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Rated M for Mature
Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.
Note- This series takes place during the same time as Project X: The Secret Files of Wolverine.
Project Rebirth: The Secret Files of Captain America, Chapter 2- The Past Remains
Steve Rogers still couldn't recognize the face of his new enemy. In fact, the guy who wore the military arsenal around him, must have made a pact with the German forces. But most likely what the masked figure said was true. He didn't come here to join the cause in fighting against the Nazis. He had come here to kill Captain America.
Not to mention, the masked figure knew the American hero's name. Steve wondered about it, and yet he still couldn't figure it out of how and when.
The shots which came from the masked figure himself, had been deflected by Steve's vibranium shield. Some of the civilians cried out as they fled the scene, fearing that the masked enemy was out to get them.
However, the middle-aged man who never wanted to leave his home, had somehow noticed the masked man's true intentions. That voice... he thought. I know it from somewhere. He may not be young enough to remember it, but he surely hadn't mistaken the enemy's voice from the past.
But as few minutes went by, he remembered it now. Ever since World War 2 started, Rumlow Industries was blown apart by the Americans when the Germans took over the building. It was then the workers had been forced out of work for the next couple of years, and that the middle-aged man hated it. Everything went down, just like that.
"I know that man's voice," he said to his wife. But she ignored him. Instead, she cried out in fear. Getting shot on the shoulder, she fell down. Her husband screamed!
Both the Howling Commandos, Dino and Gabe quickly protected the arrogant man, who held down his head, and covered his wife from further shooting. He cried out, "Don't die on me, Mary! Don't die!" The masked enemy kept shooting on sight. Everything that he got. And Steve Rogers felt he was responsible for this terrible outcome.
At that point, the masked enemy finally gave his name. Not his real name though, but the one that covers his true identity. Crossbones.
Steve clenched his teeth. "You b@$t@rd!"
"Heh," Crossbones said. "Come and get me." He fired several rounds from his signature weapon. The other soldiers intervened, and Steve ordered them to stand down. But they wouldn't listen. They charged forward against their new enemy.
And as bad luck would have it, the masked mercenary who was hired to kill Steve Rogers, eventually killed the soldiers of the Howling Commandos team. Gabe couldn't believe the raw power coming from this man, and for the first time in his life, he was truly scared of him.
On the other hand, Dino Manelli became speechless. He was on the verge of joining with Nick Fury on a secret mission to Italy. Dino's homeland. But Nick ordered him to stay with his best friend, Gabriel Jones who would lead the team on a mission in Germany.
"GET DOWN!" Steve cried out to his fellow men, and the remaining civilians. He flung his shield away at Crossbones. The soldiers ducked down, as the round object whacked the weapon out of the mercenary's hands. Painfully, Crossbones took out another gun and fired.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Steve quickly moved away from the shots, as he felt the stinging pain on his right leg. One of the bullets gradually hit him. Blood began to form, but he didn't stop right there. He used his acrobat skills to overcome the masked mercenary. He felt that Crossbones was much stronger than he was. Despite the pain that Crossbones had given him, Steve Rogers kicked his head.
"AAGH!" Crossbones almost fell down, as he tried to come back to his senses. A single kick had stumbled upon him. Steve was quite an athlete when it came to performing such a high kick. But it sounded laughable because Crossbones knew that Steve was no athlete to begin with.
Steve gave him another kick. And this time, he punched Crossbones boldly on the face. Blood spilled inside his skull mask. Crossbones could feel it, and yet he didn't want to remove it, and swipe the mess off for he wouldn't dare to reveal his true identity.
As a mercenary, he planned to kill Steve Rogers after he was given something of a boost that would potentially increase in the strength of man. Yes, he was also given the Super-Soldier Serum. For that matter, Crossbones had definitely became much stronger than before. And given the fact that Dr. Abraham Erskine was dead, he searched for Steve Rogers, asking questions to several people and the citizens of America. He even tortured them for it. A soldier of fortune who cared nothing less about innocent lives, who were being attacked by the Germans. His goal was to restart everything from scratch. His company...
"I'll kill you, Steve Rogers!" Crossbones fired another round. Steve managed to move faster than before. Not that he had super-speed or anything. He managed to dodge the bullets by using his shield, after it came back to him. Then Steve whacked his head by throwing it again.
"AGH!" When Crossbones came back to his senses, he fought Steve terribly. With full of hope, the masked mercenary thought he could defeat Steve Rogers in an instant. But he was clearly wrong.
I won't give up that easily, Crossbones thought. He took out both of his other guns from his suit. Firing at full speed ahead, Steve protected himself again and the others.
"F***ing die!" Crossbones was getting frustrated alright. He kept firing, until he ran out of bullets. There was an explosion ahead. Crossbones looked away.
Steve found this opportunity to hit him straight in the head, even without killing him. And when Crossbones fell down unconsciously, Steve just stood there.
"Is he..." Gabe said, coming closer towards the American hero.
"No," Steve replied without looking back. "I just knocked him out. Don't worry, Gabe. I'm not that kind of person."
"Um... yeah. I knew that."
"Okay..." Steve said anxiously. "Let's see who's behind that mask." He removed it, and then gasped.
Dear God.
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"NOOO!"
Steve Rogers found himself again back in the present. It was a nightmare. A worst one at that. The true identity of Crossbones, had struck him. He didn't know what else to expect.
"That's right, Steve Rogers..."
"You!" Steve couldn't believe it. "You're supposed to be dead."
Psi-Borg laughed. "I was only part of an illusion."
"Wait..." Steve just realized something. "Those Germans I've just killed back there. That means... "
"I'm afraid they were real, Steve. Like I said, I was only part of an illusion."
Steve clenched his teeth. "COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
"As you wish..." Psi-Borg came out of the bushes, where he was currently hiding all this time. And when Steve noticed him, he didn't know whether the mechanical enemy was real or fake.
"Tell me one good reason why I'm here."
"You know the reason, Steve. HYDRA is expecting results from you."
"Results?"
"Yes. But I can give you one good reason why you're really here, since you're too persistent." Psi-Borg scanned around the place to see if the Germans were coming. Then he looked back at the future Avenger.
"The good news is that the Germans had lost World War 2. But the bad news..."
"What's the bad news?" Steve waited.
"It's you, Steve. You were captured by the remaining German forces, and then brainwashed..."
"NO!" Steve flung his shield again, and this time, Psi-Borg moved away from it. As quickly as he got away from the vibranium shield, Psi-Borg figured the only way to recapture the super-soldier, was to send a bolt of psychic energy into his mind.
When Steve got his shield back, he rushed towards the mechanical creature. But...
"AAAGH!" Steve stopped, and felt something his mind was attacked by a blast of explosives. He couldn't move.
"Let's go back, Steve." Psi-Borg walked closer towards him. "It's not over yet."
To be continued in Project Rebirth: The Secret Files of Captain America, Chapter 3- Revelations.
Who the hell is Crossbones? Is it Brock Rumlow, or someone else? Find out in the next chapter of Captain America.
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