Life Doesn't Discriminate

The first thing Dr. Strange was aware of was a pounding in his head, and the feeling of drifting. He tried to open his eyes, but found that his eyelids were too heavy. Even if he could open his eyes, he probably would have just shut them again. That light seemed awfully bright, and that was with his eyes closed. The next thing he noticed was an annoying tapping sound That seemed to be only a few feet away. He groaned in frustration as the tapping reverberated through his mind and was relieved when it stopped instantly.
“Strange?” a vaguely familiar voice asked.
“Hrm,” Stephen replied. He finally forced his eyes open to find that Tony Stark was sitting next to him, and that the tapping sound had been his foot hitting the chair. “Tony,” he stated. He tried to shift, but immediately cried out in pain. Tony immediately held him down and glared at him with an ‘are you actually that stupid’ expression on his face.
“Really, you just woke up from almost dying, and the first thing you do is try and break your stitches? What kind of doctor are you!” Tony huffed, glowering at Strange.
“Almost died… what happened?”
“You were portaling into the city to get stragglers, ad you were hit by shrapnel from a Nemea explosive. You came here and blacked out so we had Banner and Shuri try to fix the damage, but your still gonna want to go to a hospital after this is all done,” Tony explained.
“Nemea’s watching all the hospitals?” Strange guessed. Tony nodded sharpley and began pacing slowly.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“Fighting. Bucky snuck out and is in communication with Hope. We’re not sure what he’s doing, but we need to make sure Steve doesn’t find out he’s in danger. Peter and Mindy snuck out as well, and countless people are currently lying dead in Queens. I should be out there.”
“Than go, I can handle the lab,” Strange instructed. Tony looked at him as if trying to assess if Strange was high on pain medication before hitting his chest once to activate his nano tech suit.
“If a single thing is out of place, your going to be thrown out a window,” Tony warned as he headed out of the lab and took off into the sky.

Bucky stared at the file in his hands. Friedrich Alert. That was the leader of Nemea. The picture showed a powerful looking man with a stern expression and reddish brown hair. Bucky guessed he was around 5.9 and strong. It didn’t matter though, because Bucky was on a mission. And if he knew how to do one thing, it was complete a mission.
He ran through the broken city and tried to ignore the yawning pit of guilt at the thought of leaving Steve and the others to fight off Nemea alone. He had to do this. It was his responsibility. From what Hope had managed to put together, Bucky could guess that Friedrich was in a library a little ways away from the main battle, but close enough to see the chaus that was unfolding. It made sense, Bucky mused. Nemea had always prized knowledge.
Bucky turned a corner and shot down two Nemea soldiers and immediately pressed himself against a wall, listening. He heard the footsteps of a least thirty people, all of whom had the stiff steps of trained military men. More Nemea agents. He shot a quick message to Hope before finding the fastest way around the agents as possible. He could easily take them, but he didn’t want to alert Friedrich to his presence. Not until it was time to fight.

“About Time!” Rhodey yelled when he saw Tony approaching the fight through the clouds of ash and smoke that filled the sky.
“Better late than never,” Tony replied. “Hey, where’s the kid?”
“H-here, Mr. Stark,” Came Peter’s nervous reply.
“Yeah, you’re dead when we get back. You are never seeing that suit again. Ever. I’m going to melt it down and turn it into a padlock for your window,” Tony said as he blasted the engines off of one helicopter.
“But Mr. Stark I had-”
“Don’t wanna hear it, kid, really not in the mood.”
“Yes Mr. Stark,” Came the resigned reply.
“Hey Stark, is Strange awake? “Steve asked. He sounded exhausted from all the fighting and was having trouble destroying the ship he was working on.
“Yup, he’s manning the lab,” Tony replied, tossing Steve a couple grenades to help take down the chopper.
“What about Bucky, how’s he?”
“Fine, Bucky’s fine, he’s all good,” Tony rambled, seemingly distracted by some incoming lazors. “Wanda, can you direct those things somewhere else?” he asked in annoyance.
“I’m sorry, but I’m kind of running out of options here!” she replied angrily. Tony realised that she was right. It seemed nearly impossible for her to direct the blasts anywhere without endangering a member of the team.
“Vision, help her direct those,” Tony ordered. The newly arrived fighter nodded and began blasting paths for Wanda to aim the redirected lazors down with the soul stone. Tony was about to jump to another chopper when suddenly Hope popped up beside him.
“Stark, there’s more ground troops. About thirty. White Wolf told me,” she said in explanations.
“What! Where?”
“By now they’re probably almost below us. I’d suggest sending Spider-ling and the stone girl,” Hope said, gesturing ot Peter and Palmarious.
“Thanks,” Tony said before activating his comn.
“Peter, Mindy, there are about thirty agents below us. I need you to take care of them.
“Wow, really?” Peter said, clearly excited and nervous to be chosen for such an important mission.
“Yeah, don’t screw it up,” Tony ordered.
“Why would we screw something up on purpose?” Palmarious asked, grabbing Peter and heading off towards the ground. Tony sighed. He was starting to see wy Pepper had started calling Mindy ‘minnie him’.
“You sure that was a good idea, Tony? I mean, they’re kids,” Same said.
“You’re welcome to join them, but last I checked we need air support,” Tony snapped back.
“Okay, okay, just saying,” Sam replied in surrender.
“I’ll help them,” T’Challa said over the comn. Tony mentally sighed in relief. At least they’d have someone with experience with them.

Bucky watched the library from the shadows of a half destroyed building. He could see slight movement on the second floor, but he could already tell that it wasn’t Friedrich. Friedrich was smart, he wouldn’t walk past a window so obviously. That meant that he probably had guards, or possibly scientists with him in the library. Bucky looked through his sight at the window and could see three scientists inside, all of which were wearing Nemea uniforms, and were grinning broadly over something they’d just accomplished. Three bullets later, they were gone.
Bucky hurried across the street and entered the library through a window into the children's section. HE found himself surrounded by Dr. Seuss books and plush resting on bean bag chairs. Swiftly, he made his way through the maze of shelves. He couldn’t hear anything, but he knew better than to think that Friedrich wasn’t there. Just as he knew that Friedrich knew better than to think Bucy wasn’t there.
By now the scientists had probably been discovered, and so his position would be revealed. Perhaps it would draw back some of Nemea’s troops and make it easier for Steve and the others to deal with.
“Soldier, drop your weapon,” a harsh, cruel voice ordered. Bucky froze, unsure what to do all of the sudden. He had never heard the voice before, yet if sounded so familiar. It dripped authority and power and gave no emotion away at all. It was the vice of an Alert.
Bucky turned slowly to face Friedrich Alert, who was standing seemingly unarmed at the end of the isle.
“What are you doing in New York,” Bucky demanded, keeping his weapon clutched in his hands.
“Righting a few wrongs,” Friedrich replied. “I really don't’ see why you insist on clutching that gun so close to your chest. What kind of civil conversation involves weapons?”
“None, but this is not a civil conversation, is it?” Bucky asked. Friedrich signed and held out his hands in a ‘whatcha gonna do’ position.
“I suppose your right, as you so often are. I take it you came to kill me? I mean, why else waste so much of your time?” Bucky said nothing, only turned the safety off of his gun. Friedrich chuckled, a deep, frightening sound.
“So the wolf has finally broken his chaines, eh? Let’s see how long that lasts. You will always be ours, either you like it or not.
“Steve is beating your fleet,” Bucky interrupted, not wanting to hear any more.
“Yes, and my sources say that Peter Parker and the bearer of the stones along with the King of Wakanda are destroying my men on the ground,” Friedrich agreed. He didn’t seem all that worried about that, though. He seemed quite calm.
“You don’t care if you die,” Bucky realised. “Nemea is dead, and you know it.” Friedrich smiled almost sadley.
“Since the second World War, the Alert family has been a source of power; the rulers of Nemea. Of course my generation had to be the one to lose it. So no, I really don’t care if you kill me. I will welcome it, honestly. Hail Hydra,” Friedrich said, turning his back to Bucky.
Bucky raised his gun, stared down the sight at the fatal shot he was about to take. He could see a slight shivering in Friedrich’s shoulders, showing a small bit a fear. Than, Bucky lowered the gun.
“Ah, so he will not take the shot,” Friedrich said, a smile on his voice. “I should have known, you have weak from the lies fed to you by the Aveng-” Friedrich was cut off when a knife plunged itself into his back, pushing through his skin and piercing his heart. He opened his mouth to scream, but found a cloth shoved down his throat instead.
‘No last words for you,” Bucky hissed. He watched Friedrich’s eyes widen in shock and felt nothing as the man fell to the ground, twitching. He didn’t know what he thought he’d feel. Maybe satisfied, or relieved. Possibly even happy. Now all he felt was empty. Empty and tired.