Captain America: Long Forgotten Sons
"Awake Too Long" Part One By Joey West
Small waves hit the shore, their very touch softening the sand, cooling it down under the scorching hot sun which pokes from the methane skies. They create a soothing sound amongst the chaos, the screaming, the shouting, the crying. Gunfire begins to drown it all out, until it stops, and then the gunfire stopping. A loud bang. Tiny rocks roll from the sand, once parts of statues or walls, now broken and let out into the wild sea. A loud crunching approaches an unconscious man who lays, drenched in sea water. Covered in blood, his chest slowly rises and falls, he struggles to breathe. He awakens, grabbing the now stained grey star on his chest and coughing up an insane amount of water. Opening his eyes he gazes in shock at the ash clouds, but he tries to reach to the sun, his fingers clenching at it. He's completely soaked in water, his hair, his clothes, his gun drenched. His gun hangs from his finger, the barrel smothered in blood, matching a small white section on his abdomen. It's dragged away, kicked into the flowing waves by a dark green boot. His hand begins to move, his arm lifting and putting pressure on a head wound. Groaning, he tries to get up, but his spine gives out on him, throwing him back to the floor with a soft thud. Some voices are heard from above, but he keeps his attention on the sun as it disappears, fades into the black.
"…coming up on 20th Century Radio, we have complete coverage of the founding of the new city a bridge away from our very own NYC. The government have decided to name it Pax Americana, a symbol of peace after the hardships of war…"
"…it seems their plan is to stop the spread of communism…"
"…our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right; not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world…"
"…Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected shooter of John F Kennedy was shot an hour ago by a man named Jack Ruby…"
"…President Nixon has resigned…"
"…celebrations have begun for the collapse of the Berlin wall…"
"…the North Tower…"
"…Barack Obama has been elected…"
"…what seemed like a normal day in Pax Americana was turned upside down when what people are saying was a super-human attack destroyed almost half of the city…"
"…we are now hearing that Pax Americana has been cut off from the rest of the United States of America, under the leadership of General William Burnside…"
"…sources from within Pax Americana are saying that the now independent city has been transformed into a police state, under the watchful eyes of William Burnside's super soldiers, the Watchdogs…"
The City of Pax Americana
What's your idea of peace? Or how it can be achieved? Achieved through people putting aside their differences and learning to live together in world without major conflict? Achieved through the different being completely annihilated by a "master race"? Achieved by everyone having guns to their heads?
Constant explosions disrupt the Pax Americana night, Captain America, dressed in a full-face mask and Kevlar armour leaps from the window of an abandoned car park, turning in mid air and firing his pistol without even thinking. A group of heavily armoured super-soldiers drop after him. He hits one, the other still chasing the Sentinel of Liberty. The wind shatters as the Captain scrapes the sky, falling, the hard sidewalk coming closer and closer. He pulls his shield from his back, throwing it at the super soldier, hitting him in the face with a painful clang. It's swooped away in mid-air by a red blur, the Captain looks down, the sidewalk now reaching for him. Thud. He's grabbed, now literally flying in the air. He looks up, Sam Wilson, the Falcon laughs. He hums "Can you feel the love tonight?", the Captain chuckling.
Seventy years ago, the American government decided to found a new city following the end of World War Two. They named it Pax Americana, a symbol of peace for the country.
"Asshole." Captain America jokes. Wilson descends closer to a building, letting the Captain down, who instantly begins to run. He looks behind, a group of super-soldiers running across the near buildings, heading right to him. The Captain jumps off the small building, using his shield to take the fall. Rolling as he hits the ground, he breaks the lock off a garage door, which is marked with the colours of his shield. A group of Watchdog super soldiers head from around the corner, missing the Captain who hides in the garage, but not for long. The garage door flings open, the Captain revving his Harley Davidson and taking off.
"AFTER THE BASTARD, NOW!"
Over the span of so many years, the city degenerated into a crime ridden citywide ghetto.
A group of Watchdogs enter a black truck, the Captain turning around for a split second and shooting out the tyres. Two Watchdogs on motorcycles ride past the truck, coming after the Captain, machine gun bullets tearing through the air. Putting his hand to his earpiece, he utters, "Sam". The Falcon gracefully swoops down and flies between the two motorcyclists, hitting them both simultaneously with batons. They swoon and fall, The Falcon returning to the skies.
"CUT THE CHECK!" Falcon screeches in glee, but is cut short when a constant whirring is heard. A helicopter.
It culminated in an attack of the superhuman variety, and the city being turned into a police state cut off from the US, and overseen by General William Burnside and his super soldier army of Watchdogs.
A spotlight falls upon Captain America, as well as machine gun fire. The brakes screech, the helicopter descending low enough to where he can make a leap, and he does. Jumping into the open end of the helicopter, he lands a punch on one of the gunmen, as well as dropping something. Jumping out, the Watchdogs don't have enough time to process the fact that there is a grenade in their helicopter before being blown up into a fiery ball of metal, glass and scorched bones. Landing on a Watchdog truck, he tears through the roof with his shield, throwing the driver and the passenger out and making his escape. Reaching a certain point in the city, he kicks open the door and then slides under a manhole cover, before the soldiers even notice.
The Bunker, Under Pax Americana
A dark haired boy polishes a combat knife, looking at his reflection in the shiny metal. He wears a domino mask, a navy blue bulletproof vest and matching camo pants, his holster filled with a thick black glock. He hears a sound, drawing his gun and investigating, the Captain and Falcon entering. They laugh and joke, the kid holstering his gun.
"Bucky."
"Cap. Did'ya get it?"
"Yep. We got it, alright."
"The big map-thing, courtesy of a Mr. Sam Wilson."
The Falcon plants something on the table, it turning into a giant holographic map of a prison. The Captain removes his mask, pointing at a certain cell.
"Cell 34, that's where we'll find him."
"If you notice, that side wall is pretty weak, and the other side of it isn't too far from where our good friend is being held. If we blow that in, we could take out a few guards and make our job a lot easier."
"Good thinking, kid."
"They don't call me Bucky for nothing."
Cap and Falcon turn to Bucky, both speaking in synchronisation, "That made no sense whatsoever." Cap then shifts his focus to the Falcon, who was still quite giddy.
"Sam, you kept the chopper in good condition?"
Wyndam Prison
Wyndam, it was originally used for war criminals, but ever since Burnside took Pax, he's been using it as his own little closet to hold anyone who dares show his little defiance in his little regime. We're going to break into it.
"…and the protests continue for the freedom of Pax Americana, President Obama making no comment on the situation…"
The radio blares out in the CCTV room, two Watchdog soldiers with their feet up watch the activity in each and every cell of the prison. The door creaks slightly, one of them turning and looking but returning to watching the screens. It creaks again, this time louder. They both pull out their shotguns and investigate, heading over to the door. One pulls at it while the other watches, oblivious to the fact that Bucky is climbing out of the air vent. The Captain's sidekick tiptoes over there, grabbing their heads and smacking them together, rendering the both of them unconscious. He then swings into the rotating chair, spinning for a while and then touching his ear.
"Alrighty, then. Er—" He surveys the screens, looking for any guards on patrol. "—yep you're clear. I'll unlock the cells as soon as things go boom."
From far above, Captain America watches from a helicopter, staring at the guards who haven't noticed the flying machine just yet. Falcon turns to his friend.
"You sure you wanna do this?"
"Yep. These people need someone to inspire them, and I can't be that."
"Mhm, well—y'know… you wear a mask, he wears a mask. You can wear his mask, that'll work, right?"
"Shut up and take the shot."
"A-ight. Just don't fudge this up."
Sam Wilson shifts the chopper, putting it at an angle. He presses some controls, putting his finger on the trigger.
"Cut. The…"
He fires a missile right into one of the prison walls, blowing a hole in it, taking out a few guards in the process. Captain America leaps out, this time with a parachute.
"…CHECK!"
Falcon looks back, chuckling, "I have to admit, that's probably one of my best cut the check moments…" He then notices his friend's absence, throwing his arms up in the air. A sound similar to heavy rain falls across Sam Wilson, turret-fire. "Shit." A flame begins to form in the back of the helicopter, Sam's eyes widening as he quickly lunges out of the chopper before it blows up in a ball of smoke.
"Er—Cap?"
"Yep?"
"The chopper, they blew it up…"
"I know."
The Captain smashes a lock in one of the side doors, swinging it open to find a large man in his way, who grabs his head, smashing it against the wall. He drops his shield, being choked. Moving his hand from the man's colossal arm, he reaches for his gun in his side holster, shooting the giant in his side. After a forward roll, he grabs his shield, blocking a punch with his thin adamantium guard. Grabbing his hand, the man is distracted enough for Captain America to throw his mighty shield at his face, knocking him out instantly.
"…we are getting signs of what seems to be a prison break in Pax Americana's infamous Wyndam Prison…"
In the control room, Bucky turns the radio up a notch, spinning on the rotating chair until he gets slightly dizzy. A fizzing is heard, Bucky pressing a button, the Captain's voice beginning to appear in the incredibly loud speakers.
"Bucky. You got that key?"
"Er—" Bucky pulls a small key from one of the unconscious guards. "Yep—I think so…"
"I'm approaching the cell."
"Want me to activate it now?"
"Sam, has the fire cleared up?"
"Yep."
"Clear a path for the prisoners."
"Will do."
The Captain runs along a row of cells, most of the prisoners peering their heads through, following the Captain in his red white and blue armour with their eyes. One chuckles in confusion. Watching the cell numbers as he looks up, Captain America counts under his breath, "29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34" He smiles under his mask, putting his fingers to his ear. "Bucky, let these men out." With a loud alert, all of the cell doors open, the prisoners exiting, incredibly relieved. The Captain looks at the broken man in Cell 34. He has muscles the size of skyscrapers, his hair blonde, his face aged but not as much as you'd think. He wears a white tank top, a dusty American flag in tatters lying in the corner of his room. He dares not to look at the Captain. An old radio sits on a makeshift shelf on the opposite wall. Captain America enters, Steve Rogers looking up at him, angrily.
"Steve. Come on, it's time to go home."
"…and we would like to thank you all in joining us for over 100 years of 20th Century Radio, in my seventy years here, I have met a lot of people, had some great times and made a lot of friends. It has been an honour to be a part of this legacy. We would also say thank you to those listening right here right now, on the day of our last broadcast. This is Joe Kirby, and for the last time, America… goodnight."
Fssshhhhhhh...
To be continued...