"What is One Without the Other"

The offices of Instant Imagination, an advertising corporation, are located in midtown Manhattan. As Steve Rogers, commercial artist and Avenger, gets out of his cab for his afternoon appointment, he looks up at the skyscraper that is Instant Imagination's home. "I haven't been job hunting in quite a while," Steve thinks. "I hope I haven't lost my touch." Steve pays the cabbie and enters the building. As he rides the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, a strange sensation comes over him. "I'm more nervous than I would be if I had to face the Red Skull, Baron Zemo, and Ultron at the same time! At least when I go up against them I know what to expect... Enough of that, Rogers! Sure it's been a while since I had to do this sort of thing, but I can handle it."

The elevator comes to a halt as it reaches the fifteenth floor. Steve exits and walks towards the door leading to Instant Imagination's lobby. He walks in and is suddenly bombarded with the sound of screaming. "I can't believe this! These samples suck! We're gonna lose this account if we don't -" the rampage is coming from an office behind the receptionist's desk. The receptionist is an attractive redhead with glasses, who stares absentmindedly out the window while the tirade continues behind her.

Steve approaches the receptionist who continues to pay no attention to him. "Excuse me, miss, I have an appointment..." The receptionist turns towards him and looks him up and down.

"Yeah? What's your name?"

"Steve Rogers."

"Rogers. Oh yeah, you're an artist. Good luck, pal," she says with a wink. She then turns to the office behind her where the shouting is continuing and screams, "HEY! ROGERS IS HERE!!" She then turns back to Steve and smiles.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Steve begins to think.

The man who had been screaming behind the office door emerges. He is a balding middle-aged man, wearing a rumpled suit. Although he has a pleasant grin on his face, Steve can still see a vein bulging on the man's forehead. "Rogers!" he says amiably. "My name's Paul Kelley, I run the show here. Come on in and show me what you've got!"

Steve enters Kelley's office, and begins showing him several samples from his portfolio. "Say, this is pretty good. This is your lucky day, Rogers! I got this assignment that the deadline's creepin' up on, and the last guy just turned in a bunch of crap we can't use. So, are you up for it?"

"Sure," Steve says. "What's the assignment?"

"It's part of an ad campaign for Warhammer Construction. It's a new company. You heard of it?"

"Yes," Steve says, and then thinks, "That's because my fellow Avenger, Thor, owns that company!"

"So what do ya say, Rogers? Will ya take the assignment?"

"Yes sir, I'd be glad to."

"Thanks, Rogers. Frankly, you're really saving my bacon here. Here's the basic info you need on what we're lookin' for," Kelley says as he hands an envelope to Steve. "Just drop the finished version off here sometime before 11 tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Steve asks incredulously.

"Yeah, and thanks again!" Kelley says as he pushes Steve out of his office and slams the door.

"Well," Steve thinks, "it looks like I'll be burning the midnight oil - and not as Captain America for a change. At least I'll be helping Thor out a little bit - as well as paying my rent!"

Sharon Carter has just finished viewing the data given to her by Nick Fury (see last issue - Matt). "Well, Nick was right. They haven't uncovered all the answers yet, but at least I know enough to get started. I was cut loose from my support because SHIELD actually believed I was dead - and this data documents how SHIELD agents were given false evidence of my demise. It wasn't their fault. But now I've got an idea of who pulled all this off. Looks like I'll be paying a visit to... HYDRA!"

Later that afternoon, Steve arrives at the apartment of Sam Wilson, the Falcon. "I should really be working on that assignment," thinks Steve, "but I promised Sam I'd stop by." Sam answers Steve's knock, and the two men exchange greetings.

"Sam, I'm surprised you didn't ask me to meet you at work," Steve says.

"Well, I decided to take a day off," Sam says. "I figured it would be better if I just took you around the neighborhood, introduced you to some of the people I help, let you get your hands a little dirty, so to speak."

"Sounds great to me, Sam," Steve says. "I think that's just what I need."

Sam takes Steve to several different apartments, meeting the type of people Sam Wilson tries to help everyday not only in his job as a social worker, but also as the costumed crimefighter known as the Falcon. Sam introduces Steve to an elderly couple, just scraping by on a fixed income, who only really want someone to talk to. Sam then brings Steve to the apartment of a twenty-eight year old lady who works two jobs in order to feed her three children. Her husband left shortly after the third child was born and hasn't been seen since. Next, Steve meets a young man whose struggling with a heroin addiction. He's tried methadone and he's tried quitting cold turkey but it's hard, and there's no way he can afford rehab. As the sun begins to set, Steve and Sam begin to return to Sam's apartment.

"I'm amazed at the work you do for these people, Sam," Steve says.

"Hey, sometimes it's just a case of being there, you know? Showing a little support, giving some people hope. That's why I think you've been selling yourself way to short lately, Steve. I know seeing those kids shooting their classmates has really gotten to you - you wouldn't be human if it didn't. But you've got to remember that Captain America is the greatest symbol of hope this country's got. And it don't matter if you're stopping Doctor Doom from taking over the world or if you're saving a little old lady from a mugging. You're like a beacon. You can't save the world from all it's evils, you've just got to do the best you can."

"I know that, Sam, but I wouldn't be doing my best if I didn't try. And from now on, that means paying as much attention to the problems of the man in the street as well as keeping a criminal mastermind from world domination. I managed to find that kind of balance in my crimefightng before, and I can do it again. And maybe, somewhere along the way, I can remember what it's like to be Steve Rogers again. Speaking of which, I'd better get home and work on an assignment. I - eh?"

Suddenly, the streets rock with the sound of an explosion. "I'd better check this out, Sam. You coming?"

"Just as soon as I get my gear from my place! Meet you there!"

As Sam Wilson runs to his apartment, Steve quickly ducks into a nearby alley and sheds his outer garments to reveal the red, white, and blue garb of Captain America! Placing his street clothes in his artist's portfolio and removing his indestructable shield, Cap hides his portfolio and then races to the scene of the commotion. There he sees the Unicorn, firing energy blasts at any who come near him. The police have begun to arrive on the scene and cordon the area off.

"Excuse me, officer, are you in charge?"

The police officer turns to see the Living Legend standing behind him.

"Cap! Boy, am I glad to see you! Do you know anything about this nutjob?"

"Yes, that's the Unicorn - an old foe of Iron Man. What does he want?"

"You got me, Cap. We're just trying to keep people out of his way until we can figure out what to do with him."

The Unicorn begins to shout. "The Other! Take me to the Other! You cannot hide him from me! I must see him!!"

"Of course," Cap says. "Officer, the Unicorn has a fixation on a man he knows as the Other - the Titanium Man. Iron Man recently encountered the two of them, but the Unicorn was supposed to be in custody in Germany." (If you don't believe Cap, you can check it out in Iron Man 340-342 - Matt)

"How did he get over here?"

"I have no idea, but I'm going to put a stop to his rampage." With that, Captain America leaps into action!

"No! Stay back!" the Unicorn shouts as he sees Cap.

"Calm down, no one wants to hurt you," Cap says calmly as he continues to approach the Unicorn.

"Will you..." the Unicorn begins, his voice trembling, "will you take me to the Other?"

"I -" Cap begins, uncertain how to handle someone so unstable and yet so powerful. At that moment, the Falcon swoops overhead. Upon seeing him, the Unicorn goes berzerk.

"It's a trick! A trick!" he screams as his power horn unleashes blast after blast of deadly energy at the Falcon. The Falcon manages to dodge the fire. Captain America wastes no time in leaping at the Unicorn, knocking him over. "Get away!" the Unicorn yells as he kicks Cap off of him. The Unicorn redirects his blasts at Cap, who easily deflects them with his shield. Cap then ducks and rolls towards the Unicorn, springing from the ground by his hands to deliver a powerfull kick to the Unicorn's jaw. As the Unicorn stumbles back, Cap continues with two quick right jabs, a knee to the midsection, and a chop to the neck. The Unicorn slumps to the ground unconcious.

The Falcon lands beside Cap. "Great work, Cap," he says.

"The Unicorn's blasts are incredibly powerful, but he's not really that skilled at hand to hand combat. Luckily I was able to move quickly enough that he never really had a chance to attack me. But I can't help but wonder about this - I came here today to try to help people on a more personal level, not trade blows with a costumed maniac. But I can't get away from this. What's the point of these endless battles? What good are they?"

At that moment, a man from the crowd of onlookers approaches Cap. "Cap, thanks for saving our neighborhood, man. It may not be much, but it's all the home we got. If you weren't here, there's no telling if I'd still be alive."

"Thank you," Cap replies. "I'm always glad to help out wherever I'm needed."

"You see?" Falcon says as they continue to walk. "This kind of heroing does help the everyday person - more than you realize. Captain America still means alot to the people, no matter if you're helping them in big ways or small. I think it's great that you want to get more involved on a street level, but don't feel guilty for saving people from some big abstract threat they may never know about. They know you put your life on the line for them every day, and they love you for it."

"Thanks, Sam," Cap answers as he places a hand on Falcon's shoulder. "In my head I know that, but it helps to hear someone else say it." Then Cap suddenly realizes the time. "I've got that project due tomorrow morning!" he says. "See you later, Falcon. And thanks, friend!" With that he leaves.

Steve Rogers' apartment building in Chelsea. Jeff Walker leaves his apartment to go out to a movie. In the hall he bumps into his neighbor, Bill Anderson. "Hey, Bill, want to go catch a film with me?" Jeff asks.

"No, I got things to do," Bill replies. "See you later."

"Hmm," Jeff thinks as he continues on his way, "Bill used to always be up for something. But lately, he's really been keeping to himself. I wonder what's up?"

As Bill enters his apartment, he locks the door behind him and sits in his chair. "The world is hopeless," he thinks. "There's only one way for me now." He picks up a small hand-held state of the art communication device.

"This is Anderson," he says. "I'm in."

"Excellent," comes the reply over the communicator. "Meet us tomorrow night at the usual location. You will be inducted then."

Next Issue: What's up with Bill Anderson? Can Steve get his assignment complete on time? And if Flagsmasher's dead, why is television announcing his intention to blow up the United Nations building? Find out in just 30 days!