DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, these are reinterpretations of well established characters from Marvel Comics but set and established in an entirely alternate universe. This is not a story made for profit, this is a story made for the sole purpose of entertain the readers as well as any comic book fan out there. However, the stories written here do belong to me, for they are part of a new universe of my creation called "The AlternEarth".

You may see some similarities with the well known stories of origin but trust me, there will be twists and changes that will make it stand as its own.

Iraqi Desert
Tier-1 Training Camp
18:00

In the middle of an extended rock formation lies what seems to be a target practice area. Two towers with prominent black and white bullseye marks on the top rise on one other side of the ground, a place that seems as long as a football field. On the other side, four figures all decked in an all-black tactical uniform from head to toes, alongside a pair of goggles, black ski masks and carrying each a small semi-automatic rifle.

The first figure, a man with a white star on the left pectoral of his suit analyses the place through his goggles with all are outfitted with night vision, heat vision and HUD system

"Look alive folks, the targets are at exactly 20 meters from our position, take down the bullseyes and we win, but be careful, the towers are heavily guarded with a rifleman on each tower" said the man in a confident voice

"What's the game plan, then?" asked one of the companions who carries a red star insignia on his left pectoral

"Two will act as distraction and ensure the riflemen aim at you at all times while the shooters take care of the targets" replied the white-starred man

"I call dibs on the east side target" interjected another of the men, one carrying a red bird emblem on his left pectoral

"And I'll do cover up" added the last member, a slimmer figure than the other men and with a more feminine voice, carrying a gold bird emblem in her left pectoral of the suit

"Understood" commented the leader as he nodded his head in approval "Proceed at my sign" said as he was turning to his front, checked his rifle, gave one last look at his comrades and moved his right arm pointing his right hand with two fingers as a sign to move forward.

All four soldiers deployed into the extended field, taking cover amongst the many rocks surrounding them, but all under the eye of their leader who kept close attention to every movement. Covering inside a large rock he started to calculate in his head the measure of the field, the distance of the target and the position of the enemy, knowing it won't be an easy task.

All members made quick moves in order to avoid enemy fire, displacing with quick pace from one rock to another, getting closer to a good firing position from the east towards one of the targets.

"I'm in position" said the red bird emblem soldier to his companion, signaling to move and attack.

The gold bird emblem soldier jumped towards a gap between two rocks, firing at the east tower near the bullseye, just to attract the rifleman's attention. The other pair of soldiers take advantage of the situation and jump closer to another rock formation, shooting their rifles to their respective position, taking cover in the immediate rock formation they found.

The stains of black paint hit the wall near the bullseye mark, provoking the attention of the riflemen who start shooting in position against the soldiers. The red-bird emblem soldier maintains his position yet the gold-bird emblem soldier takes advantage of the situation to fire at the riflemen, however, the riflemen note how the enemy got exposed, taking advantage of the plan and takes her down with a precise shot straight into the front her chest.

"Man Down! Man Down! I'm going in!" exclaims the red-bird emblem soldier, retaking his position to attack one of the bullseye marks

"Stay down and await for the signal, soldier!" replies the leader, but the warning falls into deaf ears as the red-bird emblem soldier stands from his position and shoots against the target, successfully scoring a shoot right at the center of the bullseye

"Target Down!" exclaims the red-bird emblem soldier as he pumps his fist in the air, but in spite of the short celebration, the enemy rifleman manages to shoot right into his shoulder and then down into his back effectively giving him a Kill Shot

"DAMN IT!" exclaims the white-starred soldier, turning his head to watch his partner on a few steps of distance "We need to take down that last one, I'll do the shot, you keep moving; we have to shoot that bullseye"

His partner nodded his head as reply, readying his assault rifle as he makes a mental countdown until his leader steps out of the cover and shoots towards the other target, firing a long string of shots upwards has his teammate steps out aiming directly at the bullseye, moving to his left into another rock but his shot went too early, missing by a couple of inches to the right, thus the white-starred soldier jumps to his left into another rock to take cover

"Let's switch procedures, you distract, I'll shoot"

"Roger that" replied the red-starred soldier, standing up from his position and now execute what his partner was doing minutes before

They both stand side by side, making a beeline as they take their shots until the white-starred soldier's assault rifle runs out of ammunition. The red-starred soldier noticed it and pushed the white-starred soldier into one of the rocks to cover; giving the enemy the opening they needed to shoot him down. Two direct impacts into his chest and another one to his leg are enough to bring him down and instantly drop his rifle, all the while his teammate looks in complete astonishment

"NO!" screamed the white-starred soldier, seeing himself as the last man standing in the assault.

He closes his eyes trying to regain the composure, holding firmly his assault rifle, breathing deeply as he prepares to make his move, dropping his rifle to a side and then making a jump to the side, rolling to his left as he grabs his fallen partner's rifle and positions himself into the open, firing two shots straight into the bullseye. The enemy fires at him, the shots landing right near him but he remains still as he fires another one, one that hits straight into the target.

He breathes a sigh of relief as he closes his eyes but the sensation ends as the sound of a loud horn blares in the place signaling the end of the training exercise

"Finally!" screams a voice that distracts the white-starred soldier. It was the soldier with the red-bird emblem who is getting himself up "It's a relief that for the first time, I wasn't the first guy down" comments as he removes his goggles and his mask revealing his face. Male, African-American, in his late 20s, buzz-cut black hair and a goatee connected with a moustache

"Consider that a courtesy on my behalf, Sam" comments the soldier with the golden bird emblem, also removing the goggles and mask revealing her identity. Female, Caucasian, also in her late 20s, almost pale skin complexion with short brown hair tied up in a bun above her head

"A courtesy? I don't know if I should feel complimented or offended, Peggy" replied Sam in a sarcastic tone

"At least one thing doesn't change" interjects the red-starred soldier as he removes his goggles and mask revealing his identity. Male, Caucasian, in his early 30s, shoulder length brown hair and studded beard "Once again it all comes down to the Captain and me"

"That's because you've been in Tier 1 longer than we did, Buck" replied Peggy

"Hey, hey, regardless of everything, we can all agree that we had yet another successful training, right Steve?" added Sam as he tries to call the attention of the team's leader who seems lost in his own inner thoughts "Steve?"

"Captain?" asked Buck

The team's captain shook his head as soon as he heard their voices, looking at them as he sighed and proceeded to remove his goggles and mask revealing his identity. Male, Caucasian, short blond hair

"Sorry, I was just…analyzing the result of the exercise"

"Analyzing?" asked Sam with a surprise gesture on his face "Steve, we nailed it, we nailed it yet again, you see? Two bullseyes with black paint marks, that means two targets down, we won"

"Just like we did the last five times we ran this practice" added Peggy

"I know, I'm sorry" Steve shook his head "I guess I can write it down as another good result, all of you did great but I know we can be better, I'll arrange another training session but not for tomorrow, I believe we all earned a rest"

"Couldn't agree more, I'm hitting the showers and then I'm lying down into my bunker" replied Sam who immediately turn his back and proceeded to march back into the station, Peggy followed him afterwards, leaving Buck and Steve behind

"Steve, I know you're our superior officer in the field, but here between friends…you really shouldn't be this hard on everyone, I know you want to run this team perfectly and we have made lots of successful operations together, but even the best has their limits, we have to draw the line"

"I'm aware of that Buck, it's just…" Steve sighed "You know what? Never mind, you're right, not even General Lieber is that hard on us" said Steve in a more light-hearted tone. Buck only replied with a pat on his shoulder and a small laugh and then he turned his back and took his route back to the station leaving Steve alone, pondering in his own thoughts about what happened. All of his teammates were right; this was a successful training exercise, but something is still bugging in his head about the result, but that shouldn't be something of concern. Not now, at least.

He grabbed his gun and prepared to leave but he turned his sight once again to the two towers where the bullseyes were set and then le lifted his right hand to his mouth

"Thank you for the assistance Cadets!" he exclaimed to the pair of cadets positioned in the towers who were performing their role as the enemy

"Not a problem, Sir!" replied one of them. Steve saluted and then proceeded to take his leave. The sun was finally starting to set and as the day fades out…the night comes along.

So there you have it, the first chapter of my take on one of Marvel Comics' most iconic heroes: Captain America. This is the first of many new versions of well known heroes that will make part of the "AlternEarth", my alternate universe of Marvel Characters.

Cap is just the first of six heroes who will comprise the first incarnation of AlternEarth's Avengers in the long haul, so this might take a LONG time to develop. I really hope you enjoyed this new take and I'll expect any and all reviews.

Thank you for Reading!