In front of him, Alexei stood in the alley's center. His arms wide as if ready to greet the incoming armed squad. "Comrades of the red room! I knew Dreykov would send help!" He bellowed cheerfully.
Erik sighed, gripping his weapon tighter. "This guy…" He muttered under his breath.
"Sight on the target." One of the Red Room task force members barked into his comms.
In an instant, the crisscrossing lasers focused on Alexei's broad chest.
"Target? It's me, guys! The Red—" Alexei began, his chest puffed up proudly.
But his words were cut short as the alley erupted in a cacophony of gunfire. The bullets clanged violently against his shield.
FRRRRRRRRAK! FRRRRRRRRAK!
"Motherland protect me!" Alexei muttered, crouching and backing up toward the brick wall behind him, his shield absorbing the brunt of the attack.
Meanwhile, Erik stood on the sidelines, shrouded in shadows evaluating the chaos.
He could've cloaked himself and disappeared without a trace, leaving the Red Guardian to handle his own mess.
But instead, Erik cracked his neck. His eyes narrowing beneath his mask.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a nearby metal dumpster with both hands. Lifting it as if it were weightless.
The sight was almost absurd—if it weren't terrifying.
He spun once, his momentum building, before launching the massive dumpster into the air like a missile.
Alexei, who had been bracing himself for more bullets, suddenly saw the giant object flying toward the squad.
"What the..?" He exclaimed.
The dumpster crashed down on the group with an earth-shaking BOOM, scattering bodies and debris in all directions. Some were crushed outright, while others scrambled to escape the carnage.
Alexei lowered his shield, blinking at the sight. A wide grin spread across his face. "Ah! Lenin smiles upon me!" He declared triumphantly.
His joy was short-lived as Erik appeared beside him without warning, grabbing his arm and yanking him toward an adjacent door.
"Aaaah!" Alexei yelped surprised in exaggerated fear, throwing his arms up in a ridiculous tiger-like pose.
"Come, Red Captain!" Erik commanded, his voice sharp. He spun, delivering a powerful kick to the door.
The wooden frame splintered and shattered, the door collapsing inward with a deafening crash.
"It's RED GUARDIAN!" Alexei roared back, following the boy in a hurried, clumsy backward march.
His shield remained raised, deflecting bullets that ricocheted off its surface with loud PING! PING! sounds.
Erik didn't bother responding, his mind already calculating their next move as chaos continued to unfold behind them.
"By the way kid... What kind of super-soldier serum did they give you?" Alexei asked, his curiosity piqued after witnessing the boy toss a dumpster like a basketball.
Erik didn't respond right away. Instead, he turned around and fired a few shots toward the squad outside.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Alexei shouted, grabbing Erik's arm mid-shot and ruining his aim. Bullets pinged harmlessly off a nearby wall.
"No murder!" He exclaimed, pushing both of them toward a stairwell, safely out of sight from the Red Room squad.
"No murder?" Erik echoed incredulously, glaring at Alexei like he'd lost his mind.
"Da, no murder!" Alexei confirmed, wagging a finger like he was scolding a child about sneaking a cookie. "The Red Guardian is Russia's greatest super-spy. Anyone can kill.. Bang bang, easy peasy." He mimed firing a gun with his finger, his exaggerated tone dripping with self-importance.
Erik's expression was blank as he watched the older man's antics.
"But me?" Alexei continued, straightening his back and raising his chin. "I am the night. I am the wind." He waved his hand dramatically across his face, as if disappearing into thin air. "I am here... And then vanish without a trace."
Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Dreykov put a kill order on you."
"Dreykov?!" Alexei repeated, his tone calm but his expression contorting with disgust and disappointment. "Oh. Typical Red Room borscht! They say they care... But do they?" He blew a raspberry, rolling his eyes.
Erik tilted his head, observing Alexei like a puzzle piece that didn't fit. "There's not a country on this planet that doesn't run on greed." Erik muttered, sliding a fresh magazine into his gun. "Do you really think your bosses—Dreykov, your Red Room comrades—give two fucks about you? Hm?"
Alexei's confident posture faltered. "No... they don't." He muttered under his breath, staring at the ground.
Erik glanced at him, his voice calm but still firm. "Listen, just go to the roof and run. I'll buy you time to escape."
Alexei's head snapped up, his expression defiant. "No! They betray me, I betray them!" He punched the brick wall in front of him, cracks spreading across its surface. "The Red Room has enough soldiers." He turned to Erik, a determined grin spreading across his face. "We'll fight together."
Erik stared at him for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. But don't get in my way."
"In your way? Bah!" Alexei said, pounding his chest. "I am the way!"
- Moments Later -
Erik and Alexei stood back-to-back on the rooftop, the chaotic symphony of gunfire, shouts and clattering boots filling the air.
The Red Room task force had relentlessly pursued them through the building, up the stairs and onto the roof.
Only to find themselves utterly outmatched by the two enhanced fighters.
Erik moved with precision, his strikes brutal and efficient, while Alexei's fighting style was an odd mix of raw power and exaggerated theatrics.
One by one, the task force members fell, their weapons useless against the sheer force of their opponents.
At one point, Erik raised his gun, aiming to finish off a target across the rooftop. But before he could take the shot, Alexei's shield came spinning through the air, smacking the weapon out of his hand.
"Really? Again with the guns?" Alexei called out, his voice exasperated as he caught his shield mid-spin.
Erik turned to glare at him. "What the hell is your problem ?"
"Stop with the bullets!" Alexei insisted, stepping forward with a dramatic wave of his arm. "You should dance with your enemies! Fighting is like... like a great ballet of violence." He clenched his fist, delivering the line with the passion of a man who truly believed he was imparting wisdom.
Erik tilted his head, unimpressed. "Then go dance further away." He said flatly.
Before Alexei could respond, Erik grabbed him by the arm and with an effortless display of strength, hurled him across the rooftop toward the last five Red Room soldiers.
"Oh? Oupa-oupa-oupa—!" Alexei exclaimed, his voice rising in a mix of surprise and excitement as he flew through the air.
He tucked his body behind his shield, crashing into the group like a bowling ball striking pins. The soldiers toppled over, knocked out cold by the force of his landing. Alexei stood, brushing himself off and raising his shield triumphantly.
"Lenin smiles upon me again!" He declared, grinning broadly.
Erik stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing into the distance as the sirens and chaos faded into the background. With a calculated motion, he leaned forward pretending to lose his balance and fall.
"Boy!" Alexei shouted, sprinting toward the edge of the roof in alarm.
But as he peered over, he froze mid-step. His expression a mixture of shock and confusion.
Erik was clinging to the building's wall, completely vertical, with only his feet touching the surface.
"What?" Erik said casually, tilting his head at Alexei's stunned face.
The man blinked, trying to process what he was seeing. "How... how do you do that?" He asked, his eyes widening in exaggerated disbelief.
Erik sighed, clearly unimpressed. "We don't have time for that." He pointed at Alexei, his tone firm but calm. "This is where our paths separate."
"Wait! What's your name, boy?" Alexei called out, taking a step closer.
Erik paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "People call me Killmonger."
"Killmonger!" Alexei repeated, his voice tinged with excitement, though his face quickly shifted to a thoughtful expression.
He stroked his chin, his brow furrowed in exaggerated contemplation. "That's not a very nice name. Have you ever thought about—"
"Da svidaniya!" Erik cut him off, a faint smirk under his mask.
Without waiting for a response. He began a vertical walk down the wall as easily as if it were the ground.
Before disappearing entirely, he stopped and looked back one last time.
"You should save yourself, Alexei. Go back to America. Anybody can be someone in America."
Alexei stood frozen, mulling over Erik's words. "Go back?" He muttered after a few seconds, his face lighting up with surprise. "How do you know that I—"
But when Alexei looked back at the wall. Erik was gone, vanished into the night like a phantom.
The faint sound of groaning from the soldiers stirred Alexei from his thoughts. "No time for riddles" He muttered, shaking his head. With a determined grunt, he turned and leaped off the roof, his shield leading the way.
As he descended, Alexei couldn't help but think about Erik's final words. A small, hopeful smile crept onto his face. "Anybody can be someone, huh?"
- Two Days Later - Somewhere in the outskirts of Moscow -
M'Nai, Li, Nikolai and Erik sat at a dimly lit table in a small local restaurant.
The scent of spices and roasted meat still lingering in the air from their finished meal.
Their cups of tea steamed gently. But despite the warm atmosphere, an unspoken tension hung between them.
As usual, the eyes of nearly every individual in the establishment were subtly—or not so subtly—fixed on Erik and M'Nai.
Whispers traveled in hushed tones. Some curious, others wary.
"You two are the center of attention." Li remarked playfully, a smirk tugging at his lips as he lifted his cup.
M'Nai, wrapped in a scarf that concealed some of his face. Shifted slightly in his seat. Though he said nothing, the subtle tightening of his jaw revealed his irritation.
Erik studied him for a moment before taking a slow sip of his tea. "No need to be offended." He said calmly. "Most of the time, it's just curiosity.'
M'Nai exhaled through his nose. "I know." He muttered, his tone neutral.
Erik's gaze swept over the room taking in the stares, the whispers. Some eyes darted away when he met them, others lingered, unashamed. He sighed softly.
They're not used seeing Black people around here, especially not in this time period. He thought to himself. It's the same in China. Maybe even worse there.
M'Nai suddenly broke the silence with his thick african accent, his voice low but firm. "Why are we still here, Erik? We should' be home by now."
Li chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "M'Nai, you're always so formal. Can't you relax for once? Who minds a little break from time too time?"
But the boy wasn't amused. His eyes, sharp and calculating, flicked suspiciously toward Erik. "Another one of us has gone missing." He said, his words clipped, measured. "It's dangerous. We should leave."
Li's smirk faded. "Another one, huh?" He echoed, brow furrowing in thought. Of the eight operatives who had been sent on this mission, only four remained at the table. Two had been killed by the Black Widow. But the other two... Their disappearances were different. Unexplained.
Li's fingers tapped absently against his cup. "Maybe someone is hunting us down ?" He mused silently.
"Y'all don't need to be worrying so much. Erik said, his voice even, unbothered. He set his cup down, meeting M'Nai's gaze with quiet confidence.
"We'll leave tomorrow."
M'Nai only gave a slight nod, saying nothing more. His expression remained unreadable, but he knew him well enough to recognize when he was deep in thought.
Erik too, let his mind drift, staring blankly at the table as he processed everything.
"I got the confirmation.. Xu finally left for Ta-Lo, just like he did in the original timeline.." He thought to himself.
Leaning back in his chair, he let out a slow breath. "I succeeded in avoiding going there... And more importantly, I kept M'Nai and Li from going, too."
He knew what would have happened if they had followed Wenwu on that path. He wasn't about to let them die that stupidly.
His fingers tapped lightly against the wooden table as he stared into the empty space before him.
"From now on… Things are about to change in The Ten Rings."