Chapter 1
Captain America is outside the door of the Building's 20th floor. He would usually just break the door and go in and detain the criminal. But this is a hostage situation. He knocks at the door not wanting to cause the guy to panic and do anything stupid.
“Who is it?” An unknown female voice comes from the back of the door.
“This is Captain America.”
The door opens and Steve puts his shield up. Without any explanation a lady runs out the door and down the stairs.
Confused, Steve steps inside and sees a man holding a guy at gun point. He has long hair and some kind of face mask. But the most interesting part of him is his prosthetic left arm. Makes him look part cyborg. Steve looks around and spots 5 more hostages on the ground. None seemed to be restrained in any way, but there is a guy with a wired metallic thing on him.
“I was hoping for Homelander but you will do.” The man states.
“Why are you doing this?” Steve asks, still holding his shield up.
“Justice.” The man simply says.
“You wanted justice by killing people? That’s some real justice.”
“Look around. I haven’t killed anyone. I just wanted to lure you and everyone else from the Seven here. You’re all going to pay for what you did.”
“In the 911 call we got the lady said you killed people and she was next if they didn’t send someone for the Seven.”
“I told her to say that. She was the woman that just ran past you.”
“Look, let's just talk then. I’m going to put my shield down okay. If you’re an innocent man just let them go. Okay?”
“Okay, drop your shield first.”
“I will but you have to promise you won’t shoot them after I do.” Steve isn’t too worried that the guy will shoot him. The bullets won’t do much against a man like Captain America. They will hurt sure but nothing fatal. He is more concerned about the death of innocent civilians.
“Cross my heart.”
Steve slowly puts his shield on the ground.
The man points his gun at one of the male hostages on the floor, “You, bring me his shield.”
The guy gets up and slowly walks towards Steve. Once in front of him he stares at Captain America unsure if he should touch the shield. Steve nods, giving him permission. The guy lifts it up and takes it to the guy pointing the gun. He places the shield on the floor next to the armed man.
“You can leave now.” The armed man tells him.
The hostage does. Running out the door.
“Okay now what do I do for you to let the rest go.”
“You see that guy over there?” The guy points at the man closer to him. “I strapped him with enough explosives to at least kill everyone in here. But don’t worry you will be able to survive the explosion.”
Steve puts his hands up. “Okay I see your point. Now how do I get you to not do that?”
“On your knees.”
Steve gets on his knees. “Now what?”
Without warning the man just starts firing bullets at Steve. The first two bullets hit him but then he starts to move and dodge the rest.
“What the fuck!?!?” Steve shouts once he is outside the door in a safe place. “Why did you do that!?!?”
“Oh come on. Bullets don’t do anything to your kind. Now get back inside with your hands up.”
“Just let them go!”
“If you come back and let me tickle your chest with my bullets I will let one more hostage go.”
Steve looks at his Captain America suit. Two small dots where the two bullets hit. The guy is correct the bullets aren’t fatal to him but they still hurt like hell.
“Now! Or I shoot them right here and now.”
Steve puts his hands up and walks towards the armed men.
“Now, I’m going to shoot you on the chest until I empty my clip. If you dodge any of the bullets I will shoot him right here.” The man points his gun to the hostage his had on his arm the whole time, “Understand?”
“Yes.”
The man redirects his gun towards Steve. He aims the gun at Captain America’s chest and starts to shoot. Captain America takes every bullet like a champ. “Fuck.” He huffs out with his teeth together. He stands still until the last bullet.
“Wow, Let's do that again.” The man goes to reload his gun.
That provides Steve an opening. With some pain in the chest he runs up to the armed man. The guy lets go of the hostage and they start to fight. But it’s not as easy as he thinks. The guy clearly knows how to fight hand to hand combat. And the prosthetic arm seems to be giving him strength. But at the end of the day he is Captain America.
Steve manages to lift the guy up and throw him against the wall.
The guy quickly gets up with a device in his hands. “Don’t get any closer.”
Steve looks at the device and assumes it’s some kind of leverage.
“This will blow up the whole place.” Steve was right. “Now I will walk away and if I see you chasing me I will blow them all up. So ask yourself. What’s more important to you? Stopping me or saving them?” The guy says nothing else. He starts to run out the door.
Steve looks at the guy with a bomb strapped to his torso. He knows he has to save them. He lets the guy escape and goes to remove the bomb. He looks at the bomb unsure of how to stop it. All he finds is a 20 minute timer on it that is counting down.
“He said you just have to rip it open.” The man tells him.
Steve doesn’t know if that is right. Breaking it open could set it off. He could wait for a bomb squad to disarm it but the guy could just be waiting to get out the building before setting it off. With no other option he closes his eyes and breaks the metal gear.
Nothing happens.
Steve runs with it to the roof.
—------------
“Why the hell didn’t you just kill him?” Homelander asks. He just came back from flying to the middle of ocean to drop the bomb.
“He wasn’t a real threat. I could have handled him if he didn't have the bomb.”
“Well you did a great job at handling him.” Homelander crosses his arm, “Did you at least see anything that can help the people working the cameras identify him?”
Steve thinks about the metal arm. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a guy with a missing arm. “No”
Homelander huffs, “I’ll tell Henry. He will know what to do. Interview the hostages and ask them if they noticed anything that can help us locate the lunatic.”
“I’ll find him myself. Tell the team not to worry. He is mine.”
“Whatever.” Homelander says before flying off.
Steve knows how to find the man. He wants to do it himself because god knows what Homelander would do. And something was off about the whole hostage situation and he wants to find out what.
—----------
Thanks to the team working the cameras Steve was able to find where Mr. James Buchanan Barnes lives.
The outside of the house looks plain. Grass a bit overgrown and nothing on the front porch. Not even a welcome mat. This definitely looks like a place where someone would hide. Steve thinks to himself.
Steve breaks the door knob with his strength. He quietly enters the house. It’s empty, no furniture. Not even a single TV. He continues to look around. The kitchen is just as empty. No plates or kitchen utensils. It doesn’t look lived in.
He enters every room. Each one just as empty as the next. Not even a bed. Nothing. Abandon. Deserted. He thinks he got the wrong address for a second.
The basement is the last room to check. Once he tries the door knob he feels the lock. Bingo. Again he uses his super strength to break the door knob. With the door knob broken he tries to push the door open. But it doesn't. Using his strength he pushes the door until it breaks.
It’s pitch black so he has to take his phone out. Using his phone light he find a light switch to the basement. The lights work so someone is definitely paying the light bill for this location.
He carefully steps down the stairs.
—------------
James is looking back at the camera footage. There is nothing he can use to bring down The Seven. Captain America did everything correctly. He got on his knees when he asked him to. Captain America even let him shoot him in the chest. He got him when he was distracted putting bullets. No one died. He is beyond shocked how professional the man was.
Him and the ‘hostages’ were ready to die to prove how the Seven really ‘save’ people. The hostages were family members of innocent people who had died at the hands of The Sevens' use of excessive force.
But in the end the women secretly recording got nothing. The camera even showed how Captain America chose to let him go in order to save everyone else. As he is reviewing the footage he hears a loud noise upstairs.
He turns his camera off and starts to pay attention. He can definitely hear someone walking around the house. No one in his team is supposed to be at this location. Not only is the door locked but they would text if they were coming.
James turns the basement light off. With his phone light he moves to the computer and starts to wipe everything. He clicks the app the guy told him to. After typing the password the screen shows a bar filling up. since he performs this action everyday the bar fills up in seconds. He then turns off the computer.
He takes his gun out and waits downstairs. Eventually he hears the door breaking. Then spots Captain America turning the light on and walking downstairs.
With no other option he pulls his gun out. “Don’t fucking move.”
Steve turns around putting his shield up to block himself. He sees the guy with the robotic arm pointing a gun directly at his face. But this time he has no hostages to hide behind.
“Put your gun down.” Steve starts to walk towards him.
“How did you find me?”
“There’s not many men with a left prosthetic arm. Ages 25 to 35. Even less in this city. And cutting your hair won’t do you any favors when you have a metal arm.”
“Don’t step any closer.”
“You are under arrest. And there is nothing you can say that will change that. I will not drop my shield . Not that I even need it to bring down a simple lowlife like you.” Steve Says as he takes another step towards the man.
“Compound V.” James smirks.
Steve' face changes in a split second. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Steve lies unconvincingly.
“Okay so you don’t care if I share all the information I have with the world.”
“How do you know about it?”
“Drop your shield.” James ignores his question.
Hoping that playing nice will help him get answers he lowers his shield. Plus the bullets won’t do much against him.
“Now kick it to me.”.
“Okay, Now tell me how do you know about compound V?”
“Get on your knees.” James orders.
“What?”
“Get on your knees.”
Again finding himself in this position Steve does what he is told. Not because he is in any physical danger. The only real danger is the man releasing the information about compound V.
“James, listen.”
“How do you know my name? Never mind if you found where I stay, that means you probably know everything." James starts to pack the few objects he has on the box.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing everything up. Now that you know about this location I have to find a new place.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone about your hideout.”
“Oh in that case I can sleep peacefully.” James says while still packing up. It's mostly just pictures he has kept and a few electronics.
“No one knows I’m here. So let's just talk. Just tell me how you know about compound V.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” James says while grabbing another box and putting more stuff in it. Although he doesn’t have much but he still manages to fill both boxes.
“Yes I would actually like to know. Have you told anyone else about it?”
“Stay here.” James puts the gun on top of one the box and starts getting up the stairs.
“I’m not just going to do whatever you want and not get any answers in return.”
“If you stay here and don’t touch anything I will answer one of your questions. If you're not on your knees by the time I come back to get the second box you will just have to kill me. And then everyone will know your secret.”
James goes up the stairs hoping what Captain America will follow orders. He rushes to the garage and opens the car door. He takes the gun from the box and goes back to the basement. A little surprised he finds Captain America still on his knees.
“You know I can’t let you just leave.” Steve tells him.
“Are you going to kill me then? Kill me if I don’t tell you anything. Or wait till I tell you everything and then still kill me. I expected nothing less from your sup kind.”
“I would never do that.”
“You know how many civilians have died at the hands of the seven?”
“We’ve saved thousands of people. I’ve saved thousands of people. You tried to kill 7 people today.”
“And do you know how many people have lost their lives in the crossfire? No? Me either I had to stop looking at articles that mind you were extremely hard to find. But they showed me everything once I lost my arm.”
“Who’s they? Who are you working for?”
James is done with the conversation. He lifts his gun and aims at Steve's head pulling the trigger. He shoots him a couple of times, making Steve fall to the ground. “This won’t kill you but it should give me a bit of a head start.”
James then lifts his gun and shoots at the computer and monitor. The computer was already wiped clean, but it’s always better to be safe.
He runs upstairs and into his car. He never realized how long it takes for the garage door to open. But he drives off before the garage door is even done opening.
He is not even out the driveway when he sees the front door to the house open. Captain America comes running out. Those bullets didn't do shit. He starts to speed up. Steve is running fast and he looks pissed.
James sees the stop sign. He isn’t going to stop but he needs to slow down to make the turn. That gives Steve enough time to jump into the back of the truck. James feels the car shake. What the fuck does he do? He can’t go to the safe place with Captain America in the back of his truck. He does the only thing he can do. He hits the breaks.