"Symbols of Resistance"

"Just a couple of more lines... there. Finished." With a relieved sigh, Steve Rogers, commercial artist, lays down his brush. He slumps back in his chair and observes the fruits of a long night's labor. "I've finished the assignment for Instant Imagination - with just enough time to take a shower and drop this off at their offices. I'd better get cracking if I don't want to be late."

Steve pulls himself out of his chair and stretches. "I wish I had time for my usual morning workout to loosen up - but I'm a working stiff now, and I've got to conform to someone else's schedule." He walks back towards the bathroom and starts his shower. As he lathers up, he ponders recent events.

"I originally gave up any attempt at a normal life as Steve Rogers because I felt it interfered with my duties as Captain America. But I've come to realize that I've got to balance my duty to my country with my duty to myself. If I don't keep in touch with the common man by living like a common man, I might lose sight of what I'm fighting for. And that's something I can never afford to do." Steve rinses off and steps out of the shower. He grabs a towel and begins to dry himself.

"But, part of living a normal life - or, as normal as it gets in the hero business - is making a living. I'm not staying at Avengers Mansion rent-free anymore. I've got to earn my keep. But maybe I can find a better way than burning the midnight oil on a commercial art project. Freelance art gives me the flexibility to continue as Captain America with minimum problems, but I need to find something a little steadier, so I won't have to spend so many nights hunched over the old drawing board."

Steve gets dressed and gathers his assignment into his portfolio. He heads outside and catches a taxi, which takes him to the offices of Instant Imagination. As he walks into the lobby, he prepares himself for the worst.

He gets it.

The receptionist is staring out the window as dispassionately as she had been yesterday. And Paul Kelley, the boss, is screaming from behind his door justas loudly as he had been yesterday.

"This is the end, do you hear me?! The end! When they cancel this contract,everyone else is going to follow! I'll be broke! My wife's going to leave me!! I'm going to be living in a cardboard box on 42nd Street, all because one lousy freelancer couldn't produce on time! Get my lawyer on the phone! Maybe there's still enough time to make out a will!"

The receptionist glances at Steve. "ROGERS IS HERE!!!" she screams.

Kelley bursts from his office, his few remaining hairs sticking straight up. Judging from his tie, he had eggs over easy for breakfast. "Rogers!" he runs up to Steve and embraces him. "Am I glad to see you, Kid! You know, you could work on your punctuality a little."

Steve glances at his watch. "Actually, I think I'm fifteen minutes early...."

"Whatever! Come on into my office, and show me what you've got."

A few minutes later, Kelley actually appears calm after looking at Steve's work. "Great job, Rogers! Top notch, in fact." Kelley looks about conspiratorially, and then leans over his desk towards Steve. "Just between us, you really saved my life here. Those Warhammer guys are gonna love this." Kelley leans back into his chair, almost appearing exhausted.

"Sarah will cut you a check, Rogers. Be sure to leave your number with her. I'm sure we'll be getting in touch with you to do some more projects."

Steve collects his check, leaves his number with Sarah, and returns to his apartment. Once there, he promptly falls onto his bed and drifts off into sleep.

HYDRA Headquarters, Frankfurt, Germany. Just one of many locations scattered throughout the globe. In the information center, an agent sits on monitor duty. "I joined HYDRA for the adventure," he thinks. "And they stick me here doing nothing all day. If only we could get cable..."

The sound of the door hissing opens causes the agent to come alert. He bolts up from his chair and turns to stand at attention. "Oh, it's just you," he says to the female agent entering the room.

"That's right, your shift's up," she replies.

"Thank God," he says. "Try not to fall asleep," he says sarcastically as he walks out the door.

When the door seals shut behind the exiting agent, the female agent removes her mask and lets her long blond hair flow down her back. "I can't believe HYDRA's security is this lax," Sharon Carter thinks. "Now to find out if SHIELD's information is accurate, or if Fury's playing me for a fool."

Sharon inserts a disk into the disk drive of one of the computer terminals and punches in a command to copy all files that make any mention of the words 'Sharon Carter' or 'Agent 13.' She then sits back and waits patiently.

Steve Rogers is jolted out of his sleep by the incessant beeping of his Avengers communicard. "This is Cap," he says groggily as he answers the beeping. "What is it?"

"Captain! Have you seen the latest news broadcasts?" the synthetic voice of the Vision comes over the communicard.

"No, Vision. What is it?" inquires Steve as his mind instantly becomes alert.

"The United Nations building is being held hostage by Ultimatum. Their leader claims to be the Flagsmasher."

"Flagsmasher?" Steve asks incredulously. "I saw him die!" (You did too if you read Cap 456! - Matt)

"Nevertheless, someone claiming to be him is at the U.N. building, and unless you come alone he will poison the entire general assembly."

"I'm on my way Vision. Have the Avengers stand by in case things get out of hand."

Switching off his communicard, Steve Rogers dons the familiar red, white, and blue garb of Captain America, Sentinel of Liberty. "There are only two possibilities. One: this man is not the Flagsmasher. Two: the man I saw die was not Flagsmasher. After all the battles I've had with Flagsmasher, I'm certain that the man I faced in the White House several weeks ago wasthe genuine article. This man has to be an impostor - but why?" Putting aside his questions for the time being, Captain America exits his apartment through the skylight in his bathroom and leaps across a few rooftops before coming to a supposedly abadoned warehouse. Cap sends out a signal via his communicard that opens a hidden entrance on the roof. Cap enters and descends a staircase.

"I'll admit I was opposed to Iron Man renting this building for me originally," Cap thinks, "mainly because I hate having to rely on someone else's checkbook. But I'll confess it looks like it will come in handy."

As Cap gets to the bottom of the steps, he straps his shield onto his back, and dons a protective helmet. He then gets on his customized Harley Davidson motorcycle and activates a switch opening a garage door in the warehouse. Gunning his engine, he races off to the United Nations building.

Arriving a few minutes later, Cap approaches the police cordon. An FBI agent immediately approaches. "Cap, thank God you got here," the agent says. "This fellow just said that if you don't show up in another thirty minutes he'll begin gassing everyone in the building."

"Thirty minutes? That means we've got some time, provided I haven't been spotted by any of his men. Do you have schematics for the building?"

"Yes sir," the agent says as he lays out diagrams on a car hood before Cap.

"The most logical place to put gas cannisters is in the air vents," Cap reasons. "I should be able to access the vents from the main vent on the roof. I'm going to try to disable as many of the cannisters as I can in the next twenty minutes, and then I'll have to face the Ultimatum leader. My bike has a built-in Avengers communicator. Stay by it - I'll contact you as I've disabled the cannisters. Maybe then you can find some way to clear out the hostages in the cleared areas."

"Good luck, Cap," the agent says.

"You too, sir," Cap replies. He then returns to his bike and opens a compartment in the back and pulls out a jet belt. "Wonderman was able to power these with his ionic energy," Cap thinks, "but since I don't have that it'll only be good for one quick burst. Which should be enough to get me to the top of the building quickly without being noticed. Precisely the type of situation I had in mind when I packed this thing." Cap puts the belt on and stealthy approaches the U.N. building, trying to avoid being noticed by any Ultimatum guards that may be watching.

"I've gotten as close to the building as I can," Cap says. "To get any closer would put in the open, where I'd be sure to be noticed. If only I could wait a few hours until nightfall... No use pondering ifs, Rogers. I just hope this jet belt has enough range."

Cap activates his jet belt, sending him arcing through the air towards the building's roof. However, the arc is just short! Cap reaches out and manages to grip the top of the roof with his hands. "Almost. Now if I'm lucky, no one will see me hanging here before I can pull myself up..."

Just then, two white gloved hands grip Cap's wrists and pull him onto the roof. As the two Ultimatum agents pull Cap up, one comments, "Did you really think you could sneak up on us in broad daylight?"

"Well, I had hoped," Cap says. As soon as Cap's feet touch the roof, he uses his grip on each of the Ultimatum agents' arms to slam them into each other. He kicks the agent to his right while punching the one to his left.

As the kicked agent doubles over, Cap sends him into a state of unconciousness with a chop to the back of the neck. Meanwhile, the other agent is recovering from Cap's blow and swings wildly at Cap's head. Cap ducks under the blast and drives his fist into the Ultimatum agents solar plexus. As the agent gasps for breath, Cap enters the building from the roof access. As he makes his way to the general assembly room, Cap contacts the FBI agent.

"Ultimatum knows I'm here," Cap says into his communicard. "We've got to abort our plan. I'm heading straight for the so-called 'Flagsmasher.' Cap out."

Cap proceeds into the general assembly room. There is a collective sigh of relief as the proud figure strides into the room. Although his uniform clearly identifies him as a symbol of America, the ideals he stands for: liberty, justice, and hope, are universal in nature. Standing behind a podium at the front of the assembly is a man in the Flagsmasher's uniform.

"Captain America! Welcome to my show," the villain states.

"I don't know who you are," Captain America says coolly, "but you're clearly not the Flagsmasher. He is dead."

"A man wearing this uniform may have died," the 'Flagsmasher' states. "But I am the Flagsmasher. I stand for those ideals: the people of Earth, united as brothers, without any governments to divide them - to teach them to hate!"

"Your ideals may be noble, but your methods are not. Is this how you promote brotherhood? By endangering the lives of your fellow men?"

"They are the ones who keep us from acheiving our dreams! They seek to divide us with their nationalism! 'United Nations!' Ha! They are only nited in their divisiveness. And you - you are their puppet!"

Without warning, Flagsmasher leaps from the podium onto Captain America.

Cap rolls with the leap, sending Flagsmasher flying overhead. Flagsmasher reacts quickly, twisting himself in midair to land on his feet, facing Cap. "Whoever this guy is," Cap thinks, "he's no amateur."

The Flagsmasher leaps at Cap again, this time extending his feet in order to kick Cap squarely in the chest. Cap gets his shield up, deflecting the blow. As Flagsmasher falls to the ground, he grasps Cap's leg, forcing Cap to the ground as well. Flagsmasher leaps on top of Cap and manages to get two quick punches to Cap's head before Cap uppercuts the Flagsmasher.

The Flagsmasher stumbles back as Cap gets to his feet. Before Cap can press his attack, Flagsmasher reaches down and rips up the carpeting, causing Cap to lose his balance again.

"He's incredibly strong," Cap thinks as he does a backflip to prevent himself from falling. "Why did you take the Flagsmasher's guise?" Cap asks. "Why not create your own identity? Be your own man?"

"Shut up!" Flagsmasher says. "I am the Flagsmasher you idiot! I am he! My agents know this to be true - it is you who have been duped!"

"I don't think so," Cap replies. "I've never fought you before - I would remember. Why must you steal your authority from the reputation of another man? Are you that insecure?"

"Be silent! I have had enough of you, puppet!" the Flagsmasher screams as he stalks forward.

Two Ultimatum agents watching the battle begin to discuss what they're hearing. "Could Captain America be right? Is that not the real Flagsmasher?" one asks.

"I don't know - I joined the same time as you, just a couple of weeks ago. I never met the Flagsmasher face-to-face," the other answers. A third agent walks up. "The Captain is right. That is not the Flagsmasher. So many of us wanted to believe that our leader was not truly dead. But we have deluded ourselves. We have allowed ourselves to follow a man who does not really care about our goals. He is only interested in his own glorification. Otherwise he would have executed the hostages when he had the chance, and not insisted on Captain America's appearance. He wants to be glorified for defeating Captain America. I'll see to it that he does not get his chance."

The Ultimatum agent begins to approach the area on the floor where Cap and Flagsmasher continue to struggle. He stops about 10 yards away from the battle and raises his uzi. "Flagsmasher!" he yells. The two combatants pause in their struggle and turn to face the agent. "You are not our leader and you do not care about our goals. I cannot allow this farce to continue. Farewell." With that, the agent opens fire on the two men.

Reacting almost faster than the eye can see, Captain America raises his shield and attempts to block the oncoming bullets. Despite his amazing reflexes honed through almost four years of war and several years of crimefighting, he is only human. He deflects the oncoming bullets, not only preventing himself from being shot, but angling the bullets so that the ricochets harmlessly impact against the wall. However, he does not deflect all of the bullets. Two of them rip into the flesh of the 'Flagsmasher':one in his shoulder, the other in his chest. He drops to the floor instantly.

Before the Ultimatum agent can fire again, Cap hurls his shield at the agent, rendering him senseless. Cap scans the room, trying to determine what the remaining agents' reactions will be. "They seem stunned by this turn of events," Cap thinks. "Maybe I can..."

"Captain..." comes the weak voice of the 'Flagsmasher.' "I was willing to die for my cause. Are you willing to die for yours?" He then activates a button on a small remote control device in his palm.

"He must be releasing the gas!" Cap thinks. "I've got to get as many people out of here as I can!"

"Everybody freeze!"

Cap spins to see dozens of FBI agents and police officers entering the room.

"We've got to move! He's activated the gas!" Cap warns.

"We've already disabled the cannisters," an FBI agent states. "Everything's under control now, Cap. Thanks."

"Don't thank me. I couldn't prevent this man from being killed," Cap says,indicating the 'Flagsmasher.'

"But you saved everyone else. No one could have done it but you, Cap."

Cap stays and answers the authorities' questions. Finally, he returns to his apartment and tries to relax. The telephone rings.

"Hello?"

"Steve, this is Rachel. I need to talk to you. Can I stop by?"

"Rachel, I don't know if there's any more that needs to be said between us."

"Please, Steve?"

"All right. Stop by tomorrow night."

"Thanks, Steve. You won't regret it."

Steve hangs up the phone, feeling like he's regretting it already.

Next Issue: Steve and Rachel try to have a chat, but an interruption by Anita will be the least of their problems. But before that, Cap goes head to head with Crossbones! Don't worry, Cap'll have some help in the form of your friendly neighborhood webslinger!