Mikhail

have work to do."

Agent Phil Coulson

"This is fascinating!" Mikhail lifted a single cigarette, staring at it as though it was much more than that. "What sort of power source does it use to produce the laser?"

"Simple batteries, the kind Howard Stark was developing years back," Coulson said eagerly.

The pair were standing in Coulson's office in the Bus, looking at the shelves behind his desk filled with old spy gear. They stood side by side as they geeked out over the tech.

"Incredible. I've seen similar devices in museums, but none in such good condition!" Mikhail put it down and lifted another device. "Now, I'm tempted to think you'd left a few American coins here," he displayed a quarter, one of a couple.

"Walkie talkie," Coulson said as an answer.

Mikhail chuckled, shaking his head. "Amazing. The best I have is an old insectocopter the CIA used."

"The dragonfly one?" Coulson asked. "Man, I always wanted one of those."

"Well, I would trade you, but I left mine at home," Mikhail joked.

Coulson chuckled. Both men stepped around the desk to stand across from each other, Coulson leaning against his desk and crossing his arms. "I'll be honest, a lot of people don't seem to get my love of old school tech."

"Same for me," Mikhail chuckled. "I get jokes about, what is the word. 'Midlife crisis', da?"

"Yeah, I've gotten that sometimes," Coulson chuckled as well.

Mikhail shook his head. "Where did you get yours? I often have to buy some from private collectors. I imagine the cigarette laser would be quite a lot."

Here, Coulson found his good humor fading.

"Well, I did the same thing for most of my stuff. But the laser and the quarters were a gift from a friend. Someone I lost a while back."

Mikhail gave Coulson a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Coulson scowled. "We're working on getting him back."

"He was captured?"

"By HYDRA, yeah."

Mikhail hissed. "HYDRA. Animals, all of them. How are Nazis still a thing?"

"You're asking me?" Coulson chuckled. "So how does a guy like you end up in charge of superhumans?"

"I could ask you the same," Mikhail replied. "Not just two Avengers, but the young woman with that armor of hers?"

Coulson smirked. "Dial and Alloy are just helping. As for Skye, the armor and the martial arts are more of a recent thing."

"Hn. Fair enough," Mikhail hummed. "As for me, I have a… unique, understanding of superhuman individuals. I've been a soldier all my life as well as trained them. I know people and I know fighters. So, I volunteered… They are good people, Agent Coulson. And Fantasma has…" Mikhail winced and stopped suddenly.

After a moment, Coulson understood. Truly understood. Mikhail didn't speak. "...Skye has really grown recently. She was raw, at first. But I'm proud of the women she's become."

Mikhail nodded, a soft smile on his face. "I understand."

"I'm sure you do," Coulson frowned. "What about Chernobog?"

Mikhail winced. "He… I don't get all the choices I wish I could on who joins the team. Chernobog is a sacrifice, in more ways than one. But he is powerful. Power that is necessary."

There was a tense silence in the room. Finally Mikhail hesitantly coughed.

"Well. I suppose I should go check in on my team."

"Same," Coulson got up from his desk. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course, Agent Coulson."

As they walked out, Coulson kept his thoughts to himself. But seriously. For a man who'd been training a team to be able to kill the Avengers if need be, Mikhail was very friendly.

Carl Cree/Alloy

"So we're flying off to fight some guy who's turning monkeys into super cyborg monkeys," Creel said as he sat on a chair in the lounge, holding his phone up so the camera could see him. "I should have never left New York."

Isabelle chuckled from his phone's screen. "What, and New York isn't weird enough? The Naked Cowboy is still doing his thing in Time Square."

"Yeah, not as weird as this," Creel returned wryly.

She laughed. "But man, Russia has their own Avengers? Have you guys already been getting pissy with each other?"

"Well, Dial told me they've been trained to kill the other Avengers," Creel said wryly.

Isabelle blinked. "Seriously? Does Coulson know?"

"We told him and the director," Creel leaned back in his seat. "She told us to keep it from the rest of the team for now and do our jobs, but to also be ready to fight back if we have to. The magic one, Fantasma, she was forced to admit it."

"Fantasma," Isabelle mused. "Now she is just hot as hell. And she's got a hell of an outfit. Think I'd look good in it?"

"You'd look good in anything."

"Now that is the correct answer."

Creel smirked.

Suddenly, Vanguard strode into the room. Creel looked up at him, then back at the phone. "I got to go babe. Talk to you later."

"Later!" Isabelle hung up, and Creel put his phone away. As he did, Creel and Vanguard eyed each other from across the room.

"...Girlfriend?" Vanguard asked.

"Something like that," Creel answered.

Vanguard nodded slowly. He removed his shield from his arm, placing it alongside a chair and sitting down. "I would like, Mister Creel, to settle something with you," Vanguard, to Creel's surprise, reached up and pulled back his mask. The man had thick black hair and brown eyes, his skin slightly lighter where the mask didn't cover it. Creel had to wonder how often he wore the mask that it actually affected his tan.

"Okay...," Creel leaned forward curiously.

"I am a soldier, Mister Creel, a man who works to defend the honor of my country. I protect them. Even now, as a superhuman, I continue that," Vanguard's eyes narrowed. "But I am also a man who likes to trust those he works with."

"And you don't trust me?" Creel shook his head. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"You are a criminal."

"Former," Creel growled. "I'm a former criminal. And I've been making my amends."

"Amends?" Vanguard snarled. "You were a criminal, a dishonorable mудак who killed on behalf of HYDRA."

"I was mind controlled, you colossal dick."

"Yes, you were. But before that? How am I to fight alongside a man who cheated his way through life, took the easy route to everything?"

Creel nodded slowly. "Yeah… Yeah, that's a really interesting question. But let me respond with this," Creel rose up carefully. "I've spent everyday since I became an Avenger redeeming myself for the shit I caused. But I didn't do it to prove something to anyone but myself. If you want me to bend over for me to work for you, I'm just not going to. I'm going to do my job. And while I'm at it, kiss my ass, you absolute fuck," Creel couldn't help one last dig. "At least I'm not the one working for a literal god of evil."

He turned and walked away. Vanguard spun to his feet, reaching for his shield

with rage in his eyes.

"Nikolai!"

Creel and Vanguard stopped, turning to look. Coulson and Mikhail were standing there. Coulson looked surprised.

Mikhail, on the other hand, looked pissed off. "What are you doing?"

"Mikhail," Vanguard said, a look of shame on his face.

"Come," without another word, Mikhail walked away.

Vanguard scowled but immediately followed.

"Do I want to know?" Coulson asked Creel as the Russians left the room.

"Probably not," Creel admitted.

"Hey," Dial walked in from the direction the Russians had left in, looking confused. "What the hell just happened, Mikhail looks pissed off."

Creel sighed in annoyance.

Leopold Fitz

Fitz sighed, annoyed by the sight of the words 'Simulation Failed' in front of him. "It's a good thing this is a long flight because I have plenty of time to fail."

"Well, as we say back home, Без муки нет науки," Galina said, tapping at a tablet nearby.

Fitz looked over at her. "And that means…?"

"Hmm?" Galina looked up blinking. "Oh. Well, the literal translation is, 'Without torture, there is no science'. The closest counterpart would be 'no pain, no gain'."

"'Without torture, there is no science'… I like it," Fitz said with a chuckle.

"Fitz?" Simmons came in with a smile. "I was wondering where you, you… who is this?" Simmons stopped, looking over at Galina. Her smile faded into confusion.

"Oh?" Fitz pointed over at Galina, then realized what was happening. "This, this is Galina."

"Hello Simmons," Galina said, not looking up from her tablet. The screen flashed red again. "Vot eto pizdec!"

"Okaaaaaay," Simmons walked around to join Fitz. She whispered as soon as she was close. "Who is she?"

"The Crimson Dynamo's pilot," Fitz whispered back.

"Really?" Simmons sounded intrigued. And also something else he couldn't quite read. Which was odd, because Fitz usually had a very easy time reading Simmons emotions. "I didn't expect her to be so… well-"

"Pretty?" Fitz asked.

"Female," Simmons looked up at him, shocked. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"I thought you said-"

"Nope."

Simmons scowled, displeased.

"'Idi na hui'! It isn't working!" Galina scowled, tossing her tablet onto the table.

"It's so strange. Like something is blocking us!"

After another look Fitz couldn't read, Simmons walked over to the tablet. "What are you trying to do?" Simmons asked. "Maybe I could help?"

Galina opened her mouth, then shrugged, walking over to join Simmons. "We are attempting to find some way to shut down the servitors. If we can affect their limbs or their cybernetics, maybe we can force them to freeze in place. But every time we try, something blocks us from the cybernetics. Or, not restarts. Reboots them?"

"Well, Kragoff is a genius," Simmons noted. "When we were researching earlier, I noted that the mixture of vat-grown flesh and cybernetics was almost elegant. Like he'd genetically engineered the monkey flesh specifically toneedthe robotics. As though one structure can't exist without the other."

"Hmm," Galina took the tablet. "I have noticed that the robotics wouldn't have worked if he hadn't removed the organs and limbs first. But if what you say is true, maybe we need to interfere with the biological component as well."

Fitz frowned, thinking on that as well. For some reason, every time they attempted to shut down the robotics they would just reactivate. If Simmons was right though…

"I have an idea," Galina grabbed a different tablet and tapped at it. "If Skye can work with us on this-"

As she spoke, Mikhail walked into the lab, drawing everyone's attention. He was followed by Vanguard, who to Fitz's surprise wasn't wearing his mask. Mikhail walked past them with a nod to Galina, waving a hand for her to follow. She frowned, placing her tablet down and following without a word to Simmons and Fitz.

The pair of BRIDGE scientists shared a look while the Russians left.

"What was that about?" Fitz asked.

"Trouble in the ranks, maybe?" Simmons replied. "Mikhail looked rather angry."

The two shared an uncertain look before going back to work.

Galina Nemirovsky/Crimson Dynamo

Galina strode after Mikhail and Nikolai. The trio stopped in a room that was likely used for basic storage, considering the cleaning products around them. As soon as the door closed behind her, Galina spoke in her native Russian.

"What happened?"

"You want to tell her?" Mikhail asked Nikolai.

"No," Galina said firmly. "Don't pull that bullshit, just say what the issue is, now."

She was not someone to waste time. Time was to be spent on things of value, in the end. Not stupid back and forth 'you want to tell her', 'no I don't', 'you better tell her'. Stupid.

Mikhail scowled. "Fine. He was moments from attacking Alloy."

"Why?" Galina said immediately.

Nikolai, the man who had taken the name Vanguard, hesitated. Galina nudged him, impatient. He sighed. "The man is a criminal. I don't trust him."

"Then don't," Galina said simply. "But we all have a job to do, and that includes working with him."

"We have enough unstable elements on our team," Nikolai looked at her, anger in his eyes. "Galina, he's just part of the problem."

"We've discussed this," Mikhail protested.

"No, we haven't," Nikolai clenched his fist. "He is a monster. Not a god. And yet, we've been forced to accept him on our team? That unstable beast?!"

"Nikolai," Galina said firmly.

"NO!" Nikolai slashed a hand down. "Chernobog devours life. He freely admits to killing to survive, killing for pleasure. And yet, he is rewarded?"

"You know why he's on the team," Mikhail said firmly. "He can absorb gamma radiation, becomes stronger from it, and his physical abilities match those of Thor. If we need to combat the Avengers-"

"I don't care about the Avengers," Nikolai scoffed. "We all know that the necessity of fighting them is a long shot at best."

"Well, the men who give us funding do. And they demand that we have 'counters' to BRIDGE's superhumans," Mikhail sighed sadly. For a tense moment, both men stared at each other.

"...My father died for this country, Mikhail," Nikolai said, haunted. "I just want to defend it honorably. And I'm forced to work with murderers and criminals?"

"...Nikolai," Galina said, drawing both men's attention. "Chernobog is a necessity. No, let me talk," she interrupted before he could respond. "I agree that he's unstable. But he has been following orders, doing his job to the best of his ability. Same with Creel. You must put aside your personal feelings. You are a soldier. Focus on the mission, and as long as those under your command do the same, then work with them."

"And when Chernobog tries to devour our souls or Creel decides to run when things get too hard?" Nikolai said softly.

"For the first, I'll kill him," Galina said simply.

Nikolai and Mikhail shared a look. She rolled her eyes.

"The second I found out that he was joining us, I prepared for the moment I might need to fight him. I'm the greatest engineer in the world, I have a solution for him."

"Greatest?" Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that Star-" he stopped when Galina glared at him, the man chuckling.

"As for Creel, any research will tell you that he has a good record as an Avenger. You don't have to like him but-"

"Fine," Vanguard was staring at his shield as he spoke. The others stared at it as well.

"...I miss him as well," Galina said softly.

"He was a good man," Mikhail agreed.

Vanguard only nodded sadly. "For him. I'll accept all of this for him... Reluctantly."