Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas, 12:50 PM, 1963
"There, that's the last of them!"
The doctor next to me sighs in relief as two orderlies come up and help steady the sobbing, injured woman I just brought in, bloodied and bruised, with one of her legs a mangled mess from the crash, and carry her over to a makeshift bed standing near the entrance. The entire lobby is full of doctors and nurses doing their best to look over everyone I brought in, the rooms having filled up fast with the ones who were in the worst shape. The injuries varied widely, some of them having escaped with just a broken bone or two, but the others...
There were a few I highly doubt are going to live through the day. And they were still lucky compared to the ones there wasn't any point in bringing here.
"You're sure this is everyone?" The doctor says, scribbling hurredly on the medical chart he's carrying around. It's hard to believe it's only been about 20 minutes since all of this started, the hospital staff look like they've been working for days already.
I shrug. "I don't have any medical training, other than some half-remembered CPR instructions in high school, I just grabbed everyone who were still breathing and couldn't stand on their own. The only people left on Houston Street are the few survivors who got through the crash relatively unscathed and... well, the ones who weren't going to get back up no matter what"
The doctor sighs, rubbing his eyes tiredly "What a mess... But you've done a good thing, a lot of the patients you brought in wouldn't have lasted until regular transport could reach them and bring them here." He looks up from the chart "W-what about the President? You didn't bring him here, is he-"
I shake my head "No, he's fine, Captain America saved him. I already took him back to Washington to get him out of harms way."
He blinks "You... went to Washington? Just like that? No, nevermind, it's not important. Thanks again for your help!"
I nod "Well, looks like you guys have things in hand here, so if you'll excuse me, I better go help the other Avengers mop up the assholes who caused all this. Peace out!"
I wonder how the others are doing...
.....
Houston Street, Dallas, Texas, 12:51 PM, 1963
"Verdammte..." Zemo gritted his teeth in rage under his mask as he lashed out with his blade, the Captain bringing up his shield to block the strike with practiced ease. All around him, his plan was falling apart piece by piece. The Melter was down, the Black Knight seemed to be on the ropes, and the Rhino was struggling with The Hulk. This wasn't the way he had imagined his triumphant return.
"You might as well give up, Zemo!" The Captain said as he dodged out of the way of another slash "Whatever you were hoping to accomplish here isn't going to happen! You're going to face justice for everything you've done!"
"The only thing I wished to accomplish here is YOUR DEATH, Kapitän!! And I shall have it, even if I must die myself! I will never surrender, not until you have joined your pathetic sidekick in the grave!" He noticed the Captain stiffen slightly at the mention of his lost companion, and he smiled, knowing he struck a nerve "Tell me Captain, did the boy beg for his pathetic life when the plane went down? Did he cry out for his mother to save him like the whelp he was?"
"You son of a-"
"You curse me, yet it was not I who brought a CHILD to fight in a war alongside me. You may see me as a monster, but I never required others to do my work for me, I toiled and labored for the Fatherland with my own two hands! I did not bring children to perform the tasks I could not be bothered to do myself!"
"WORK?! That's what you call it?!" The Captain shot forward, his temper flaring as he went on the offensive, just as Zemo had hoped, dodging a swing of his shield with a sidestep "You butchered thousands of innocent people! Your OWN people! You don't deserve to even say Bucky's name, you bastard!"
"Such foolish naivite, and from an experienced soldier no less" Zemo scoffed as the Captain barely managed to dodge his next sword strike "Sacrifices must be made for victory, as even you should know. The deaths I caused were all in the purpose of the good of the Third Reich, they contributed more in death than they ever would have had they kept living their meaningless lives, their sacrifices were made in the name of a better world. And so will yours!!"
Seeing an opportunity as the Captain seemed stunned at his words, Zemo lunged forward, thrusting his sword at the Captains neck, but at the last moment, the Captain suddenly whirled around, bringing his shield down on his blade, and snapping the sword in half.
"SCHEIZE!!" Zemo snarled, tossing the broken weapon aside and reaching for the gun at his belt, but before he could reach it, the Captain slammed a fist across his face, sending him sprawling to the ground, clutching his face. He tried scrambling away, but he barely made it an inch before the Captain was upon him again, one hand grabbing ahold of his jacket and pulling him up, forcing him to meet his enemy's eyes.
Though he would never admit it, even under threat of death, the sight of fury in Captain America's eyes sent a chill up his spine.
"You know something, Zemo? Part of me wants to kill you right here, but that's not going to happen. Because you aren't a soldier, and you don't deserve a soldiers death. You're going to be dragged in front of the whole world, your every crime, your every sin held up to the light, and you will pay for every. Single. One. Don't kid yourself, you're not a warrior, you're not a visionary, you're just a butcher and a coward who ran away and hid for 20 years rather than face the consequences of his actions! But you are NOT going to get away again!"
The fist struck him again, and everything went black.
.....
Rhino panted, wiping a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth as The Hulk stood back up again, the green monsters skin smouldering from the burns on his chest and neck. The high voltage wires had hurt him, but not enough to keep him down. And Rhino was running on fumes as it was.
Fuck it. He was going all in.
"Alright, Hulk, enough playing around! We're finishing this right here, right now! You're going down!"
The Hulk simply snarled in response as he began to to rush forward, fists pumping as he picked up speed. Rhino lowered his head, aiming his horn as he began to run as well, the broken asphalt beneath them shuddering and cracking open as the two behemoths rushed towards eachother in one final clash, one last blow to end their battle.
However, just as they were about to strike against eachother, rather than meeting him head on, the Hulk suddenly swung a massive fist from the side, and before Rhino could try to avoid the blow, the hit connected to the side of his head.
"HULK...SMASH!!"
And Rhino felt his horn shatter.
.....
Chen Lu stared in horror as his compatrior collapsed in a heap, the damned Hulk standing over him, damaged but far from beaten. It was all falling apart, the revenge Zemo had promised him was all but out of his reach, especially now when the hooded fool had himself fallen prey to his nemesis. Lu stared at his hands, radiation cracking over his skin.
It wasn't fair, none of this was fair! He was supposed to have brought down that arrogant godling, and redeemed himself in the eyes of the Party! But he'd failed, he hadn't even gotten close! He hadn't even managed to lay a hand on Thor in the chaos of the battle!
"The hell are you just standing around for?!" A sneering voice brought him out of his pity as The Sandman shifted into his human form next to him. "In case ya hadn't noticed, we're getting our asses handed to us by these fuckin' Avengers, so get yer shit together already! I ain't leaving 'til I got what I came for!"
"Are you blind, or just stupid, Marko?! Zemo is done for!"
"So?" Marko scoffed "Ya can't throw a punch without the Nazi telling ya to do it? We ain't here for Zemo, we're here for revenge! You need a leader that bad, fine, I'm takin' over and I'm telling you to snap out of it!"
Lu looked around the battlefield, noting as the heroes began to gather themselves up. Above him, the Black Knight barely held on, trying to avoid both Iron Man and Giant-Man even as his steed tried to unseat him. Things were dire. "I have... one attack that might work. But it is an all-or-nothing move, by expending all the radioactive energy I have stored up inside my body. It will destroy our enemies, but it will also destroy everything else, and leave this city an irradiated wasteland. Enemies, allies, bystanders, there is no way to spare anyone."
"Please, I'm already made of radioactive sand, what do I care?"
"And what of our allies?"
"If they were pullin' their damn weight, we wouldn't have to resort to this! Besides, the Avengers will all die, I'm sure they'd be fine with it. Now pull the damn trigger already!"
Chen Lu hesitated for just a moment... then he caught sight of Thor overhead, flying towards him, and any second thoughts died within him as hatred surged within his soul "...keep them busy for just a moment. It's time to finish this battle..."