Almost one year later.
The alarm inside the HYDRA base in Sokovia tore through every hall.
"Report to your stations. This is not a drill. We are under attack."
The same warning repeated through the speakers. Men ran through the base with weapons in their hands while the outer defense line shook from the fight outside.
Adam was already moving through the forest.
His body had changed. He had grown close to Hulk's size. Wider shoulders pulled his frame apart, and his arms looked heavy enough to tear through a truck door with one pull. A thick tail moved behind him each time he ran.
The tail was the strangest part. Every time Adam pushed forward, it balanced his weight and made his next step faster. He did not look smooth while running. He looked like a living battering ram that had learned how to sprint.
On the other side of the battlefield, Hulk smashed through a HYDRA vehicle and threw it into the snow-covered ground. Soldiers scattered before he reached them.
Natasha ran along the side path with Adam near her. She was fast for a human. Adam's steps covered so much distance that he kept slowing down to stay near her.
"You are enjoying this too much," Natasha said.
Adam looked ahead. "I am trying to look professional."
"You look like a dinosaur with gym problems."
"That is still professional in this team."
Ahead of them, a wooden guard platform stood on four thick supports. HYDRA soldiers were on top of it, firing down at the path.
Adam did not stop. He brought both hands together and clapped.
The sound hit the platform like a blast. Soldiers on top were thrown backward before they could aim again. Wooden supports cracked under the hit. A moment later, the platform leaned to one side and crashed down into the snow.
Natasha passed the falling structure without slowing down.
"That was subtle," she said.
"I was going for friendly."
Above them, Tony Stark flew toward the central building. The moment he reached the invisible wall around it, his armor struck the energy shield and bounced away.
"Shit!"
Steve's voice came through the comms a moment later.
"Language!"
Tony did not answer that right away.
Steve kept moving through the fight. "JARVIS, how does it look from above?"
JARVIS answered through the channel and told them the central building was protected by an energy shield. The base was using better technology than the other HYDRA sites they had hit before.
Thor's voice followed. He said the scepter had to be inside. Strucker would not have built this kind of defense without it.
"At long last," Thor added.
Natasha knocked a soldier down with her knee and turned her head just enough to speak into the comm.
"'At long last' is lasting a little longer, boys."
Adam heard that and almost laughed. Then he saw a heavy defense post ahead turning toward their route.
Natasha looked at Adam and pointed toward it. "Why not just be a big guy and stop that thing?"
Adam looked at her.
For one second, he only smiled.
Then he jumped.
The ground cracked under his feet. His body flew over the path in a long arc and landed close to the defense post. The impact shook the snow off nearby trees. Adam grabbed the side of the weapon mount and dragged it off its base before the soldiers could turn it again.
Inside the HYDRA command room, Baron Strucker watched the screens as the fight moved closer.
"Who gave the order to attack?" he demanded.
One soldier answered that the Avengers had reached the outer woods. Another said the perimeter guard had broken first.
Strucker's face tightened.
He turned toward Dr. List. "They are here for the scepter."
List looked toward the screens. "Then we should show them what we finished."
Strucker looked at him sharply. "Too soon."
List lifted one finger and pointed toward another screen.
Strucker followed his hand. The place where Wanda and Pietro had been standing was empty.
List said nothing at first.
Strucker understood a second later.
"The twins," List said.
Outside, Clint Barton drew an arrow and aimed at a bunker that had been pinning the team down.
Before he could fire properly, a blur moved across the battlefield.
Pietro Maximoff appeared in front of the arrow. He caught it in motion. Then he circled back and struck Clint hard enough to throw him off balance.
Clint hit the ground and tried to lift his bow again.
Pietro stopped nearby for a breath. "You never saw that one."
Then he vanished again.
Clint's eyes followed the empty space where Pietro had been. Before he could react, a blast from the bunker struck him. His body jerked and he dropped hard into the snow.
Natasha saw him fall.
"Clint!"
She changed direction and ran toward him. Adam landed near the broken defense post and looked over his shoulder.
Steve's voice came through the comm. "We have an enhanced in the field."
Natasha reached Clint and knelt beside him. She checked the wound and lifted her hand to her earpiece.
"Clint's hit!"
Gunfire from the bunker continued to cut across their path.
Clint forced his eyes open and tried to move. "Someone take that bunker out."
Adam looked up.
The bunker was still firing from its position ahead. Its front was reinforced, and the soldiers inside were using the angle to keep everyone pinned down.
Adam bent his knees.
He jumped again, this time higher than before. His body rose over the battlefield and came down toward the bunker. While falling, he linked both hands behind his head and turned them into one heavy hammer.
The soldiers inside looked up too late.
Adam brought both fists down.
The hit landed on the top of the bunker.
The structure folded under the force. A crack ran across the roof. Then the front wall burst outward. The shock ran through the ground and threw the remaining soldiers away from their weapons.
Snow and broken stone flew around Adam as he stood up inside the collapsed bunker.
Steve looked toward the central building. "We need to get inside fast."
Natasha kept one hand near Clint's wound and looked toward the others.
"Clint took a bad hit, guys. We need to hurry and get him out."