Chapter 8- The Crazy Howlies
A few weeks had past, and it was no secret that the Howling Commandos were insane. It drove Phillips nuts, to the point where coffee didn't cure his headache. The unofficial nickname for the Commandos was 'The Crazy Howlies'. The nickname was given to them by some of the brass and some of the soldiers.
He was finishing up a report for one of the generals, Eisenhower or was it McArthur? His mind drew a blank on the name. He knew one of them was interested in the progress of the elite military unit. He hoped that they'll not be disappointed when he found out that the unit was a group of insane men.
He sighed, then a pinging sound rattled through his coffee mug. Looking down, he saw a golf ball in the coffee. He had to curb Stark's golfing habit, but why was there a hole in the side of it? The black, smelly liquid spilled all over his papers. Papers he had to sign. He was going to have to do ten times more work, because of that.
Looking over to the small hill north of him, he saw the figure of Captain Rodgers and Monty. As he sighed, he placed his roughly calloused hand in his head. He was going to die from stress. Stress from wrangling a bunch of five-year-olds trapped in a grown man's body.
"RODGERS!" Phillips yelled at the top of his lungs. The man jogged down the slope, his blue eyes expecting.
"Sir," he responded with a salute.
"Do you know about this?" he asked, raising his ruined coffee mug, the golf ball rattling inside of it.
"Yes, sir, Monty was trying to teach me how to golf, sir," he replied, his body tense.
Phillips stared at Rodgers with a deadpan look, almost like an elderly person scoffing their nose at the antics of the youth. Then the grizzled war vet laughed, his sides shaking with laughter. Rodgers' confused face only grew more puzzled as he watched the older man with a no nonsense attitude laugh like a giddy schoolboy.
Steve was soon dismissed after that incident. Bored, he went to the stables, trying to figure out where he and his unit were going next. The golfing incident spread like wildfire, much to the cargain of Steve's general horror. Monty and the rest of the Commandos took it in good cheer. Now they knew not to give Steve a golfing club and a golf ball.
He pulled out a piece of paper, which contained the orders for the Howling Commandos. Sighing, Steve looked to the north, his blue eyes fixed on the horizon. He turned his eyes downwards at the paper. It read;
Captain Rodgers,
Your unit, The Howling Commandos, is being sent over to help secure a line. It needs to be done fast and hard. Your actions at Azzano were explementary.
Steve rolled his eyes, of course they would do something like this to him. They didn't even tell him where the line was. Or what was the status of the battle. He was not going to send his men in a death trap, but it was ordered from Colonel Phillips. He was not going to let the man down.
He sped/walked to the stables, in his new 'Captain America' uniform. Liberty was in the stable, the new sable colored saddle next to her. Before pulling his dragon rider jacket on his dulled white, red and blue suit, he tacked his dragon up, swinging himself into the saddle. Liberty gave a small roar, before flaring her wings up. The massive golden scaled dragon galloped through the camp, while Steve was rallying the Commandos.
The assembled Howling Commandos gave Steve their undivided attention. Victor and Logan stood at the back, leaning against a motorcycle. Dugan had his bowler hat off of his head, his large gloved hand gripping it. Jones and Mortia looked at each other, shooting equally quizzical looks. Monty and Denirir leaned back, the two men being quiet, but listening.
The line was being bombarded by Nazi and HYDRA forces. Most of the men were forced to leave their friends behind, some of them still alive, on the battle ground in a hasty retreat. As a heavily armored Panther tank rumbled up, its massive front cannon fixated on the fleeing soldiers. Then a thunderous roar, the sound of metal groaning, being pulled from its rivets by ivory daggers and swords. To some of the soldiers it looked like divine intervention as a massive golden scaled creature pulled the tank to it, jaws firmly clamped around the tank's cannon as it bended under sheer force.
Steve watched from his motorcycle as he yelled orders at Bucky. His best friend was his second in command for the Howling Commandos. The reason for that was because Bucky knew these men better than him, and he'll know how they'll react in a situation like this. Nazi soldiers where being quickly dispatched by Victor and Logan.
Despite how loud and big the men were, they can be deadly quiet when needed. It was scary, especially since Victor didn't need a flashlight to see where he was going in the pitch-black night, the only light being from gunfire and muzzle flashes from both sides of the fight. He drove his motorcycle through the fight, while with his mental link with Liberty, he was giving directions to his dragon. The Panther tank was quickly reduced to a pile of scrap, while the surviving tank drivers were tied to a tree, Dugan resting by it, his shot-gun resting across his broad chest.
Steve mounted Liberty and the pair flew off, to the town beyond. It was completely in ruins, the few survivors that dared to stay huddling underneath shabby tents. Wounded soldiers laid about, some leaning against rusted pipes, others looking at him with distaste. A pack of kids left behind ran up to Steve asking if he had anything to eat.
After dismounting Liberty, he walked up to a church, the only thing not completely ruined by the bombardment. He walked up to the altar and pulled out a sliver medallion with St.Patrick on it, and prayed silently. He was unaware of a nurse walking in and offering him a cup of coffee, behind her was the pack of kids he saw earlier. One of them tugged on his leather jacket.
"Do you have anything sir, my sister's starving, and the men here, they take their pick and leave," the kid pleaded.
"Yeah, I think I have a chocolate bar here somewhere," he answered back as he ruffled through his pockets, and pulled out a Hershey's chocolate bar and gave it to the kid.
"Thank you," he grinned back then he turned and left running out the door, leaving him and the nurse alone.
"You're not like the rest; brutes, the whole lot of them, but you're kind," the nurse said. Steve was about to say something back, then Victor called him over. The large man placed his hand on Steve's shoulder and laughed.
"You know, Cap, one of these days, you gotta find yourself a date. That nurse was pretty cute," he joked, a low, rumbling purr escaping his chest. Steve looked at Victor and glared.
"I don't think she's the one for me, having a dragon is kinda of a turn-off for the dames," he laughed back. Victor leaned against a crumbling pillar and smirked, his arms across his chest.
"Oh! Then the woman in yer mind has to be Agent Carter,"
"Yeah, I like her, but I have no clue on how to talk to women," Steve laughed while blushing, his face turning a bright red. Victor laughed, while he watched Steve fluster and forget how to talk. Eventually, the Howling Commandos will reach their goal when it comes to stopping HYDRA and its vile leader, Johan Schmidt, better known as the Red Skull.
A few days had passed, and the Howling Commandos were going after Zola. The sleek, black train sped through the narrow mountain pass, but it wasn't quick enough to avoid Liberty's watchful eye. The entire Howling Commando unit was on her back, while she turned and swerved each gully. Liberty was fast enough to catch up with the train, even with all of the Commandos on her back.
The dragon landed on the iron horse with a thud, her claws digging into its black shell. Steve and Bucky were the first ones to dismount, then came Creed and Howlett. Once inside of the train, Steve smelled a trap, and he signaled Barnes to keep his eyes open. Then one of the doors closed, trapping Steve with a HYDRA goon. He raised his shield to defend himself, the blast echoed off of the vibranium shield, ripping a hole in the train's side.
The wind whistled and howled, as Steve clutched the handle bars, trying to reach Bucky who was struggling with a soldier. The look on his friend's face said it all, horror and fear. They knew it was a war, and they could die any day, but this was different. They were separated by an iron door, then he shoved his shield in the lock, prying it open. One of the soldiers wacked Steve unconscious, his body lying on the floor.
Bucky rushed over to his friend's side and picked up the shield. It was like lifting up Exalbier, but he was not King Arthor. He placed himself between Steve and the soldier, raising the shield. He was blasted backwards, his hands gripping an iron handle bar that was coming off of its hinges.
Steve shook himself up, and taking off his helmet, he ran to Bucky. His bright, blue eyes were wide in shock, horrified, at what he was seeing. His best friend, his brother, was clinging to an iron bar, whose hinges was coming off.
"Bucky! Take my hand!" he yelled, his voice fearful and worried; then he saw the final bolt go free, and with a horrified shout, he screamed the word, "NO!" out; his voice mingling with the howling wind. Bucky's scream for help became lost with the wind, and Steve saw Liberty's wings lock up, her body frozen.
Bucky's sudden and unexpected death rocked the Commandos to their core, all of them knew of the price for freedom and the cost of war, but no one was ever prepared for the death of a friend, a brother, and a fellow soldier. Steve took Bucky's death the hardest, going to the ruined bar where they signed up. He sat in the only still standing chair, and table, trying to drink his grief away. There was an empty pit in his heart. The once stubborn, prideful punk, who didn't understand the meaning of the word, 'quit' or 'impossible' from Brookylen was unreachable in his grief. He couldn't let go.
After giving his fallen brother a quick funeral with the rest of the Commandos, they buried his favorite book, The Hobbit, and his packet of cigarettes. Monty made a small cross with some sticks, and Bucky's sniper rifle, placing the chain with one lonely dog-tag around it.
Steve pulled out the other dog-tag that he had. There was two dog-tags per soldier. One to go home to the family, the other to be left at the grave and body, so the remains could always be identified. It now hung around his neck, with his father's, his own, and with his mother's wedding band. The only thing she gave to him in her will.
A purr was behind him, turning his head around, it was Liberty. The golden scaled dragon made a purring sound, as she placed her head in his arms. Next to her was Peggy and the rest of the Howling Commandos.
It's not your fault, Little one. Did you care for him?
Yes, but you saw,
Yes, but allow Bucky the dignity of his choice, he always thought you were damn well worth it,
Steve walked up to Liberty and hugged her around her neck, crying. The two would have each other, it was a fact. If they were going down together to stop Smitcht and Hectake and the rest of HYDRA, they'd do it together, as one. He mounted Liberty, and swung himself into the saddle. Liberty opened up her wings and flew to the base.
"Captain Rodgers! Wait, what are we supposed to do?!" Monty yelled.
"I'll be the distraction for you, then the main army will follow your lead," he shouted back.
Schmidt and Hectake both looked on in wide eyed horror as the battle raged on. Their soldiers were losing the fight, as the famed Howling Commandos and the allied forces pushed onwards. He told Hectake to watch his back, and she did.
Once in the cockpit of the Valkyrie, he started the engines up, but on one of his many mirrors, he saw the american soldier catch up to him, riding his dragon. Liberty was smaller than Hectake, but his dragon was bigger and stronger than the american runt. He pulled the throttle down, trying to outpace the dragon. Liberty snapped at one of the wings.