Meet Marcus Michaels

- - - - -

Marcus felt the blood spill from his lips as he numbingly stared at the red stained ground. When he breathed in, it felt as if he was inhaling razor blades. Everything hurt. His bones were aching. His skin felt tight. His core energy was being drained out of him. No super strength. No enhanced senses. No healing. No quick thinking. Just... nothing. Marc was cold. He was shaking. Teeth were chattering. Fingertips felt nonexistent. It was hard to soothe his aching arms since they were strapped against the armrests of the wooden chair. If it wasn't for Megaton, the being of pure energy who stood behind him, his abilities would resurface.

Megaton used to be known as Jules Carter, a former nuclear scientist who was exposed to a dangerous amount of radiation. His skin changed into rock hard bronze, and he became a walking nuclear bomb. He had the ability to drain energy from other beings to fuel his own strength. The more energy he took on, the larger he grew, the brighter he shone. There was a downside to that part of himself — too much power and he could explode. Marcus could tell Megaton was taking his time in stealing his life force, or what little was left anyway. If Marc wanted to escape, it had to be done soon. Otherwise, he should have just stayed with Fury and Hill in that containment room of his.

Tony Masters, the mercenary known as Taskmaster, walked inside the penthouse floor he was being kept in. He was whistling a tune as he extended his hand out and waved at all the others inside. The security guards raised their firearms in response. Taskmaster pulled up a metal chair and sat in front of Marcus, crossing one knee over the other. He sheathed his sword and holstered his gun. He was ready to talk, man to man. If Masters was honest, beating the guy responsible for absolutely demolishing ninety percent of Bagalia's weapons supply was getting a little too repetitive. He would stab Marc, only for the wound to close in the next ten minutes. He would then shoot Marc, only for the bullet to be pushed out of his body and a scar to form over the tissue. It was like trying to hurt a ghost. Poking at nothing but air. Doing no real damage. Wasting his time and energy on one man. Despite being paid millions to use Marcus as his own pincushion, Tony wasn't feeling it anymore. He was bored.

So when William Cross called him up about a mysterious new tourist in town, his interest piqued, and he came to tell his new friend all about it.

Marcus stared at Tony with dull eyes. Not saying a word. Regardless of the fact that his body would heal after injuries inflicted by Taskmaster, his mind wasn't so easy in repairing itself. Being locked away and drained of his life-force was plenty to prevent him from fighting back. He felt braindead. He was detached. From himself and reality. The headaches were getting worse. Memories were flooding back like a dam in his mind had been broken. Shattered to bits. It was too much too fast. Made him unresponsive. Borderline lethargic.

And to Taskmaster, not a lotta fun to play with.

"Heya, pal. How's ya noggin?" Tony's voice drew Marcus back into the right now. Masters grabbed his chin forcefully to get him to look into the eyeholes of his skull mask. He used his other hand to slap some sensation into Marc's face, and also because he felt like it. "Did I hit ya too hard? Good. I thought I was losing my touch."

"I've been hit by beings much stronger than you." Marc managed to utter. His eyes were leaking with water, mixing in with the blood on his face. He tried not to swallow, knowing it would feel like digesting a sphere of needles. Before Marc could stop himself, his lips tipped up in a mild smile, and he went on to taunt Tony by saying, "Older, much smarter beings."

Taskmaster shrugged. "I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but that hurts, Marky." He replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I like to think I got some kinda charm goin' on. One that makes people like me for me. For instance, they tell me things they can't tell anyone else. Like just last night we got two new visitors. They trashed the Hole, but the club was in need of a remodel. I'm thinking casinos. Maybe even a buffet with those fancy lobster displays."

Marc sent Tony a look of impassiveness. "There gonna be one for my execution tonight?"

Taskmaster folded his hands behind his head and propped his feet up on the knife that was imbedded in Marc's right kneecap. Wound can't heal if the object is still inside, right? Marc didn't make a sound. He only narrowed his eyes at the Sheriff. He was used to him by now. "Well, there woulda been if you hadn't bombed the products we sell to guys like me around the world. And there's a high demand ever since the alien tech started going missing. Word is Captain 'Merica and his Secret Avengers are stealing our weapons."

Taskmaster could tell Marc was captivated by the mention of the Avengers. However, instead of humouring Tony with his reaction, and curiosity to ask more, Marc lowered his gaze to the floor. He knew about the Earth Mightiest Heroes. He had watched them on television. Saw how bravely they fought against the Chitauri. Against Ultron. They were the first line in defence against otherworldly threats wanting to invade Earth. He had tremendous respect for them all. From a returning memory, Marcus realised he had seen Captain America fight during the Second World War — in person. It was fuzzy after that. Not much else to say. His forehead lined with sweat when he went against his mind and tried to force more from his memories. Sharp pain spread throughout his head like twisting blades, and he lurched forward, grunting.

Taskmaster squinted at him. He could have sworn Marc's eyes flashed an enchanting green. But it went as quickly as it came, and Tony found himself staring back at blue eyes. "You okay there, friend?"

"Why are you doing this?" Marcus breathed out. "Why wait for an audience to kill me? I'm right here. You've siphoned millions from the public already. What more do you want?"

Taskmaster stayed quiet. It was a valid set of questions. He dropped his feet from Marc's knee and edged forward, removing the knife from his kneecap. While wiping the blood off on Marc's pants, he let out an overdramatic sigh. "Because the plan has changed. Hate it when that happens. Those two new tourists that I told you about are gonna be our special guests. One's an Avenger. She's got moves. Strength. She's quick with her reflexes too. Kinda reminds me of you." Tony pocketed his knife and brought out his phone. He opened up the text William had sent him, facing the phone at Marcus. Attached to the text was an image Cross took from the feed of the security cameras posted everywhere around the city. The woman in the photo was looking directly at the camera, giving Tony and Marcus a very clear view of her face. Tony observed how Marcus leaned forward in his seat to get a better look at the photo. "Know her?" He asked lowly.

Marcus felt his heart stop. His face drained of colour. Mouth ran dry. Chest felt compressed. She looked so much like his late wife, Lillian Kravinoff — the woman he first saw when his memories began resurfacing. He knew they had a daughter together. That must be her. She was in the same city as him. She was hurt. He could see blood on her clothes. She was being assisted by another man, who had his head turned away from the camera. Marcus didn't know if his own daughter knew about him. Why would she come to Bagalia? For the burgers? Fury was involved. Marc suspected this. And if he was right, Katiana would be coming for him. But that meant she would have to get through an army of people that wanted his head on a spike. Dangerous people. Villains. Criminals without a care. Marcus didn't know what his daughter was capable of. He had only seen her fight in footage of the attack on New York. It's been years since then. She could walk into a firefight unprepared. Outmanned. Outgunned. She could get hurt, or worse.

Tony got the reaction he wanted. Marc's fists balled so tight his restraints rattled. His eyes raised to Tony, and the blue light within them sparked. Plasma energy pulsed throughout his hands, alerting Megaton to up his hold on Marcus. They didn't want another explosion to occur. The whole building was bustling with people. The eruption would kill everyone. Taskmaster stood from his seat and backed away from Marcus, motioning for the figure standing in the corner to come in.

"Don't you dare..." Marcus demanded. His whole body was shaking with a newly found strength. A flare up, he used to call it. When his emotions ran too high, his powers did too. Megaton thrust his hands forward, and his fingers curled inwards, taking on Marc's strength, weakening him. Megaton grew, now standing over ten feet, and he sent a grin towards Taskmaster. The light in Marcus' eyes vanished, and the sharp pains returned, making him scream and the plasma energy in his hands disperse without any affect.

The tip of a sharp spear was pressed against his throat, causing him to look up at the dark haired and bearded Russian with hunting gear on his person. Sergei Kravinoff, also know as Kraven the Hunter, glowered at the man who used to be his brother-in-law. All Sergei saw when he looked at Marcus was his dead sister. There was a time when Sergei trusted Marcus. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Now, nothing could stop Sergei from taking his life. He blamed Marcus for the death of Lillian, and his unborn niece.

He was oblivious to the fact that Lillian's daughter was well and truly alive.

When he learned of the fire that took Lillian from his family, he hunted Marcus down like a predator would to a prey. Searching for answers led others to sniff on his trail. Hydra posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. looked to him. Forced him to go underground. You can't find someone if you're dead. When Taskmaster called Sergei up about a suspicious man destroying Bagalia City, Sergei arrived at the lawless nation to set a trap, the one that caught Marcus. Seeing him face to face after so many years was enough for all the grief and heartache to come flooding back.

Marcus stared up at Sergei's hardened gaze. He didn't know much about the Hunter, only that he was Lillian's younger brother. When he laid eyes on Sergei, a single memory resurfaced of them both taking about Lillian before the wedding. From what he gathered, Sergei welcomed Marcus into the family. In the present day, it was the complete opposite. Marcus was unaware that Sergei blamed him for the death of his family since the Hunter had not said a word since they saw each other.

Sergei's lips parted, and with a scowl, he finally said, "Your life is mine. Nothing can change that. You die tonight, d'yavol."

Marcus could feel the spear cut a short line across his neck, and he pulled his head back away from the weapon, giving Sergei an angered look. "You don't understand. My dau-"

Taskmaster interrupted Marcus before he could say another word. "Guys! We've got a party to plan and a couple of trespassers to catch."

"What are you going to do about the two visitors?" Sergei asked him.

"Something dramatic." Taskmaster opened his phone and dialled a number. "Hey, Whirlwind! You ready for the first act or what?"

The whole population of Bagalia had shown up at the City Square for the livestream. By the look of things from Ana's position on the rooftop of the highest skyscraper in the city, things were somewhat civil. The people were abuzz with conversation and celebration. It made her sick knowing they were all there to witness the death of her father on the massive screen mounted on the front of another high tower. Ana lowered her sight-enhancing eye mask and glanced up at the sky when she heard a low rumble of incoming thunder. It rippled throughout the upper atmosphere, signifying that a storm was on its way.

How fitting, Ana thought to herself as she settled her gaze to the front. The skyline of Bagalia City was illuminated by endless colours of neon and bright, white lights. It would have been an amazing view if it wasn't for the situation at hand. Ana let her mask hang around her neck while she readjusted the vest she wore. The black material was supposed to give her an advantage in the dark. She gave her gloves a quick once over and made sure she had her magnetic daggers attached to her belt. She could never be too prepared.

"Hey, you alright?"

Bucky's left hand weighed down on her knee and she met his gaze, offering him an assuring smile. Ana lifted her hand and placed it over his, before pulling down his mask from his eyes. She wouldn't know what she would do if it wasn't for Bucky. His company was enough for her to be centred and focused. It was a powerful thing. And a scary one at that. It made Ana realise just how much she cared for Bucky. Which is why she wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible.

Ana cleared her throat and nodded, wiping the rain drop that splashed on Bucky's cheek. "Yeah. I'm good. I'm good." She said, then repeated the same mantra internally until it wasn't a lie.

Bucky was armed a lot more than Ana. He had two firearms attached to the back of his belt, as well as an automatic rifle sitting next to him. Along with gadgets Shuri had lent him, Ana had supplied a couple of her daggers that he snaked into his boot. She wanted to make sure he was well equipped to avoid any trouble in the coming hours. Bucky tucked a strand of Ana's hair that wasn't in her ponytail behind her ear, and returned the smile. "No, you're not. We're minutes away from walking into a building that potentially has your long lost father trapped inside and awaiting assassination."

"I just want to go in and kick ass and get my father out." Ana said bluntly.

"What are we waiting for?" Bucky mused.

"A plan." Ana answered, placing her hand underneath her chin in thought. "There's an army in that building. They're all armed and I'm pretty sure they have orders to shoot anyone they don't like the look of. Then there's the matter of Taskmaster and his squad of misfits including one hell of a marksman, Crossfire. It's just you and me."

"And that's all we need." Bucky reasoned. "Besides, I've got a plan to take care of that army in there."

"This was a great plan..."

With their arms up and spirits low, Ana and Bucky stared at the ends of countless gun barrels. It didn't take long for the hit squad to find them lurking in the dark. Security cameras and motion sensors gave them the alert. The two rogues were pinned down by three dozen men and women who worked for Taskmaster on the twentieth floor of the high-rise building. What made Ana nervous was the look of their weapons. Chitauri technology. She wondered where they got their hands on so many of them. Ana knew that one hit from any of those weapons would mean hell for Bucky and herself. She recalled the moment during the Battle of New York when her back was fried by a shooting beam. It took weeks to heal from a hit like that.

"We're inside, aren't we?" Bucky defended.

"Sir, we've got 'em." The leader of the hit squad spoke into the mic on his wrist. He smirked at Ana and Bucky, gripping the bottom of his rifle tightly, eagerly waiting to squeeze the trigger.

"Bring them to me. First, restrain the girl and lock the metal armed guy so he can't use that thing." Taskmaster ordered.

"Yeah, with about fifty dudes pointing their guns in our faces. I'm never listening to you again." Ana huffed out, glancing at Bucky.

"Oh, and what would you have done? Knock on the front door and ask to be invited in?" Bucky mocked, scoffing at her.

A goon jabbed their weapon at Bucky in warning. "Shut up!" He yelled.

Ana stepped forward and shot him a glare. "No, you shut up. Can't you see we're in the middle of something here?" She questioned.

Bucky shook his head. "The audacity." He mumbled.

Ana stared at the main goon. Something was off. Either Taskmaster was on the ground floor or he wasn't in the building at all. A few of the thugs broke off from the group to secure transport on the ground. Ana's eyes flickered over to Bucky. He noticed it too. "At least that way I wouldn't be surrounded. I'd pick my targets. Put the cover in undercover." Ana continued her ruse.

"Which reminds me..." Bucky smirked at the men. Their plan was coming to a close. "Fellas, you might wanna look up." Without warning, Ana and Bucky dissolved into thin air. The men realised they were being deceived by a hologram and groaned. The ceiling caved in and put them all under debris. That took care of Taskmaster's firepower.

Ana kissed Bucky on the cheek as they watched from the neighbouring rooftop. "That was a great plan." She chuckled.

"Those hologram disks do come in handy. Shuri outdid herself on that one." Bucky smiled, glancing down at the device that allowed them to become holograms.

Ana patted Bucky on the shoulder and stood up, feeling the wind brush her hair back. "Alright come on. We've gotta get to the next checkpoint. Taskmaster wasn't inside the tower, meaning we've got a dozen more buildings to scout."

Ana tied her end of the rope to the side of the rooftop railing, testing the double knot when she was done. Bucky was ready and waiting for her signal to dive first. Once she gave him a nod, he sent Ana a fleeting smile just before stepping off. Ana followed after him and walked along the side of the building with caution. She frowned when the glass she glided over started quivering. Bucky kept going, somehow oblivious to the fact that one of Taskmaster's buddies was rushing after Ana from the inside of the establishment.

Ana put a pause on her descent and let her body dangle from the rope. She turned around to face the dark glass, trying to look in. She pressed her forehead against the surface and cupped her hands over her eyes to block out the external lights. The internal offices were quiet. Nobody was there. Lights were out. The floor was littered with paper which soon began picking up as if a draft had swept through the entire floor. The windows were all sealed shut, so unless someone had powered up the air-conditioning to the highest possible level, there was something else going on.

Ana's earpiece crackled as Bucky spoke through it. "Ana, what's wrong? Rope jammed?"

Ana pulled away from the exterior and swallowed thickly. "Bucky, get to the next meeting point without me." She whispered.

"Why? Is there trouble up top or what?"

Ana glanced down at him and pressed her finger against the earpiece, "Listen to me and get your ass off this building. Right now." She demanded, a little harshly than she liked to admit, but for good reason. Because the moment she faced the windows again, the glass shattered when something fast and hard hit it from the inside. Ana didn't have time to brace herself and lost her grip on the rope.