers/dp/0803259611

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not a big fan of sportswriting and I don’t read much of it today, but this book is so much more than that. Woodward is considered one of, if not the, best sports editor to have ever held the position in America. Throughout the book, he discusses the problems within a newspaper, many of which still plague the industry today.

One day, toward the end of my vacation in 1955, I received a letter from Mr. Welsh, my managing editor. He said that I was a wonderful operator but that my salary was too high for the News and therefore I was fired. I can’t say I was terribly distressed, for I wanted to get North not only because I hated the South but also because I was afraid one of my girls might marry a Floridian. God knows enough of them were hanging around the house. – Pg. 261

It doesn’t make any difference to me what happens to the newspaper business; that is, it doesn’t make any difference to me economically. But I can’t bear the thought of a general newspaper collapse. For I still believe what Nick Skerrett told me when I was a cub reporter – “The American newspaper is the greatest institution in the world.” – Pg. 286

Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner

Need to brush up on your grammar? Check out this book. I’m still probably never going to get the “that vs. which” thing right. But that’s why I have a copy editor.

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Wind-Movement-John-Lewis/dp/1476797714/

Senator John Lewis recalls his life and journey to Washington, D.C. It is an important story about the Civil Rights Movement and one everyone should read.

“There is an old African proverb: ‘When you pray, move your fee.’ As a nation, if we cre for the Beloved Community, we must move out feet, our hands, our hearts, our resources to build and not to tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate, to heal and not to kill. In the final analysis, we are one people, one family, one house – the American house, the American family.” – Pg. 503

Extract from a Diary of Rear-Admiral by Sir George Cockburn

https://archive.org/details/extractfromadia00cockgoog

Another recommendation from Reddit.

The full title is a mouthful: Excerpt from Extract From a Diary of Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn: With Particular Reference to Gen. Napoleon Buonaparte, on Passage From England to St. Helena, in 1815, on Board H. M. S. Northumberland, Bearing the Rear-Admiral’s Flag.

This manuscript was found in Cockburn’s own handwriting among his other writings. It was published due to its intrinsic value to history about the late career of a soldier.

Cockburn was there when the White House was burned and was chosen to escort Napoleon to Saint Helena for exile. Though Cockburn would later die at Saint Helena, this is his journal of the voyage there.

Minatare Memories: A Historical Account of the Tabor-Minatare Community of Western Nebraska by the Minatare Historical Committee.

A history of Minatare, Nebraska. I came across some ladies documenting the history of Minatare. They planned to write a book when they were finished, charging only what it cost to have it printed. I wrote an article about them. Then, I wrote another when the book came out. U.S. News and World Report picked up my story. I didn’t plan on it, but I’m on page 139.

After printing, the ladies noticed a few typos and they received even more information than what they had. I know how that feels.

Black Hills Doc 1892-1945 by C.W. Hargens, M.D., Edited, by D.M. Hargens-Hallsted.

This is the story of an instrumental figure in the history of Hot Springs, South Dakota. D.M. Hargens-Hallsted, or as I know her, Dorothy Waldren, brings her grandfather’s story to life.

This is a great and easy read to learn about how life was along the frontier. It tells the story of Dr. Hargens from his early life in the Missouri Valley teaching to becoming a doctor to settling in Hot Springs where he helped transform the city.

Tales in the book include his thoughts on how women should be treated and the “discipline” men received when women were bullied, a run in with Calamity Jane and enforcing the use of masks in public during the Influenza epidemic of 1918.

A novel feature of Kidney Park was a contribution box, urging patrons to drop a coin in order that good works might be carried on. The box was attended daily by the Chief of Police; we overlooked no possible source of contributions, even to having the night cop sit on a chair observing the late night comings and goings from certain establishments, a report culminating in an early morning call for a donation or perhaps an invitation to leave town on the next train. – Pg. 141

These dances by the Indians, with shuffling feet and synchronous movements and the songs in a plaintive monotone, brought to the sympathetic viewer visions of a western scene never to be forgotten but later to be tarnished by the restrictions and degradation of reservation life. – Pg. 144

The Battle of Wounded Knee had occurred on the Pine ridge Agency in December of 1890 and was a massacre of Indians by the Seventh Cavalry. The Indians’ presence there was attributed to the Custer massacre, the current Messiah craze among the Sioux and the mistreatment of Big foot’s band by the whites. The Indian warriors wore “ghost shirts” which they had been told would magically protect them against the bullets of the white man. Victims of this fallacy were buried in their shirts except for a few shirts taken as souvenirs by those handling the bodies. – Pg. 146

I have always admired the Indians use of his environment; the religious and moral convictions which abhorred waste of any part of the animals he hunted, particularly the buffalo; his early use of the horse, his reverence of the Black Hills as an abode of the ruling spirits of his people. Any white man who claims superiority to the Indian because the Indian was defeated by an advanced armament is deluded. White men in no way, mentally, morally or physically are superior to the Indian. We defeated them only because of the “advantages” of a more developed science.- – Pg. 188

The Indian believed profoundly in silence, the sign of perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of the body, mind and spirit. The man who preserves his silence ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence, not a ripple on the shining surface of the pool, not a leaf stirring on the tree, that man, in the mind of the unlettered safe, is in the ideal attitude and conduct of life. – Pg. 188

This is a fascinating read. If you’d like a copy, the best way would be to call Dobby’s Frontier Town and they can put you in touch with Dorothy. Alternatively, you can pay way too much for it on Amazon.

This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways

Genoways follows Rick Hammond and his family from harvest to harvest where they raise cattle and crops on Hammond’s wife’s fifth-generation homestead in York County, Nebraska. The book goes back and forth between the struggles of the Hammond family and the future of family farming to the history which got us here.

As the family fights to keep their operation afloat, they must deal with a myriad of issues, including the Keystone XL pipeline and the ever-increasing demands of security precautions put into place from DuPont Pioneer for the transportation and planting of seed to the ultimate harvest.

Far from an isolated refuge beyond the reach of global events, the family farm is increasingly at the crossroads of emerging technologies and international detente.

If there’s one thing I learned from this book, it’s that I don’t ever want to be a farmer. If you know nothing about corn, soybeans, and modern farming in Nebraska, this is the book you want to read. Genoways weaves the Hammonds story into complex issues without ever making the reader feel overwhelmed with information.

When I finish reading a book, I usually pass it on to others. I’m keeping this one and recommending you all go get your own copy.

Longer readings

The Things by Peter Watts Have you seen the movie “The Thing” and wondered what the thing was thinking? Now you can read what it thought of us.

I Just Wanted To Survive by Tisha Thompson and Andy Lockett A college football player thought he and a friend were going to meet up with two women. Instead, they were abducted and tortured for 40 hours — all because of a teammate.

How American Lost Its Mind The nation’s current post-truth moment is the ultimate expression of mind-sets that have made America exceptional throughout its history.

This article was adapted from Kurt Andersen’s book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire—A 500-Year History.

The First White President The foundation of Donald Trump’s presidency is the negation of Barack Obama’s legacy. The essay was drawn from Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book, We Were Eight Years in Power.

Interview with Edward Snowden by Martin Knobbe and Jörg Schindler In an interview, whistleblower Edward Snowden discusses his life in Russia, the power of the intelligence apparatuses and how he will continue his battle against all-encompassing surveillance by governments.

Jesus as Whippersnapper: John 2:15 and Prophetic Violence by Hector Avalos, Professor of Religious Studies, Iowa State University

This essay challenges a pacifistic interpretation of John 2:15. In particular, it addresses the linguistic, historical and literary arguments of N. Clayton Croy, who argued that Jesus should not be portrayed as committing any act of violence in John 2:15. More recently, Andy Alexis-Baker concludes that Jesus did not even strike any animals with a whip, which was made of materials too soft to injure anyone or any animal. A violent portrait of Jesus is consistent with the Deuteronomistic view of divine anger and prophetic zeal that may have influenced the portrait the Johannine Jesus. Otherwise, the temple episode in John exemplifies another case where some streams of Christian scholarship seem reluctant to characterize Jesus’ behavior as unjustifiably violent.

The Danger of President Pence by Jane Mayer Trump’s critics yearn for his exit. But Mike Pence, the corporate right’s inside man, poses his own risks.

How the Elderly Lose Their Rights by Rachel Aviv Guardians can sell the assets and control the lives of senior citizens without their consent—and reap a profit from it.

A Generation in Japan Faces a Lonely Death by Norimitsu Onishi The New York Times examines the growing problem of forgotten senior citizens in Japan. The story follows two apartment residents who eat lunch together in a retirement community in the suburbs of Tokyo. They have outlived nearly all their blood relatives and are simply ignored or forgotten by the rest.

Who Gets to Live in Fremont, Nebraska? by Henry Grabar A new Costco plant could save the town—by bringing hundreds of immigrants to the only place in America that passed a law to keep them out.

This massive Twitter thread about the 2016 election and True Pundit is a pro-Trump fake news site that began publishing on June 9, 2016 by Seth Abramson

“It’s time to tell the biggest untold story of the 2016 election: how a cadre of pro-Trump FBI agents and intel officers—some active, some retired—conspired to swing the election to Trump. The story involves Flynn, Prince, Giuliani, and others. Hope you’ll read and share.”

Is This Genocide? by Nicholas Kristof Survivors describe Myanmar soldiers killing men, raping women and burning babies in a Rohingya village.

From the article:

“Ethnic cleansing” and even “genocide” are antiseptic and abstract terms. What they mean in the flesh is a soldier grabbing a crying baby girl named Suhaifa by the leg and flinging her into a bonfire. Or troops locking a 15-year-old girl in a hut and setting it on fire.

The children who survive are left haunted: Noor Kalima, age 10, struggles in class in a makeshift refugee camp. Her mind drifts to her memory of seeing her father and little brother shot dead, her baby sister’s and infant brother’s throats cut, the machete coming down on her own head, her hut burning around her … and it’s difficult to focus on multiplication tables.

“Sometimes I can’t concentrate on my class,” Noor explained. “I want to throw up.”

An honest, dark, and moving piece about what is happening to the Rohingya and whether it should be considered genocide. Yeah, it’s genocide. Go read the article anyway. It tells of the brutality the Rohingya have suffered and the indifference the world and those in Burma seem to have about them.

Burmese politician Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize and the defacto leader in Burma[http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41139319], continues to defend the army. She has called reports of sexual assault by soldiers as “fake rape” and, essentially, believes there is an “iceberg of misinformation” about the Rohingya.

It is a graphic and harrowing account of what the Rohingya have been forced to live through. If only we would listen, and take action.

A journey through a land of extreme poverty: welcome to America by Ed Pilkington The UN’s Philip Alston is an expert on deprivation – and he wants to know why 41m Americans are living in poverty. The Guardian joined him on a special two-week mission into the dark heart of the world’s richest nation.

Alston’s journey takes him into the “dark side of the American Dream,” where the richest country in the world is also the host to abject poverty.

The two men carry on for block after block after block of tatty tents and improvised tarpaulin shelters. Men and women are gathered outside the structures, squatting or sleeping, some in groups, most alone like extras in a low-budget dystopian movie.

We come to an intersection, which is when General Dogon stops and presents his guest with the choice. He points straight ahead to the end of the street, where the glistening skyscrapers of downtown LA rise up in a promise of divine riches.

Heaven.

Then he turns to the right, revealing the “black power” tattoo on his neck, and leads our gaze back into Skid Row bang in the center of LA’s downtown. That way lies 50 blocks of concentrated human humiliation. A nightmare in plain view, in the city of dreams.

Alston turns right.

There are many great points in the article, including this:

The link between soil type and demographics was not coincidental. Cotton was found to thrive in this fertile land, and that in turn spawned a trade in slaves to pick the crop. Their descendants still live in the Black Belt, still mired in poverty among the worst in the union.

You can trace the history of America’s shame, from slave times to the present day, in a set of simple graphs. The first shows the cotton-friendly soil of the Black Belt, then the slave population, followed by modern black residence and today’s extreme poverty – they all occupy the exact same half-moon across Alabama.

As one gentleman in the article said, “The safety net? It has too many holes in it for me.” These are people who are in despair and America turns a blind eye to it, preferring to believe people cause themselves to be in these situations when that is far from reality.

Where Wind Farms Meet Coal Country, There’s Enduring Faith in Trump by Clifford Krauss

Hoping for more unfettered production of coal, oil and gas even as it erects wind farms, a Wyoming county sees the president as a key to job security.

The Making of an American Nazi by Luke O’Brien

How did Andrew Anglin go from being an antiracist vegan to the alt-right’s most vicious troll and propagandist—and how might he be stopped?

This is a really long read, but a good one and a damned fine piece of journalism. This is why I have a subscription to The Atlantic.

On December 16, 2016, Tanya Gersh answered her phone and heard gunshots. Startled, she hung up. Gersh, a real-estate agent who lives in Whitefish, Montana, assumed it was a prank call. But the phone rang again. More gunshots. Again, she hung up. Another call. This time, she heard a man’s voice: “This is how we can keep the Holocaust alive,” he said. “We can bury you without touching you.”

When Gersh put down the phone, her hands were shaking. She was one of only about 100 Jews in Whitefish and the surrounding Flathead Valley, and she knew there were white nationalists and “sovereign citizens” in the area. But Gersh had lived in Whitefish for more than 20 years, since just after college, and had always considered the scenic ski town an idyllic place. She didn’t even have a key to her house—she’d never felt the need to lock her door. Now that sense of security was about to be shattered.

There are also these unsettling things in the article:

In the summer of 2015, another great white savior—himself a troll—appeared to Anglin, this time gliding down a golden escalator in Manhattan in front of a crowd of paid extras.

Anglin immediately put all his resources toward willing a Trump presidency into reality. He churned out cheerleader posts and deployed his trolls on behalf of Trump, directing several of his nastiest attacks at Jewish journalists who were critical of the candidate or his associates.

His absentee ballot arrived in Ohio from Krasnodar, a city in southwest Russia near the Black Sea, according to Franklin County records.

Anglin worshipped Putin, and seemed like exactly the type of online agitator Russia might use to sow chaos during the U.S. election.

Also from Whitefish: Ryan Zinke, Richard Spencer and Whitefish Energy, the two-employee company who were originally given the no-bid contract to restore power to Puerto Rico. I suspect we will hear more about Whitefish in 2018.

O’Brien also did an NPR interview about the article and his findings.

Graphic Novels

No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure By Susan Hughes

https://www.amazon.com/No-Girls-Allowed-Dressed-Adventure/dp/1554531780

This is a great little graphic novel geared toward children under twelve. Within its pages, you’ll discover women throughout history have had important roles, including viking, pharaoh and general in the Kahn’s army.

It also covers topics, such as women disguising themselves as men and why they needed to do so. Most the these women risk it all, including their lives to pursue their dreams.

A User’s Guide to Neglectful Parenting by Guy Delisle

A delightful little read. Hilarious. I say this is how you should raise kids.

The Dark North – Volume 1

The illustrated prose-art book consists of five new stories by some of Scandinavia’s premier illustrators and concept artists. Everything was well done visually and the stories were compelling. The art is what is on display here and it does not disappoint.

This is not your typical graphic novel, and it isn’t trying to be. The artists are trying something new and, for the most part, it works.

The Forever War by Joe Haldemann (Author), and Marvano (Illustrator)

Released in Belgium in 1988, the science fiction graphic novel by Marvano is closely based on the novel of the same name by Joe Halderman, who provide the dialogue. It was originally published in Dutch and later translated into several languages, including English.

The Forever War tells the story of William Mandella, an elite soldier fighting for Earth in an interstellar war, which lasted for centuries. He is one of a handful who eventually survives the entire war. Mandella eventually settles on a planet with other veterans called, “Middle Finger.”

The Forever War focuses on many themes, including the dehumanizing effects of war and the changes in society as the soldiers continue to fight.

Like Halderman’s book, the graphic novel touches on themes from the Vietnam war, such as the treatment of the enemy and propaganda.

The original was released in three volumes, but has since been incorporated into one. The art is part of the story and often enhances what is taking place. In almost every place, the art is intertwined with the story and it feels as if each pane is meant to be with the text.

The only drawback is that in a graphic novel based on a book, there will, necessarily, be cuts. If one reads the book, they will learn more about why only people with IQs above 150 were drafted, why military-approved drugs were allowed, and more about how partners were sexually assigned.

The relationship between William and Marygay is also diminished, but I didn’t feel it took too much away from the graphic novel. It may be because I have read the book so I went in with some notion of the story.

All in all, it’s a good graphic novel that I recommend, even if you’re not a graphic novel kind of person.

That’s it for 2017. I’ve already got 20 books stacked up on my desk for 2018. Happy reading and I hope you find a gem or two in my list.

[valkyrie-echo]

Project Echo, Part 3: Chapter 34 (The Explosion, Part 2)

Part 3 Summary: Seven years after the events of “Part 2”, Avengers Tower explodes, fulfilling Bucky’s vision. All evidence points to Avengers Shadow-Ops leader Inessa Ryker, who is forced to seek out Bucky in hiding. Together they must determine who the traitor is in their ranks and if their friends are still alive- all while trying to survive deadly ambushes orchestrated by Sam Wilson and his hand-picked army.

Chapter 34: The Explosion, Part 2

"INESSA, WAIT!" Wanda jumped up and spun around- but her voice just echoed back to her in the still city. She looked up at the first stars visible during the sunset and around at the skyscrapers- all dark, all silent. Inessa put her back in the evacuated region of New York, and it was haunting.

Something slammed into her from behind and before Wanda knew it she was airborne, zooming between buildings and up towards the fully-lit Avengers Tower. She looked down at the arms around her torso and breathed a sigh of relief at the dark purple skin. Her arms were pinned to her sides but she leaned her head in to fit under Vision's chin and nuzzled her husband slightly. He responded by brushing his lips lightly against her cheek as they made their final approach to the protection and safety of the Tower.

"Wanda!" Steve was out on the balcony in a flash as Vision landed with his wife. Concern was traced with fear on the Captain's face. He held out a hand as if warding her off, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Vision put himself between Wanda and Steve and clenched his fists, "Wanda has had a difficult day. Don't you think you should let her come inside and take a breath before you proceed with this?"

"Proceed with what?" Wanda assumed the tension was due to her kidnapping, but when Steve looked back at her there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes that made her uneasy. She put a hand on Vision's arm to lead him aside so she could face her boss fully, "You think I'm working with her?"

"You've been gone a long time," Steve watched her carefully, "and you wouldn't be here if Inessa didn't allow it. How do we know you weren't compromised the same way she was?"

Wanda met her husband's eyes and shrugged apologetically before turning back to Steve, "She used the blood magic on me, then let me go."

It felt like the entire world went silent. Vision's face paled (believe it or not, it was possible), Steve took a visible step back, and none spoke. Wanda looked up through the windows of the Tower and saw the faces of her friends pressed there. Leaders and Avengers alike, all waiting for her to come home, all waiting on Steve's cue, "She said the Shadow King was using her to bring something to life, but she didn't know what. Since she couldn't break the blood magic, she simply re-cast the spell. With me in her place. Whatever connection she had to the Shadow King she claims to have broken it, but now I am the one tied to her."

"So the Shadow King burned through Inessa and now he's after you?" Steve's voice was soft, "Maybe that's why the Asgardians could never find him- he just ruins one life and moves on to the next."

"Maybe," as sure as she had been of Inessa's intentions his worlds still scared her. Could that be all this was? A body-snatching parasite waging war on Earth? "Steve, if it's alright with you, can I take myself off of the roster? Vision and I will go- I'll go back to my facility and remain there until we know exactly what Inessa is doing. I don't want you all distracted worrying about what I might do." Wanda spoke plainly, as always. There was no need for her to veil her intentions or parse her words, "It makes the most sense, and you know this."

"I'll have to add my own stipulations," Steve said after a pause, "do you understand?"

Wanda nodded, "Do whatever you have to do. Lock me in a cell or put me in cryo. If she needs me for her plans, it's just safer for the rest of you right now if I am not in the way."

Vision's scowl made it clear enough to Steve what he thought of the idea of his wife being imprisoned. At least as long as they knew Inessa was out there Wanda had a chance. That was Steve's reasoning, at least, "You'll go to Clint and Natasha's facility where you will be under the guard of their teams plus Thor's. That way I know for sure you don't have anything hidden away the Shadow King will use against us and your own team doesn't have to worry about fighting you. You will be confined to quarters, but not imprisoned. Is that alright?"

"It is more than fair," Wanda took Vision's hand in hers, "thank you Steve."

Steve nodded and looked back to the Tower. He opened his comms and repeated his decision to the others inside, then watched as the three teams began to disburse to find their belongings (whatever Inessa hadn't stolen, of course), "Sam, you too. Once you drop them off you can leave them the Quin-Jet and get back here faster than anyone crammed into one of Tony's suits."

"That's not a good decision," Sam warned. Wanda could tell from his tone (and Steve's reaction) that they'd been arguing a lot today, she felt sorry for their leader.

"Shove it up your ass. That's an order."

"There's something else. I don't know if she's Inessa or the Shadow King or what, but you should know she isn't playing nice anymore. She's doing whatever she thinks she needs to and she isn't being gentle about it," Wanda pulled her hair aside and showed Steve a lump on the back of her neck where she'd hit her head when Inessa knocked her out. She also rolled back her sleeves to show off the angry red lines where the cuffs dug into her wrists, "She's chaotic and she isn't giving anyone second chances. Inessa or no- be careful."

He slowly stepped forward and held out a hand- this time without the warning. Wanda shook it, then pulled him into a hug, "You're going to be alright," he reassured her, "we'll figure this out. I promise."

"Be safe," Wanda's voice wavered and she pulled away, "don't take unnecessary risks."

"This isn't goodbye, it's 'See you soon'."

Steve was the one who would have to explain it to the Avengers- what Inessa did to Wanda, their new theories about this Shadow King and his motivations, and formulate a game plan to stop it. A whisper in the back of her mind said that she should feel sorry for him, or for casting the blood magic and killing eight people in cold blood...

But truthfully she was completely numb now. Inessa had known pain, guilt, fear, terror, and the agony of a child trapped with a lifetime's worth of nightmares in her mind. The last few months reminded her of that feeling- like someone skinned your soul raw and shoved it back in. It was a pain she hadn't known since she first returned to her body, before she found a way to heal herself. Red Skull and Emilie had pushed her that far- but you can only bend so much before you break, and she was beyond that point now.

Avengers Tower was a fortress fit for the army it housed. Every entrance was impenetrable, every doorway monitored, every hallway covered, every blind spot accounted for with enough redundancies to protect it from anything. Not a soul went in or out of that place without a background check that would make the CIA's look like basic googling. Inessa was in charge of the Avengers security, but there was a damn good reason she masqueraded as a member of Tower security: she knew every last trick and switch and spent her free time finding creative ways to slip about unnoticed- even one or two with a powerless provision.

There was one point in the entire Tower that was vulnerable to attack: The main sewage line. A gigantic pipe running out of the building into the city line. Every building had one, but Avengers Tower had two- thanks to Inessa. After the devastation of Thanos Tony hired the best crews in the world to rebuild their home in record time with the most cutting edge technology available. While the Avengers moved into the satellite facilities (Inessa stayed with Clint and Natasha back on the farm) any remaining scrap of the original Tower was torn out down to the very foundations of the building.

Throughout the entire process Inessa was there to whisper into the minds of the builders, convincing them that the old sewage line was handled precisely to code- meaning a sheet of plywood was placed over it and a thin layer of cement was poured to hide it away. It was meant as a bit of fun- maybe a smugglers hold, maybe an emergency escape, maybe something to be used in a prank war somehow- the possibilities were endless. She'd even used it a few dozen times over the last couple of years- usually to hide birthday or Christmas presents from both her team and Tony. Now it was her way back in.

Inessa entered the sewers as close to the Tower as possible, then made her way to the curtain of SHIELD issued retro-reflective camo bolted securely to the wall to hide the cleared sewage line. The stench (and any of Eoin's minions who dared wander this close to the Tower) was held at bay by a special personal shield device rigged to sit just behind the camouflage and reinforce the fabric so that it not only looked like just another dingy brick wall, it felt like one.

She'd changed into her uniform before beginning her mission, and not only so that the combat boots would keep her feet dry as she mucked her way through the sewers. Her scythes were mostly decorative (unless she raided a Hydra facility that knew how to defend against her powers), but the right hand one was layered with a microchip in the handle that allowed the person holding it to pass through the shield. The shield and the key were prototypes for a Tower-wide lockdown protocol developed for the new building. Amadeus swiped them at her request- he just thought her intentions for them were a little more practical-joke based.

Inessa cut through the curtain and slipped through the shield into what she'd long thought of as her antechamber. It took almost fifty gallons of bleach, two dozen gallons of fabreeze, and at least a month's worth of candles to chase the toxic stench from the tube, but it was all worth it. Inside she'd built raised platforms that allowed for an easy ascent to the Tower above as well as storage space and even a small bunk, in case she ever needed it. It was far from a safe house, that was what her cavern was for. No, this was closer to a pirate's treasure-trove. A secret place no one knew about.

Maybe she'd always had her suspicions buried deep down, maybe luck was on her side, maybe something else was at play- Inessa always kept the tunnel shrouded, even from Nadya. Tony experimented with his frequencies throughout her adolescence, though he never used them against her. Before Amadeus came she stole one of the emitters to try and learn how to fight through it, beat it, but with her new friend's arrival and his manipulation of Tony's database she felt safe enough to end those experiments. After she created her hideaway the emitter was neatly tucked into a corner. Inessa used it for a new kind of practice- how to slip about undetected without her abilities as even a possibility. Thanks to her own willingness to push her strength and skills Nadya had never even seen this place. If she had Inessa had no doubt Noelle's body would have been found there.

She followed the smooth edges of the tunnel up towards the rough patches were she'd widened it over the years for larger storage space. All in all the space went on for only around fifty feet before it ended in a shining silver ladder. That was where fate stepped in once again: To hide his new security features and special traps, Tony had the walls of Avengers Tower built thicker than necessary on normal buildings. Her thin wood and concrete slab capping off the old sewage line ran right through the inside of two walls.

Well, in all honesty it wasn't fate so much as her swiping the blueprints and making an adjustment of about 6 feet on one end. Either way- between the straight climb up and an army-crawl through the flooring Inessa was 75% sure she could reach the Avengers floors of the Tower. The infrastructure was there- theoretically. In truth Inessa only ever made it up twenty floors before the odd little obstacle course lost her interest. She'd just used her powers to access the pipe through the sewers ever since. Now she had no choice- the only way into Avengers Tower was to literally walk through the walls up well over 100 floors.

It would be difficult enough if she had all day to do it, but Inessa wasn't sure how much time was left before Red Skull and Emilie made their next move. She had to go, now.

The things I do for you assholes.

Her initial plan- ten floors then five minute's rest- only worked the first few times. Then it became ten floors ten minute's rest. Soon after it was 5 floors. Shadow-demon powers didn't do anything to enhance Inessa's strength or stamina, and it didn't help with climbing up a skyscraper. She didn't even know how high she was anymore- did she just complete her 7th set, was she about to complete her 7th set, or was the next one her 7th set? At what point had she changed to 5 floors again?

So much for getting up to the Tower and forcing everyone out. She didn't know what was more difficult now- the low crawl through the floors with her head practically touching both ceiling and floor simultaneously or trying to climb a ladder where the walls were so close together that she had to hold onto a rung almost as far above her head as her arms could go, all because there wasn't enough space to lean back. If Inessa had ever completed her inaugural climb she'd have known the route was impractical at best. It wasn't hard to make a self-ascending ladder anymore- why hadn't she just used those?!

Because 18 year-old me thought it would be FUN to be old-fashioned. Stupid brat. How are you supposed to find Bucky's old arm, fight off the Avengers, get to the balcony, and jump off before it goes boom if you can't even lift your damn arms or legs? Is walking even an option anymore?

The temptation to use her new blood tie was almost overwhelming. She could feel Wanda's strength like it was her own. Her muscles were jelly but her bones were steel. It was like the cure for her exhaustion was sitting behind a door and all she had to do was decide how far to open it. Surely Wanda would understand- it was for the sake of her mission to save everyone else! But as angry as she was, and as much as Inessa looked forward to taking her best shot at giving Steve a black eye for all the trouble he put her through, she couldn't bring herself to do it. No matter what.

She broke her best friend's trust by casting the blood magic. If she activated that curse it would drain life and energy from Wanda just as it had Inessa. She remembered vividly the seizure, the twisting pain in her gut, the fatigue, the fever- everything Emilie put her through thanks to that magic. Inessa wasn't going to inflict that on her friend.

About five feet from the end of the latest crawling portion Inessa's arms gave out. Fine. She hit the stopwatch on her wrist. Ten minutes rest, then she had to press on. Eventually, she knew, the walls would change to Hulk-proof panels, signaling her arrival at the Avengers floors. How much longer until that point was anyone's guess, but she just hoped it would be soon.

Up the ladder, down a short crawlspace, and up just two more floors- a 10 minute journey- the tesseract power cell in Bucky's old arm reached critical mass. The transmitter activated, and the weapon was primed. All that was left was for Red Skull to press a single button and Avengers Tower would blow.

Hurry up little Nessie, he whispered to himself, I want you to see this for yourself.

"I bet she's in the Tower."

"Shut. Up."

"Think about it- if everyone was searching high and low for you, where would you go?"

"Far away from you."

"See? You're an idiot and she's brilliant, so whatever you think she's doing, whatever you would do, is the opposite of what she'd do."

Marie held up her hand and sucked a bit of the heat from the room to form a small ball of fire, "I swear to god, if you don't shut up-"

"You'll what?" Amadeus leaned towards the flame, "Go ahead- tell me. What will you do? Are you going to kill your boss? She's either possessed or evil, they can't decide which and they've issued execution orders. You willfully murder your immediate superior and I don't even know what they'll do to you." He leaned back and smiled as the flames vanished and the room warmed just the slightest bit, "Actually, we've had would-be traitors before. Inessa always sniffed them out before any serious damage was done. What happens to them is rarely pretty."

"I just want some peace and quiet, is that too much to ask? I can't think with all of your talking."

"Think? About what? I hereby order you to tell me."

"That's now how this whole lieutenant thing works, I'm fairly certain." Marie rolled her eyes and hit her head against the wall. She peered at Amadeus and watched him wind up for another joke. Before he could make it she leaned back in abruptly, "Why are you so happy? Any second we'll get word that Inessa is finally dead and you're all happy-go-lucky."

Amadeus nodded, "And you're all doom-and-gloom. So here's how I see it- You found something that proves she isn't a killer, whereas all I found was evidence that she is. Sharing is caring."

"So that's it? You're in a good mood, despite being locked up in here, because you think I found answers? You're even dumber than you look. I'm pissed because I hate Inessa more than anyone up there and instead of letting me help I'm in here with you. So why can't they make up their minds? They trust me enough to let me go with Sam's team to prove she's guilty, but they don't trust me enough to let me hunt her down?"

"Steve's protecting you. I'm the one they don't trust," he snickered. "Inessa targeted you already, declared you enemy-of-the-state. They're worried she's unhinged and will make an attempt on your life. Me? They probably think I'm the one who coded JARVIS to give Inessa a head start. She certainly didn't have the programming capabilities to do something like that herself."

"You do."

"Yes I do. And I know I went to Ellie recently to have memories removed, but I have no idea why or what I did before I went."

"So ask Ellie."

"I can't," he shrugged, "I asked her to take out a block of time. She doesn't even have to look to do that. I was smart- that way she can never tell anyone whatever it is I wanted to hide from myself. I probably was the one who reprogrammed JARVIS, but I did it before Noelle even went missing, back when we were looking at blood magic. There was no reason for me to want to put blocks in JARVIS' system on my own. Inessa must have asked me to."

Or someone else got in there. Marie's passing theory that Nadya might be the real culprit was something she would never vocalize, especially not to a loud-mouth like Amadeus. The plan was to speak to the leaders privately before both teams met to present their evidence for or against Inessa's supposed possession, let them decide for themselves if the evidence pointed towards either half of the Shadow specifically.

No point in worrying now. She was locked in an empty office below the Avengers floors with a decommissioned comm unit embedded in her jawbone and a man who buried his angst beneath annoying quips and failed attempts at humor. Inessa's a grown-ass woman who thinks she's some super-spy. The ball is in her court. I'm not going to give myself a headache trying to get out of here on a 'maybe' and a 'what if'. Let her handle her own problems.

"Look Marie, the truth is I'm sc-" Amadeus' once yearly attempt at being serious was cut short. A deafening siren- more worthy of a nuclear holocaust alarm- blasted through not only the speakers, but the comm units as well. He covered his ears and shouted against the trumpeting roar. He felt a shudder go through the Tower and the lights ramped up even brighter- brighter than he even knew they could go.

WHAT THE FUCK?! He was fairly certain he screamed it, but he couldn't hear his own voice- even WITH his ears covered.

"PROTOCOL ALPHA INITIATED," JARVIS voice rang out, official and emotionless, "PROTOCOL ALPHA INITIATED. SHADOW DETECTED. PROTOCOL ALPHA INITIATED." It repeated at top-volume without end.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! He managed to read Marie's lips as she screamed from the floor. Blood dripped between her fingers from where her eardrums ruptured. Whoever screwed with JARVIS' reporting protocols apparently also cranked up the volume to paralyzing levels.

The shudder oscillated throughout the Tower and Amadeus finally realized what it was- Inessa's frequency, embedded in JARVIS' siren. It was playing so loudly the entire place shivered with it! His stomach clenched and he managed to get to his feet despite the pain and distortion of the blinding light and the torturous sound. Amadeus charged the door and threw his full weight against it. It was no use- it was a Tower door. Steve was probably the only one with a shot at busting through it.

Marie ran to join him but she was just as useless without her hands- and as loud as the siren still was it was bound to be pure mindless torture without at least a little protection. He wasted more time than he'd be willing to admit finding the courage to do what was necessary. They stood in front of the door, helpless, until Amadeus took several quick breaths, screamed with all the might he possessed, and shoved his hands towards Marie.

He knocked her hands off of her ears and replaced them with his, but the agony was almost too much to handle. His knees buckled as the sound drove through his head like a spike, transferring all of his pain and fear into keeping his hands firmly locked on Marie's head. She knew what he was doing, and his sacrifice made her faster. She planted her hands on the door and immediately began to draw heat from them. The metal froze solid, and as fast as she could she returned the stolen energy and then some from the room around them. It was like bending a paperclip one way and then the other very quickly. Rapidly cooling and eating the door warped the metal and made it brittle. After several tries Amadeus' eyes rolled up into his head and his hands went slack. As they fell Marie froze the door, shoved Amadeus aside, and slammed her shoulder into it as hard as she could.

Luckily it shattered. The unlucky part was that the alarm was just as loud outside, and while she covered her ears quickly she couldn't pull Amadeus along to the emergency exit- let alone repeat her trick on that door, which was also certainly locked against Inessa just waltzing in from the streets. Marie tried to pin one ear against her shoulder and grab onto Amadeus with her free hand. She had no idea why she pulled him to the window, but it seemed like the best option.

As suddenly as it started, the siren stopped and the lights shut off entirely. Marie gasped- she could still hear the ringing, her skin still tingled with the vibrations of the sound, but she knew it was gone. She looked out the window and even though she saw mostly spots in the darkness of the abandoned city she was fairly certain that fast red streak was an Avenger. At least, she hoped it was.

Marie put a hand against the glass and pulled every last ounce of energy she could from it. Frozen solid, even the reinforced window broke easily. She kicked at the glass until a small opening appeared and ran back to Amadeus' side. Marie stood at the broken window and tried to will her eyes to adjust to the darkness. If she was really going to jump out of the Tower from this height, she had to be damn sure someone was going to be there to catch them.

She bent down to remove Amadeus' belt and use it to bind him to her more securely- just in case it wasn't a soft catch- and an enormous shudder tipped her over and sent her- and her cargo- tumbling out into the darkness of the city.

As Marie fell backwards towards the streets of New York she saw the Avengers floors of the Tower bulge outward, pull in, and finally erupt in an explosion that shattered the glass on every building for miles. Flame, steel, and concrete blasted in every direction as their home was destroyed. Marie's last sight was going to be one of the worst she could imagine.

The shockwave traveled out in all directions- including down. As fast as they were falling, it slammed into Marie with more force than even a blow from the Hulk would. Just before the world went dark she thought she saw the faintest flash of silver.

A safety harness. The first time Inessa thought of it was when she reached floor 17 where the vertical ascent was one of those special kinds of hell where her arms were stretched so far above her head she could barely climb. The last time she thought of it was near the top of the ladder that would have brought Bucky's discarded arm into her line of sight.

Either Inessa's strength simply gave out or, more likely, a certain Shadow took advantage of the darkness to push down on her. In her thoroughly exhausted state it wouldn't take much to make Inessa's grip on the ladder finally snap. And it did- so she fell.

The crawlspace could hold her weight if she was crawling, but not if she was falling. The floor was supported by the top of air ducts, and so when she fell she broke not only the thin plywood, but also the aluminum square of the duct and the grating on the vent itself.

So, her covert entry into the Tower from the sewers ended with her actually managing to crawl and climb over 130 floors (once the sub-basements were included) only to fall through a vent and crash loudly onto the collection of knives, daggers, and other bladed implements that remained in the armory.

Her uniform absorbed most of the nicks and scrapes when she collided with the metal table, but it did nothing for Inessa when the landing wrenched her leg and dislocated it at her hip. She screamed, but the sound was absorbed by an unholy wailing that seemed to come from all around as JARVIS' siren alerted the whole damn planet to her presence.

Inessa covered her ears and tried to think- down the hall, around the corner, through the lobby, down another hall and through two doors was the medical wing where there was a machine specifically built for injuries like this one. She'd never make it that far with a dislocated leg and the Tower coming to kill her. There was only one other option. Crude? Yes. Recommended? No. Painful? Yes. Did it work? In theory.

She didn't have time to waste on pain or loud noises and bright lights, Inessa hopped for it at full speed. She took deep breaths through each wave of pain. It didn't make it less agonizing, but she didn't let it overwhelm her either. Her ears she still had to cover, but adrenaline made her fast. She only had to go ten feet down the hallway to Uniform Storage, and as she ducked into the doorway she saw Castor and Maya run by, looking for the source of the alarm. It didn't go without notice the blue plastic that completely sealed off their ears- this alarm was Steve's doing. He wanted to stun her with sound and make her an easy target. She wasn't playing along.

Inessa hobbled as best she could to the back of the room where a control panel could be used to create and control any setting on all uniforms worn by the Avengers. Technology, fabric, undergarments, armor- the same technology that went into JARVIS' fabrication of the Iron Man Mach 2 Suit went into the uniform maker. Inessa waved her hand over the screen to activate it, grateful that it was one of the few things in the Tower that didn't require identification to operate.

It took less than five seconds to hit all appropriate buttons. Inessa selected her Unit from a list, selected her name from that list, and hit the "Emergency" button. A panel slid up, revealing a thick black plastic-like substance. Inessa backed into it gingerly. As soon as she touched it she was sucked in. The 'Emergency' button was for Avengers who had issues getting out of their suits (it happened more often than she ever thought it would). The black gel hardened around her in an instant- forcing her body into the exact position of her imprint. She felt her leg grind and with a shout Inessa ripped free of the plastic before the machine cut off her clothing.

Pop! She felt, rather than heard, the bone slip back into place. It was an even greater pain than she'd felt thus far, but it faded quickly and she was able to move her leg once again. I've wasted enough time! Inessa still couldn't run very well between the burning in her leg and the burning everywhere else from her climb, but she felt a strange sense of urgency.

She peeked out into the hall and something caught her eye. The vents in the hallway- all of them- were glowing. It was the same royal blue she'd seen before when she opened up Bucky's arm. It's happening!

Inessa didn't care what happened to her or how painful it was. She ran down the hall as fast as she could towards the server room. Someone tackled her from the side- Maya- but she landed a few solid punches to the kidney before the young assassin could firm up her grip. She shouted into her comms- probably alerting everyone- and rolled off Inessa, knife in hand.

Inessa wasn't sure when she stopped hearing the alarm. Maya's face went white as she watched her enemy advance, but she was still willing to fight. Inessa pulled out her scythes and swung around, faking left to strike right. Maya absorbed her blow with her knife and moved to sweep Inessa's bad leg out from under her. The leader grabbed her collar and dragged her down as she fell. In a fair fight Maya would win, but she wasn't playing fair. Inessa grabbed Maya's ear as they fell and ripped out the blue stopper.

Deaf or no, that sound was designed as a paralytic in a former incarnation, and at this volume a lot of that was still there. It didn't matter what you heard, it mattered what the waves made your body do, and the only way they worked was to react with your brain up-close via the ear. Maya went down just like anyone else would. She scrambled to cover her ear and when Inessa threw the blue plug away she chased after it. Inessa ran in the opposite direction.

She chose a hallway that led towards the very back of the Tower- towards Tony's lab. It had anything she'd need to get into those vents and find the arm before it went off- hopefully kill the sound too. Her leg buckled painfully and Inessa pitched against the door, hard. She caught herself on the lab table and glanced up into a mirror-

Half of her head was encased in black armor. That was what scared Maya, that was what was protecting her from the alarm. Her ears, forehead, and neck were covered, and the darkness was moving forward to cover the rest of her face. The frequency was forcing her out of the body entirely. At least, that's what she believed.

She had no time for this. Inessa kept moving towards the closet at the back of the lab. She'd cleared out most of the contents- all experiments of Tony's- but there were a few toys he'd made for Natasha still in there- grappling hooks were what Inessa was most interest in.

The door was locked, but Inessa had a way through that. She pulled out the left scythe- vibranium- and prepared to slice through the steel chain. A flash of color in the metal door caught her eye and Inessa ducked just in time to miss Steve's shield as it embedded itself in the door- pinning it closed. She turned and threw herself at his knees just as he dove for hers. The result was ideal- Inessa landed on top of Steve and before he could get a grip on her and swing her around she planted her foot firmly in his jaw.

It wasn't enough to even phase Captain America- once again she wished for super-strength, but she used the momentum to jump off of him, out of reach, and towards the door. Steve barked and order and it slammed shut- but not before she saw Clint running at her, bow drawn and tazer arrow at the ready. She would always believe he meant to shoot her- when it was really Steve he was aiming for.

The blue in the vents surged and a blast of light blew outwards. Steve kicked Inessa's leg out from under her and it was only instinct that made her throw herself to the left as the lights went out and everything went dark. Steve struck the right side, denting the floor. She felt the frequency stop and vanished in a puff of darkness, only to reappear a safe distance in front of him. He shouted wordlessly and ripped the blocks from his own ears, "I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!" he snarled, "AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!"

"NO ONE DID ANYTHING TO ME!" Inessa felt the other Avengers converging on the room. With a wave of her hand they were all swept away to the street below, out of meddling distance, "YOUR HEAD IS SO FAR UP YOUR ASS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!"

She saw the light building again, and Inessa reached out into the shadows. She felt Natasha, Thor, Banner, Tony, and Clint racing towards the room- then nothing. Steve shouted again and tackled Inessa as she hesitated. She didn't move them, so where were they? Her heart raced, then the wind was knocked out of her. She tried to wriggle away again but he kneeled on her chest with his feet on her hands- she couldn't move.

Steve yanked one of her scythes out of its sheath and drove it down into her shoulder. Inessa screamed, "NO MORE LIES!" He took a deep breath and pulled the weapon out. Steve held it over his head like a sword, blade-down, and smiled, "You're not taking any more Avengers." Black mist began to roll across his arms. Inessa's eyes went wide, but she couldn't use her own abilities- and what was happening to Steve certainly wasn't her own doing.

"NO!" she screamed as the weight began to lift from her.

"What are you doing?" Steve swung the scythe down but it passed through Inessa's throat. He tossed it aside and put his hands around her neck as if he could squeeze the life from her, but all she felt was cold. Inessa threw all of her power into holding him there, keeping whatever was pulling him at bay. The others were gone, she realized with a start- just gone. Inessa heard Nadya roar and the loud scrapes of her talons against the metal terrified her. Inessa was winning, she was keeping the one Avenger Red Skull wanted more than anyone else!

She was too tired, too weak, and too late. Inessa couldn't pull Steve back, and she couldn't stop the other Shadow from taking him with the others, "I KNOW WHO'S DOING THIS!" she threw all of her power into shielding the room- releasing the black armor in the process, "STEVE, I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON NOW AND I SWEAR TO YOU-" her voice broke and even despite the pain and anger she felt tears fall, "I'M COMING FOR YOU ALL. OK? I. WILL. FIND. YOU. AGAIN!"

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" he shouted, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Even in the end he believed she was his enemy. Steve lunged forward again, tried to hit her, kick her, strike her- anything. Inessa lost her grip on her power and latched instead onto his mind. In an instant he was gone.

She felt him being pulled away and followed his trail as far as the Valley. It vanished into the Bifrost above. Inessa drew back into her own body and began to rock and shake on the floor.

Six years. She had six years to stop this, and all she did was show up in time to see it all destroyed. Her power fell entirely, and Nadya tackled her just in time to sweep both out of the Tower. After all of this, she wasn't about to let the girl die. Not before she and Red Skull had taken all they wanted from her.

Inessa watched the explosion from the building across the street, shielded from the shockwave by her power. She saw something fall from the window of the Tower below the destroyed floors- something the shockwave hit with incredible force. Inessa sent Nadya to save them, whoever they were.

She thought she was numb before, but she was wrong. She was angry before, and sad. Now she was numb. Natasha, Clint, Steve, Thor, Tony, and Banner. The people who saved her, the people who raised her, the only family she ever truly loved- and they were just gone. They could be alive, dead, with Red Skull, with Emilie- anywhere. All because she was short sighted.

How many times had she said she was willing to die to protect her friends? If she had died- would Red Skull still have taken them? Would Emilie have been stopped before Nadya grew strong enough to open doors of her own? Oh God, Inessa watched the Tower burn, I killed them. She saw a streak of red- Sam. Back too late to stop it.

His scream of rage and pain echoed through the streets along with the cries of the Avengers she'd saved. Inessa looked to her side where Nadya appeared, dragging Marie and Amadeus' unconscious forms. "Find Bucky," disgust made her short of breath. All Inessa wanted was to rip the wolf apart, slowly, "NOW!"

It wasn't Inessa who summoned Peter to Niflheim, it was Wanda simply using her identification code. She tried to bring Sam back to one of the facilities, but he camped out in the Tower with those Avengers who were saved the night of the explosion, just in case he missed his chance to kill Inessa. He kept Amadeus and Marie, this time in a more secure room, for added leverage.

Vision recovered Thor's hammer from the rubble, and Steve's shield. He couldn't find Inessa's cave, though, and she refused to heed the calls into shadows that usually brought her running. Two weeks- that was how long it took to make contact.

Inessa agreed to move the couple into her cavern and let them stay there with her- even though it meant Sam's army grew with those members who chose to abandon their facility without a leader to guard.

Heimdall's summons were imminent when Nadya finally signaled that she had caught on to Bucky's scent. Inessa immediately sent Vision to fetch Muhammad- Ouroborous or not it was time for him to send that vision back. It destroyed her life, ruined her chances at stopping the explosion- but without it there wouldn't even be a chance at stopping whatever Red Skull had planned.

Inessa wasn't numb anymore. All she felt was hate, anger, and disgust. It didn't matter that Wanda decided to trust her or that Vision was willing to go along with his wife. She played into Red Skull's plan. She was never meant to save the others- she was meant to be there when they vanished. A month. It took a month to get a lead on Bucky. Red Skull wasn't a patient man- she'd been desperate to start her trip, to save them all and prove to Steve once and for all that she wasn't the enemy- but he probably knew that by now, if he was still alive.

Avengers Tower was gone. Her friends were gone. Wanda's trust was hardly without its doubts and conditions. They came to Inessa because they wanted to believe her- believe that she could find the Avengers leaders and bring them home. The blood tie convinced Wanda, too late, to trust what Inessa had told her all along.

It was plain as day on her face- which was why Wanda vowed to ask only one thing of Bucky before Inessa took him across the galaxy to a fight she hardly had a prayer at winning. Red Skull could die without Inessa shedding a drop of her own blood, they could rescue the Avengers and this hell could have a happy ending- but Inessa didn't intend to come back.

Red Skull broke too much. She'd already decided this was a suicide mission- not because she thought a sacrifice would be needed to assure their victory, but because even if they did win she was through with the pain, the struggle, the uncertainty, anger, fear, rage, fighting, arguing- all of it.

Sex with Bucky wasn't just a display of passion or some kind of stress relief- it was like a final meal for the condemned, just one last bit of light in the darkness. Inessa held him tight and gasped as he moved against her. For him everything was different- they were finally connecting, all secrets between them gone. For her though nothing changed. Bucky was better than she'd hoped- a brilliant and loyal partner in the fight- but the end game was still the same.

Inessa Ryker would die, and 'Project: Echo' would end at last.

Chapter 35: … and Bring an Army

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

the Captain America stories in Tales of Suspense (1959) #68-79

These stories were published across May 1965 to April 1966, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Stan Lee. The story in issue #68 was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Frank Giacoia. The layouts of the stories in issues #69-75 and #77 were drawn by Jack Kirby. The layouts of the story in issue #69 were finished by Dick Ayers. The layouts of the stories in issues #70 and #73-74 were finished by George Tuska. The layouts of the stories in issue #71-72 were pencil finished by George Tuska, but the story in issue #71 was inked by Joe Sinnot, and the story in issue #72 was inked by Wally Wood, George Tuska, and possibly Carl Hubbell. The layouts of the story in issue #75 were pencil finished by Dick Ayers, but were inked by John Tartaglione. The story of issue #76 was drawn by John Romita. The layouts of the story in issue #77 were pencil finished by John Romita, but were inked by Frank Giacoia. And the stories of issues #78-79 were penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Frank Giacoia. All of the stories were 10 pages.

The story in issue #68 finished up the preceding storyline and then was largely a stand-alone story about one of the Red Skull’s special agents interrupting a prisoner transport that Bucky and Steve were assigned to, prompting Steve to change into his Captain America identity, though he tells Bucky to go get help rather than fight alongside him. The stories in issues #69-71 made up a new storyline in which Steve’s unit is sent into combat, which Bucky as the regiment’s teenage mascot wasn’t allowed to go, not even even in costume, but then their base is attacked and Bucky is captured, causing Steve to desert to go rescue him. Issue #72 marked the book’s transition to telling new Captain America stories set in the then-modern day, and also provided the framing that the previous WWII stories were stories that Captain America was telling to the other Avengers. The stories in issue #72-74 was a storyline, which was wrapped up at the beginning of the story in issue #75, about Steve fighting the Red Skull’s Sleepers, which were robots set to wake up and take over the world a convenient 20 years after the Nazi’s defeat, just in time for Steve to be there to stop them.

The story in issue #75 was the first appearance of Sharon Carter. The story begins with Steve being dissatisfied with his place in the world. He reminisces about an unnamed love interest, thinking, “Our lives touched for only a short time- but I’ve never forgotten her! I can still remember our final date- when she whispered to me, thru trembling lips… I’ll wait till you return, Steve! No matter how long- no matter what happens- I’ll wait for you, my darling…! But that was an eternity ago- in the dead past- the forgotten past- the past which will live with me forever!” As he walks through the street, he thinks, “But, there must be more to life than endless combat! Others have found a home- a family- why can’t I? Or, is Steve Rogers destined to walk alone forever- until the final battle- until he walks no more!” Then he passes a young woman and thinks, “That girl! When she walked by, I thought I was in the past again- looking at- her!” And then, “Does she really resemble her so much- or, is my memory just playing tricks-?” Getting a closer look, he thinks, “Her face- her eyes- it can’t be! She would be much older now! And yet- the resemblance is uncanny!”

When Steve confronts Sharon, asking if they’ve met before, she says, “No, I don’t believe we have… Although, when first I saw you, I too felt as though- as though we’ve known each other-!” To this Steve thinks, “She senses it, too! But why? How? It just isn’t possible-! I’ve got to stop thinking this way- clutching at straws whenever I see a girl who looks like- her!” In the story in issue #76, believing that Sharon is in danger, Steve thinks, “Only once before in my life have I beheld a face like that- the same hair- the same form- the same smile!! I’ve got to learn more about her! It’s like the past being reborn again! As though the years have suddenly fallen away and- but no! What can I be thinking of?!! I dare not dream- I dare not hope-! She was lost to me- forever- those long years ago! No matter how much I may hope- or dream- nothing can ever change that!” When he learns that Sharon is alive, but dying, he thinks, “Is this my destiny? To have been given a second chance at life- only to lose everything I ever held dear? First, it was Bucky, the greatest sidekick a man ever had! Then, those many years ago, I can still remember her- promising to wait- no matter how long it might be-! Now- when I thought I had found her reborn- I’ve lost her again! And perhaps this time- it will be- forever!”

The story in issue #77 revealed Steve’s history with Peggy Carter. Notably, at no point in these stories was Peggy or Sharon’s names ever revealed. In the flashback story their respective missions take them to separate places, then Steve becomes desperate when he learns that Peggy has been taken prisoner. When Steve storms the place she was held at, he’s told that she wasn’t ever found after an explosion. Steve doesn’t jump to the conclusion that she’s dead, instead wanting to find her because he thinks she might still need his help. But he’s unable to search for her because of all the other freed soldiers wanting to celebrate with him. He assumes that she’ll seek him out if she’s still in the area, but instead Peggy is just outside the crowd, confused, because the explosion gave her amnesia and she doesn’t remember why everyone else is celebrating. But Peggy presumably did eventually remember Steve because, back in the story in issue #75, after Steve confronted Sharon on if they’d met before, Sharon thought, “I almost made a fool of myself! Sis had told me so often of the boy she knew in World War Two- But, he’d be much older by now! It couldn’t have been him! What would he have thought if I asked him- ‘Is your name Steve Rogers!’” In the story in issue #77, in the the present day, Steve thinks, “After all these years… I still don’t know… if she’s dead or alive! I still don’t ever know what became of her…!”

In the story in issue #78 Steve finally reunites with Nick Fury, who gives him a S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. In the story in issue #79 Steve has to fight the Red Skull, who, it turns out, was coincidentally also in suspended animation for 20 years.

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes (1963) #7-10

These issues were published across March 1964 to July 1964, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Stan Lee. Issue #7 was penciled by Jack Kirby and issues #8-19 were penciled by Dick Ayers. All were inked by George Roussos.

Sgt. Fury #7 reveals to us our first bits of Nick Fury’s backstory. A man that Nick grew up with says, “You might say that Fury was from the other side of the tracks! And he didn’t work any more than he had to! Even when he did have a job, it never lasted too long! He was always getting into some scrape or other! I had a few run-ins with him myself! Nothing serious, but we never liked each other!” As this is said we see Nick playing pool with a group of guys, Nick getting into a fight at a factory, and Nick getting into an argument at a dance. Another character witness for Nick is chaplain Lewis Hargrove, who Nick calls “padre.” He says, “He was a wild boy when I first met him, always in trouble! Then I learned he had no family! He was an orphan! But he became a close friend of another boy in my parish… I watched those two lads grow up together; saw them become worthwhile young men! They learned the meaning of decency; fair play! Yes, they were rough- but they were clean! They were honest! Fury’s young friend had been a problem boy, headed for trouble! It was Nick Fury’s influence that saved him, that turned him into a fine young man!” As this is said we see Nick singing in a church choir and Nick participating in an organized boxing match. It is also revealed that that friend was the Chaplain’s brother and that he was killed at Pearl Harbor, which is what motivated Nick to become a Commando. I thought of that reveal again when, in Sgt. Fury #10, Gabe comments on the beauty of their view of the ocean from a plane, while on their way to a mission, and Nick dismisses him with, “You’ve seen one ocean, you’ve seen ‘em all!!”

In Sgt. Fury #8 a new Commando joins the group, a replacement for Junior Juniper, who died in Sgt. Fury #4. His name is Percy Pinkerton and his gimmick is that he’s a British gentleman that’s always carrying an umbrella, but he gets along surprisingly well with the group because he’s brave enough to be a Howling Commando and because he’s confident enough in himself to handle the inevitable teasing he gets from other soldiers on his own. Though he gets into some conflict with Nick in Sgt. Fury #9 because Nick’s posh girlfriend Pamela Hawley likes Percy’s gentlemanly ways better than Nick’s rough-and-tumble ways.

New Avengers (2005) #47-64 and Annual #3 and Free Comic Book Day: Avengers (2009) #1 and New Avengers: The Reunion (2009) #1 and Dark Reign: The List - Avengers (2009) #1 and New Avengers Final (2010) #1

These issues were published across December 2008 to May 2010, according to the Marvel Wiki. Everything, except for New Avengers: The Reunion #1, was written by Brian Michael Bendis. Issue #47 was partially penciled by Billy Tan and inked by Matt Banning, and partially drawn by Michael Gaydos. Issues #48-49 and #53-54 were penciled by Billy Tan and inked by Matt Banning. Issue #50 was penciled by Billy Tan and inked by Matt Banning, along with guest artists: Bryan Hitch, David Aja, Michael Gaydos, David López, Alex Maleev, penciler Steve McNiven and inker Dexter Vines, penciler Leinil Francis Yu and inker Mark Morales, Steve Epting, and Greg Horn. Issues #51-52 were partially penciled by Billy Tan and inked by Matt Banning, and partially penciled by Chris Bachalo and inked by Tim Townsend. Issues #55-60 were penciled by Stuart Immonen and inked by Wade von Grawbadger. Issues #61-62 were partially penciled by Stuart Immonen and inked by Wade von Grawbadger, and partially drawn by David Acuña. Issues #63-64 were drawn by Mike McKone. The Annual was drawn by Mike Mayhew. The Free Comic Book Day issue was penciled by Jim Cheung and inked by Mark Morales. The New Avengers: The Reunion issue was written by Jim McCann, penciled by David López, and inked by Alvaro López. The Dark Reign: The List - Avengers issue was penciled by Marko Djurdjevic and inked by Mark Morales. And New Avengers Final #1 was penciled by Bryan Hitch with Stuart Immonen and inked by Butch Guice with Andrew Currie and Karl Story, along with guest artists: penciler David Finch and inker Danny Miki, penciler Steve McNiven and inker Mark Morales, penciler Oliver Coipel and inker John Dell, penciler Mike Deodata and inker Joe Pimental, penciler Billy Tan and inker Matt Banning, penciler Leinil Francis Yu and inker Mark Morales, and penciler Oliver Coipel and inker Mark Morales.

I finally read through Bucky’s time on the Avengers when he was Captain America. I had previously read New Avengers (2005) #5-6 and Annual #1 for Yelena Belova, which were all also written by Brian Michael Bendis, and not thought much of the writing, so I expected to only skim through these issues for Bucky, but I actually enjoyed them and was really engaged with them, even the parts completely unrelated to Bucky.

I also liked what I saw of Whitney Frost’s relationship with fellow villain Parker Robbins, the Hood, and of her dynamic with her father. Where I’m in Iron Man (1968) right now, she’s quit being a villain and is openly dating Iron Man, though I was already aware that that wasn’t going to last and that she was inevitably going to become a villain again. She hasn’t yet interacted with her father in the present in the book, just referred to him negatively when explaining her backstory. In issue #53 of this book we see that Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, is on bad terms with Patsy Walker, the Hellcat, who is referred to as his ex-wife. Where I’m at in The Defenders (1972) it has been revealed that Patsy and Diamon are half-siblings and that he is in love with her, and then it was suggested that the reveal that they were related could have been a lie, and from this it looks like that that is the direction the book is going to go. As an aside, it was strange to me to see Valkyrie casually date a man in Secret Avengers (2010) when her characterization in what I’ve read of The Defenders (1972) so far doesn’t make that seem like something she would be interested in at all.

Avengers (2010) #1-6 and New Avengers (2010) #1

These issues were published across May 2010 to October 2010, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Brian Michael Bendis. All of the Avengers issues were penciled by John Romita Jr.. And all were inked by Klaus Janson, except that Tom Palmer assisted with the inking of issues #5-6. And the New Avengers issue was penciled by Stuart Immonen and inked by Wade von Grawbadger.

I also enjoyed Brian Michael Bendis’ writing here and the plot of the arc in Avengers (2010) with the future children of the Avengers in an apocalyptic world and their conflict with the unstable Kang the Conqueror. These issues didn’t get too deep into Bucky’s character or anything, but I was struck by how casual his relationship with Tony was while it seems that Tony and Steve are still on rocky terms because of their Civil War conflict.

Captain America and Falcon (2011) #1

This issue was published in March 2011, according to the Marvel Wiki. It was written by Rob Williams and drawn by Rebekah Isaacs.

I apparently don’t know very much about Falcon because I was very surprised by the portrayal of his background in this issue. So far with this character I have enjoyed his dynamic with Bucky when he was Captain America and I’m intrigued by his ability to communicate with birds. But I am looking forward to learning more about his original relationship with Steve to create a better understanding of him to work with when thinking about his modern day portrayal and relationships.

Timely Publications:

the Jimmy Jupiter story in Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #42

This story was published in April 1943, according to the issue cover date. The story is signed as by Eddie Robbins, according to his Who’s Who page he only penciled the Jimmy Jupiter stories. This story was 6 pages.

This was a charming story that brought back Mr. Whump Jump, the non-fire breathing dragon, and Roughie Rabbit, the abrasive talking bunny. The two of them visit Jimmy in the real world just as he’s going to bed and they all go on a little adventure to stop thieves from stealing Jimmy’s family’s car tires (this was in the time of tire rationing), but in the morning when Jimmy tells his parents about it, they take that the tires are still there as that the crime never happened and Jimmy only dreamed it.

DC Comics:

Dr. Fate (1988) #1-2

These issues were published across October 1988 to November 1988, according to the Grand Comics Database. Both were written by J. M. DeMatteis, penciled by Shawn McManus, and inked by Mark McKenna.

I really wanted to like this series since the book that it’s following up, Dr. Fate (1987), was so well-executed, and the premise behind the main characters seems like something that should appeal to me, but the most compelling part of these two issues, for me, was just the part of recap of the preceding miniseries where Eric says, of being a child that was magically transformed into an adult, “I felt like I’d come home.” A book about a couple that fuses together to form a superhero, which is made up of a 10-year-old child that’s recently been magically transformed into an adult and his stepmother that was in love with him prior to his transformation and now feels that since he’s in an adult body it’s ok for them to be together, should be compelling. But, so far, it’s not. In Dr. Fate (1987) #4 we saw Linda try to kiss Eric and him reject that, saying that he’s not ready for that. In Dr. Fate (1988) #1 he thinks, of Linda, “I love her so much. Trust her more than anybody in the world. But the way she acts sometimes… It confuses me. Scares me. She thinks that, just because I’m in an adult body now, that we can be-” Besides the fact that this is a bit congruous to me of how Eric was portrayed in Dr. Fate (1987), where he seemed to ultimately accept himself as an adult and not think of himself as a child anymore, with his brief discomfort with Linda the only crack in that image, the way Linda acts towards Eric is not actually written in an interesting way. Similarly, the conflict on Linda’s end is that she’s somehow not convinced of Dr. Fate being a Lord of Order and all the magical stuff that that entails, which is inherently not interesting because it ultimately amounts to her just briefly thinking that she’s not really sure that what she’s personally experiencing is real, but it also comes across strangely because of how striking it was to me in Dr. Fate (1987) how readily she accepted the situation, which was fortuitous for her because it justified a relationship she wanted. There’s also the sentiment that Eric once seemed like an old soul in a young body, but now that he’s physically an adult he seems like a “helpless little child,” which could be interesting, particularly with him being out-of-depth with philosophical ideas raised by their magical conflicts, but instead the ways in which Eric is written that are meant to be taken as him acting like a kid aren’t convincing to me.

There’s also apparently conflict between Eric and Linda when they are fused together. In Dr. Fate (1988) #1 we initially see Dr. Fate speaking in such a way where he uses phrases like “whence they came,” which we are told comes from Eric and that Linda doesn’t like that. And then in Dr. Fate (1988) #2 we see Dr. Fate become entranced and nearly trapped in a beautiful part of the sub-astral plane and learn after the fact, from Eric, that that was the result of Linda “controlling Fate’s personality” and that, “Your consciousness was pushing mine out of the way!” I think that this would work better if we could get some sense in the Dr. Fate scenes themselves of these conflicts, either from some confusion in internal monologue or if we had a stronger sense of the differences between the characters and could recognize ourselves what comes from who, not learn about it afterwards when the characters talk about it.

This is not even getting into that the approach to Nabu’s characterization is the most boring possible approach. Dr. Fate (1987) emphasized how much Nabu had stolen from the previous Dr. Fate, Kent Nelson. The book ends with the passage of the mantle to Eric and Linda and then Kent finally being allowed to die, only for it to be revealed that Nabu has taken over Kent’s corpse and will be mentoring the new Dr. Fate and wants to be called Kent now. This repeats how Nabu was actually the identity of the previous vessel, but it’s supposed to be a little different now because he’s since rejected the doctrine of the Lords of Order. Nabu is supposed to be learning about being human for the first time, but he frankly comes across as the most human character in this book. There’s no dark undertone to his mentoring, he’s just kind of casual about it. And the complicated emotions that should be caused by Nabu taking over Kent’s body and name just aren’t there because all it amounts to is petty correcting whenever he’s called Nabu.

Supergirl (1996) #10-12

These issues were published across April 1997 to June 1997, according to the Grand Comics Database. All were written by Peter David. Issue #10 was penciled by Leonard Kirk and inked by Chuck Drost. Issues #11-12 were penciled by Greg Land and inked by Prentis Rollins.

Where we’d left off in issue #9, our main character had gone through the experience of believing that Linda Danvers’ parents had been killed and in her anger wanted to kill the person responsible, and she took from that that she wasn’t truly Mae, the previous Supergirl before the merging, who is just referred to in this book as Supergirl, but Linda Danvers, thinking, “To hell with Supergirl. Supergirl died with the Danverses. I’m Linda Danvers. Linda, who died in flames, reborn in flames. I know evil. I was evil. And I know the only thing that evil understands. Punishment… Punishment and death.” During the fight, Supergirl got injured in a way her psi-defenses should have stopped, prompting the response, “Did I… allow it… as if I need the final pain to drive me forward… to do what my soul screams to do…” Then Linda Danvers appeared, pushing back again Mae’s newfound negative view of the world, which is like how Linda used to see things, saying, “I was wrong… I… I’ve seen the world through your eyes… seen so much… seen what you aspire to… what humanity aspires to…” In the end Mae hesitated, with Linda’s presence saying, “Supergirl… don’t,” and Buzz asked, “Is this what you want, angel? When all’s said and done? It’s my way, sure… and it was Linda’s way… except maybe it’s not, anymore… which makes you the swing vote… as in whether to swing that fist or not. Do you make Linda’s way yours…or your way hers? Here and now, angel, you’ll finally, truly become one. The only question is: One what?”

In these issues Supergirl fights a villain that can kill you if she knows your name, which is a problem because that Supergirl’s name is Supergirl is pretty obvious. Yet, the villain’s attack in issue #12 doesn’t kill her. This reminds her of Buzz’s question and makes her exclaim, “I’m… I’m real… I’m definitely, no-two-ways real! A real girl! […] I’m me! The other person is me! I didn’t completely believe it or understand it… but now I do! We’re alive and real! As real as you!” Then she thinks that the attack “would have killed me… if I’d only been Supergirl. But I’m just as much Linda as Supergirl now, not simply one wearing the shell of the other. It’s not like Clark effecting a change by swapping suits. I really am Linda now.”

Superman (2023) #9

This issue was published in December 2023. It was written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Bruno Redondo.

I’m reading this book for Lena Luthor and the someday-upcoming Brainiac storyline I assume connects to her. The only development with that is that she’s gotten a job at Supercorp (previously known as Lexcorp) and is using the opportunity to ask as-of-yet-unrevealed questions to the AI based on her father that’s there, which Lex made, inspired by the AI of Clark’s Kryptonian father, to mess with Clark. Although Clark getting sent to the past and becoming a cowboy is charming.

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #83-84 and Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #70-71 and The Marvel Family (1945) #9-10

In this batch of 12 Captain Marvel stories I went from March 1947 to April 1947, according to the issue cover dates. These stories ranged from 7 to 13 pages, with the exception of the story in The Marvel Family #10, which took up the entire issue.

The story “Captain Marvel and the Unlikely Villain” (writer unknown; drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #70 reminded me of the story “Captain Marvel in Trouble with Mr. Double” (written by Otto Binder; possibly drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #37. In the later story Billy sees a pair of conjoined twins in public and exclaims, “Holy moley! Who are you? Is the freak show in town?” Ike says, “Freak show? Don’t say those hated words to us! We used to be billed as Mr. Double- Mike and Ike Double- and stared at like monkeys!” Mike says, “We hated it! We ought to slap that sassy brat’s mouth!” Captain Marvel comes to Billy’s defense, then thinks, “What’s he up to? If he left the freak show, how is he making a living? It’s not easy for a freak to get a job. I almost feel sorry for him… And yet he may make trouble!” The twins aren’t able to get hired for any non-freak show jobs, then hear Billy say on his radio show, “First of all, the sensational twin-headed man, Mr. Double, has quit his freak show! I hate to be unkind, but I think he belongs back there.” This, of course, infuriates Mike and Ike, but in the end Captain Marvel gets them a job at a help desk at Union Station, where they can help multiple customers at once.

In the former story we are introduced in the beginning to John Doe, depicted as a handsome blonde white man: “Certainly you’ve never seen a man whose honesty and good will spoke out so clearly from his appearances… Here is a man who would never harm anyone. A fellow you would be proud to call your friend. Yes, indeed John Doe is a man who inspires trust and confidence wherever he goes…” We then see John Doe attempt to rob a bank. When Captain Marvel catches him, he says, “You crook! I’ll… Holy Moley! You don’t look like a thief!” John Doe is then able to say that the only other man in a bank- who has black hair, thick eyebrows, and less pleasant features- was the actual bank robber. Ultimately the police decide it was the dark-haired man, and Captain Marvel says, “This was an easy case! I never saw anyone who looked more guilty than that fellow!” Billy is later visited by the imprisoned innocent man’s pretty sister, who tells Billy that her brother is innocent. Billy goes to investigate John Doe, but the second he sees the man he backtracks and ends the conversation, thinking as he walks away, “John Doe is an honest fellow if I ever saw one! I never should have listened to that girl! Her brother must be guilty!” In the end the truth is revealed, and in Billy’s closing radio broadcast, he says, “So you see, folks, everyone doesn’t have to look like Dr. Sivana to be a villain! It’s true that you can’t judge a man by his appearance- only by his deeds can you find out his true character!”

The story “Captain Marvel Traps a Sleepwalker” (written by Bill Woolfolk; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #71 was very cute. In the beginning Billy finishes typing up a radio script near midnight, then transforms into Captain Marvel so that he can take it to Station Whiz. Cap complains, saying, “Sometimes I think Billy takes advantage of me! I don’t mind doing important work… but he calls me to run all his errands too!” Captain Marvel then works throughout the night, having “caught 7 bank robbers, solved 3 murders, and broke up a country-wide counterfeiting ring” before going to sleep for a bit before Billy had to go to work, with his last thought being that he hopes Billy knows that the radio script is in his office safe and not his desk. But when Billy goes to work in the morning, his script is not in his safe, and in the end it’s revealed that Captain Marvel was so worried about Billy’s scripts he sleepwalked to the office and moved the script into Billy’s desk. This is in despite of the fact that he had been complaining about Billy having him do this errand in the first place.

The story “Captain Marvel and the End of the World” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #71 was very strange. In it Billy is supposed to interview a man, believed to be a crackpot, who has predicted the end of the world due to atomic power, a man who decides that Billy is too young to die and kidnaps him to take him off-world in his spaceship so that they can both survive. But the ship then crashes back to the Earth. Captain Marvel and the man then go on an adventure to try to save the world, but they don’t succeed and the whole planet is destroyed, with Captain Marvel being the sole survivor due to his powers. Captain Marvel is devastated and says, “Holy moley! The Earth I knew is gone… wiped out! All of my friends! All of America! All of Europe and Asia! There’s not a soul left alive from Earth… except me! This is the most horrible moment of my life!” Then Captain Marvel notices the Earth a ways away in space. He flies back home and realizes that they had crash-landed on another, similar planet. In his closing broadcast Billy say, “Astronomers report that a heavenly body mysteriously blew up today, out in space! They give no reason. But we’re all glad it was a world out in space that exploded and not our own earth as Joachim Jybber predicted!” I was surprised by the casual tone. This story reminded me of another story, “Captain Marvel and the Atomic War” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C. C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #66, that also had the premise of Captain Marvel being the sole survivor of the atomic destruction of Earth, though that story was revealed in the end to be a fictional story that Billy was telling for the propaganda purpose of teaching people the lesson that “we’d all better learn to live and get along- one nation with all other nations and one person with all other persons- so that the terrible atomic war will never occur!”