Chapter 11: The Final Mission
After who knows how many days of driving from one state to another, Logan finally arrived in D.C. He prepared to go in as he parked his bike outside one of the buildings. His mind was beginning to race, not sure what he was going to find inside. He finally entered the Smithsonian Museum building and made his way to the Captain America exhibit. As he walked past the different displays, a voice-over narrated the life of a man he didn't know he once called a friend.
"A Symbol to the nation, and a hero to the world," the voice recapped as Logan continued walking. "Due to poor physical health, Steve Rogers was denied enlistment to the United States Army. But his unwavering spirit and desire to fight for what's right wouldn't let him give up. He tried enlisting again five times across five cities. This attracted the attention of the brilliant minds of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. They gave him the chance to volunteer for a secret experiment. One that would transform him into the world's first Super Soldier."
Logan saw a small display that compared scrawny Steve with Super Soldier Steve. He couldn't help but smirk at that. He continued walking until he saw a display that had a picture of Cap with the Howling Commandos.
"Battle-tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission; take down HYDRA, the rogue Nazi science division."
Logan took a closer look at the picture and while most of the faces were unfamiliar to him, one face stood out; his own. He looked at the description near the photo and saw it was taken in Austria in 1945. Suddenly, something came to mind. A memory. The memory of that picture, and the tragic mission that came after
…
Austria, 1945
It was a good day for the Howling Commandos. They had just taken down another HYDRA installation and liberated a nearby village HYDRA had control over. The locals were so grateful for their work they allowed them lodging for the night, and one offered to take a picture of the crew to commemorate their victory.
"Hope you boys didn't blink," Dum Dum Dugan joked after the picture was taken.
The others laughed as they all walked off. Cap, now dressed in a new combat costume decorated like the American flag and a new circular shield, stayed behind to talk with Bucky and Jim.
"Another day, another HYDRA base bites the dust," Bucky remarked.
"Gets a little monotonous after a while, don't you think?" Jim asked.
"Hey," Cap interjected. "The more bases we take down, the less power HYDRA has hold of."
"I'll drink to that!" Dum Dum cheered, lifting a large mug of beer.
As the Commandos enjoyed a well-deserved drink, Bucky spoke up after wiping froth from his lip.
"Any word on that final HYDRA base?" Bucky asked.
"The Generals have been letting that snake Zola marinate for a while," Gabe Johnson commented. "They're confident he'll spill soon."
"The sooner the better I say," Jim let out, chugging down a mug.
…
A few days later, the Commandos made it back to their England base where Colonel Phillips came to meet them. He had a file in hand and a determined look on his face.
"Thanks to my new best friend, we now know the location of Schmidt's fortress." he declared, dropping the file onto the meeting table in the war room. "According to him, the Red Skull has set up camp in the Alps, almost five hundred feet below the surface."
Steve took the file and looked over the contents inside.
"Whatever he's working on in there must be pretty important to keep it so well hidden." He deduced.
"Oh, it is. Didn't get too many details, but Zola basically confirmed that Red Skull belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a god, and he's willing to blow up half the world to prove it. Starting with the USA."
"How long until he makes his move?"
"Less than twenty-four hours. I suggest you pack your bags. You're moving out tonight."
"Yes sir."
With that, the commandos set out to prepare for the coming battle. As Steve walked by, he saw Peggy Carter standing off to the side, a worried look on her face. When she saw him looking, she coughed a bit, regaining her composure.
"So, this is it then," She noted.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "After tonight, HYDRA's finished."
"The war won't be long after. HYDRA has been a key part of Hitler's regime. Without them, the Axis will fall."
"I look forward to seeing that."
There was a moment of silence, then Peggy spoke up again. "Maybe once all this is over, you and I can go dancing…Like we always talked about."
"... I'd like that. Though I still don't know how to dance."
"I'll teach you," Peggy promised, stepping toward him. "How about a week next Saturday? The Stork Club."
"Sounds perfect. Maybe we can have the band play something slow. Less chance to step on your toes."
"I'd like that. I'll be waiting for you at 8 o'clock on the dot, so don't you dare be late."
"Count on it," Steve reassured, leaning in for a kiss.
Peggy leaned in, grasping the collar of Steve's uniform and kissing him hard. The two melted together, holding one another as the commandos watched with dopey grins.
"You owe me 10 bucks, Dum Dum," Jim said with a smirk.
Finally, the two pulled away, still silent as they looked into each other's eyes.
"I have to go," he finally said.
"Then go get him," she told him.
…
The plane ride over was mostly silent. The men inside had a collection of thoughts going through their heads on whether they'd make it out of this in one piece. Jim was constantly sheathing and unsheathing his claws, something he did when he was itching for a fight. Dum Dum was cleaning his large gun, making sure he had enough ammo and grenades. The other Commandos were also making similar preparations, all of them preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Bucky looked over at Cap, who was standing at the front of the plane, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"You doing alright?" Bucky asked.
"Little jumpy I guess," Cap answered. "Anxious to end this."
"Aren't we all," Bucky replied. "It'll be good to see home again. Our crappy apartment, those fine ladies in room 13G-"
"Thanks," Steve cut off. "But I think I already have one waiting for me."
"Agent Carter, right," Bucky remarked with a smile, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you Steve."
"Thanks, Buck."
Suddenly, the plane began to rock on all sides with massive Anti-Aircraft fire.
"Looks like this is our stop," Cap declared, placing his shield on his back. "Alright boys, this is it! From here, our mission is to take down HYDRA's main science base! No retreat, no surrender! One way or another it ends today! So how about we go show the Red Skull that his day is over?!"
All the commandos cheered in response to that. As the commandos strapped on their parachutes, a green light on the plane flashed, signaling it was time for them to drop. Cap opened the door and leaped out towards the enemies below. Bucky was right on his heels, the rest of the commandos not far behind.
"Wahoo!" Dugan cried out jumping out.
…
Inside the base, Schmidt, now going by the Red Skull, was overseeing construction on his final project when a soldier came running in.
"Lieutenant Strucker," the Skull spoke, not even turning to him. "Report."
"Herr Skull," Strucker replied. "The Allies have found the fortress. Captain America is leading them."
Red Skull narrowed his eyes, but maintained his composure. "Send your best men to confront him. They will fail, to be sure. But it will give us time to prepare the Valkyrie."
…
As the men parachuted to the ground, the HYDRA forces below began opening fire on the commandos, trying to shoot them out of the sky. The commandos decided to return the favor as they fired on the HYDRA soldiers, taking out several of them as they did so. One by one, the commandos landed on the ground and began taking down one HYDRA soldier after another. Taking a position on one of the tanks, Morrita began sniping HYDRA soldiers in rapid succession. Meanwhile, Falsworth gripped an explosive and chucked it at one of the AA guns. The second it made contact, it blew up, much to his delight. Dugan meanwhile fired continuously on HYDRA soldiers before his gun ran out of ammo, prompting him to flip it around and smack a soldier across the face.
During all this, Cap blocked one blast from a HYDRA weapon before punching him in the gut and uppercutting him with his shield. As another one ran up, Cap struck him in the chest with his shield, knocking him to the ground. Bucky quickly went back to back with Cap as he fired at every HYDRA soldier that came close while Cap took them out hand to hand. Cap saw some more coming up on their side, so he threw his shield at them. As the shield hit one HYDRA soldier behind Bucky, it bounced off and hit another, and another, until it bounced off a nearby tank, sending it flying right back at him.
"I have got to get my hands on one of those things," Bucky marveled. "Think I can get Stark to make me one?"
"Sorry Buck, it's one of a kind," Cap replied.
As they were talking, one HYDRA soldier tried to sneak up on them, but he just got stabbed in the back by Jim's claws. Cap and Bucky turned to see the HYDRA soldier fall to the ground dead, revealing Jim standing behind him.
"So, we gonna stand around talking all day or are we gonna fight?" he asked.
Cap and Bucky smirked before returning to the battle. As the fighting continued, Jacques, the French explosives expert, made his way over to the metal doors that served as the entrance to the base and placed a specially made bomb on it. He then dashed away from the door and took cover, waiting for the coming explosion. Finally, it came, blasting open the door and taking several HYDRA soldiers out at the same time. Cap saw this and knew the opportunity lying before him.
"Dugan!" he called out. "Think you and your boys can finish up here?!"
"We got this Cap!" Dugan called back. "You go for the Skull."
"Right! Bucky, you're with me!"
"Right behind you, Steve!" Bucky called back.
With that, the two longtime friends made their way into the base.
…
As they made their way through the long corridors of the facility, they came across a metal door with a glass window on it. The other side of that window showed some kind of hanger. Tempting fate, Cap opened the door and the two went inside. What they saw astounded them. A giant aircraft in the shape of a 'V' stood before them.
"Holy cow," Bucky let out. "That's what the skull's been working on?"
"Looks like," Cap replied. "It's something else, that's for sure."
"So glad you approve, Captain," a familiar voice
Both Bucky and Cap turned to see the Red Skull, standing triumphantly on a raised platform.
"I am so glad you could make it, Captain. You're just in time to witness… history."
Before either of them could make a move, at least a hundred soldiers appeared to be coming from every direction, aiming their weapons at them. Though the odds didn't seem in their favor, both Cap and Bucky readied themselves for a fight.
"Do not be foolish Captain," Red Skull taunted. "Even if you could survive, I severely doubt your friend could."
Cap hated to admit it, but the Skull was right. There wasn't a way he and Bucky could make it out of this. At least, not now. So, he did the only thing he could and surrender. He held out his shield so that one of the HYDRA goons could take it. Taking the hint, Bucky threw down his gun as the Red Skull descended from the platform to speak to them personally with Strucker standing behind him at attention.
"I see you have taken a liking to the Valkyrie," he observed.
"It definitely leaves an impression," Bucky quipped, allowing Steve to focus on looking for a way out.
"Another plaything for your Führer?" Cap asked.
"No, no," Red Skull answered. "I have come to accept that if HYDRA is to expand its reach, it must move outside of Hitler's shadow."
"Ambitious of you," Bucky admitted. "How do you plan to pull that off?"
"By ceasing a search for power in this world, and seizing power from another," Skull answered, clenching his fist. "Tell me, Captain, how much do you know about Norse Mythology?"
"Kind of slept through History class," Cap retorted.
"Well then, allow me to give you a small lesson. Old stories tell of a mythic land called Asgard. A realm of incredible creatures and powerful artifacts. Many years ago, these beings visited our realm, even did battle with each other for the fate of this world… and others."
"Sounds like a cute little bedtime story Skull," Bucky interrupted. "But what's that got to do with us?"
Red Skull smirked. "All legends have some basis in truth."
Skull then went over to a special container and pressed a button. A section of the button raised up, revealing a small glowing blue cube. Both Bucky and Cap were taken aback by this.
"The Tesseract," Skull told them. "Said to be the jewel of Odin's treasure room." Skull continued. "An ancient source of infinite power. And with it, the balance of power in this world will shift to HYDRA."
"You're insane," Cap challenged.
Skull chuckled at that. "Is that what Erskine told you about me?
"Just an observation. Though I can see why he'd think that."
Skull just sneered. "He resented my genius. Tried to deny me what was mine. But you? He gave you everything. One has to wonder… why? What made you so special?"
This time, it was Cap's turn to smirk. "Nothin. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."
Enraged by the response, Red Skull struck Cap across the face twice before hitting him in the gut, causing him to kneel over. Bucky growled at that, giving the Red Skull a right hook of his own. Cap took that opportunity to elbow the HYDRA soldier behind him before smacking him across the face, knocking him back. Then, both Cap and Bucky knocked out the HYDRA soldier holding Cap's shield, causing him to drop it near Cap's feet. With one stomp of his boot, the shield sailed up and into his arm once more.
"Always having to save your ass, Steve," Bucky remarked.
Cap just shrugged before spinning around and smacking a HYDRA soldier with his shield. Bucky quickly picked up a gun and opened fire on the soldiers, taking more than a few out in rapid succession. Just then, a blade swung down and knocked the gun out of his hand, prompting him to look up and see Strucker trying to stab him with his sword. Bucky ducked under it before rolling out of the way before coming face-to-face with him.
"I had hoped to test this blade on Captain America," Strucker mused. "You are not worthy to face me."
"Is it because I have hair? I'm sure it'll grow in eventually."
Strucker growled before charging forward, swinging his blade rapidly as Bucky did his best to dodge and evade the strikes. As he backed himself into a wall, Strucker smirked maliciously as he prepared his blade. Bucky then ducked, causing him to stab into the wall. Stucker tried to pull the blade free, but this allowed Bucky to punch him across the face, knocking him backward. Bucky tried punching him again, but Strucker grabbed the fist and twisted it behind his back, causing him to grunt in pain as Strucker pulled his blade free. Thinking fast, Bucky snapped his head back, disorienting Strucker so he could pull himself free. Strucker recovered, immediately trying to stab him again. Bucky quickly evaded, causing Strucker to stab a power terminal. The electricity surged through him, finally knocking him out.
The remaining HYDRA soldiers began to swarm the two heroes, opening fire on them and prompting Cap to raise the shield to deflect them as he moved to Bucky. Bucky quickly moved behind Cap as he blocked the attacks with his shield.
"Alright Steve, tell me there's more to this plan than playing chicken behind your shield!"
"I'm working on it!"
As they were hiding behind the shield, Cap saw Red Skull and several HYDRA soldiers climbing onto the giant aircraft.
"We gotta stop Skull!" Cap told Bucky.
"Couldn't agree more!" Bucky replied. "But it's not like we're going anywhere!"
Just then, the door Cap and Bucky came in through blew open. From the smoke emerged Jim, along with the rest of the Howling Commandos.
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting long Cap," Jim remarked.
"Timing couldn't have been better Jim." The Cap assured him. "Lay down some cover fire for us. Buck, you and I are ending this now."
With that, Cap and Bucky charged towards the Valkyrie already beginning to take off. Cap took the lead, using his shield to block the blasts being dealt their way. Bucky opened fire on several of them while Cap smacked them away with his shield. They quickly began approaching the Valkyrie as it prepared to take off. Cap leaped forward first and grabbed onto one of the wheels. He pulled himself up onto it before turning back toward Bucky.
"Bucky!" Cap called out. "Come on!"
Bucky continued running after the ship, but it was starting to pick up speed, much to his dismay.
"Jump!" Cap instructed, holding out his hand. "Jump for it!"
Taking a chance, Bucky leaped forward, grabbing Cap's hand as the ship began to increase its velocity. Finally, it started to take off, leaving Cap to continue holding onto Bucky as it rose into the air. With one hard pull, he brought Bucky onto the wheel with him.
"That was close," Cap commented.
"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily," Bucky remarked, nudging him playfully. "I'm with you till the end of the line pal."
Cap smiled in response. "Then let's finish this."
As the Valkyrie continued to fly, the wheels locked themselves up inside the aircraft, carrying the two soldiers with them. As they moved in further through the aircraft, they saw several plane-like bombs with the names of several US cities on them.
"Looks like Skull and his boys are planning on some sightseeing," Bucky remarked.
"See if you can keep his lackeys from taking off," Cap instructed. "I'm going after the Skull."
"Always giving me the easy job."
Cap just smiled as he took off for the cockpit. Bucky lay in wait for the coming soldiers. Before long, four HYDRA soldiers came running in towards the bombs. Bucky acted quickly and tackled one of them. He then quickly uppercut the soldier, sending him into a wall. The soldier tried to punch back, but Bucky just blocked it and punched him in the face. As the soldier fell to the ground, Bucky looked up to see the other three coming towards him and pulling out knives from their boots.
…
Up in the cockpit, Red Skull was piloting the Valkyrie so that it would reach its designated destination. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and Captain America burst inside. Red Skull reacted quickly as he grabbed a specialized weapon that was near his console and opened fire on him. Cap quickly used his shield to block the blast.
"You don't give up do you?" Skull asked.
"Nope."
He then ran forward toward the Skull, blocking the blasts as he did so. Finally, he made it up to Red Skull and knocked the gun out of his hand with his shield. He then struck him in the stomach and tried to hit him in the face with his shield, but Skull dodged it and hit him across the face. He then hit him in the face again, knocking him to the ground. Red Skull then tried kicking him in the stomach, but Cap grabbed the leg before it could make contact and shoved it back, causing Red Skull to tumble to the ground.
…
One soldier tried swiping his knife at Bucky, but he was quick to duck under it. As the soldier tried swinging at him again, Bucky grabbed the arm and twisted it. He then grabbed the knife and threw it at one of the oncoming soldiers, nailing him and causing him to fall to the ground. He then punched the soldier he was still holding across the face, knocking him out. Suddenly, mechanical whirring was heard. Bucky turned to see the last HYDRA soldier trying to board one of the bomb planes. Thinking fast, Bucky ran over to the nearby control console and pulled one of the levers on it, releasing the plane. It fell out of the aircraft wildly as the soldier tried hanging on to one of the top parts of the aircraft. Finally, his grip weakened, and he went flying out of the ship along with the plane.
…
Back in the cockpit, Cap had managed to get Red Skull in a chokehold. Skull, however, managed to elbow Cap in the stomach, causing him to let go. Skull then grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto the ground. Red Skull then grabbed Cap's discarded shield and attempted to strike him in the throat with it. Fortunately, Cap grabbed the shield before it made contact, and kicked Red Skull so hard, he landed near the control console. Furious, he drew a laser pistol from his belt and began opening fire on him. Cap quickly rolled out of the way avoiding the blasts.
…
After dealing with the last of the HYDRA soldiers, he was about to go help Cap with the Red Skull. However, the soldier with a knife in his back was not fully dead yet. Using the last of his strength, he pulled out a grenade from his belt and lobbed it toward Bucky. Noticing it out of the corner of his eye, Bucky quickly stopped and leaped back as the explosive went off.
…
In the cockpit, both Skull and Cap were shaken by the explosion, but still resumed their confrontation.
"You could have the power of the gods!" Skull yelled, walking forward and still shooting. "Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future Captain! There are no flags!"
"Not my future!" Cap yelled jumping out.
Skull took one last blast at Captain America, which only hit his shield. Cap then threw his shield at Skull, knocking him into the device holding the Tesseract. The cube then tumbled to the ground and burned a hole in it. Skull tried to grab it, but it quickly fell through the floor and out of the aircraft.
"No… No!" Skull yelled.
"It's over Skull," Cap declared.
"For once Captain…" Skull replied, turning to him. "We agree!"
Skull then bolted over to the console. Cap grabbed his shield and chased after him as he sat down and pressed a few buttons.
"Goodbye, Captain America!"
Suddenly a large capsule encased Red Skull in his seat and dropped out of the plane.
"No!" Cap yelled as Red Skull made his escape.
Cap then looked down at the console and saw some kind of timer counting down. Having a pretty good idea what that meant, he decided it was time to bail out. He went back out into the bomb area to collect Bucky and get out of there.
"Bucky! This thing is about to blow! We gotta go!"
"Steve!" Bucky called back. "Help!"
Cap turned to see a large chunk of the side of the ship blown open, with numerous pieces of debris having landed on Bucky, pinning everything save for his right arm
"Hang on!" Cap told him, rushing over.
Cap began trying to lift the debris, but Bucky knew it would be a futile gesture.
"Sorry Cap," he told him.
"Stuff happens Buck," Steve told him. "We've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. We'll make it."
"No. I mean sorry… but the world needs Captain America more than Bucky Barnes."
With that, Bucky pushed Steve, causing him to fall out of the hole in the ship, only being able to watch as the aircraft carrying his best friend carried on to meet his doom.
"No. No! Bucky!"
Then the craft exploded. The shockwave knocked Cap out as he splashed down into the icy waters below. The wreckage of the Valkyrie wasn't far behind in its fiery descent. Both the doomsday weapon and the super soldier then sank beneath the waves as they made the icy waters around them their frozen grave.
…
Back at the base, the Howling Commandos saw the explosions and knew all too well that their friends weren't coming back. Jim lowered his head in sorrow at the prospect. Losing the men who were able to look past the animal inside and see a dedicated soldier, and a true friend.
…
Logan opened his eyes, returning from the long dream of the past. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice someone approaching him from behind.
"Must have been quite a battle back then," A voice commented.
Logan turned around to see an African American man with a goatee, trench coat, and an eyepatch over his left eye, standing there with his hands in his pockets, just looking at the display.
"My granddaddy told me quite a few stories about him," he continued. "Said he was one of the bravest men he ever knew."
The man then turned to Logan, giving him a knowing smile.
"Then again, you probably know that better than anyone. Don't you, Sergeant Howlett?"
Logan growled at the mention of his name.
"What are you doing here Fury?"
"Just came to see the exhibit," Fury replied nonchalantly, his eye glancing at the information of Captain America. "You know why there's a question mark by Captain Rogers' date of death?"
"Peggy never quit on him. Still believed Cap was alive and spent the last 70 years looking for him."
"A search that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been continuing even after her retirement," Fury added. "We will find him, and when we do, we'd like you to be there. The last of the Howling Commandos."
"Forget it, Fury," Logan replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't found the Cap in 70 years, they ain't gonna find him now. And as far as the commandos go… that's ancient history."
"So are you."
Logan just snarled in response before walking off.
…
Meanwhile, in the Arctic circle, a submarine manned by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was continuing a decades-long search.
"Are you certain of your findings?" one agent asked.
"Positive." another agent confirmed. "The energy readings match the samples left behind in Project Rebirth."
The sub continued scanning the ocean floor in search of their prize. Suddenly, there was a beep on the sonar. The technician in charge looked, and his eyes flew wide when he found that something large was coming on the screen.
"Uh, sir?" he called out. "I think we found something."
One of the agents came up to the screen and saw the wrecked and frozen remains of the Valkyrie.
"Is it close?" the agent asked.
"Yes." The technician answered. "Very close proximity."
The sub continued until the scanners detected something in the water putting out immeasurable amounts of power. The agents saw this and directed the sub towards it. As the source of the power came on screen, all their equipment seemed to buzz from the energy it was giving off.
"Send out a drone to confirm," the head agent instructed.
The other agent complied, deploying the drone to scope out the wreckage and the area surrounding it. After a bit of searching the drone managed to zero in on the energy source the team had located. Skimming across the bottom floor, the drone suddenly came face-to-face with the Tesseract itself. The drone extended a robotic arm, grabbing the cube and pulling it in close and into a containment unit stored onboard. The technician was about to bring the drone home when something caught his eye. He moved the drone in closer to a nearby patch of ice, his eyes going wide at the sight.
"Um… you might want to see this."
The head agent came over to look, and his jaw immediately dropped. Within the ice seemed to be the figure of a man. Strapped on his back, was a red, white, and blue shield.
"Get me Director Fury."