Invader

[archivedexsovietspy-deactivated]

“He’s sweet, but he’s also hard working. He’s dedicated.”

She smiled at him.

“And he gets the job done. He’s a good guy to work with and someone that you want on your team. Is there anything specific that you want to know?”

[brianfalsworth]

He arches an eyebrow, unconvinced but too polite to say so. She talks about him the way he’s heard himself talk of Roger- the way he’s heard Jacqueline talk of Jim Hammond. She’s biased, and he has a very good idea why.

“...His name, for starters. And how he came to inherit the uniform.”

[striigoii-blog]

( then what did he come here for? the shipment yard is still in use, but it belongs to beyond. there’s no way they just sent union jack out for air.

either he’s lying or trying to insult her. whatever it is, ana paola’s job is to make sure h.a.t.e. missions go off without a hitch. she taps her wristwatch communicator, ordering some of her men to bring her new puppet.

for theatrics sake, and what is h.a.t.e if not theatrical, a few human like husks carry a coffin in. ana paola opens it, revealing a pallid robert frank, the man once known as the whizzer. )

You have no idea how difficult it is to clean up the already dead. There’s tissue replacement, sometimes eyes have decayed and those need to be replaced… It’s much easier to take the living. –oh, look at me rambling on. After all, this display was for you.

Has your mind changed?

[brianfalsworth]

[ Brian was in a concentration camp in 1941, and prior to his escape he’d seen things that most men couldn’t dream of in their darkest nightmares.

He’s fought some of the most bizarre and horrifying monstrosities Nazi Germany could conjure, from vampires to robots to genetically mutated freaks of science, and stood unflinchingly alongside the Invaders in some of the bloodiest engagements of the Second World War. He's seen death on a scale that few would ever be unlucky enough to witness themselves.

But the sight of the Whizzer’s body, unexpected as it is, sends a wave of bile washing into his throat. The costume appears perfectly intact, the vibrant yellow of the fabric a ghastly contrast with the buttermilk pallor of Frank’s skin.

The Whizzer is a hero, a veteran of the Second World War and a member of the All-Winners Squad, the Invaders and the Liberty Legion. To see his body exhumed, restored to a mockery of its prime like some kind of gruesome museum exhibit is nothing short of sickening.

Then the body starts to move, and his blood turns to ice water. Already shaking with barely-suppressed anger, a sudden fear grips him, and unused as he is to the sensation, his words tumble messily out of his mouth. ]

Frank- Whizzer? What in God’s name- what- what is this? How are you- what are you doing to him?!

[brianfalsworth]

Brian gives a small nod of gratitude, settling into a seat opposite Natasha.

“I don’t mean to begin by bombarding you with questions, but…I understand another man has taken up the mantle of Union Jack since my…my passing.”

[archivedexsovietspy-deactivated]

“Yes he has. I know him quite well.”

[brianfalsworth]

“...Tell me about him.”

[outdoormagic]

Remarkable Waddesdon Manor by Bobrad

[likeacatouttahell-blog]

      “That’s hardly fair! There’re plenty of cat heroes out there, just like me! All of us can’t have the same unhealthy fascination with cats!”

Patsy scratched her ear.

      “'Sides, this suit used to be someone else’s. Maybe you should be asking her if she had an unhealthy obsession with cats.”

[brianfalsworth]

“And what of men who wear flags?” he retorted, without missing a beat. “Would you not argue that for Captain America to wear the stars and stripes he must be a patriot? Perhaps not unhealthily so, but my predecessor- the man who this uniform belonged to before me- was a nationalist almost to the point of jingoism, and given that he lost the use of his legs in the service of his country, I would argue that his pride eventually proved to be very unhealthy.”

[brianfalsworth]

“And who tipped you off, might I ask? I wasn’t aware that anybody else knew I was back.”

[archivedexsovietspy-deactivated]

“I have eyes everywhere.”

[brianfalsworth]

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to doubt your competence as an intelligence agent- it’s just been rather a long time time since I’ve done any spying myself, so I’d forgotten the importance of having extra sets of eyes.”

[archivedexsovietspy-deactivated]

“I didn’t take it as you doubting my competence. Take a seat and enjoy some tea.”

[brianfalsworth]

Brian gives a small nod of gratitude, settling into a seat opposite Natasha.

“I don’t mean to begin by bombarding you with questions, but...I understand another man has taken up the mantle of Union Jack since my...my passing.”

[brianfalsworth]

You can’t be serious.

[ The name means nothing to him, naturally. He briefly encountered Nick Fury whilst on a mission with the Long-Range Desert Group in North Africa during the 40′s, but that was a lifetime ago, and he doesn’t make the connection. ]

Madam, I myself have been tutored extensively in all forms of combat by my fa- by the first Union Jack. I’ve received supplementary training from Captain America himself, and I’m sure he would attest that I am his physical equal.

[ He folds his arms across the flag on his chest. ]

Lower your hands. I will not be goaded into striking an unarmed woman.

[striigoii-blog]

( he slipped up. ‘my fa-’ father? the other union jack wasn’t old enough to father a child, at least not one this old. so, perhaps they’re brothers. their accents are different, but she and vanesa sounded different too.

beyond corp. not giving her information beyond america is starting to bother her. still, she’s just stalling, so it’s not that big an inconvenience. ) 

I will not. I deny the accusation that I am unskilled. ( an idea crosses her mind, however. she recently dug up a new puppet to play with, so she does lower her hands. ) 

But if you want a man to compete with, I have one in mind. I will say that I am the superior fighter, but the choice is yours.

[brianfalsworth]

I didn’t come here looking for a fight, madam- and I told you so in as many words. You were the one who chose to take my comments out of context.

Skilled or not, you are unarmed, and I have been enhanced to the same degree as Captain America by a variant of the same serum that created him. I have no stomach for needless violence- I will defend myself if attacked, but as you’re not wearing a Swastika, I see no need to draw first blood.

[ He studies her with narrowed eyes as though trying to work out what her angle is. His posture is tense, rigid; part of him suspects she might force his hand just for the fun of it, so he’s mentally preparing himself for a confrontation, but he’s at a disadvantage, knowing nothing of Ana Paola’s abilities. ]

I’m not a chauvinist. I just have no desire to fight you- nor anyone else, for that matter.

[brianfalsworth]

[ He doesn’t like the sound of that. She’s not being hostile, or even flippant insofar as he can tell, but for some reason her words are setting his teeth on edge. ]

I sincerely hope that you take me at my word when I say that I am, madam. I would much prefer not to give you a physical demonstration.

[striigoii-blog]

You’re saying you can take me? I deny it. I am a perfectly capable fighter, trained by Dirk Anger himself.

( she knows he can definitely annihilate her in a physical fight. and she’s aware being ‘trained’ by dirk anger is nothing to brag about, especially since he ended up crying more often than not. still, she’s grinning and puts her hands up. ) 

Let’s go a round.

[brianfalsworth]

You can’t be serious.

[ The name means nothing to him, naturally. He briefly encountered Nick Fury whilst on a mission with the Long-Range Desert Group in North Africa during the 40′s, but that was a lifetime ago, and he doesn’t make the connection. ]

Madam, I myself have been tutored extensively in all forms of combat by my fa- by the first Union Jack. I’ve received supplementary training from Captain America himself, and I’m sure he would attest that I am his physical equal.

[ He folds his arms across the flag on his chest. ]

Lower your hands. I will not be goaded into striking an unarmed woman.

[floramoth-archived-deactivated2]

She felt something was off the moment the man spoke. Mei took a step back, head slightly tilted to the side as she takes a better look at the man she thought posed as Union Jack. That’s not Joey, she thought. First, this wasn’t his voice. And it felt like he didn’t recognize her. She also noticed now, that he was also just a little shorter. Odd. As far as she knew, there was only one Union Jack. And she doubted he was just a fanatic wearing a costume. Who was he?

She kept her distance, thought she didn’t get the feeling that he would harm her. Didn’t mean he couldn’t, right?

“ I don’t wanna be rude, ‘cause obviously you’re–” She made a small gesture to refer to his whole attire. “ –Yeah, but who’re you?”

[brianfalsworth]

“Not at all,” Brian said, perhaps a little too quickly, sensing that she was trying to be polite and wishing to return the favour. Unusual circumstances or not, the last thing he wanted was to cause unnecessary offense to a stranger- someone who could potentially help him. If this really was the future, then the Americans were doubtless still allies of the British, and her reaction to the sight of him in the uniform further corroborated that. She’d only seemed to become uneasy when he’d spoken, which suggested she’d been expecting someone else.

“I’m not at liberty to give you my real name, but I go by the nom de guerre of Union Jack. You have me at something of a disadvantage, I’m afraid...you seemed to recognise my uniform, but my experience with American heroes has been...somewhat limited. Might I ask your name, young miss?”

[brianfalsworth]

[ He gives a small shake of his head. ] Not especially, but frankly I’m more concerned with the threat it might pose to us, or others in the immediate vicinity. It could be dangerous.

[intensitate]

( lyra hoists it up ) 

If it is, I will kill it. It will be quick. That isn’t a concern. But if it is not, it has a right to life, doesn’t it?

[brianfalsworth]

[ He can’t help but smile. ]

You sound an awful lot like someone I knew in a past life.

[brianfalsworth]

“And who tipped you off, might I ask? I wasn’t aware that anybody else knew I was back.”

[archivedexsovietspy-deactivated]

“I have eyes everywhere.”

[brianfalsworth]

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to doubt your competence as an intelligence agent- it’s just been rather a long time time since I’ve done any spying myself, so I’d forgotten the importance of having extra sets of eyes.”

[brianfalsworth]

[ Brian’s brow furrows beneath the mask. Lord Falsworth only has an inch on him, and as of yet he doesn’t know a third man has taken up the mantle. ]

You’ve a good eye for detail, haven’t you?

[striigoii-blog]

I’m a lawyer. It’s what we do.

–And I hope that doesn’t mean you’re any less good at what you do.

[brianfalsworth]

[ He doesn’t like the sound of that. She’s not being hostile, or even flippant insofar as he can tell, but for some reason her words are setting his teeth on edge. ]

I sincerely hope that you take me at my word when I say that I am, madam. I would much prefer not to give you a physical demonstration.

[joshuafountain]

[breathtakingdestinations]

Big Ben - London - England (by Marco Derksen)

[visitheworld]

Evening Shadows, Rievaulx Abbey / England (by Matthew Wells).

[gunrunnerhell]

[brianfalsworth]

gunrunnerhell:

Webley No.1 Mk VI

Massive British break-open revolver originally chambered in .455 Webley. Due to the lack of availability of its original cartridge, some of these revolvers were re-chambered in .45 ACP by shaving the cylinder. However it should be noted that it IS NOT safe to shoot modern factory loaded .45 ACP in these conversions. Generating double the pressure of .455 Webley, there have been several instances of blown up converted Webley’s. Hand loading a reduced charge is highly recommended when using .45 ACP in these revolvers. (GRH)

[whiskey-wolf-deactivated2020060]