Andddd the new one! Phew! Sorry it took so long, hope people didn't lose interest ^^''
Anyway, you still remember the drill right? Good!
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Chapter 16 Similar yet different (New Command)
Steve was up early, as he hardly slept that night. There was a constant nagging at his head, almost like it was trying to keep him up. Relieved yet at the same time disappointed, he found Barnes still on his bed, flinching and muttering as usual. And as always, he couldn't do anything to help.
"Oh, Captain, I see you're awake," came from the entrance as Rogers turned.
"Brigadier Ronald," he gave a weak salute as he noted the others started waking as well.
"I came to check on you. See if everything is alright…" his eyes drifted to the sniper.
"Has he woken up at all?" he asked, smiling as the other Commandos muttered 'morning', 'sir' or just gave a salute. They were all still tired, yet apparently used to it.
"Not that we know of," Cap answered, letting out a sigh.
"I'm sure things will turn up. Just give it time," the superior gave a reassuring smile.
"Here with a mission sir?" Monty was already dressed as he came closer.
"No, not yet. My… superiors are deciding the best way to handle my failure last night."
"About the information? You couldn't have known," Jones threw in, setting on his boots.
"Yes well, they aren't too pleased. Especially with the fact I almost got us all killed, for which again, am sorry," a small sigh escaped him.
"Nah, happens all the time. Nothing to worry about," Dugan grinned, drinking a glass of water.
"Oui, we are used to it," Jacques added, stretching his arms on his bed.
"I am glad you won't hold it against me. I'll make sure that we're better prepared and that you are all allowed to know the full content of the mission," Edward seemed relived as he excused himself a minute later.
"He's not all bad," Falsworth nodded mostly to himself as the Brigadier left.
"He sure is trying," Gabe added, unsure what to actually think.
"But he is different," Frenchie looked at them, then towards the door.
"Yeah, that may be, but he ain't no Phillips. He doesn't know us right," Dum Dum crossed his arms, a frown on his face.
"True. It's weird, having do things so… different than before," Morita nodded, biting his cheek.
"…" Steve stayed silent, wondering what Peggy or Bucky would have to say.
"Boys?" and as if on cue, Carter knocked on the door. "Am I interrupting something?" she could read the mood and bit her lip.
"Not really. What can we help you with?" Monty turned towards her, a smile on his face.
"Just curios what happened. After all, Brigadier Ronald does not wish to… reveal the details of your mission," she chose her words carefully, not sure if she should tell them of what he said to her.
"All in all, it was okay. Barnes is out cold because of a panic attack," Gabe spoke up.
"And what, you don't get along with Ed?" Dugan asked, getting a few looks from his team at the nickname for their commander.
"…You could put it that way, yes," she was leaning towards not telling them, as they would worry and try to argue with him. That's something that shouldn't be happening.
"Nothing to worry about – simply a disagreement on our view on a mission," she quickly added before their suspicion could grow.
"…Sure…" well, there went that idea. The men knew better than to trust a 'simple disagreement' especially between Carter and a superior.
It was a few hours later, when the Howlers were eating, that Barnes shot up from his bed, a scream ripping from his throat. The sudden awakening made Dugan drop his glass, Monty spill water over his plate, Jim almost fell from his chair, Jones winced as his ears hurt, Dernier scream back and Steve almost trip as he rushed to his best friend.
"Buck! Bucky! It's alright!" he put his hands on the man's shoulder, as he was clearly not here. His eyes were distant, but filled with pain and glassed over. The sniper was panting, almost choking on his breathes as he didn't respond to any movement.
"Jim!" the medic scrambled for his kit and rushed to them, doing a quick scan to try and figure out what happened.
"What's wrong?!" Leo slammed the door open, and behind him stood Peggy, Chester and Edward. What was going on between them?
"Barnes woke up," Monty stated the obvious, forgetting the mess and trying filling up another glass to give it to the sniper later.
"Is he alright?" the two superior officers asked as they all came inside.
"STAY AWAY!" Bucky pushed Steve away, eyes still distant as he hid himself under the covers.
"Bucky?" Rogers swallowed, disbelieve at what just happened.
"Get me Lang in here now!" Phillips called outside, knowing there were soldiers patrolling.
"No! No doctors!" James whimpered, eyes tight as he squeezed his head.
"C'mon man, calm down. It's us," Jones swallowed, fear flashing in his eyes.
"Sargent Barnes, what's wrong?" at that, the sniper froze still, apparently not even breathing.
"Buck…?" Cap tried again, carefully removing the cover as Lang was on his way.
"Steve?" came a weak answer back as Barnes looked around, tired and lost.
"Where… what happened?" he groaned in pain, as Dugan and Steve helped him sit up.
"You tell us," Morita had no idea what was happening.
"I… I can't remember…" Falsworth offered the glass as the sniper took it with a nod of thanks.
"I'm here!" Lang almost crashed into the wall, that's how fast he ran here. "What's going on?" he looked at the many people gathered, waiting for someone to explain what happened.
"It's similar to your amnesia episode," Lang shone a light in Barnes' eye to see its reaction.
"Only… well, different," he added, turning it off and leaning back.
James was still a bit shaken, his head killing him and his body partly numb. The last 24 hours were lost to him, as the last thing he recalled was setting to head off to a mission with the new commander. After that… it's all a blank, filled with nightmares or memories.
"Different how?" Steve asked, sitting behind the two, along with the rest of the Howlers.
"Well, it's not that he can't remember. It's more like, his memory of the event is just… gone," it was clear the doctor himself had no idea what happened.
"Brigadier? Can you help fill the gap?" Falsworth turned to the said man, who kept mostly to the side, letting the team do their thing.
"No sorry… we just arrived down there and he… collapsed. I think he muttered something about 'like before' and 'Zola' but after that, he was gone," Edward scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry I can't be more help," he added, hits of guilt in his voice.
"Why does this keep happening to me…?" Bucky groaned, setting his head in his hands.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out. Just… get some rest?" a humorless chuckle escaped the sniper from Jones' comment.
"A drink odda do ya some good," Dugan smiled, setting his hand on the boy's shoulder, when suddenly, Barnes grabbed him and flipped him over.
"Oh – Dum Dum – I'm so sorry!" Bucky panicked, standing over the fallen giant, hands in the air, face full of confusion.
"…ouch…" Timothy let out after a minute, clearly awe-stuck as well.
"Okay…" an awkward silence filled the air as no one was sure how to react.
"C'mon, let's head back," Ronald said as Steve offered the big guy a hand, picking him up the floor and steadying him on his feet.
"Try and find a way to recall what happened," Edward added, giving Cap a concerned look.
"Sir?" Carter knocked on the door, looking a bit uneasy as she opened the door.
"Yes, come in," Chester's voice sounded… different than before.
When she entered, she took a sharp breath. He wasn't facing her, but when he saw the tissues on the ground and the weak sniff that escaped him, she figured what was going on.
"Sir, I found some files on Edward Ronald," she added, setting the file on the table.
"Thank you, Agent Carter," he turned around, eyes slightly red, but kept his face stoic.
"…Sir, who recommended him? And why?" she hesitated asking, but really wanted to know.
"The higher ups wanted someone fresh leading them. Keep them in line, make sure they don't get off the leash… unlike me, they want full control over them," he explained, moving the file closer.
"Canady, Luther, Amadeus, Frost… Those are just some who voted for the new command. Apparently there were too many, since a lot of us voted against it. As for why Edward… he has impressive improvisation and leadership skills. I was hoping… this file would give me some more insight," he sighed, eyeing the file.
"…" Carter didn't speak. She saw the mistrust and agitation in the Colonel's eyes.
"You are dismissed. And I hope you know… this is off records," he gave her a look and she nodded.
"Understood sir. Hope you find what you're looking for…"
"So, what do you boys do for fun?" Edward asked as they finally arrived at the barrack.
"Poker, darts, jokes, drinks…" Dugan counted, keeping an eye on Rogers who was helping Barnes walk and set him on the bed.
"Play chess?" Ronald raised an eyebrow, watching them settle around the place.
"Never had a set," Jim shrugged, pouring all of them a drink of water.
"Ah, shame, it's an interesting game."
"Bucky, you alright?" Steve asked, seeing his friend wince in pain.
"Oh yeah, swell," he gave a pained smiled, a hand on his head.
"…Sorry for dragging you down with me Sargent Barnes. I had no idea," the Brigadier apologized again, looking at the sniper.
"Well, thanks sir. Would help if I knew what happened," Buck scratched the back of his head.
"You boys up for some bonding? I do need to get to know you better."
"Friendly game of poker?" Jacques was already holding the cards.
"Jimmy ain't playing!" Timothy shot the said man a look.
"Hey c'mon man! Give a brother a break!"
"When you stop cheating maybe," Gabe joined Dugan, a smirk on his face.
"Come now gents, we have a guest," Monty nodded towards the grinning superior.
"Sir, you want a hand?" Morita raised an eyebrow, clearing the table.
"I might as well, right?" he smiled, taking a seat.
"Remember men, keep it as normal as you can," Rogers took a seat as well, with Barnes behind, planning to give him a shot at winning.
"So, who would like to start?" Ronald looked at the gathered man, picking up his hands.
"Leaders lead," that was followed by a fake laugh from Captain America.
CUT! Yeah, I think I'm doing a good job at keeping this arc interesting, wouldn't you say so? No really, tell me! I love hearing from my readers!
Question for you people: Is this too predictable? I mean, the arc - do you know where it's heading or does it keep you guessing?
And that's all for now.
See you all next time~