A Man Without a Country: The Legend of The Nomad

Legend of Korra and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. Captain America and all related characters belong to Marvel Comics

Kuzon awoke in a sweat. He had been having the same dream over and over for ever since he was thawed out. His first outing as Nomad. He had told Korra about it and she said it sounded like a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Something commonly found in those who had been to war or had been in extremely stressful situations, causing them to constantly relive a particular event.

He was also finding it harder and harder to keep on being Nomad, ever since the Battle of Republic City six months ago. It got to the point that every time he put on the costume he began to feel like he was just a reminder of a bad part of history. He slowly got up from his bed and walked over to his closet. He looked at the costume hanging there, his eyes slowly filling with resentment. Kuzon quickly threw the costume in the metal wastebasket in the corner of the room and threw a small fireball into it, burning it. He then took the shield out and threw it out his window as hard as he could, sending it into the bay just outside. He sighed deeply as he then got dressed. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now.

Kuzon walked around the temple grounds, trying to clear his head. He had thought making the decision to quit being the Nomad would be a weight off him, but so far he felt horrible. As he walked a bright light soon shined in front of him. When the light died down there was a man standing in front of Kuzon.

The man wore wearing a red, white, and blue outfit with a star on his chest. He also wore a cowl very much like his Nomad costume but with a foreign letter on the forehead with metallic wings on the sides of the mask as well as a red and blue round shield with a white star in the middle.

Needless to say Kuzon was a little taken aback, but for some reason the man felt familar. Like he had known the man all of his life.

"I heard you were having a hard time soldier." The masked man said.

"I'm not a soldier. I never was if you want to get technical, just meat to the slaughter." Kuzon replied

"Ah yes, I heard about that also. However you're wrong about not being a soldier. You followed your orders to the letter, you fought as hard as you could, and when it was all said and done you did the one thing that makes a good soldier."

"Which is?" Kuzon asked. Part of him was wondering how this man could have known about all of that, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for some reason.

"You did what you thought was right and you've been doing it ever since."

"You wanna get to the point?"

"I used to be a lot like you are now. In a strange place, doing your best to adapt when you know that you'll never be able to fully. The difference? I didn't give up."

"I didn't give up! I was only filling in for the Avatar, now my job's done."

"I know the world has the Avatar, but there's a key difference between you and her and I don't mean in power. The Avatar represents balance, but for people like us? We represent freedom."

"People like us? Who are you?"

"Just an old Captain from a place you've definitely never heard of. What I'm saying is that you have the power to inspire people, to make them see the light at the end of the tunnel, to make them keep believing that one day things will change for the better. You did it in the war, you did it six months ago, and you'll do it again."

"No I won't. There are other heroes to do that now, I'm nothing but an old legend at this point. I never wanted to be Nomad and now I can put it behind me."

"I've got to get going, but I'll leave you with something to think about. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. If you want to be something different, change your symbol, then that's up to you. The choice is yours, soldier."

Then with a bright flash of light Kuzon was back in his room. He looked in his mirror and saw he was wearing a new costume. It was identical to the one the stranger was wearing, but it had the United Republic symbol in white on the forehead of the mask. He also had a new shield on his arm, the same one the stranger had worn. He also found a note inside the shield and took it out.

"If you don't want to be Nomad anymore, then try something else. Make a new legacy, one you can be proud of. Good luck soldier."

Good luck, Capt. Steve Rogers"

Kuzon furrowed his brow at the odd name, but then mused to himself.

"Hmm, soldier huh? Maybe, just maybe..."

It was nighttime as a man in an orange and purple costume leaped across the rooftops, a sack of stolen loot slung across his shoulder. Suddenly he was knocked over by a large circular object. He slowly got up and looked to see a man in a red, white, and blue costume standing 10 feet away from him. The man caught the shield that had bounced into the air after it struck the robber as he began to walk closer.

"Who are you supposed to be?" The thief asked as the man jumped down.

"I'm the Super-Soldier." The man said as he slammed his red gloved hand into the thief's face, knocking him out.

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