Hello, happy Fourth of July/Independence Day (for all my American readers), and welcome to chapter 4. In the last two chapters, we saw Flash Thompson joined the United States Military and learn how to be a soldier. He also met and interacted with several other young cadets and made new friends such as Andi Benton and Santos and even friendemies such as Duncan Matthews, all of which appeared in previous marvel properties. They also spent a long time in military training to become actual soldiers and to participate in Project Rebirth 2.0, similar to what happened to Steve Rogers in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Now they are about to embark on their first mission as actual soldiers and, as mentioned before, they will be rescuing Sha Shan and Achmed.
Author's Note: Now readers, I know I mentioned in the last chapter that every chapter in this fanfiction from here on in will rhythm and rhyme with the events of Captain America: The First Avenger along with elements from 2017's Wonder Woman and other war films. But for this chapter, it will mostly have feel like the first act of 1987's horror slasher film, Predator, mainly do to the fact that the chapter is mostly set in a jungle and there will be several references from that film. Also, I think I got Andi Benton's character wrong in this chapter and if I did, I apologize in advance.
WARNING: Fanservice.
Chapter 4: First Mission
It was the day after graduation for the new soldiers and they were now unwinding while they could. In one area, Flash was looking at his collection of Spider-Man pictures from the Daily Bugle. While he didn't like what the papers, or rather J Jonah Jameson, was saying about his favorite superhero, he couldn't deny that they had some of the best pictures of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man he had ever seen. He was so focused on his collection that he failed to notice a certain girl sneaking up behind him.
"Who are those pictures of," said the girl.
Flash jumped in surprise as he looked and saw Andi standing right behind him. "Andi, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to spend some "quality time" with you since this is our last day here at Fort Benning before we get our actual mission," Andi smirked. "So I'll ask you again, who are those pictures of?"
Flash took a deep breath before answering, "These are pictures of my favorite superhero, Spider-Man."
"The one you told us about," Andi asked.
"Yeah," Flash confirmed. "I just hope this Project Rebirth 2.0 turns out right."
"Well we'll have to go on an assignment to fully prove ourselves before we can do that," Andi replied. "But enough about that, let's have some fun."
"Fun," Flash questioned, keeping his guard up. "What exactly are you proposing?"
Suddenly, Andi started undoing her clothes as she answered, "Well, you're a man and I'm a woman…" she removed her shirt, "and when a man and a woman are alone together," she removed her pants, "they have a session where they," she started removing her bra and panties, "have fun…"
Flash was speechless upon seeing Andi undressing herself. However, when she started removing her bra and panties, Flash stopped her before she could unhook the straps.
"What's wrong," Andi asked.
"What are you doing," Flash asked, making sure his suspicions were correct.
"Isn't it obvious," Andi teased. "I want you to get undressed so you can…"
"Sorry, Andi," Flash sighed. "It's just… we can't do this, it's just not right."
Andi could see through his eyes that Flash was concerned for her and himself at the same time. She knew that sexual assault was one of the things not allowed at Boot Camp. But for some reason, her hormones got the better of her and all she could think about was having sex with the man in front of her. But before they could go any further, they heard a sound.
"Ahem, am I interrupting anything," said Maria as she made herself known.
Both Flash and Andi denied the moment and Andi put her cloths back on while Flash put his Spider-Man picture collection away.
"Is there something you need to tell us, commander," Flash questioned.
"You're first mission is about to be briefed," Maria informed the two. "You two had better get there ASAP."
Not wasting any time, Flash and Andi followed Maria to the briefing room.
Upon reaching the briefing room, they were greeted by their fellow soldiers. Some of them joked about what the two were doing alone together until Maria got their attention.
"Alright everyone, listen up," Maria informed them. "About a month ago, a group known as the Life Foundation invaded an area in Vietnam and took at least two individuals hostage. One of them was this young woman named Sha Shan Nguyen while the other was this young man named Achmed Korba. The Vietnamese Government has been looking for them ever since, but they've had no luck and we have reason to believe that the Life Foundation is working with the terrorist organization, Hydra. Your first mission is to locate and rescue Ms. Nguyen and Mr. Korba ASAP."
Maria showed the group pictures of both Sha Shan and Achmed respectively. The soldiers all got a good look at their targets. The ones who got the best look at them were Flash, Andi, Duncan, and Santos.
"Now to make absolutely sure that you succeed, I'll be taking you to your location myself," Maria told them. "However, the rest you'll have to accomplish on your own. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Ma'am…!"
"I can't hear you," Maria demanded.
"YES MA'AM…!"
"Good," said Maria. "Now prepare yourselves. You've all got a long mission ahead of you and you must be prepared for anything."
With that, the soldiers all went and armed themselves with a variety of weapons. Flash armed himself with an M16 assault rifle, a pair of Beretta M9 pistols, a set of M67 grenades, and an M9 bayonet knife. Andi armed herself with an M24 sniper rifle, a pair of Glock 17 pistols, a set of M18 smoke grenades, and an M7 bayonet knife. Santos armed himself with a Mossberg 500 shotgun, a pair of SIG Sauer P226 pistols, a set of AN/M14 thermite grenades, and a Ka-Bar knife. Patricia armed herself with an M249 light machine gun, a pair of Heckler & Koch P11 pistols, a set of M84 stun grenades, and an OKC-3S bayonet knife (a brand new knife at this point in time). Duncan armed himself with an AT4 rocket launcher, a pair of SIG Pro pistols, a set of M18 smoke grenades, and a Mark 3 knife. Donna armed herself with an M2 Browning machine gun, a pair of Browning Hi-Power pistols, a set of M18 Claymore mines, and a Strider SMF knife. Sergeant Cal Henrikson armed himself with a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, a pair of Heckler & Koch MK 23 pistols, a set of MM-1 Minimore mines, and a Gerber Mark II knife.
The rest of the soldiers armed themselves with the same knives and handguns, but it was their main weapons that made them stand out. Maski had a M4 carbine, Olson had an Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle, Senus had a Saiga-12 shotgun, Joe had a Heckler & Koch MP7 submachine gun, Danny had a Knight's Armament Company SR-25 sniper rifle, Bennett had a Remington Model 870 shotgun, Cherry had an M141 Bunker Defeat Munition rocket launcher, Herrero had an Mk 13 rifle, Russo had an Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, Hayes had an M40 sniper rifle, Emmie had a Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle, and Emmett had a Close Quarters Battle Receiver. Once all the soldiers were armed, they loaded their firearms with the appropriate ammunition and prepared to be shipped off on their first mission. But little did they know, there was a spy in their ranks.
In Vietnam, Sha Shan and Achmed were still being held captive by the Hydra Agents in their base at a hidden temple. While the two were playing the part of hostages well, they both knew that they had to escape, whatever it took.
"Achmed," said Sha Shan. "Hey, Achmed…"
"What is it, Sha Shan," said Achmed.
"I think we should try to escape," said Sha Shan. "We've been here for a while and we need to get away…"
Sha Shan cut herself off upon hearing some of their captors talking outside the room.
Outside the room, Leslie and Ramon were speaking to each other about what their fellow agent and spy was doing.
"So, what did Donna learn," said Leslie, inadvertently revealing her fellow agent's identity to their captives.
"She hasn't learned where they're keeping the Venom Sybiote yet," said Ramon. "All she's learned is the identity of the new soldiers and that they're heading our way to rescue our hostages."
"Shouldn't our commanding officer be notified about this," Leslie questioned.
"Carlton already knows that they're coming," Ramon answered. "He was the first one Donna told. The real question is why are we talking about this in front of our hostages' room?"
"What are they going to do about it," said Leslie. "We've got them tied up and the whole place is rigged with traps and alarms. We've got them completely trapped. In the meantime, we should focus on preparing for the oncoming assault. Those soldiers will be coming here to save our hostages and when they do, they'll be in for a nasty surprise."
"Indeed," Ramon agreed.
The two agents then walked off, leaving Sha Shan and Achmed shocked.
"The U.S. soldiers, they're in danger," Sha Shan gasped quietly. "We've got to warn them…!"
"How are we going to do that," Achmed questioned. "We're trapped in here and they have a spy working among the soldiers' ranks."
Sha Shan and Achmed pondered on the subject for hours and hours. They knew that they had to warn their oncoming rescuers and fast, but they had to do so without alerting their captors about it. After pondering on it for who knows how long, they found a way to pull it off.
Sometime later, a chinook helicopter was seen flying from an aircraft carrier and over the jungles of Vietnam. Destination, classified. Following on beside it on either side were a pair of apache helicopters that were accompanying it to ensure chinook chopper and its "passengers" reached its destination safely.
Inside the chinook, Flash, Andi, Duncan, Patricia, Santos, Baski, Olson, Senus, Joe, Danny, Bennett, Cherry, Herrero, Russo, Hayes, Emmie, Emmett, Cal, Donna, and Maria were all heading off for their destination. All of them were given a machete to help them get through the thick jungle for when they arrived. Sitting together on one side of the chopper were Flash, Andi, Santos, Baski, Joe, Danny, Herrero, Russo, Emmett, and Cal while sitting together on the other side were Maria, Duncan, Patricia, Olson, Senus, Bennett, Cherry, Hayes, Emmie, and Donna. The song Danger Zone from the movie Top Gun was being played on the radio.
"I wonder what will be instore for us," Andi said nervously.
"I don't know," said Flash. "But one thing is for certain, it won't be anything pleasant. Andi, Santos, when we get to our destination, you two watch my back."
"And you watch ours," said Santos.
"I don't really care what we're going up against," said Duncan proudly. "They won't know what hit them once we make our landing and I take them all out."
"Don't get reckless, Duncan," said Patricia. "There's a good chance none of us is going to make it out of this alive."
"Yeah, and the last thing we want is to walk into a trap," said Olson.
"I think we're just going out of the frying pan and into the fire," said Baski.
"I'm really nervous about this," said Bennett.
"Come on guys, show some backbone," said Joe.
"You can't blame them for being a bit nervous," Herrero pointed out. "We're going into unfamiliar territory and our enemies probably have a head start."
"Perhaps, but that's the reason why we should think positive," said Cherry.
"Indeed," said Russo as he chewed on something. "Now come and have some of this you guys. It'll make you a freaking sexual tyrannosaurus, like me."
"Someone's been watching Predator again," Hayes laughed.
Everyone else laughed.
"Though you have to admit, we are entering an area similar to what the characters from that movie entered," Emmie laughed. "And since we're listening to a song in here, we may as well be in the movie."
"Perhaps, but they were listening to Long Tall Sally," Senus pointed out. "We're listening to Danger Zone from the movie, Top Gun."
"He does have a point," Emmett agreed.
"I still wonder why we're even listening to a song when we're going into battle," Danny commented.
"It's called the calm before the storm," Donna explained. "Everyone knows that.
As the chopper got closer to the destination, Maria got out of her seat and began once again to inform the troops on what was to come, though she didn't leave them with much info.
"Now remember, your mission is to rescue the two captives, Sha Shan and Achmed, and to capture their captors," said Commander Hill. "However, if both goals cannot be attained, then saving the captives is priority number one. Be warned though that though you have been fully trained, the enemy has more experience and will likely have you outnumbered and will know how to defend themselves against invaders. So whatever you do, don't let your guard down. Do I make myself clear?"
"YES MA'AM," said the soldiers.
"Good, now prepare yourselves," said Maria. "We'll be arriving at our destination soon and this chipper will only take us as far as a few miles away from where the captives are three at least and ten at most. But the rest of the mission will have to be made on foot as the area is too heavily fortified for us to land anywhere close to it. Once we reach the landing sight, we're on our own until we reach our destination."
Maria then got back into her seat and the new troops prepared themselves for the rescue invasion. Moments later, the choppers arrived at their destination. It was a treefall gap clearing in the jungle several miles away from the temple big enough to accommodate the chinook. Upon arriving at the destination, the chinook landed in the middle of the treefall gap and all the troops exited the chopper, armed for battle. Even Maria Hill exited the chopper, not wanting the new troops to go in there completely unprepared, and to assess their abilities in an actual battle. Once everyone was off, the chopper took off again and they all made their way back to the aircraft carrier and the troops headed off into the jungle towards their destination.
In the jungle, the troops were making their way towards the location in single file as a way to hide their numbers from the enemy. In front was Commander Maria Hill, followed by Sergeant Cal Henrikson, Baski Quesada, Olson Kitson, Senus Buckley, Santos Sabino, Flash Thompson, Joe Alonso, Danny Spencer, Bennett Shan, Cherry Amaro, Herrero Brevoort, Russo Olivetti, Andi Benton, Patricia Robertson, Hayes Mendoza, Emmie Stevens, Emmett Ketcham, Duncan Matthews, and Donna Diego brought up the rear. As expected, they all had their machetes out and used them to cut their way through the thick vegetation.
As they moved through the jungle, Flash began talking to Santos about what happened the day they and the other soldiers were briefed on their mission. He explained to him about what had happened between him and Andi before the briefing took place and about Andi's actions towards him before Commander Hill got in the way. At the same time, Flash could not help but think back on seeing Andi undressing herself despite the numerous amounts of times they saw each other naked in the shower with the other soldiers of their platoon. There was just something about her that drew him towards her. However, he knew that he had to keep his mind on the mission at hand and in order to do that, he had to get that moment out of his mind and there was only one way he could think of to do that.
"So let me get this straight," Santos whispered. "Andi suddenly showed up in your bed and began stripping herself right in front of you and wanted you to… what…?"
"I know, it took me by surprise too," Flash whispered back. "I don't get why she would do that, she's never acted that way before. I can understand suddenly kissing me on the lips, but that seemed a bit over the top, don't you think?"
"Perhaps," said Santos. "But still, I would have jumped right at the opportunity if that happened to me."
"Good for you, but I've been in relationships before," said Flash, remembering his experiences with Mary Jane and Felicia. "When a girl wants to be with someone, she should get to know her on a personal level, at least that's what I think she should do."
"Flash, you don't know a thing about women, do you," Santos teased.
"Oh and I suppose you do," Flash shot back. "Anyway we better focus on the mission."
"Yeah good idea," Santos agreed.
Further down the line, Andi was talking to Patricia about what had happened that day as well. Andi could not help but feeling silly about how she acted towards Flash the day they and the other soldiers were briefed on their mission. But like Flash, she knew that she had to keep her mind on the mission at hand and in order to do that, she had to get that moment out of her mind and again, like Flash, there was only one way she could think of to do that.
"You actually tried to have sex with Flash the day we were briefed on our mission," Patricia whispered.
"Yeah," Andi whispered back in confirmation. "Looking back, I don't know what came over me. I guess after seeing Flash in the shower with us who knows how many times, I just couldn't hold myself back anymore."
"Girl, since when have your hormones ever gotten the better of you," Patricia pointed out. "You can't just go right up to a man and ask him to…"
"I know, I know," Andi acknowledged. "But now I'm worried that Flash might see me as just a tasteless slut or something. What am I going to do?"
"I don't know, Andi," Patricia answered. "How did Flash feel about your advances?"
"Well, more or less, he seemed to be confused about them," Andi told her. "But he also seemed to be concerned about me, as if he had been in relationships before."
"Well when this mission is over, assuming we survive, you need to talk to him," said Patricia.
"Yeah I guess you're right," Andi sighed at the logic. "But in the meantime, let's focus on the mission itself."
"Indeed," Patricia agreed.
Out in front, Maria was leading the troops through the jungle. She was equipped with an M240 machine gun, a pair of Glock 19 pistols, a set of M15 mines, and an M6 bayonet knife. As she slashed through the vegetation with her machete, she made sure that nothing bad lay ahead of her and the troops. Cal, who remained right behind her, aided in cutting through the vegetation, making sure that the path was clear for the troops.
"Commander, I can't help but ask," said Cal, getting Maria's attention.
"Shoot," said Maria as she moved through the vegetation.
"Why did we get sent on this mission without the Venom Symbiote," said Cal. "I get that we need to free those hostages, but why didn't we go through the process of wearing the Venom Symbiote before we left for this mission?"
"The higher ups want to make sure that the trainees will have the will power to wear the Symbiote before letting them wear it," said Maria. "If we just let anyone wear it, it could go on a rampage and we'd have to kill the one wearing it."
"I see you mean business," Cal sliced through some vines. "If that's the case, I'd like to take the first test run with the Symbiote once this mission is over."
"You do realize that if something goes wrong, we won't hesitate to kill you," said Maria.
"Better me than the troops I worked so hard to train," said Cal.
Maria could tell that Cal was more concerned about the wellbeing of the troops than he was about his own. While reluctant, she agreed to let the higher ups know about this once the mission was over.
At the rear end of the line, Donna was radioing her fellow agents about what was to come later on. "Okay guys, listen up. This mission the troops are on is nothing more than another test to see if they can bond with the Venom Symbiote. I think it would be wise to play along with this and let the troops think that the beat you once they arrive."
"Are you out of your mind, Donna," Carlton questioned. "If we let them win, it'll look bad on our record as Hydra Agents."
"So sue me," said Donna, making sure the others in front of her didn't hear her. "If you don't let them win, we'll never be able to learn where the Venom Symbiote is being held."
"Oh very well," said Carlton reluctantly. "But you better find out where they're keeping the Symbiote, and once you do, make sure you steal it and make it out with it."
"Roger that," said Donna. "Over and out…"
Donna then got off the radio and continued to walk through the jungle with the rest of the soldiers.
Just in front of her, Duncan noticed that Donna was falling behind a bit. "Hey Donna, are you coming?"
"I'm right behind you," Donna called out as she caught up to the others.
At the location, Sha Shan and Achmed had overheard the conversation and knew that they had to warn the troops about the spy. They had constructed a set of makeshift headphones out of scraps and were somehow able to overhear what they were saying on the radio, having been able to hack their frequency.
"The Venom Symbiote," Achmed questioned.
"Haven't you been hearing the international news," Sha Shan whispered. "It was said that at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center attack, a black coat-like creature bonded with two individuals. The first was a man named Edward Charles Allan Brock, whom tried to kill the local hero Spider-Man. The second was an unnamed individual who was somehow able to use it to help Spider-Man, even if it was minimal."
"So in other words you believe that Hydra wants to weaponize the Symbiote," Achmed questioned, having heard the news about Spider-Man's battle with Venom. "Isn't that a little dangerous? I heard that when Venom first appeared, it gave Spider-Man a run for his money."
"Well, you know how insane Hydra tends to be," Sha Shan pointed out.
"Oh yeah," Achmed agreed. "In the meantime, what are we going to do about this?"
"For now, nothing," Sha Shan answered. "It's best that we let them think that we're damsels in destress, at least for a while longer. We don't want to let them know that we're onto them."
Achmed agreed.
After a long trek through the jungle, the troops arrived at the spot where Sha Shan and Achmed were being held captive. Upon arrival, they all got a good look at what they were up against. Right in front of them was a large temple that had been hidden deep in the jungle and kept active by a secret society. However, they also saw a number of Hydra agents that had taken over the temple, both out outside and inside. There were also a large number of equipment brought there by the Hydra agents such as helicopters, jeeps, satellite dishes, and more. Maria knew from experience that if they were going to take out the Hydra agents and rescue Sha Shan and Achmed, they would have to be careful.
"Oh my god," Flash gasped. "Look what they did to the place."
"To think that Hydra would stoop to this level," Patricia commented.
"But what is their purpose for taking the people of this temple captive," Santos asked.
"There's only one way to find out," Donna told them, keeping up appearances.
"Caution everyone," said Maria. "We mustn't rush in blindly. For all we know, they probably set up traps everywhere. If we're going to infiltrate this place and save the captives, we have to be smart."
"So what's the plan, Commander," said Duncan.
Examining what was right in front of them, Maria explained the plan to infiltrate the temple and rescue the captives. The troops all listened carefully since they all wanted to make it out of this mission alive. Flash, Andi, Santos, and Cal were going in to infiltrate the temple to rescue the captives while everyone else was going to attack the Hydra Agents head on as a distraction.
"Alright do you all understand your rolls," said Maria.
"Yes Ma'am," said the soldiers quietly to not alert their enemies bellow.
"Good," said Maria. "Thompson, Benton, Sabino, Henrikson, you four go into the temple, find the captives, and get them out of there. The rest of you follow me. We're going to provide the distraction for them. Let's move…!"
Without hesitation, everyone got into position. Flash, Andi, Santos, and Cal all walked a wide circle around the temple in order to out flank their adversaries. All four were armed with their main weapons, Flash with his M16, Andi with her M24, Santos with his M500, and Cal with his MP5. Maria and the others waited in their location to launch a frontal assault on the temple. They were also armed with their main weapons, Patricia with her M249, Duncan with his AT4, Donna with her M2, Maski with his M4, Olson with his Mk 14, Senus with his Saiga-12, Joe with his MP7, Danny with his SR-25, Bennett with his M870, Cherry with his M141, Herrero with her Mk 13, Russo with his Mk 153, Hayes with his M40, Emmie with her M3, Emmett with his M4A1, and Maria with her M240. Everyone who had a rifle also equipped their weapons with M203 grenade launcher. Once everyone's weapons were fully armed, the assault team waited for the rescue team to give them the signal, only then would they begin the attack.
On the other side of the temple, Flash, Andi, Santos, and Cal arrived at their position and gave Maria and the others the signal on their radios.
"Commander Hill, this is Sergeant Henrikson," said Cal on his radio. "We are in position now, waiting for your signal. Over…!"
"Roger that, Sergeant Henrikson," Maria replied on her radio. "We'll begin the attack right now. Prepare yourselves. Over…!"
"Yes Commander," said Cal. "Over and out…!"
On her side, Maria turned her attention to the troops.
"Alright troops, let's move," Maria ordered.
The assault team then moved through the vegetation towards the temple, being very careful not to trigger any traps. When they got close enough, they all prepared their weapons for combat. Duncan, Emmie, Russo, and Cherry all prepared their antitank weapons to shoot down all the vehicles and machinery brought in by the Hydra agents. Danny, Hayes, and Herrero prepared their sniper rifles, Patricia, Donna, Joe, and Maria prepared their machine and submachine guns, Senus and Bennett prepared their shotguns, and Maski, Olson, and Emmett prepared their weapons respectively. Once everyone was in position, Maria gave the signal and they attacked.
Duncan, Emmie, Russo, and Cherry were the first to attack, firing their rocket launchers at several of the Hydra vehicles, destroying them and getting everyone's attention. From out of their hiding places, everyone attacked. Patricia, Donna, Joe, and Maria fired their machine and submachine guns while Senus and Bennett fired their shot guns. Danny, Hayes, and Herrero hid behind whatever they could and waited for the right opportunity to use their sniper rifles and catch any Hydra agent by surprise. Duncan, Emmie, Russo, and Cherry reloaded their rocket launchers and prepared to fire them again. Several Hydra agents tried to fight back, but they were over whelmed by the young soldiers, something Maria took notice of.
In the confusion, Flash, Andi, Santos, and Cal noticed the signal and made their way into the temple while the others kept the Hydra agents distracted. Cal went in first, followed closely be Flash, Andi, and Santos.
Inside the temple, the four soldiers were moving quietly through the halls, all armed with their main weapons. Thanks to the efforts of their friends and allies, most of the guards were occupied with what was going on outside. However, they were keeping their guards up in case they ran into any of the few remaining guards or set off an alarm.
"This place is creepy," Andi whispered.
"Yeah," Santos agreed.
"I've seen worse," Flash commented.
"We can admire the décor later," Cal told the soldiers. "Let's focus on finding the captives."
"How are we going to find them," Andi questioned.
"We'll have to capture one of the guards," said Cal. "So keep your guard up for anyone we come across in here, but do not kill them. We'll need one of them alive."
"Speaking of which," Santos spotted someone coming in.
The four soldiers each hid behind one of the columns along the wall in an effort to take the individual by surprise. Waiting for a minute or two, they watched as one of the Hydra agents walked by, reading what appeared to be some sort of paperwork. Once he walked by close enough, Flash made his move and silently tackled the agent, holding his hand over the agent's mouth and knocking him out with a strike to his pulse.
Outside, the other soldiers continued their frontal attack on the Hydra agents. In one area, a squad of Hydra agents came in and fired machine guns at the soldiers. Fortunately, the soldiers were able to take cover before any of them could get seriously injured. But while the agents attacked the ones with machine guns and other weapons, they failed to notice the snipers and were shot down.
In one of the hidden areas, Donna smiled as her "fellow soldiers" seemed to dominate the Hydra agents, unaware that they were being set up. "Everything is going as planned."
Inside, the agent the rescue team had captured woke up and was being interrogated.
"Alright buster, where are the captives," Andi questioned.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't get there in time to rescue them," said the agent.
"We'll see about that," said Santos. "Now tell us."
But the agent refused to talk.
"Let me try," Flash then grabbed the Hdra Agent by the sleeves of his shirt, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall, much like how he used to do to Peter Parker and others back in high school. "I used to get so much lunch money with this move. Now we're going to ask you again, where are the captives being held?"
Startled by the sudden change in behavior from Flash letting his inner bully take hold, the agent reluctantly told them where to find Sha Shan and Achmed.
Outside, several Hydra vehicles were beginning to move. Several jeeps armed with machine guns came driving through the battlefield while several helicopters were taking the remaining Hydra agents away from the area. While Duncan, Emmie, Russo, and Cherry wanted nothing more than to shoot down the helicopters, they had to help the others first by taking out the jeeps and they did, one by one.
Inside during the confusion, Sha Shan and Achmed were able to pick the lock and escaped captivity.
"That was easy," Achmed commented.
"Save that for later," said Sha Shan. "We need to warn the soldiers."
Achmed agreed and the two made their way through the temple to find the rescue team and warn them.
At the same time, the four soldiers, using the information from the agent, made their way towards the dungeon to rescue the captives, unaware that the captives had already escaped and about the spy in their platoon.
"Are you sure this is the right way, Sir," Santo asked.
"Well unless you heard differently, soldier," Cal pointed out.
Suddenly Flash heard some footsteps from one of the hall ways. "Sir, someone's coming…!"
"Take cover," Cal ordered.
The four soldiers hid behind some of the columns again and prepared themselves to ambush whoever was coming. But as the footsteps drew ever closer, the soldiers couldn't help but notice a distinct difference between them and those of the Hydra agents. It wasn't until those people came into view that they found out who they were.
"Hey," Flash gasped, letting himself be known.
Sure enough, it was Sha Shan and Achmed, the ones they were sent to rescue, which was now super embarrassing seeing that they were able to save themselves.
"Are you Sha Shan Nguyen and Achmed Korba," Cal questioned.
"Yes, are you the US soldiers sent here to rescue us," Sha Shan questioned back.
"We are," Santos answered. "But how did you escape?"
"That's not important," Achmed answered, getting right to the point. "Right now we need to talk to your leader."
"That would be Commander Hill, and she's outside distracting the rest of the Hydra agents with the other soldiers," Cal informed them.
Suddenly, Flash noticed several Hydra agents aiming their weapons at him and the others. Acting on instinct, he tackled everyone to the ground.
"GET DOWN…!"
Flash barely managed to save his friends from the oncoming barrage of bullets, but took a few good shots in his legs.
"AAHH…!"
"Flash," Andi gasped.
"Thompson," Sergent Henrikson gasped.
Acting quickly, Sha Shan picked up Flash's M16 and, along with Andi, Santos, and Cal, fired back at the Hydra Agents while Achmed dragged Flash behind a column.
Outside, Duncan, Emmie, Russo, and Cherry finally took out all of the jeeps, but sadly it was too late to take out the helicopters. The choppers had escaped and the soldiers took out the rest of the agents that were left behind. Once all the agents had been taken out, the soldiers ceased fire and regrouped.
"Commander, looks like we're done with our part," Hayes informed Maria.
"Yeah, but that bothers me," Maria told him. "This victory was too easy."
"Are you saying that they let us win, Ma'am," Hayes questioned worryingly.
"Probably," said Maria overhearing more gunfire inside the temple. "Anyway, we'd better get inside the temple and help out the rescue team. Soldiers, let's move…!"
The soldiers then made their way inside the temple to assist Cal, Flash, Andi, and Santos.
Inside, the remaining Hydra agents continued to fire their weapons at the rescue team and vice versa. At the same time, Achmed took time to look at Flash's injured legs.
"How do they look," Flash asked.
"Not as bad as they could have been," Achmed answered. "Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be able to use them for a while."
"Oh that's just great," Flash sighed.
"Could have been worse," Achmed pointed out.
"I don't know how long we can keep this up, Sir," said Andi as she fired her sniper rifle at the agents.
"Just long enough," Cal replied while firing his submachine gun.
Realizing that there was only one way out, Flash took out one of his grenades and prepared to throw it at the Hydra Agents.
"Here you go," Flash threw his grenade at the agents as hard as he could.
The grenade landed right in the middle of the agents and by the time they realized this, it was too late. The grenade went off and the agents all got caught in the explosion, killing them in the process.
With the agents dead, the others got a good look at Flash's injured legs and saw how bad they were. Then just on que, the rest of the platoon arrived and saw what had taken place.
"How did this happen," Maria questioned.
"A squad of Hydra Agents came in and attacked up," Cal reported. "Flash managed to save us, but his legs took a few good shots. He's in need of medical treatment ASAP."
"Right, get the first aid kits and get him outside," Maria ordered. "We'll call for a pickup once we're outside."
"Yes Ma'am…!"
The soldiers then carried Flash outside the temple. The ones in particular who helped were Andi, Santos, Sha Shan, and Duncan who had formed a newfound respect for Flash after hearing what he did for his fellow soldiers.
In the Hydra helicopters, Leslie, Ramon, Carl, Trevor, Roland, and Carlton, who did not participate in the battle at all, were going over what had happened at the temple.
"Okay, so here's what we know, about the soldiers," Carlton informed the others. "Eugene Thompson, former high school bully from Queens, New York. Andrea Benton, high school graduate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Duncan Matthews, former high school bully from Bayville, New York."
Carlton went over all the other soldiers aside from their spy, Donna.
"So what are we going to do now," said Ramon.
"For now, nothing," Carlton answered. "We did our part. All we can do now is wait for Donna to do her part and find the Venom Symbiote."
At the temple, the soldiers had made it outside and were able to give Flash emergency medical care while Maria called for a pickup. Fortunately, Emmett was equipped with a first aid kit and was able to bandage Flash's legs up, but he knew that he still needed proper care.
"That's all I can do for now," said Emmett. "Don't try to move your legs too much or you might damage them even more."
"Okay, got it," Flash agreed, still feeling the pain in his legs.
"Commander," said Cal.
"The chopper will be arriving any minute now," Maria told Cal before telling her concern. "I don't like how this battle went. It was too easy."
Cal thought about Maria's statement and realized she was right. "Yeah, the battle looks very one sided and none of the new troops were all that injured aside from Thompson. Even if they were veteran troops, at least one of them should have been shot down. It's almost like they let us win."
Sha Shan then remembered what she and Achmed learned before they arrived. "That's because they did."
But before Sha Shan could explain further, the helicopter arrived and picked everyone up, with a group of soldiers from the chopper coming out with a stretcher for Flash. Andi and Sha Shan helped Flash onto the stretcher and stayed by him as he was taken into the chopper along with the others. Once everyone was on board, the chopper took off and made its way back to the aircraft carrier.
At Hydra Headquarters, Viper was being informed about what had happened about Donna's plan. "So, you allowed those American soldiers win in order to get to the Venom Symbiote?"
"More or less," said Carlton over the radio. "It appears that our spy, Donna, has yet to locate where the Venom Symbiote is located and needed the soldiers alive in order to infiltrate the place. I don't know if she's becoming too emotionally involved, but for now it's the only option we have in order to obtain the symbiote."
"Do what you can," Viper told him. "Just make sure Maria Hill does not find out about what you're up to. I hear she's involved in the program and trust me, you don't know what she's capable of."
On the chopper, Sha Shan and Achmed were informing Commander Hill and Sergeant Henrikson about what they were trying to tell them earlier.
"So you're saying that there's a spy in this platoon," Maria questioned.
"I'm afraid so," Sha Shan answered. "That's the reason why the mission was so successful without any casualties."
"We have reason to believe that they're targeting the Venom Symbiote," Achmed added. "It's all they were talking about while we were being held captive, or pretending to be at least."
"This is disturbing," said Sergeant Henrikson.
"Yes, but for now, it's best that we pretend that we're not onto them," said Maira. "For now at least, it's best that we keep all the soldiers in the dark about this and go ahead with Project Rebirth 2.0. Sooner or later, the spy will show itself and when it does, it's dead."
At the same time, Andi and Santos stayed by Flash's side as his legs were getting looked at by the onboard medics. Fortunately, they were successful at removing the bullets from his wounds and stopping the bleeding, allowing them to save his legs. Unfortunately they also informed him that he won't be able to use them for a while until they healed.
"That's all we can do for now," said one of the medics. "But I would advise you, Thompson, not to use your legs for some time and allow them to heal."
"Does this mean that I'm off the battlefield for a while," Flash asked.
The medics nodded.
Flash couldn't believe it. His first mission with his platoon and he's disabled during the battle. Sure he knew that there was going to be bloodshed, but from what he heard, the mission was relatively easy compared to other military missions.
"Flash, are you okay," Andi asked.
"I'll be fine, as long as I don't use my legs for a while," Flash reassured Andi. "But now I won't be able to go on missions with the rest of you guys for a while, at least not until I heal."
"Could have been worse, Flash," said Santos. "You could have lost your legs in that gun fight back there. But that's what happens sometimes on the battlefield. You must always be prepared for anything."
Flash knew that Santos was right after what they went through.
Soon enough, the chopper arrived back at the aircraft carrier. The moment the chopper landed, the medics took Flash to the operating room to give his legs proper treatment. Andi, Santos and even Sha Shan followed.
At Project: Rebirth HQ, Dr. MacKenzie was in the lab and had successfully made progress with the Venom Symbiote. Aside from creating his so-called multi-gun, he was able to create a series of drugs that would make the symbiote less hostile towards others. In doing so, he managed to clone the symbiote over and over again and tested out the drugs on each clone he created. Though most of these clones died from the drugs, Dr. Mackenzie learned from those clones just how potent the drugs were and was able to make important adjustments to ensure that the symbiote would be less hostile without killing it in the process. Now only a few clones remained, most of which were relatively docile. But one in particular seemed a little more hostile than the others in such a way which he could only describe as mania.
"How's the drug going," said Captain Glover.
"I think I managed to find the right balance in the chemicals for the drug, Captain," Dr. Mackenzie answered. "Now we need to see how well the drug works on the symbiote while it's attached to a host. How did the soldiers do on their first mission?"
"Seems that they were successful on their first mission," said Captain Glover. "However, they seemed to be worryingly too successful. I heard that the mission was too easy, almost as if their enemies wanted them to win."
"But why would they do that," Dr. Mackenzie questioned.
"Apparently, there seems to be a spy in their platoon," said the captain. "Anyway, if we're going to flush that spy out, we'll have to act as if we don't know anything."
And that was chapter 4. As you can see, Flash and his platoon have successfully rescued Sha Shan and Achmed, although rescuing isn't entirely accurate since they managed to free themselves and were only pretending to be damsels in destress. But I'm sure you all noticed that their mission went along too easily to the point where no one seemed to be injured, appart from Flash's legs, let alone killed in action. Both Maria Hill and Cal Henrikson noticed this as well and are feeling uneasy. And as you can see, Donna is the spy, and that's not really a spoiler since she flat out revealed herself as the spy to you, the readers, but the characters don't know that yet, except for maybe Sha Shan and Achmed.
As you can see, Andi tried to approach Flash all wrong with her advances at the start of the chapter and it ended about as well as one would expect. But she also acknowledged this and even talks to Patricia about it and Flash talks to Santos about it. Now like I said, I think I got Andi's character all wrong in this chapter and if I did, I'm sorry. Not my fault that, apart from the comics (as far as I know at least), she hasn't appeared in any form of media, not even in Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man TV series. If I did get her wrong, let me know.
Now the next chapter will have Flash and the other soldiers finally participate in Project Rebirth 2.0, and if you're wondering, yes, it will rhythm and rhyme with what happened in that scene from Captain America: The First Avenger where Steve Rogers takes the super soldier formula. Until then stay tuned, and for all my American readers, happy Fourth of July/Independence Day.
Chapter 5: Project Rebirth 2.0