Chapter 1: Warborn

1943, Italy during World War II

"Give it up, Zemo. It's over." said Captain America.

He wore a blue tunic with white sleeves and red gloves and boots. A white star was displayed on his chest with red and white stripes around his waist. A brown belt also hung around the waist with pouches containing equipment. In his left hand was a vibranium shield with red and white lines circled around a star. Crouching before him was none other than Baron Zemo, leader of HYDRA and head of their bio weapons division.

He wore purple all over with yellow gloves and boots. A white and black spotted fur collar was around his throat and wore a yellow crown-like headband along with yellow armor around his waist. A loose purple mask covered his face and he stand up in front of a vat of orange bubbling liquid. "You are correct, Captain. It is over." Zemo raises his hands up in the air. "When I release Virus X against the Allies, this war will be won by HYDRA!" He shouted triumphantly.

Captain America narrowed his eyes at Zemo's declaration. "That's never going to happen."

"You think you can defeat me?" said Zemo. "The Erskine Super-Soldier formula inside you is nothing compared to what I have transformed myself into. I'm faster," Zemo punched Captain in the face. "Stronger." After landing another punch, Zemo then tried to slam his fists down at Captain America but was blocked by the man's shield.

"There's more to fighting than speed and strength Zemo." Before Zemo could strike again, Captain thrust himself forward and used his shield to push Zemo towards the vat containing Virus X. Zemo looked to his right, finding a water hose connected to the vat. He stood up and pointed the hose with his hand on the nozzle, chuckling at the situation turning in his favor.

"You can be the first to sample Virus X, Captain. Farewell, my enemy." Captain America then threw his shield which strike against the glass of the tank, making it crack until it finally gave away and released the liquid inside onto Baron Zemo.

The liquid burned into Zemo's clothes and made it permanently stick to his skin. The mask he wore was no different as it molded around his face. Zemo screamed in agony over Virus X's work on him. He turned around to look at Captain America seething with hatred towards his long time foe who could only looked on in shock.

"Look at what you have done!" Zemo screamed. He took out a detonator from his back. "Forget the Allies, the whole world will suffer and know my pain!"He pressed down the button and a women's voice came on.

"T-minus five minutes until missile launch."

"What have you done Zemo?" said Captain America.

"That missile contains enough Virus X to envelop the entire world once it denotes in the atmosphere." said Zemo

"Are you insane Zemo!? Millions will die!" Captain America yelled.

"And who's fault is that I wonder?" A squad of HYDRA soldiers then fired at Captain who blocked their fire with his shield. Two of them accompany Baron Zemo as he made his way towards a wall where he placed a hand on it making the part where his hand lay go in. The wall slides to the right revealing a secret passageway. "Auf Wiedersehen Captain!" said Zemo as he and his guards went in and the wall closes behind them.

"Cap!" Bucky Barnes shouted while drop kicking a HYDRA soldier. He was dressed in a blue tunic with a red collar and leggings. He had on a black eye mask along with black gloves and boots. "Zemo is getting away!"

Captain America charged towards the group of HYDRA soldiers and slammed into them with his shield, making them all fall down. "I know but we can't let that missile go off." Captain punched a HYDRA soldier in the jaw and kicked one away from behind. They fought their way towards the missile while it was beginning to smoke from the bottom.

"T-minus three minutes until missile launch." The duo ran towards the middle of the missile on a catwalk.

"I can disarm this missile before the countdown ends." Bucky climbed up the missile using a ladder and took out a metal panel where wires laid around. HYDRA soldiers ran towards the pair on the catwalk.

"How much time do you need Bucky?" Captain America asked as he prepared to act as the line of defense.

"As long as you can keep those goons off me, I can disarm it before it goes off." Bucky began to mess around with the wires by taking them out and placing them into different sockets.

The soldiers caught up and one tried to punch Captain America but the good captain caught it and repaid it with an uppercut. He threw his shield at them and watched as it ricochet through the soldiers before flying back towards his hand. Captain America leaped up into the air and kicked one at the side of his head and blocked one's punch with his shield before hitting back. Sweat went down Bucky's face as he continued disarming the missile.

"T-minus one minute."

"What's going on Bucky!?" Captain America did a right hook and jab, knocking a HYDRA soldier out.

"Zemo really made sure this missile couldn't be disarmed at all and the best thing I can do is delay the explosion that would release Virus X." Bucky replied.

Captain America took down the last of the HYDRA by stopping him with his shield. "How far can the missile go?"

"Zemo said as far as the atmosphere, why?"

"Can you make sure it goes off beyond the atmosphere?"

"It'll have to be a miracle with this hunk of junk but it's a possibility." said Bucky.

"Then do it." Bucky nodded and rewired the missile. The pair ran away as the missile ignited and flew up into the air. Captain America and Bucky watched as it kept going and going until they could see it no longer with only a trail of white smoke to know its last path.

"We stopped the missile but Baron Zemo got away." Bucky kicked the dirt and Captain America placed a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"True but try to think of the bigger picture here Bucky. If we hadn't stop it, more people would've die or worse end up like Zemo." Allied troops marched on with artillery and tanks following them. Some saluted the two as they passed by and others took in the remaining HYDRA soldiers in trucks as prisoners of war.

"Do you think this war will ever end Cap?" said Bucky. "Only time will tell, Bucky. Only time."

Little they know as the missile exploded, drops of Virus X had survive and drifted into the empty reaches of space. It traveled among the stars for who knows how long until it landed on an meteoroid. Another virus was also on the meteoroid and both it and Virus X began to merge together, creating a brand new virus in its place. Suddenly a green colored laser beam struck the meteoroid, missing a Skrull star fighter. Kree and Skrull warships were firing at each other causing explosions on both sides and star fighters desperately tried to destroy each other in a battle that seemed endless. The meteoroid began to drift away from the battle. The virus began to mutate from the radiation left behind from the laser beam and a purple crystalline sphere began to form.

More of the virus multiplied until a humanoid body was formed. Its body was mostly reddish orange and bluish-green and its legs each had a vertical blue stripe near the black vertical-lined abdomen. It had two pairs of tentacles with one reddish orange and bluish-green for arms and in its chest was the purple sphere. The being had a bluish-green face along with dots on its back arranged in the shape of a triangle with a stubby tail below it. A purple stripe ran down the center of its face and white circular eyes were set in black rectangular eye sockets.

It began to float off the meteoroid but stopped and looked around its surroundings, curious about what were the twinkling lights it kept seeing. A shadow appeared before the being and it looked up to see massive spherical structures connected to each other with circular openings showing energy. The being felt an incredible energy coming from the spheres. It had no idea it was near the Kyln, an intergalactic prison designed to hold the universe's most dangerous criminals.