Ask Steve about the mechanics of it and he couldn't explain either. Ever since he inherited the original Captain America's memories, he just somehow knew how to make that shield dance.
"Hell yeah!"
Catching the shield as it spun back into his hand, Steve casually flicked off the blood and flashed a grin of gleaming white teeth.
Close combat was his gift; the shield was his passion.
With the guards at the entrance dealt with, Steve wasted no time. As the Ten Rings thugs swarmed toward him, barking like rabid dogs, he surged into the cave at ghostlike speed, bullets whipping past.
Heh—if I'm fast enough, the bullets can't catch me!
"Thunderbolt Spearhead!"
The instant he burst through the entrance, Steve spread his iron arms wide, slamming the throats of two ambushers lurking in the shadows.
Try pulling a sneak attack under these eagle-sharp eyes of mine? Pathetic!
Still carrying the two limp bodies, he lunged toward a corner, planting his left foot in a brutal front kick.
"Antelope Strike!"
BOOM
The first unlucky Ten Rings soldier rounding the bend took the full force of Steve's kick. His chest caved in as he rocketed backward, hitting the wall with a sickening crunch before slumping into a broken heap.
That's the terror of 9+ Super Serum strength!
Heavy footsteps thundered from deeper inside the cave. Another squad of Ten Rings soldiers poured in, rifles raised, and opened fire without hesitation.
BANG-BANG-BANG!
But Steve didn't flinch. Outside seven steps, the gun's faster; within seven steps, I'm faster!
Spin, leap—hell, I can do this with my eyes closed.
His body moved with gymnastic grace, twisting through the storm of bullets as he closed the gap.
Not a single round hit. Was it his flawless footwork? Not quite
It was because he was holding up those two corpses as human shields.
Vibranium shield? Nah. Nothing beats fresh meat.
And better yet—these corpses were multifunctional. Not just shields, but also weapons.
"The tiger leaps into the sheepfold!"
Grinning wolfishly, Steve grabbed each corpse by the ankles. With a wide swing—left hand, right hand, slow-motion brutality—he smashed them into the terrified Ten Rings squad.
This was his blood-soaked combo move: the Gold Horn–Silver Horn double smash!
The scene? Too savage to describe.
Under the weight of twenty tons of raw power, bodies were pulped, limbs flew, and screams echoed. By the end, even his two "weapons" were reduced to nothing but the legs he still clutched.
All in just a handful of seconds, a squad of over ten men had been wiped out—annihilated.
—
Meanwhile, deeper in the cave, Tony Stark froze mid-weld. His ears twitched.
"Wait… did I just hear fighting outside?"
The clash jarred him from his work. He turned toward the iron door, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
As he leaned closer, the noise grew sharper—gunfire, screams, chaos. And then… silence.
Tony glanced at Yinsen. Both men paled.
They'd been locked up here for over two months. No way this was a rescue. If the U.S. military could've found him, they would've done it ages ago.
The likelier answer? A turf war between terrorists.
This was Afghanistan—terror groups were everywhere. Shootouts over territory were a daily thing.
Even if it was a rescue, Tony knew better than to get his hopes up. With how vicious the Ten Rings were, they'd sooner kill him than let him be freed.
"Damn it! I was so close to finishing the armor. Why now?!"
Sweat ran down his face as he stared at the nearly complete suit—ninety percent done. But the last ten percent required time he didn't have. Even if the parts were ready, assembling and powering it would take too long.
Frustrated, Tony grabbed a wrench and jammed it into the door's latch, trying to buy a few precious moments.
All he could do was pray—pray that whoever was out there really was here for him, and that they'd reach him before the terrorists did.
But based on what he'd seen of the cave's twisting tunnels and dozens of guards, he doubted anyone could fight their way in fast enough. Not even the world's best special forces.
BOOM
His doubts didn't last long. With a thunderous crash, the iron door bulged inward, warped with a clear human-shaped dent.
"What the hell?!"
Tony's eyes widened. Was this the terrorists? Another group? And seriously—did that dent just look like a person? Was this even human?
BOOM
Another slam, and the door flew off its hinges, a terrorist's mangled corpse stuck to it as it skidded across the floor.
"Little Tony! Uncle Rogers is here to save you!!!"
With a final flying kick, Steve blasted the last guard into the iron door, sending both crashing into the room. Then he stormed in, hollering with the excitement of a monkey at a festival.
[Reinforcement Points, here I come!]
But the moment he stepped inside
"Ugh!" Steve staggered out again, gagging.
"Σ_(っﾟДﾟ)っ Blergh! Tony, you bastard, did you crap in here? This place smells like dogshit brewed since 1982!"
Tony blinked at the disgusted figure in the doorway, too stunned to speak.
"You… you're…"
Thinking Tony recognized him, Steve puffed his chest, raised his star-spangled shield, and adopted his most heroic posture.
Clearing his throat, he declared, "Ahem! That's right. I am justice incarnate, the shining hope of America, the world's very first superhero. I am"
"You're the bastard who stole my December Cover Girl twins last year!"
Steve: ???
His brain nearly short-circuited. That was the first thing out of Tony's mouth?!
Wait… December twins? Oh.
Weren't those the very sisters he'd dumped this morning? They had bragged about being magazine cover models… and said they'd hooked up with him in December.
Oops. Looks like he'd accidentally poached Tony's prey.