Heroes Assemble!

For The Greater Good

The gentle bank of the quinjet had Harry's head lifting from the book that he'd been reading. Laying it aside, he moved towards the cockpit.

"Another course change?" Harry asked.

From the pilot's seat, Sam glanced back at him.

"Hey, don't blame me, it's all these governments that aren't so happy with the Avengers at the moment and their insistence that we don't fly through their airspace without clearance," Sam replied.

"It's to be expected," Steve sighed. "After the way that we dismantled S.H.I.E.L.D. – on U.S. soil, no less – they're all wary that we'll do the same with other spy agencies."

"Governments do like to ensure that their secrets remain secret," Thor agreed.

"Which country are we avoiding this time?" Harry asked.

"Germany," Sam replied. "And that should be the last on the list. "Switzerland, Austria and Hungary all have no problems with us. And I was making sure that we'd be giving Latveria a wide berth in any case."

"How long to Kratos Base?" Steve asked.

"Couple of hours," Sam shrugged.

Leaning over, Harry tapped a couple of buttons and brought up a map of northern Greece on the monitor.

"The Grecian Ministry of Magic has assured me that we can insert here without alerting either the locals," Harry said, tapping one particular spot on the map. "It'll be a small hike to reach the Base."

"Caution is wise when facing an unknown enemy," Thor nodded.

"And with HYDRA in the mix, anything's possible," Steve added.

ooo00ooo

Kratos Base, it seemed, had been established towards the top of a small mountain that overlooked a deep ravine. Far below, a fast moving river flowed over numerous craggy rocks and even the occasional log. The only patches of green anywhere in the ravine came from the small shrubs that had managed to survive the harsh conditions. There was little cover for any human or animal in that ravine – anyone or anything coming from that direction would be instantly seen by watchers in the Base itself. On the opposite side of the mountain, numerous gun turrets had been placed, ensuring that no one could approach on their 'blind' side.

The manor – for that is what Kratos Base appeared to be at first glance – was large. It was three stories tall and nearly a hundred metres wide along the face of the mountain. Its true bulk, though, had been carefully hidden. According to the files that Tony had teased out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. database for them before they left, they knew that there were half a dozen extra levels hidden within the mountain itself.

While Kratos' primary mission was to oversee the numerous countries within this part of Europe, it was also one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top research divisions, focussing on developing systems that would eventually be installed in the helicarriers, jumpjets and other flight-capable vehicles that S.H.I.E.L.D. utilized.

Currently, the four Avengers were hunkered down on a ridge on the northern part of the valley, observing the Base through binoculars.

"I could take a look from up top," Sam suggested. "Get a bird's eye view of what we're facing."

"Not yet," Steve frowned. "There are eight anti-air guns hidden around the Base. They detect you, you'll be blown out of the sky."

"I was about to offer the same, albeit using my broom," Harry stated. "Perhaps a disillusionment spell? I could sneak in on foot and take a closer look."