Chapter 48: Lynn, the Reaper of the Night
BOOM...!
BOOM...!
Explosions ripped across the sky, the blinding firelight washing the entire Hydra base in day. Hundreds of Hydra soldiers scrambled, firing wildly at Lynn. But from the cockpit of the super-tank, Lynn just kept hammering the trigger, launching one energy shell after another.
Every blue energy shell he fired blasted a new crater in the earth, vaporizing entire squads of soldiers. He watched the base's tall structures collapse, one after another, the shriek of alarms a fitting soundtrack. Sitting in the tank, Lynn thought this was the most fun he'd had in ages.
"This is so much better than those tank missions in Call of Duty or Battlefield!"
He slammed the fire button again. A blue shell rocketed out and obliterated a Hydra soldier shouldering an RPG, just as the man was aiming at the tank. The rocket detonated before it even left the tube, the secondary explosion ripping through the surrounding soldiers and sending them flying.
"Haha, hell yeah! Stealing this tank was definitely the right move!"
He laughed, all the pent-up rage from that assassination attempt finally vanishing. He aimed at the main research building, ready to level it... and pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing.
"Tsk. Out of juice already?"
He looked at the dead tank, disappointed, then up at the swarm of Hydra soldiers now closing in. Lynn stood, drawing the longsword from his back. His eyes went cold. "The massacre... starts now."
The words were barely out of his mouth. The tank's hatch hissed open, and Lynn shot out like a cannonball, diving straight into the thick of the Hydra soldiers.
***
Aboard the Quinjet.
"What the hell is going on down there?"
Tony Stark stared at the scene below—explosions everywhere, raging fires, the ground littered with Hydra bodies. "Did this last base start a mutiny? That doesn't make any sense."
"Uh... guys. Look to the southwest."
At Natasha's word, everyone turned.
In the middle of a swarm of Hydra soldiers, a figure in black was moving like a phantom. He was wielding a longsword, cutting down the soldiers around him with terrifying efficiency.
Every single swing took a life. His movements were fluid, impossibly agile, dodging gunfire from all sides.
And every so often, two beams of heat vision lanced from his eyes, scything through a whole new line of enemies.
This guy was, without a doubt, a human-shaped killing machine.
"Holy shit."
Tony was floored. "Who the hell is that? He's taking on an entire Hydra base by himself."
"His offensive capability is off the charts. But his movements... the evasion, the way he hunts... it's all raw instinct," Natasha observed, watching the enhanced feed. "He hasn't had formal training."
"He's not just relying on the heat vision, either. That level of instinct... it's not normal."
"This world," Natasha added, "is full of surprises."
Steve gripped his shield, his face set. "I don't care who he is. He's fighting Hydra, and that makes him an ally. We need to back him up."
The bay door hissed open. Tony shot out of it, repulsors flaring.
"ROAAR!"
With a gut-shaking roar, Banner changed, and the Hulk grabbed Steve and leaped from the jet.
"Guess we're on air support," Clint said, nocking an arrow. He fired, and an explosive tip sailed down toward a new wave of Hydra reinforcements.
***
Down on the ground, Lynn was cutting down one soldier after another, feeling the pure, exhilarating rush of the fight, when Tony Stark landed nearby.
A repulsor blast vaporized the soldiers in front of Lynn. "Hey! Guy in the mask! Relax, we're the cavalry. I'm sure even out here in the boonies, you've heard of me."
"That's right. I'm the one and only Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, philanthropist… and Avenger. The total package."
Lynn listened to Tony's narcissistic rambling as he fought, flicking blood from his blade. He almost replied, then remembered the mask. 'Right. He has no idea who I am.'
Just then, the Hulk landed with a ground-shaking crash, and Steve was right behind him. Above, the Quinjet's guns joined Clint's arrows, laying down a curtain of fire.
With the Avengers joining the fray, the fight was over in minutes.
Hydra's numbers meant nothing.
As the last soldier fell, Natasha landed the Quinjet.
On the ground, Tony walked over, his faceplate retracting. "Hey, buddy. I did my intro. You gonna tell us yours?"
The rest of the team gathered, all eyes on the masked figure.
Natasha circled him slowly. "You know... I feel like I know you."
"Hm?"
Under the mask, Lynn raised an eyebrow. 'Seriously? After such a short time? There's no way she could…'
"I know who you are."
She stepped in close and whispered, "Relax. I won't blow your cover. This mask... I saw it, in that 'future' the resonator showed me. That's why you seemed so familiar."
'Shit.' Lynn instantly remembered the villa. The resonator. The vision she'd told him about.
He reached up and touched the cheap, five-dollar mask. 'So much for staying off the grid. Oh well. It's not like they thought I was a normal cop anyway.'
"Don't worry. Same rules apply. I get it," Natasha whispered, winking. "I won't file a report. As of today, I never saw you." She held out a pack of gum.
Lynn took it, nodded, glanced at the other Avengers, and then just walked off into the darkness.
"Natasha, you know him?" Tony demanded. "Who the hell was that?"
Natasha just smiled, said nothing, and walked past him into the base.
'That research data needs to be copied. SHIELD will have a use for it.'
----
Big respect to the guy who sent the 500th power stone. Showed up and unlocked the chapter like a GOAT.
Next goals:
600 power stones -> new chapter
700 power stones -> bonus 2nd chapter
I know you guys got this, we've been cooking every time. Let's keep it rolling!