Chapter 7 - The First Avenger Meets the Guardian 6
Two weeks after his evening of peace on the rooftop of the S.S.R.'s base of operations, Vudren found himself crammed into the back of an old (by his standard) military truck quietly making its way through what he finally learned was Axis territory. After Vudren went to sleep that night, Cloud had done a little spying of his own and acquired a heap of information from the documents left around alone and the conversations of the night crew.
Cloud could be quite discreet when he wanted to be…which was almost never.
Why bother when he had a god-slaying Guardian that could handle whatever got in their way?
But now they were dealing with fellow humans, not some genocidal alien menace, and – no matter how evil they might be – neither Vudren nor Cloud found the act of killing humans appealing.
That was not to say that Vudren's hands were clean, far from it. The enemies of the Last City were not limited to alien threats, after all.
Shaking his head, he dismissed those haunting thoughts and looked around the back of the truck, at the other familiar passengers crammed in with him.
The morning after his night of relaxation on the roof, he, Steve, and Bucky were shipped out to an airfield where they would be deployed to start hunting down Hydra's known bases. Standing by their plane was a group of five men waiting for them.
The big man seated next to him on the truck was Sergeant Timothy Alloysius Cadwaller, A.K.A. "Dum Dum" Dugan by his fellow soldiers. The large mustache man with an LMG that Vudren was sure Shaxx would approve of certainly looked the part of the grizzled war veteran. When they were introduced, he had given Vudren an odd look – which understandable, given Vudren's odd full-body uniform – and then got on the truck.
Private James "Jim" Morita was a Japanese-American soldier who Vudren also recognized from the breakout at the Hydra compound. He had recognized him as well and had expressed his gratitude for his aid, saying that a lot of his friends and fellow soldiers were alive thanks to him. Vudren was grateful that he was wearing his helmet because he was sure he was blushing. A fact he knew Cloud would needle him for later.
James Montgomery Falsworth was a British officer formerly of Her Majesty's 3rd Independent Parachute Brigade (which Cloud told him was an elite British group) that, thanks to Hydra, no longer existed. He was offered the chance to join their little task force by Steve and accepted, apparently eager to get some revenge on Hydra for what they did to his brigade. Polite, professional, and, Vudren found in their short time together, possessed a dry wit that Vudren could appreciate.
Private Gabriel Jones, though he said he preferred "Gabe", was an dark-skinned soldier that was with the others in Hydra's compound. Though Vudren's first thought of the private was – to his shame – that he was simply an added soldier to fill their group's ranks, he was apparently an avid German and French speaker. A fact Vudren found proven time and again since his first resurrection, a multilinguist was always a plus to have.
Jacque Dernier was perhaps the, not oddest, but odd one out of their group. The only one not a member of an actual army, he was a Frenchman and member of the French Resistance. Reportedly having a mind and talent for explosives, the large satchel at his feet denoted his role in the group. Also, he was a sole speaker of the French language, which only emphasized the vital importance of Gabe.
Hopefully, Cloud would get those translators working one of these days.
Captain Steve Rogers and Sergeant Bucky were up in the front, driving the truck to their destination.
Their destination: the first of their Hydra targets, a weapons factory.
His fellow passengers were making small talk amongst themselves as they traveled. About what, Vudren wasn't paying attention. With this time on his hands, he was caught up thinking of home. The Last City. Everyone he knew, everyone who was likely mourning him now.
Of the likely candidates, two stuck out in his mind; his former fireteam members.
If you two were here with me, he thought to himself, we could stop this war in a week. We could save the world. Again.
"Vudren." Cloud said with a hurried tone.
Blinking, Vudren realized that he was being talked to for at least a few seconds.
"I'm sorry?" he said to his new teammates.
Jim said, "We were just wondering about you, Vudren. None of us remember seeing you at the Hydra compound before it went up in flames, so how did you get roped into his suicide mission?"
Remembering the fabricated story Colonel Phillips and Agent Carter were kind enough to supply him with, he said, "That question has a complicated answer, James, but you can say I am a…specialist who deals in these sorts of…suicide missions."
"Oh really?" Dum Dum skeptically asked.
"I can't really talk about it," Vudren said. "Classified."
"Hmph."
"Where are you from, then?" James Montgomery asked. "Can you tell us that?"
Vudren hesitated then, unsure of how much he should say. The more he did, the more lies he would likely tell. The more lies, the harder it was to remember them all.
While he did not relish lying to others, he understood the occasional necessity after all, he had a hunch he would be working with these men for a while, and it was never a good idea to start a relationship – especially with those whose hands you would be placing your life into - with a lie.
Fortunately, for him, he would not have to give an answer yet.
Right when he was about to answer, the truck came to a sudden stop and turned off.
Training kicked in and their questioning was temporarily forgotten, instead focusing on the mission.
Having sat in the back of the truck's bed, Vudren hopped out first and moved, giving his comrades plenty of space to disembark behind him. Looking around told Vudren little of their location. It was a forest.
Cloud would likely have a detailed map of their area – he damn well better, based on everything he scanned back in the S.S.R.'s base – but viewing it would require revealing him. Something Vudren was not ready to do yet.
"Alright, everyone" Steve said, "saddle up. We're on foot from here on out. Gabe, have Jacque make a note of where we're leaving the truck. It's our failsafe back to friendly territory if things go south. Montgomery, lead the way. Bucky; bring up the rear. Now let's move!"
Three Hours Later…
As he stared through the lenses of a pair of binoculars at their target, Vudren's tactical mind was running through every scenario he could think of. If he was he by himself, Vudren would launch a one-man assault on the factory, neutralize all hostiles, gather what information he could, maybe loot one or two things that looked valuable, and then blow it up.
While that was still a viable plan, with some adjustments, he would have to remember to restrain himself, within reason. As he had not yet revealed any of his powers bestowed on him by the Traveler and the Darkness, he would have to make do with kinetic weapons like the Ace of Spades. Not that it was a hindrance. A Hunter he was not, but he was no slouch with a hand cannon.
It was a moot point, however. They had a plan, and Vudren had a feeling Steve Rogers would not like him going off the reservation.
"What do you think?" Steve asked him.
Vudren handed the binoculars to Steve and said, "Not a fortress, but see for yourself."
"Hmm." Steve hummed. "They have guards posted at intervals around the factory, but it doesn't look nearly as defended as the first compound. They don't look like they're expecting an attack, either. What do you think the chances are that Hydra doesn't think we know about their factories?"
Before Vudren had a chance to answer, Bucky, having overheard them on his approach, said, "Not likely, but there's always a chance."
Vudren agreed. "A small chance is still a chance. Still, we should take advantage of this opportunity. Clearly, they're not expecting any trouble. Let's give them some."
"That goes without saying," Steve said. "We also need to gather any intel we can. Hydra troop movements, transport schedules and routes, moles, anything. Anything that helps us and hurts them."
"We'll continue with the plan, then?"
"Yes. Bucky, split the men up like we agreed and wait for the signal." Once Bucky left to follow his order, Steve turned to Vudren and said, "I hope you realize how much of a risk the Colonel is taking with you, Vudren. You've given us no reason to distrust you. Yet. Don't make us regret it."
"What would happen if I regret it?"
"I'll have to deal with you. And I won't like it, but I won't hesitate."
Vudren nodded. "If it gets that far. And if you haven't fallen in love with me by then."
He chose that moment to head off any response from Steve and moved to get into position.
"I suppose you think that was terribly clever."
"Come on, Cloud." He snickered inwardly. "Did you see his face?"
"The man's busy being the face of a massive war effort. The last thing he needs on his mind is wondering if the alien he just met is making passes at him."
"If he doesn't know how to focus and compartmentalize, then he has no business being a soldier."
Vudren tuned out whatever else it was Cloud had to say as he had arrived at his position. He was moderately disappointed that the "back" of the factory was less guarded than what he now labeled as the "front". Less guards meant less of a chance of his discovery, as well as less people he would likely have to kill when the bullets start flying. Still, they could have made it a bit of a challenge.
"Whoa," he said to himself, "when did I turn into a Hunter?"
He cleared his throat, his voice temporarily morphing into that of a well-known Crucible handler. "Alright, focus, Warlock. How long, Cloud?"
Appearing by his head for the first time in days, Cloud rolled in the air, clearly happy about getting "out and about" again, and said, "Ten seconds. You'll need to be quick. I predict they'll start destroying critical evidence within sixty seconds of realizing they are under attack."
Vudren smirked under his helmet. "Sixty seconds?"
Cloud looked at him, eye narrowing and said, "Yes. Sixty seconds."
Vudren nodded. "I'll take that action."
"Usual stakes?"
"Deal."
"Deal."
BOOM!
Something exploded on the far side of the factory.
Together, they said, "Go," and then Vudren charged, Cloud disappearing back into his Light.
Sixty.
Fifty-nine.
Fifty-eight.
Fifty-seven.
It took Vudren four seconds to cross the remaining distance between him and the factory, the very few guards that were posted – a most, five or six – had turned in shock at the sudden sign of an attack, leaving them completely vulnerable to the lone enemy charging right at them.
"Cloud; give me something," Vudren said out loud. Being along, he had no reason to keep it hidden he had support of his own, and of a much higher caliber. Bringing his empty hand up, Vudren was aiming down invisible sights at the closest enemy soldier, who was about to turn around, clearly hearing his approach, when there was a brief flash of light in his previously empty hand.
Before, where his hand was mimicking how one would hold a smaller weapon, now, it was holding a white automatic pistol with a noticeable glowing crack running across its body.
An exotic kinetic sidearm that Vudren still wasn't entirely sure he understood how it worked, the Traveler's Chosen was a contradiction in terms of it being a weapon. Its perk of somehow generating Light upon a kill which he could use to fuel his own abilities always rubbed him the wrong way, no matter the benefits, which were considerable.
Light was supposed to represent life, and the fact this sidearm could generate it out of death never sat well with Vudren.
Still, the benefits were considerable, and, despite not being a hand cannon, it did not hold back when a bullet fired from its barrel imbedded itself in someone's head, human or otherwise.
All this was running through Vudren's mind as he downed three of the enemy soldiers – out of five, he knew now – within the next three seconds. The remaining two had turned by now and were raising their weapons to fire at him. Thinking quickly, he dashed toward the next closest one, grabbed him by the neck, and used him as a shield when the last finally opened fire.
The soldier paused for a second when he realized he had just shot, multiple times, his own man, but his guilt was quickly relieved when Vudren put one bullet through his head. It was a quick, grisly, and neat display of death that he was capable of, but Vudren knew now was not the time to dwell on it. With barely a look back, he took off running again towards the factory. A strategically placed window on the top floor was his target, and he knew – hoped – it would be a cinch to break through.
Fifty-two.
Fifty-one.
Fifty.
Forty-nine.
Unless it was reinforced in some way or was otherwise not a regular window. In that case, he would be embarrassed, in front of the only one whose opinion really mattered to him.
As he ran, Vudren tensed his legs and, once he judged himself to be close enough, he launched himself into the air, the wind brushing by his face in a manner he was well-acquainted. Once he was close enough, he cut the power that was propelling him through the air, curled himself into a ball, and then he crashed through the window.
Upon landing, he rolled to his feet and brought his sidearm up, his eyes and Cloud's single one, scanning their immediate surroundings for enemies. Seeing none, he relaxed slightly and stood to his full height.
It seems he was lucky with his landing choice as he had found himself standing in what looked like a control room of some kind for the factory. Control panels lined the walls, there was a large electronic table in the center of the room with a large map of Europe on it and many papers scattered on it, and the door was of a sturdy make, like one would find for a room that was important.
"Are you seriously that lucky?" Cloud asked as he appeared and started flying about the room.
"Apparently." Vudren stated as he moved to the table and started rifling through the papers on it. "Start scanning copies of everything for us and we'll take the documents for the Colonel."
A series of nearby explosions and the sound of gunfire getting closer prompted Vudren to add, "And make it quick."
Three minutes later, when Cloud looked about done, he took out the flare gun he was given by Steve earlier. Leaning out the window, he fired it straight up, admiring the simplicity of the signal.
Not for the first time, Captain Steve Rogers wondered what it about was the most…unusual "member" of his team that made him trust him enough to go off on his own while they provided the distraction.
This was a war, after all. Only the most confident, or foolish, turned away allies whose goals aligned with their own. Vudren had told him, told them, that he was for humanity. And once he learned about the goals of Hydra and the Nazis, he practically signed on without hesitation. Okay, with some limitations, but nothing unexpected or unreasonable. At least, in his opinion.
Regardless, he would rather have had him where he could see him, to see firsthand what Vudren was capable of in the field, but this plan suited their needs, and it still allowed for Vudren to prove himself.
They had devised the plan days ago and adjusted for new information obtained in the field. They would split up into groups of three. Two groups would attack the factory from two separate directions; dividing the Hydra forces and drawing their attention away while the third "group" – Vudren on his own – would infiltrate from the rear and gather any and all intel he could before it was destroyed.
Information was power, after all.
Once he gave them the signal, they would shift from merely distraction to full on assault. This was not a salvage and recovery mission after all. They were authorized to burn the factory to the ground and eliminate al hostiles. An objective Steve had mixed feelings about, but this was not a fight in an alley.
This was war.
And in war, there were casualties.
Using his shield to cover Montgomery from a lucky Hydra soldier's rifle, Steve put two bullets in the enemy soldier's head before he shot at another Hydra soldier that was trying to maneuver his way behind them.
"This is getting a little hairy, Cap!" Montgomery shouted over the firefight. "As long as we're on defense, they'll have the advantage. How long until he gives the signal?"
"It has to be soon." Steve assured him. He was beginning to see the enemy was adapting to their position. "If we don't see the signal in the next two minutes, we move to the next phase of the plan and apologize later."
As the fighting continued, the factory, without warning, spontaneously exploded, bringing down the remaining enemy soldiers still near it and signaling the mission completion.
The rest of the battle, if the slaughter that remained could be called a battle, went by relatively quickly. Their assumptions that this factory's main line of defense was its isolation was on the mark as it barely had enough soldiers to fill a platoon.
While Steve was more than willing to take prisoners; for various reasons, not only to minimize the chances of one of his own people taking a bullet, but the Hydra soldiers they were fighting also seemed fanatical enough to fight to the death. Not a single one dropped their weapons and surrendered. He knew he should have expected that, he had witnessed a Hydra soldier's devotion before, it still disappointed him.
Once they were sure there were no Hydra soldiers left, Steve's first thought was immediately exfiltrating the area, no doubt Hydra would be here in force soon to salvage what they could from the site, until he remembered that there was one member of their squad that was not present.
Before he could do anything, however, he heard footsteps approaching from behind, in a direction where none of his men were located. Spinning around, he was about to launch his shield when he saw the very man he was momentarily worried about approaching.
"Something wrong?" Vudren casually asked, and, were it not for his helmet which he seemed insistent on wearing 24/7 in front of anyone but him, Agent Carter, and the Colonel, Steve swore he would see a smirk on his face.
"No. Nothing at all," he replied. Gesturing toward the still-burning factory, he asked, "I assume this was your doing?"
"It was," he straightforwardly replied. "Once I found what we were looking for, I happened across a quite volatile-looking pile of explosives just sitting there, where anyone could fiddle with them. I primed one of them to explode, giving me enough time to get out safely."
"That wasn't part of the plan," Steve stated, a hint of frustration in his tone.
"The plan was to blow the factory up once we got what we needed. I simply expedited it."
A staring contest ensued between the two for a few seconds before Steve broke it and said, "Alright, everyone! Let's move out! We don't want to be here when Hydra rolls in."
Once the rest of the men were far enough away that he was sure they would not be heard, he firmly said, "Don't do that again. If I cannot trust you, then this can't work. Am I clear?"
"Crystal."
Steve nodded. "Then let's go."
Three days later, Unknown Location
It took longer than Jane Roberts hoped to gather all the information her "employers" had on Captain America, but she was successful. The primitive organization known as the Strategic Scientific Reserve was lacking in nearly everything that mattered, at least compared to Hydra, but they did do one thing well.
Surveillance; especially on their own people.
Which made her job, acquiring that information, much easier. At least, when it came to gathering it. Making copies and smuggling it out with no trace of her presence behind; that was significantly less easy. After all, it was a challenge to acquire restricted things when you did not have the exact clearance for it.
But she succeeded. She always succeeded.
Her true masters would never accept anything less without consequences.
She was currently seated in a small outdoor café just down the street from the apartment she was currently staying in. Her purse on the table and an unobtrusive briefcase by her feet. Taking a sip of her tea, she allowed herself this rare moment of enjoyment before her appointment arrives.
And, as if her thought signaled it, it was then ruined when someone else sat down opposite her at the small round outdoor table.
She made it a habit of not committing any details of her contact to memory, making it harder for her to give anything up should the worst case scenario happen, but she did acknowledge it was the same nondescript white man wearing a suit anyone can get at any store that it always was.
"Does anyone know you're here?" he asked, demanded, as soon as he sat down.
"Of course not," she replied, not caring to pretend to be polite. Nudging the briefcase to his side of the table, she said, "Everything I could get on short notice is in there. I don't recommend hanging onto it for long."
"Everything we requested on this Captain Rogers?"
"Everything I could get. I swear."
The man nodded. "I believe you."
He grabbed the briefcase by the handle and moved to leave but she stopped him with her words.
"There was something else."
That caused the man to pause. "Did something happen?" he asked, resuming the outward appearance of a relaxed seated patron.
"I'm not sure. It is something above my clearance. But I knew I had to add it."
"Yes?"
She took a deep breath, carefully choosing her next words before she said them.
"There's someone else that might be a problem to our bosses."
The man's brows furrowed. "Another super-soldier? Impossible. The doctor only had one success."
"Not another one. At least, I don't think so. But it is another man. There's…something about him. I can't quite put it into words. But he's been assigned to work alongside the captain. He might be a problem."
"I see. Does the S.S.R. have anything on him?"
"That's the thing: nothing. They don't have so much as a file open on this man."
The man said nothing for a few seconds, processing what he just heard. "I will make sure our superiors know about this as well."
"Of course."
"Is there anything else?"
Jane Roberts hesitated for a moment. She served at the pleasure of her superiors, of course, but she had to know something. "How long?"
"Hmm?"
"How long until I get pulled out? Until I can see-"
He interrupted her. "That's not for me to say. We serve as long as we're needed. You know that."
"Yeah," she nodded forlornly. "I know."
The man turned to leave, but something tugged at him. Not something physically, but something in his chest. He did not like allowing…feelings to interfere on the job, but she had been a hard and loyal servant. "I can make no promises, but I might be able to get some news on them for our next rendezvous, if you like?"
She could not help the hopeful look in her eye nor the eager tone in her voice. "Please!"
He nodded, tipped his hat, and walked down the street.
Jane Roberts took a shaky deep breath. She then finished her tea, left the usual payment and tip, and left in the opposite direction.
Alright, then. Here we go.
First of all, allow me to apologize to everyone for the extremely delayed upload of this story. I had completely intended to upload this chapter at least a month ago, but things got in the way. Critical, life changing things that made - loathe as I am to admit it - writing this story a luxury I could not afford. But, I am back, hopefully for a while longer, and writing again.
Now, major update: I am planning on two more chapters for this story to at least finish the events of "Captain America: The First Avenger." After that, I will be uploading a different story I've had on the back burner for a while and is actually further along than this one. It's finally nearing a state I'm comfortable having others read it.
I know it's probably a bad idea starting another story, but my mind is 70% occupied with these stories of mine. I am writing in my head when I'm working, playing games, out with friends, and I look forward to the few moments of free time when I can put them to paper and then put them out here for you all to read. I hope you all have the patience to wait for them and I especially hope you all enjoy them. That's why artists create, after all: for others to consume them. From writers to chefs.
Anyway, in short, thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to favorite to know when the next chapter will come up and I'll see you all next time!