Captain America #1

Gunshots.

Explosions

Screams.

Blood.

War.

It was war that fell upon the platoon of U.S. soldiers that gloomy night. Branches snapped beneath their feet as they sprinted uphill through the dark woods, bullets whizzing as they climbed.

“Give me some covering fire!” Sgt. Kowalski shouted over the roars of the guns.

“On it, Sarge!” Private Carlton said, leaning around a nearby tree, rifle held high.

Kowalski yanked a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin. He raised his arm to throw it but felt the sharp pain of metal sear his wrist. He fell onto his back, and dropped the grenade.

“Sarge!”

Carlton hastily plucked the grenade off of the ground and tossed it away, hearing it go off seconds later. Splinters splashed from tree trunks mixing with bullets in the air as if in a crazed dance. Carlton knelt beside his wounded superior officer.

“We’re getting killed out here! Where the hell’s the captain?” Kowalski groaned.

Carlton pressed his hand over the gaping wound in Kowalski’s wrist, putting as much pressure as he possibly could to staunch the blood.

“He’ll be here! He’s probably just not in his head. I mean…the kid did just get killed…”

“Yeah well that pompous star-spangled ‘hero's’ crying’ll get us all killed!” Kowalski said darkly, flinching from the pain in his arm.

“He’ll be here!” Carlton repeated.

Suddenly, the forests grew quiet except for the occasional gunshots and screams of German words. Kowalski and Carlton made nervous eye contact as silence fell on the area. The sergeant motioned for Carlton to look and see what was happening and the private nodded stiffly, unsure of what he was going to find.

Carlton peered around the corner, his finger tightening on the trigger of his M1 Garand. He hastily swung around the trunk of the tree, aiming his rifle only to find something very unexpected.

Captain America stood in the middle of a mob of unconscious SS officers and German soldiers, his signature shield in hand. Carlton lowered his weapon slowly and then nudged Kowalski with his foot. The sergeant weakly sat up and looked around the corner to see the hero but immediately frowned.

Steve Rogers didn’t feel like himself. He didn’t feel like the poster boy for United States that had been going by the name Captain America. He didn’t feel like the super-soldier the government praised with dozens of awards. He didn’t feel like the hero the world made him out to be.

Today he felt different.

Steve had a partner throughout most of the war. A young man named Bucky Barnes had fought by his side for a few years now. He had been like any other teenage boy at that time; fighting to find his glory on the battlefield but too blinded to see the truth behind it all.

War was just that…war.

“You alright, Cap?” Carlton asked.

“I’m fine. Let’s move.”

As much as Steve didn’t want to admit it, he wasn’t alright.

The Red Skull, the Nazi’s answer to Captain America, had murdered Bucky in cold blood.

“Cap, I think we should fall back. We don’t have enough men for this. Even with Paulson’s guys on the way. I mean it’s just you, me, Carlton, that sniper, and that chucklehead over there.” Kowalski said.

“We’ll be fine.”

“If you say so, hero.”

Steve ignored Kowalski’s sarcasm and just kept moving through the dark woods with his men closely behind him. In a single orderly line with Cap in the lead, they walked at a brisk pace past the ominous tree lines.

“Is it true what they say? You know, the stories? About the Red Skull I mean. That he’s nothing but a skeleton because of busting out of the fire pits of Hell?” Carlton asked innocently.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.” Kowalski rolled his eyes.

“Maybe you guys should stop spending so much time sitting around camp fires and sharing ghost stories,” Private Conway said, a young sniper with a cigarette bud hanging out of his mouth.

“You guys want to hear a real good ghost story?” The youngest of the group, secretly underage Private Warhol cut in.

“No Warhol,” Almost the entire platoon said in unison.

“Aw, come on guys. How about you, Cap?”

Steve looked up at the sky in silence for a moment, taking a breath.

“No thanks, Private. Never was a big fan of ghost stories.”

An image of an excited reckless youth flashed through Cap’s thoughts but he managed to force the picture out of his mind. He couldn’t act on emotions right now. He was doing this for the world, not for himself.

This wasn’t personal.

It wasn’t.

“Cap! Up ahead!”

His thoughts were interrupted by Warhol’s loud whisper. Cap looked out of the forest's edge, and at the large fortress they had been marching toward.

“Is that it? Is that our tar-hey!” Warhol felt himself get tugged down by the back of his collar to find all of his other comrades kneeling in the mud, hidden by a thick wall of bushes and shrubs.

“Okay, here’s the plan. Conway, see if you can pick off any guards on the outside towers. Kowalski, you’re injured so I think it best you stay behind with Conway-“

“The hell with that. I can fight just fine,” the sergeant protested.

Steve glanced at Kowalski’s face and then down at his bloody arm.

“Are you sure?”

“You ain’t putting me on the sidelines, coach.”

“Fine then. Kowalski, Carlton, and Warhol. You’re with me. Stick close,” Captain America ordered.

“Good luck, gents. I got your back,” Private Conway said, leaning his sniper rifle against his shoulder.

“Okay, men. Let’s move.”

The soldiers exploded from out of the bushes in full sprint toward the fortress. Cap felt his adrenaline kick in and found himself going a little bit too fast for his comrades. Being a super-soldier did have its disadvantages too.

Shouts of warning from the fortress wall could be heard and a moment after that, an alarm began to blare loudly. The sounds of gunfire came next and Cap got in front of his men, his shield held high. Bullets smacked against his weapon and fell to the grass below while the soldiers continued their charge forward. More bullets danced on the surface of his shield but Cap remained determined to break through. He peeked out from the side of his shield to see flashes of guns on the fortress wall.

Suddenly another loud bang rang through the air but this time it had originated from the forest. Cap caught the sight of one of the Germans on the fortress wall drop and tumble off of the structure to his death.

“Conway and his eagle vision, eh?” Kowalski chuckled through quick breaths.

There was a yelp from Carlton who suddenly recoiled, stumbling to the side and away from the rest of the group, holding his shoulder in pain.

“No worries, guys, just nicked m-“

-Deet-

BOOM

Carlton’s eyes darted downward to his feet.

“Oh sh-“

BOOM

Blood and dirt splashed around where Carlton had been standing.

“Damn it!” Kowalski bit his lip.

“Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod.” Warhol stuttered in a panic.

“Just stay behind me! It’ll be alright!” Cap said sharply.

They continued to dash across the field, now very close to their destination. Two German soldiers were positioned in the doorway with their MP40s at the ready. They opened fire on the incoming American troops but their bullets were intercepted by Captain America and his shield. Finally reaching the fortress’ entrance, Steve slammed his shielded arm against one of the soldier’s faces while Kowalski used his good arm to shoot the other with his pistol.

“Well that was fun…” Kowalski said bitterly, looking back at the field they had crossed. “You alright, kid?”

Private Warhol peered blankly down at the ground until Cap put a hand on his shoulder.

“Look, it’s incredibly important that you keep focused if you want to get through this.”

“I…I’ll try.” Warhol wiped some sweat from his brow.

Steve nodded before stepping up to the door.

“Be ready, men.”

With all of his strength, Captain America threw himself at the large door and smashed it open with an earth-shattering kick. The doors burst open and the troops dove into the building with Cap in the lead. The moment they entered they found themselves staring face to face with a line of Germans aiming machine guns.

“Wonderful…” Kowalski groaned.

“Get behind me!” Steve ordered, pulling his shield up in front of him.

Once again Cap found his shield the only barrier between him and a blizzard of bullets. After a few seconds of holding back the flurry of metal, he heard the familiar sound of the guns running out of ammunition.

“Now!”

Cap tossed his shield at an angle and watched it knock his enemies’ weapons out of their hands with ease. Kowalski darted out from behind him, picking off the Germans with his pistol one at a time. Uneasily, Warhol followed along, firing his rifle.

“Okay, now what?” Kowalski reloaded his handgun.

A German soldier, wounded on the floor, reached out for his weapon. He managed to wrap his fingers around the trigger, glaring up at the intruders.

“We find Red Skull. That’s all that matters right now,” Cap replied.

“Fine. Should be a bl-hey!”

Kowalski whipped his pistol forward but the German soldier had already pressed down on the trigger, pumping Warhol’s back full of lead bullets. The young American fell to his knees, his eyes white with surprise, dead before he hit the ground.

“Bastard!”

Kowalski stomped on the German and then shooting him squarely between the eyes. Cap looked down at the body of yet another dead young man. It was beginning to become a recurring sight. He remained still, silently standing over Warhol’s body. Kowalski held his arms folded and scornfully peered over at Cap.

“That’s it. No more.”

“What? What do you mean ‘no more’, Kowalski?”

“Exactly what I said, hero. I’ve had enough of this. Watching friends, just children, get mowed down in front of you all for some damn mission of revenge.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Captain Amazing. The only reason I even agreed to go on this assignment was because I thought we would be making a difference. Instead I find out that your sidekick was murdered recently and the only reason we’re out here is so you can get some payback on Skull, right?”

Steve stayed quiet, simply bowing his head.

“I thought so.”

“You’re wrong, Kowalski. Bucky wasn’t my sidekick. He was my friend. And I know you’d do the same if it was one of your best friends killed.”

“No. I wouldn’t. Not if it killed other comrades to do it.”

Steve’s eyes widened as Kowalski’s narrowed.

“News flash, poster boy…”

“Not all us soldiers were made super.”

With that, complete silence spilled into the room and the two warriors seemed worlds apart. Cap began to slowly nod and then walked toward the door leading into the rest of the fortress, leaving Kowalski completely alone.

Captain America ran through the hallways of the fortress, surprised by how abandoned they were. It seemed Red Skull was waiting for him. But still, Kowalski’s words had stung but Steve couldn’t deny they were true.

He would have to keep control of his emotions from this point forward or else they could end up spelling the end for him.



Entering the large room in the center of the fortress, Cap readied himself for anything. His muscles were tense; he was ready for this to be done.

The Red Skull stood across the room from him, just over a hundred feet away. He was standing in front of a fireplace, next to it was another doorway; his arms clasped behind his back. It appeared he hadn’t noticed Cap enter.

No need to drag this out, Cap thought as he made his way across the room. He stopped halfway; something didn’t feel right. The Skull must have laid some kind of trap.

“Alright,” Cap said suddenly, his voice booming as it echoed through the large, round room. “What game are you playing now?”

The Red Skull remained silent.

“I’m not stupid, Skull! I know you’ve laid some sort of trap for me. It’s your style; you’re too cowardly to face me like a man!”

Still no answer.

Suddenly, the roar of engines firing pierced Cap’s ears. He knew now what had happened.

He threw his shield directly at The Skull’s neck, with the precision only he could master. The shield met its target, severing the head, then, making a wide arc, it returned to Cap’s outstretched arm; he caught it with little effort as he moved forward.

The severed head rolled to the floor. He didn’t have to look down to know it was a dummy.

He headed for the doorway next to the fireplace.

He kicked in the wooden door, snapping it cleanly in two, sending splinters flying. Beyond the door, lay a stairway, leading, Cap suspected, to the roof, which was exactly where he wanted to go.

He knew he didn’t have much time. He bolted up the stairs with all the speed his legs could muster. This was about justice, and he couldn’t let Skull go unpunished… not after what he had done.

Bucky…

Cap fought to keep his cool. He couldn’t let his rage overtake him. This was about justice, not vengeance.

But… would I be fighting this hard if it were anyone else?

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. They only served to confuse him, which was the last thing he needed at this moment.

After reaching the top of the stairs, he kicked down another wooden door and stepped out onto the rooftop of the fortress.

The Red Skull was already making his escape, piloting a Zeppelin off the roof.

Blast him! He must’ve had it camouflaged until I entered the building!

He had already gotten a bit of distance, but he was still moving at a slow pace, confident that he’d seen the last of his enemy.

Blast! I’m too late! Wait… not I’m not… got to give it everything I’ve got… no time to waste!

He broke into a full sprint, racing for the edge of the roof, strapping his shield to his back as he dashed forward. He covered the distance quickly, reaching the edge of the roof in no time. Then, with all his strength, he launched himself toward the Zeppelin, aiming at one of the horizontal rails on the side of its cabin.

He caught the rail with his left hand, barely managing to grip it long enough to pull his other arm up. He looked up. Just a few feet above him lay the open doorway to the cabin.

Looks like Skull was too hasty in his retreat. It made him sloppy! So sloppy he left me an easy way in.

He turned himself around on the pole, face away from the door, then moving back and forth, he built up his momentum.

This isn’t easy at the speed we’re flying… but I have to get it right…

Back and forth, back and forth, Cap swung, building his momentum slowly but surely.

Finally, he felt he had enough. With a silent prayer, he let go of the rail at the top of his swing. He landed in the doorway, just barely. He grabbed on to the threshold to steady himself for a moment, then, forced himself inside.

The Red Skull jerked around from the controls. It was the first time Cap had seen anything even resembling shock on his face; clearly he hadn’t expected to see Cap again. He turned back to the controls briefly, engaged the autopilot, then turned back to face the star-spangled hero.



“Well I certainly didn’t expect to see you again, Captain.”

Cap felt his hand instinctively clench into a fist.

No. Have to remain under control.

“Today is when you pay for your crimes, Skull,” Steve said boldly.

“Really? And what crimes would those be? I am simply a soldier doing the task that is given to me by my superiors.”

“A soldier? No, we’re supposed to be soldiers but you, Skull, are a murderer.”

“Such a fine line between the two isn’t it?” Red Skull laughed, his eyes beneath the mask intense and full of spite. “A lot like us, Captain. We were both bred to be our nations’ ultimate weapon, a new species of soldier.”

“You and I are nothing alike.”

“If you say so.”

The two enemies stared silently at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. The rumbling of the engines aiding to build up the tension. Cap tightened his hold on his shield but something was keeping him from simply killing Skull right then and there.

“What’s the matter? The ghost of young Mr. Barnes holding you back?”

Captain America’s eyes flashed open and with incredible strength and speed he flung his shield at his opponent. Red Skull remained grounded in place, his arms held gently behind his back calmly. With a slight tilt of his head, the shield went zinging by and embedded itself in the cabin wall behind the villain. Clearly, Cap had meant it as a warning shot, letting the Skull know he meant business.

“You killed a child!” Cap said.

“I’ve killed many children. As you should be well aware of now that you’ve been fighting for so long, age is not an excuse in war. War will take what it wants.”

“Then so will I.”


Cap threw a punch, full-force at the Red Skull’s face; to his surprise, his enemy caught it in his hand.

Cap’s eyes widened. The Red Skull had always been an above-average physical specimen, but even so, he had never been able to stand up to Cap toe-to-toe. Instead, he’d always been forced to rely on his wits when dealing with Cap’s superior physical abilities.

“Surprised, Captain?” The Red Skull asked menacingly.

Cap looked down toward the Skull's leg. In his fist, he held and empty syringe; he dropped it to the floor.

“What did you…” A sudden pain shot through his arm as the Red Skull tightened his grip on Cap’s fist.

“It is a concentrated dose of adrenaline, good Captain… along with another ingredient or two. With this in my bloodstream, I can roughly match even your physical prowess… for a little while at least. But I assure you, it’s more than enough time.”

Before Cap could react, he felt a rough blow to his gut. He lurched over as the Skull removed his knee from the point of impact. He let go of Cap’s arm, letting him fall to his knees.

“You see, good Captain, I have always wondered how I would fair against you on a more level playing-field… what a disappointment you are. My intellect easily dwarfs yours, which makes this all too easy.”

The Red Skull looked down on his enemy, proud of his triumph.

“No witty comebacks, Captain? No bitter, final words before I rip out your heart and take it as a trophy?”

Silence.

“Bah, you disappoint me further, Captain. Your young ward screamed defiance until his last breath.”

The Skull’s cold laugh echoed through Cap’s ears, taunting him.

A sharp blow to the groin cut the Skull’s laughter short.

“What’s wrong, Skull.” Cap said, getting back to his feet, a slight grin painted on his lips. “Didn’t expect the “good Captain” to resort to that?”

“Why….you….” the Skull whimpered.

Cap slammed his shield into the Skull’s face, knocking him to the floor.

“Get up, you slime!” he ordered. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Slowly, the Skull got back to his feet, finally managing to regain his composure.

“Indeed, Captain, you were right, I did not expect such tactics from you. But I’m afraid that was your last…. Oh, how do you Americans put it…. Ace-in-the-hole?”

Another smile crept across Captain America’s lips.

“I’m an American, Skull. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

This was the moment both of these soldiers had been waiting for. Each of them knew it would come to this, the only thing unclear, was who would walk away the victor.

Cap poised himself for another strike.

BOOM

The Zeppelin shook violently; both Cap and the Skull were forced to brace themselves against the wall.

Looking out the windshield, they saw gunshots dotting the sky.

“The war’s over and your men still won’t give up!” Cap shouted over the roar of the Zeppelin’s blown-engines.

“As it should be, Captain. As it should be.”

“Well, odds were neither of us would make it out of this anyway, so why stop now?”

“Indeed.”

The Zeppelin was going down but these two men wouldn’t let that stop them. They were just heading over the ocean; the guns wouldn’t keep up for long.

Cap stood ready, anticipating the Skull’s attack. His enemy didn’t disappoint, diving at Cap from where he stood.

The force of the blow sent both of them flying out of the still-open doorway.

The Skull clenched a hand around Cap’s throat as they fell. Cap landed blow after blow to the Skull’s head and chest. Neither of them was willing to give up.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they hit the water, each of them rendered unconscious.



Cap jerked up from a sound sleep. His vision was a bit fuzzy; he wiped his eyes and took a look around. He was sitting on what appeared to be a metal bed, although to him, it looked more like an operating table. He tried to get up, but his legs felt unsteady. He had to catch himself on the bed to keep from falling over.

Guess that fall took more out of me than I though.

After steadying himself, he tried walking again, finding it a bit easier this time around, although his balance was still a bit off.

He noticed his shield in the corner of the dimly-lit room. He walked over and picked it up and found it felt heavier than usual.

Whoa! I can barely lift it. What’s wrong with me?

Something didn’t feel right, and it made him uneasy. He decided to venture outside of the room and see what he could find.

The door opened automatically as he stepped toward it, causing him to jump,

Great Scott! What the devil was that?!

He paused for a moment, not entirely too sure he wanted to go through the doorway. Finally, he decided to take his chances and stepped over the threshold.

He paused again after stepping through, wondering if something else might happen.

…Nothing… Where in Sam-Hill am I?

He started down the long corridor. It was brightly lit, unlike the previous room, with plain silver-white walls lining the length of it.

Interesting choice of architecture. Still, I wonder what this place is? Something feels… off.

When he reached the end of the hallway, he heard a voice coming from just around the corner. Cautiously, he peeked around the corner; there, stood a young man in uniform facing the other direction, carrying on a conversation with what appeared to be no one. Cap noticed one other thing about the young man: he spoke English, but with a German accent.

Good Lord! I’ve been captured by Nazis! No time to waste. Got to act fast and get the heck out of here.

He rounded the corner, bolting toward the unknowing uniformed man. Cap reached him and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head before he had a chance to react.

There, that takes care of that. Now, to find a way out of here.

Ahead of him was another long corridor. He wasted no time and broke into a sprint.

Good, looks like by body is returning to normal. My shield feels a bit lighter and I’m able to run. I just hope that’s enough to get me out of here.

At the end of the corridor, he heard another voice coming from around the corner.

No need for subtlety at this point. Better charge through.

He rounded the corner at full speed. This time, he saw a much larger room, filled with strange machines and at least a hundred uniformed officers. The voices he heard however, carried American accents.

“Traitors!” he shouted, charging into the middle of the room.


“He’s out!” one of the officers shouted. “Sound the alarm and get reinforcements down here to restrain him, now!”

Less than a second later, the alarm system blared and red lights flashed across the room.

CODE RED. CODE RED. SECURITY BREACH. SECURITY BREACH. ALL ABLE INDIVIDUALS RESPOND IMMEDIATELY.

Well, looks like I’ve caused quite a ruckus, Cap thought. Better give ‘em something to remember.

Four men charged him at once from each side. He swept the legs out from under the first, then lifted a second man over his head, hurled him into another group of approaching soldiers, and knocked three of them down.

He felt someone jump on his back and throw an arm around his throat, attempting to choke him out. Cap fell flat on his back, knocking the wind out of his attacker, then kicked back up to his feet in a flash.

His enemies were beginning to see they couldn’t overpower him physically, so they resorted to firearms.

Cap reacted instinctively, raising his shield to catch the bullets, but to his surprise, bullets never came. Instead, strange bolts of energy pelted his shield.

What kind of weaponry is this?!

Still, that wouldn’t stop him. Running to the right, he threw his shield in their direction, dodging the bolts of energy as his shield did its work.

Making a wide arc, the shield disarmed over half the soldiers of their weapons, even knocking a few of them unconscious.

Cap had little trouble in dodging the bolts without his shield, especially after he’d cut the numbers in half, but he was still relieved when it came back to him. He always felt more comfortable with his shield by him during a battle.

Another six attackers approached him from behind, pointing their firearms at him.

“That’s enough!” a gruff, yet somehow familiar voice ordered.

Everyone holstered their guns.

Cap turned around to face his mysterious new benefactor.

“Good to see ya again, Cap,” the man said as he approached the American icon.

Cap’s eyes widened. “Colonel Fury?!”

“Glad to see you still remember me after all these years… although, to you, it’s more like a few months.”

“Years? What do you mean…. What’s going on here, Colonel?” Cap asked suspiciously. “I want answers. Now.”

“Come with me, Cap,” Fury sighed. “I’ll explain everything.”