Captain America

Sharon Carter

Steve Rogers sat in his apartment in front of an old color television and VCR set, watching the midnight news. His daughter Maria had gone to bed hours ago after her early night snack. Sharon Carter, Agent 13 of SHIELD, had read her a bedtime story.

"I could call in the sitter as we go patrolling," Sharon ventured, trying to break his intense concentration on the news.

"Sssshhh. Wait this sounds good. It looks like we won't have to go patrolling. I may have to investigate this all by my lonesome."

"Investigate what, Cap?"

"That." Cap pointed to the fuzzy picture on the television screen. It was a picture of a half man, half wolfen type creature running rampant through NYC. Terrorists were one thing, but werewolves were another. Underneath his picture was the word 'Werewolf by Night'.

"I better go with you. I'll call the sitter. Maria will sleep like a baby and by the time we are done with this mission, she won't know that we're gone." While she was talking this initiative, Sharon Carter had changed into her SHIELD uniform and was cocking her gun.

Cap raised an accusing hand. "Hold your horses, Sharon. There's no reason why you go in there half cocked. I can handle this all by myself."

"But, Cap-"

"But nothing. I need you to look after Maria. She is our daughter, after all. Anyway, I know another super hero who can help me stop Jack Russell. And if I'm not mistaken he clashed with him in the not too distant past."

"Who?"

"Moon Knight."

As he was talking, Steve Rogers had changed into his Captain America costume. He grabbed his shield, hung it on his back and vaulted out the open window onto the nearby rooftop. Sharon saw him bounding from rooftop to rooftop to his final destination.

"Looks like it's just you and me again, Maria," Sharon said silently. "Again alone to worry if your foster father will come home alive tonight."

Captain America realized that if Sharon Carter were in her normal condition he would have brought her along but since she was still on crutches from her bone injury by Crusher Creel she was in no position to be out crime fighting. He could more or less handle a maniac werewolf but with the help of Moon Knight, it was a done deal.

He landed on a rooftop and overlooked the city at large. He tucked his shield on his back and the straps that held the shield was on his shoulders and connected underneath his arms.

Suddenly, he heard a woman scream. Body on alert, he vaulted from the rooftop and landed on the streets below. He searched the streets but found nothing.

Not another scream but this time, he hears a grunt or a moan in pain. He entered an alley and saw a frightening sight. He saw the Werewolf by Knight over an unconscious woman.

"Let her go!"

The werewolf snarled and growled. He looked like a thing inhuman. Drool dripped down from his lips and shiny teeth. Then, the werewolf picked the woman as if she weighed nothing and threw her at Captain America.

Cap launched himself into air to catch her. He caught her and set her at the entrance of the alley. But Cap didn't have long to react when the werewolf charged at him, yelling inhuman growls.

"Don't hurt him!" a voice said that originated from the space above the two combatants.

Cap looked upward and saw whom the voice belonged to. It was a long white clothed figure with a cape and mask. He landed between the two fighters.

"Don't worry, Moon Knight, I wasn't going to hurt him. Much."

"I was talking to Jack. He's not in control of his actions. When he becomes the Werewolf By Night, he becomes an inhuman thing. Something that has been told about in urban legends. We have to try to communicate with him."

"Don't tell me, tell him."

While the whole time that the two crime fighters have been talking, the Werewolf by Night had been preparing himself for the fight that most probably must ensue but the one that the both of them wanted to avoid if at all possible.

"I have an idea, Moon Knight," Cap said to his compatriot, "Let's try to get him to change back to other identity and ask questions later."

"It may not be that easy."

"Why?"

"He's gone already."

Cap looked to where the werewolf used to be and he indeed was among the lost. He must have escaped while the two of them were discussing battle strategies. Fight now, talk later was a better strategy, Cap thought.

"Moon Knight, thanks, I-"

Cap turned around.

Moon Knight was gone also.

Hmm. Vigilantes and their habits.

Later, the Werewolf by Night entered through the window of his hotel room. The room was dark, which was good for him because in his present form he adored the dark. He flicked on his light and he was soon bathed in lamplight. What he couldn't figure out in the dark recesses of his mind was how he knew to come back here. That was the part of him that was human that told him to come back here.

Russell.

Jack Russell.

He hated that name. And the person it belonged to. He loved being a werewolf but Jack wanted to end his gift, what he called his 'curse'. No, it was a gift. What was the curse was changing back into Jack Russell.

No, it's happening again, he thought and this particular thought was a human thought. Not a werewolf thought.

He looked out the window and saw that it was dawn. The sun was coming up. And that meant that Jack Russell would take dominance.

He was no longer Werewolf by Night.

He was Jack Russell.

And he needed help again.

He heard a black southern woman whistling a merry tune and opening the door. It was the maid. She saw him, his naked form.

"If you wanted to be alone, you should have left the 'Do Not Disturb' tag on your door handle. I'll come back later. Sorry, suh." She quickly closed the door.

"Whew. That was close. If anyone had seen my coming into this room in my other form, I would have been a goner for sure. I need help. Serious help. But whom can I call? The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Spider-man? I remember vague images of Captain America and that Moon Knight fellow. I fought Moon Knight before but can I trust them with my secret not to reveal it to the world at large? I better just leave and think this through.'

After his battle with Captain America and Moon Knight. The Werewolf by Night who had by now transformed back into plain ol' Jack Russell, almost on the power of suggestion walked down midtown Manhattan to an old antiquarian building that was similar to L.Ron Hubbard's Scientology in Boston. He seemed almost hypnotized.

"Come to me, Mr. Russell," the voice called out to him from afar, "Come to me and do my bidding.'

The only answer that Jack could respond to this voice was 'yes, yes, and a resounding yes'.

Clothed in a pair of ripped pants, he entered the building which had a sing on it that bore the legend, ' the Knight of the Wolf.' This building was very important to the killer-werewolf known as Jack Russell. He had joined this organization months ago when he had vacationed in NYC. They had given him solace here, great solace.

"Welcome, Jack, to my humble abode," the man known only as Mr. Satan said as he greeted Jack into this dwelling place. "I am so relieved that you are all right after your battle through the villainy of New York and the criminals known as Captain America and your former adversary, Moon Knight. We have tried to recruit the Moon Knight because you are both knights of the dark moon. Him being cursed by the Fist of Khonshu and you blessed by the moon that transforms you thankfully into the Werewolf by Night. Welcome home, Jack. How goes your progress?"

Jack's eyes were glazed, blank. The influence that Mr. Satan had on him was great indeed. Try as he might, and if he was in his right mind he would be surely fighting it but he couldn't, he couldn't break the hold. "Y-yes, master. Very well, indeed. I killed so many today, but I couldn't those super heroes."

"Good, good. You may retire to your quarters and wait for your next mission and the next full moon."

"Thank you, gracious master."

Jack was sweating profusely as he tried to resist the mental hold that Mr. Satan had on him.

If he couldn't then he might as well kill those tgwo super heroes that stopped his reign of terror.

"This fell out of his pants pocket when last we fought him," Moon Knight said, as he took out a ripped piece of paper and placed it on the table. It was a business card of some sort.

"What does it say?" Cap asked.

They were seated in Steve Rogers' apartment and in front of his mainframe computer. Moon Knight was at the computer console searching for a certain website address. The card had the URL and it took him no more than a few seconds to connect to the internet and AOL.

"It's a business card for an organization. A cult in fact for Knights of the Wolf. They seek solace for mutants, creatures of the night. Werewolves, vampires, gypsies, etc. They promise to cure them of their afflictions and ailments and return them to their families and their normal lives. Fancy that, huh?"

"Amazing. What people would do for a quick cure. Who heads it?"

"A guy by the name of Mister Satan. A colorful name for someone so mischeivious and evil. I've been following them for some time."

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

"I'd love to. Y'see, I have been investigating the disappearance of some runaways and drug addicts in the New York district. The thing that they all had in common was that they had been affiliated with the Knights of the Wolf. Name is misleading. They don't just supposedly help wolves or werewolves, per se. They deal with all kinds of creatures of the night."

"What happened next?"

"Next, before I was able to bust the cult for what they truly were, I was attacked by the Werewolf by Night. It seems that Jack Russell was their first line of defence. I figured that if I could bag Jack I would be one step closer to this cult. "

"I'm sure you did the best you could. What we have to do now is find out where Russell is and find out what he is going to do next."

"I don't understand something. What does the Knights of the Wolf want with Jack Russell?"

"Simple. They need Russell to commit the crimes that they are too scared to commit on their own. The promise they made to Jack is the same that they made to all the rest. Cure him of his curse. But for Jack, there is no cure. He is cursed for life."

"Dear God."

"We better plan our next move."

Captain America searched the city all night long and before dawn, before Maria awoke, he returned to Steve Rogers' apartment. When he got there, he took off his costume and changed into his civvies. He hung up his costume in the closet with all of his spares.

He went into the kitchen and started to make breakfast for his two all-star ladies. Halfway through, Sharon and Maria walked inside. Sharon was dressed (it was obvious to Steve that she had stayed up all night long to wait up for him and slept in her clothes, her SHIELD uniform) but Maria was still in her pajamas.

As Maria ate her breakfast, Sharon took Steve aside and asked him a question. "Did you get Jack? I heard the early morning news. They said that there was a certain ineptitude on the behalf of the super hero community on catching him."

"Yeh. I guess you could say that. I ran into Moon Knight. He was no help. He seemed more intent on talking with the werewolf while he was slaughtering innocents."

"What's your angle, then?"

"Well, Jack wasn't in a talking mood. He had just attacked a young woman and was ready to kill us. We spent our time arguing amongst ourselves rather than helping him. He escaped while we were talking."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I would like to get in touch with Moon Knight again and try to stress the point that we would do better joining forces. I think that we could cover more ground that way. I just wish I knew how to contact him. I doubt that the police commissioner has a Moon Signal..."

"That won't be necessary."

Everyone turned to the open window where the Moon Knight was kneeling and then he jumped inside the apartment.

"Look, daddee, it's Batman."

The caped crusader patted Maria on the head. "That's Moon Knight, young girl."

Steve stepped forward. "How did you know where I live?"

"Once you revealed to the world at large that Steve Rogers and Captain America are one and the same, it was no small task to find your pad."

"I guess. But I'm glad you're here. Saves me the trouble of tracking you down. I think we could work well as a team. But I think we should get one thing straight first. If we have to fight him, then it will be a fight. You can't talk with a homicidial maniac, even though he may not be responsible for his actions."

"Agreed."

"Let me get changed."

Soon, both Captain America and Moon Knight were in costume, patrolling the city for the Werewolf by Night. They hadn't found anything yet so they decided to go to the local police station to have a talk with Cap's friend, the Sarge.

"So, what can I do for you?" the Sarge asked the two super heroes.

Cap stepped forward, while Moon Knight remained silent, for he was more a vigilante. "We're looking for a very specific individual. He is named the Werewolf by Night."

"Yeh, I know the fellow. Me and my men are tracking him, too. He's been on a rampage lately, killing people at random. I can handle perps fine but how a we supposed to fight creatures of the night?"

"That's why we're here. Do you know where he could be--?"

There was another woman screaming. Cap and Moon knight reacted as one, racing to the source of the voice.

"Remember, Captain, I don't want him hurt."

"I'll try my best but I think you should know that we may have to fight him to knock some sense into him."

"Whatever."

When they got to the alley, they saw the Werewolf By Night feasting a young, nubile woman. She was unconscious, probably passed out from the fright of him.

Upon seeing him, Moon Knight took out a gun and fired it at the werewolf. A bolo escaped the gun and whipped around their foe's body, holding him fast.

The Werewolf pulled on the rope and the Moon Knight went flying into the alley. Moon Knight crashed against some trashcans.

Moon Knight scratched his head. "So much for that idea. Any bright ideas, Cap?"

"I do have one. I would like to see if this wolf is shield-proof." Captain America threw his shield at the werewolf but the hirsute Jack Russell caught it, hurling it back at Cap. The shield connected with his stomach, slamming him against the brick wall of an adjoining building.

Then, baring his claws, growling and howling like the wolf he was, the Werewolf by night prepared to go in for the kill.

"I think that we are in sheep dip in trouble, Cappie, don't you think?" Moon Knight asked his partner in apprehending this creature of the night.

"I agree. But let's not talk about it but do it instead!"

The Werewolf by Night was snarling like the ravenous beast that he was. Drool and blood escaped his lips and he bared his fangs for all to see. He slowly edged closer. In his werewolf form, Jack Russell was incapable of normal speech patterns or thoughts. He was an animal now. He was a beast. He was truly a creature of the night. And all he wanted to do now was to attack these two infidels and kills them swiftly.

But strangely enough, Russell was not intent on hurting Cap but Moon Knight instead. He charged at Moonie but the Fist of Khonshu did not move in the slightest. He was immobile, frozen, still.

"I'd move if I were you, Moon Knight!" Cap warned.

But Moon Knight did not do as he was instructed.

He remained in his present position.

The Werewolf was inches away from Moon Knight's mask so Cap blocked the blow with his shield. He swore that he knocked out a few teeth. That stopped the Werewolf temporarily.

Cap threw a serum at the Werewolf. Even though it was still nighttime and moonlight out, he turned back to Jack Russell.

"That should stop your rapid transformations for the time being. Let's go home, Jack, and see what we can find out about Mr. Satan and the Cult you have been running away with."

Captain America, Moon Knight, Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night, Sharon Carter, Agent 13 of SHIELD, and Maria were all relaxing at Steve Rogers' apartment. But Russell wasn't relaxing because he knew that the device that Moon knight used to transform the Werewolf back into plain ol' Jack Russell would wear off soon and the hold that Mr. Satan had on Jack would be regained.

"I think you are making a mistake. WE could hurt a lot of innocent people," Jack told Cap, who had his mask off to reveal to everyone that he was still Steve Rogers. "But I'm afraid I can't stay here for long. I know that mr. Satan will know I'm here and I may be a danger to the innocents here."

"There are no innocents here," Steve said. "Except for my daughter, Maria, but when we both attack Mr. Satan, Sharon will act as sitter for her as she always does."

"Or until my bone injury heals properly," Sharon Carter said. She was still on crutches.

"Enough, Sharon," Cap said. "We have to know what we're dealing with here. What we're up against, etc. Tell me all you know about Mr. Satan and his cult for the Knight of the Wolf."

Jack Russell took a deep breath and when he again spoke, all people present heard tales of Jack Russell being recruited by a kind and wizened doctor who felt he could cure Jack of his ailment. He was really Mr. Satan and before it was too late, he was hypnotized to perform evil crimes throughout the city. Other creatures of the night were recruited and hypnotized. Even though his memory was shrouded due to the hypnosis, Jack did remember the location of the cult.

"I hope that helps," Jack said.

"Yes. It does," Cap said. "It will have to do for now. That is all the information we need to know to put Mr. Satan and his cult behind bars, where he rightfully belongs."

"Isn't this sort of risky?" Jack Russell asked. "When I change into the werewolf, wouldn't Mr. Satan be able to control me?"

"No, he wouldn't," Cap said.

"And why is that?" Jack asked.

"Because, Sharon has devised a head band for you to wear that will inhibit the control he has on you. Also, the serum we gave you will be able to control your wild, berserker rages as the Werewolf By Night."

"Great, let's do this."

Suddenly, Jack Russell transformed into the werewolf and he was willing to fight Mr. Satan. In the next instant, all three superbeings crashed through the window of the cult house and saw Mr. Satan lecturing before the innocent creatures of the night.

"Ah, it looks like you have found Jack and me," Mr. Satan said, turning to face the heroes. "So, I have only one thing to say to you. Creatures of the Night, attack them!!"

Then, the listeners to his lecture all transformed like Jack Russell had done before into their dark selves.

"I'll handle these jokers," Werewolf by Night said, slashing and clawing at the Creatures of the Night. Obviously, the device that Sharon Carter devised had gained him control of the beast within him. "You get Mr. Satan."

"Will do," Cap said, as he and moon knight chased after Mr. Satan who had been trying to escape.

Moon Knight took out a boomerang and threw it, as it struck Mr. Satan in the back, downing him.

As Mr. Satan started to fall onto the hardwood floor, Cap grabbed him and said, "Why did you do this? Were you too much of a coward to commit those crimes by yourself ? What did you hope to gain? What??"

But by then, Mr. Satan had fallen asleep.

It was over.

After the fight was over and Cap called Code:Blue to clean up the mess, Jack Russell and Captain America reconvened at Steve Rogers' apartment. It was after ten o'clock so Maria was sound asleep.

"So, how did everything go?" Sharon asked.

"Fine, Shar," Cap said. He took of his mask and costume and changed into Steve Rogers. Since there was no action to be had, he felt more comfortable in his civvies. "Mr. Satan is in the vault. Stone decided to go easy on the Creatures of the Night. They only got slaps on the wrists for the crimes they committed under Satan's influence. They returned to their normal lives."

"I'm just glad it's over," Sharon said.

"So am I,' Jack said. "And it looks like I may have to take my leave, now, too."

"I wish that you could stay longer, Jack, "Steve said. "It's been a pleasure fighting by your side. Tho' fighting against you was not such a pleasure."

"It looks like there is still no cure for me."

"If you stay maybe I could devise a cure for you," Sharon said. "I'm sure I could whip up another serum."

"No, I'm sorry. The full moon would be able in a couple days, and I just can't wait that long. I'll find a cure, Sharon, but I'm afraid it won't be soon."

"Good-bye, Jack," Steve said. "I'll miss you."

Steve shook his hand.

Sharon came over and hugged him. It was a long embrace. "Bye, Jack. Sorry I couldn't fight by your side."

"Me, too," Jack responded.

Jack Russell exited the apartment and started to walk into the distance.