Captain America

Sharon Carter

What has gone before: After trying to prevent a bank robbery by the Absorbing Man, Captain America fought Crusher Creel, who caused great damage to the bone structure of Agent Sharon Carter.

An alley in NYC

Crusher Creel couldn't believe what he has done. He swung his ball and chain at a SHIELD agent and made her go to the hospital for therapeutic care. He could have killed her. He never wanted to kill innocents, only Captain America or maybe Thor on his good days.

He was carrying his bags of bank dough with him. He needed a place to hide this money from his girlfriend, Mary. He knew that Captain America was busy caring for his ladylove. How would he feel if Cap accidently hurt Mary? Would he react the same way?

He knows exactly how he would react. He would attack Cap in a fit of rage and probably kill him. No, but that would never happen because Cap had such self-control that he would never kill anyone close or not so close to Creel.

"Hold it right there, Creel!" a voice originated from the frontal section of the alleyway. Crusher Creel turned to the direction and origin of the voice and saw that a group of smartly dressed police officers with one particular officer, whom he recognized as the Sarge, approaching him with their guns and rifles blazing. They were armed to the teeth. "You're under arrest for the brutal injury of Sharon Carter and for robbing this bank. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up this right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you, you have the right-"

"You won't get me, coppers," Crusher Creel said as he swung his ball and chain at the cops, scattering them like ten pins. Swinging his ball and chain at Sharon Carter was one thing, swinging it at the cops was another thing entirely. This was different. He didn't care what happened to the cops, if they didn't capture him and throw him back at the Vault.

Crusher Creel walked off into the night, a free man, for the time being.

St. Vincent's Hospital

Dr. Bryan Brendall was standing in the hospital room where Sharon Carter , agent of SHIELD, was unconscious due to her properly rsponding to her medications.

"Will she be okay?" Cap asked Dr. Brendall.

"It looks like that," Brendall responded firmly. "She has a broken leg and arm. But I've set the bones and they are all on the healing stage. SHIELD has contacted me and she will be transferred to the Helicarrier and be in the care of Dr. Brian Vesso. She should be with her work associates."

"Thank you, doctor," Cap said. "I would like to have a moment alone with her before she is moved and before SHIELD arrives."

"Sure thing, Cap." Then, Brendall takes his exit. With the closing of the door, Cap approaches Sharon Carter, placing his hand within hers, massaging her fingers, and giving her loving support in her hour of need.

"How do you feel?"

She moans awake. "Fine, I guess considering I went toe to toe with Creel. What are you going to do now? Go after Creel, I guess. Don't go on a revenge trip for me. Just get him for the bank robbery thing, okay?"

"I will, Sharon. Though I feel about to kick his butt a little for what he did to you."

"Promise me you won't hurt him too much."

"I promise."

Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, walked down the street of Midtown Manhatten, with a bag of bank money over his shoulder. Over his other shoulder he carried his ball and chain. He was on his way to his apartment that he shared with his lady love, Mary. They have been dating for some time now and were in the process of going steady. It embarrassed him to use the word 'steady' because it felt so high school. But as long as he could still get in the sack with her, he was proud to use the word steady. It suited his needs, more than hers.

She recently lost her job at the bank that she worked for. She was fired because of holiday cutbacks. It really irked him. She was pretty and very smart. If he knew who her bosses were, he would hurt them. Badly. But he was much happier to steal the money to pay the rent. But he couldn't very well enter the apartment with a bag full of money. He needed a way to hide it.

Then, he saw his exit to freedom. A businessman was carrying a briefcase walking probably to his own apartment. This was it. All he had to do was relinquish the briefcase from the kind man and make away with the goods.

"Hey, mister, can I talk to you fra second," Creel said, approaching the man. "You may not know it but you have something that I need."

The man looked nervous and panicky. He reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. "Back off, before I call the cops on you."

"On what? Your phone? They won't be here in time. I'd be long gone by then."

"No, no, don't hurt me, I'll give you what you want, anything, please!!!"

"You better believe you're gonna give me that briefcase."

Dropping the bag of money to his side, Crusher Creel swung his ball and chain at the defenseless man, knocking him unconscious immediately. The man didn't know what hit him. Then, Creel picked up the briefcase, emptied its contents, and stacked the money he had stolen within it.

"Thanks, chump, you really saved my hide," Creel said, as he made his way back to his apartment.

"Hi, honey, I'm home!"

Crusher Creel used this stereotypical greeting that was seen and heard in old movie pictures because he wanted to keep the appearance of a normal, happy, 'Leave it to beaver' relationship. Mary knew of his criminal intentions but somehow wanted him to have a normal life. Poor girl never knew that he never wanted to give up his life of crime.

"Hi, baby," she said, embracing him, for a kiss and a hug. "What did you do today?"

"Nothin', just lookin' fra job. And I found one."

"Really? Where?"

"Oh, uh, I'm a construction worker. And I, uh, went to the bank where you worked and got yer severance pay for ya."

"Thank you, baby. Thank you."

"Let me get it for ya." Creel went to his bedroom with the briefcase, which she didn't question, and took out some hundred dollar bills to give to his girlfriend.

Creel couldn't wait to get at Captain America. He could easily defeat by absorbing the properties of any metal known. He could absorb the metal in Cap's shield. Cap would be after soon for the bank robbery. He knew if Mary knew about the bank robbery she would leave him. She threatened to leave him many times if he didn't give up his life of crime.

"I hope you didn't get lost in there," Mary said, with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Nope. Just countin' the money I took out from the bank." Nothing like telling a little white lie to his babe.

Creel presented her with the money that he pretended to extract from her bank account.

"I hope you didn't sign my name on the check…"

"Ya got me. I just couldn't wait."

"Crusher, you are sometimes the worst."

"Don't talk like that, babe."

"I could never be too mad at ya for too long." Then, Crusher and Mary kiss like passionate lovers, for that was the role that they played.

"I gotta go out now. My job starts soon."

"Okay."

Placing the rest of the money in his safe within his apartment, Crusher Creel went to rob another bank.

"Give up, Creel, this is your last chance before we open fire on you!" The Sarge yelled through the megaphone to warn Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, of his crime and the consequences.

"No way, copper! This is my ticket out of here. No way am I going to go to jail again! And you kin open fire all ya want. I'll just absorb the properties of the bullets and then the metal of your gun barrel."

Another cop confided in the Sarge. "He's right, sir. No way can we haul his sorry, loser ass into jail this time. We're defenseless against him. All we can do is wait for Captain America or the Avengers to show up. They're our only hope. You did put in that call to the Star Spangled Avenger on his Avenger Priority One card, didn't ya?"

"Sure did, cadet. But we have to do something. I'm not going to let this bastard get away from me this time."

"No reason to, sir!" A voice rang out. All of the police officers looked upward at the source of the voice, including the Sarge with the megaphone and they saw that it was none other than Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty. He swung down from a rooftop to land in the barricade in front of the Manhatten Bank, between the police black and whites and the Absorbing Man. "I'll handle this miscreant. He's mine, people!"

"He sure is," the Sarge said, glad that Cap was here to take over his job and shift.

Crusher Creel threw his ball and chain in the general direction of Captain America but Cap ducked out of his way, blocking it with his vibranium shield.

"You unmidigated clown! Yer shield is of no use against the likes of Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man! I kin absorb the metallic properties of any metal or substance known. You know full well what happens when I come in contact with yer shield. I become more star spangled than you, Captain!"

"That is where you're wrong, Crusher. While I know how to wield my shield, you lack the knowledge and the power to control the power. Observe…"

Now, the Absorbing Man changed colors to red, white and blue, like Cap's shield. His flesh and blood body transformed into the metal in the shield, which was adamantium and vibranium, including his ball and chain.

"You won't trap me that easily…"

"Then, try this on for size."

The Absorbing Man punched Cap in the face but at the exact moment of contact, fist to face, Crusher Creel transformed into his human form.

"What did ya do ta me?"

"Simple. When your fist touched my face your body transformed into flesh and blood, instead of the vibranium of the shield. And now, for the coup de grace…"

Then, Cap sucker punched Creel, knocking him into unconsciousness. A van pulled up and out poured the Guardsmen from the Vault.

"He's all yours, boys!" Cap said, as they encased Creel in an energy field that negated his powers temporarily.

"I saw your fight with Creel. It was over all the networks," Sharon Carter, said, lying in her bed aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier. "Now I guess Mary, the significant other, knows about the money that Creel got for her, since she lost her job at the bank."

"Yes," Cap responded. "We raided her apartment that she shares with Creel to find the money and return it to the bank. She seemed genuinely surprised that Creel could have pulled this off without telling her. I didn't think that they came that naïve anymore."

"I guess they do. I'm glad that you took it relatively easy on Creel."

"Anything for you, Sharon. But you get better soon."

Cap kissed Sharon on the lips and he returned to his apartment to check up on Maria who was with a babysitter.

Meanwhile…

"You clowns, you can't hold me here!"

Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, was aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier bound for imprisonment at the Vault. He didn't recognize anyone here aboard the ship. But then, the only agent of SHIELD that he knew was Col. Nick Fury, but he heard that he was leading Excalibur now with G.W. Bridge. The other one was Agent 13, Sharon Carter, and at this very moment she was tooling around with Captain America. All he had to do was get at his ball and chain in the holding pen and he was home free.

"Don't be so sure of that," one SHIELD agent said. "Those chains that we have on you are made of adamantium, the strongest metal known. You are going to be with us for a long time."

"Not even adamantium or the metal alloy that makes Captain America's vaunted shield (Ha ha) can stand up against the peerless power of the Amazing Absorbing Man!"

"Try us, Crusher."

"I will at that," Crusher Creel laughed out loud, as he touched one lone finger to the chains and suddenly, his entire body transformed into the same metal that the chains were forged of. Instantly, he broke free of the chains and scattered the men aside, like ten pins.

`"I'm free, free, free!! Free to wreak havoc on the city but first I have to pay a visit to a very special young lady. A lovely lady that once had my affections."

Brain Vesso approached Creel. "My precognitive powers predicted what you were going to do but I couldn't warn them in time. You're a dead man, Creel!" Vesso had a .44 magnum pointed at Creel's head. Vesso squeezed the trigger with animalistic intent. The bullets bounced off his body.

"Silly boy, bullets can't harm a man whose skin is composed and forged of adamantium, the strongest metal known."

"Oh, silly me. I forgot. But didn't you say that already?"

"I don't need to say anything because I am outta here!"

Breaking the glass container that held his ball and chain, Creel grabbed his weapon and escaped through an escape hatch in the belly of the beast that was the SHIELD Helicarrier.

New York City was below him. He envisioned his apartment below him where Mary would be. He had to see her again. Just to kill her.

Mary's apartment

Mary Long was watching Nick At Nite on her television, enjoying the comedy routines of Happy Days, Leave it To Beaver, and Mary Tyler Moore. She was laughing along with the laugh track but she couldn't keep her mind off of her former man, Crusher Creel.

She just found out that he was the criminal called the Absorbing Man. She knew that he was a criminal, a super powered one, before he was captured but she hoped that he would turn over a new leaf like she asked him to.

Typical man. Never doing what his woman wanted. All she wanted from him was to lead a normal life, just the two of them, happy together. Yeh, right. Like that would happen.

She heard a knock on the door. The doorman hadn't contacted her like he usually does so it was a strange event, in and of itself.

"Who is it?" she asked the person on the other side. She looked through the peephole and saw a man with no shirt on and wearing purple dungarees. It was Crusher.

"Crusher, my God, what happened?" she said, as she opened the door and quickly let him inside, before someone who could contact the authorities could see him on the lam. She closed the door behind them.

When he finally got settled in the living room, Mary shut off the television, Nick at nite fading into the distance. "What happened? I thought you were going to jail or the Vault or whatever it is."

"I was but I had to see you one last time."

'Are you crazy? SHIELD is just going to press more charges against you at the trial when they catch you."

"Y'see, I wanted to see you… so I could kill you." Crusher grabbed her by the neck and pressed her against the back wall.

"Why would you want to kill me?" she asked, not scared in the slightest. "I thought you loved me."

"Not any more. You're the reason I was caught in the first place. I got soft, weak. If I was with a babe like Titania still, I never would have gotten caught." He kissed her full on the mouth. "You were great, babe. But all great things must come to an end."

CRASH

Before Crusher Creel can literally squeeze the life out of his ladylove forever, Captain America and Sharon Carter, Agent 13 of SHIELD, crashed through the window, landing into the living room where they saw what was transpiring before them.

'Let the girl go, Crusher! She didn't do it. You're the only one to blame and you're going to the Vault, this time for good."

"You better listen to the Captain," Sharon Carter says, her gun inches away from Crusher's mouth. "Otherwise I got this itchy trigger finger that I'm dying to use on you."

Crusher dropped the ball and chain and lifted his arms into the air. "I renege. You win, you patriotic asshole. Take me to the Vault."

"Captain," Sharon Carter ordered to her partner. "Get the other SHIELD agents in her to do their job."

Captain America smiled, another job well done.