6: First tact

  "Where are you going?" Raven watched nervously as John hastily grabbed a few things. He had suddeered while she was taking a nap; he seemed to be in a hurry, and his expression was serious. Something serious was happening. Raven had started to bee quite good at reading people's body nguage, something she hadn't been able to do so well before. She attributed it to her powers; she could bee anything, perfectly imitating ahat also came with the ability to act like them, even if she had never known them before.

  This had resulted in her being able to read people quite well. John was more difficult than most but also easier in some ways. He clearly showed what he felt, as if he always wore his heart on his sleeve. Raven had learhat people hide many things; they strive to hide parts of themselves behind yers and yers of lies. But John was different; he seemed to have o hide anything. Yet, at the same time, there were moments, small fras of a sed, where he seemed to transform in some way.

  It was as if the man who was always ho had something more beh what should be his true self. It was fusing, and even with her powers, Raven couldn't see through it.

  "I've let others dictate what I should do for too long, Raven. I'm a soldier, not a circus monkey lorified dancer. It's time for me to do what I should have always done: go to war." He looked her in the eyes, blue eyes with hints of light green. There it was again, an unbridled hoy that for some reason Raven couldn't question.

  "What will happen to me? What will I do?" she couldn't help but ask. While it had been her choice to follow him, he had promised to help her too, to take care of her. In the end, she was still a teenager with no pce or family to turn to. At this moment, John was all she had left, and if he left, then she would have nothing.

  John put his hand on her shoulder and reassured her with a soft voice.

  "Don't worry, I'll be back quickly. You stay here until I return, and then I'll take you to a pce where you'll be safe while the asses."

  That didn't sit well with Raven. Maybe a different girl would be fih just having a home and waiting for all the bad things to happen, but she wasn't like that. She didn't like waiting.

  "Let me go with you, I help!"

  John looked at her, sighed, and paused for a moment in his haste.

  "Raven, war, war is not a pce you want to go. I know things have been turbulent for you, and you're barely adjusting to this new life, but the battlefield is a cruel and ruthless one. If you go, you'll never be who you once were,"

  He said it with a serioushat Raven knew she couldn't vince him otherwise, no matter what she said. He adjusted his suit o time befrabbing his shield and preparing to leave. Before he went, he stopped at the door and gave her o look.

  "I'll e back, I promise."

  Then he left, and Raven ched her fists, feeling useless. She was a meta-human! Something just like him, like a super soldier! So why was she staying behind while he went to fight?

  She paced around the room, thinking about what to do, and that's when she heard the sound of birds' g. She looked out the window and saw one of the many crows that surrouhe base, staring at her ily. In a pce where soldiers' corpses were ing out by the dozens every day, seeing crows wasn't strange. She had seen many before, but rarely this close.

  Raven frowned, feeling her skin tingling, and a strange idea crossed her mind. Maybe...

  Her disguise fell away, her blue skin along with her long red hair returned, her yellow eyes stared at the crow, whiow seemed to look at her in "amazement" at her ge. She smiled, and in a way beyond natural, her physical structure began to ge. Her body shrank, bck feathers started to emerge from her skin, and her face transformed, a beak growing where her jaw had been.

  In a matter of moments, her persona had disappeared, repced by a crow pletely identical to the oside her window. Both animals looked at each other, and then Raven cawed, causing the other crow to fly away.

  She fpped her wings experimentally. Although she had flown for the first time on the phat brought them to Italy, this felt different. Carefully, she stretched her wings and then leaped into the air, fpping her "hands" causing the momentum to increase, and she flew out the window, a sound akin to a cry of excitement ing from her beak.

  Her dark eyes followed John's back as he walked away, and without hesitation, she took flight, following him.

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  "And what's yrand pn?" Peggy looked at John as he studied a map of the area he had requested secretly.

  "Here, this pce is where their transports move daily. Although it's heavily guarded, it will also give me a ce to enter Hydra's base directly," he said, pointing to one of the points on the map that the army had mao "verify"

  "And how will you get there? Do you really think you cross the Italian border and the front lio Austria by yourself?"

  John smiled, one of those fident smiles Peggy had e to know from him even though they hadn't ied much. She liked that smile, but at the same time, she k meant he was willing to do something "crazy."

  "The serum, it's been more incredible than I initially thought. It's been a few months, but I feel much strohan when I left that Laboratory. I don't know how much, but I think I cross the battlefield myself."

  She didn't doubt his words. The serum was so experimental that knowing its real effects in practice would have been aire field of study if Dr. Erskine hadn't died. Now, the only living subject who could point out any effects the serum had on humans was John. If John one day said that the serum made him capable of flying through the air and spitting ice, then no one could tradict him.

  "fidence is good, but having too much kill you. I know you've been otlefield before, so you know how dangerous it is, but there must be better options than doing it all by yourself..." She wanted him to do something, but sending him aloo essentially the front lines of Germaory was too dangerous.

  They were statio a base he borders, more precisely he Trentino-Alto Adige area in Italy. The whole way from there to the mountains that separated Italy and Austria had bee the fiercest battlefield i days.

  The Allies had mao gain some trol of Italy after Mussolini's death. The pce still wasirely safe, but their bases were firmly pnted in Italiaory. The problem arose once you started to approach the borders with Austria. Cities and towns were burning, the mountains had turned into a relentless hell where thousands of men were losing their lives every moment.

  Losing Italy had been a harsh blow for the Germans, and they wa baatter the cost, and if something didn't ge, they would soon succeed.

  "I'm a super soldier, remember? The battlefield is where I should have always been. I just regret not getting here sooner." They both looked at each other for what seemed like hours but were only a few seds. She gritted her teeth, but the decision was made.

  She had been the oo push this, so why did she feel regret now?

  "You 't die," she said without thinking, and he raised an eyebrow, looking at her with doubt.

  "You have to e back." she told him. She couldn't live with herself if he died because of her.

  He smiled at her, this time with one of those gentle smiles that made her stomach flutter for no reason.

  "I will. It's a promise, and I never break my promises," he said, smiling at her. They both drew closer to each other, and before she could stop herself, she hugged him. Their faces inches away from toug, it might be the st time they would ever see each other so she couldn't help but get carried away even if it was only for an instant.

  She felt his lips on hers, getting lost in the warm sensation as their bodies twisted against each other. It could have sted for hours, but time recious, so she had to end it even if she was relut to do so.

  "See you soon, Agent," he said before adjusting his shield on his bad taking the map, then he left.

  She reached out her hand for a moment, then ched her fist. He was doing his part; she should do hers.

  In the skies, a crow followed John's path unnoticed by anyone.

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  Northern Italy, near Bressanone.

  Carlo crouched down as enemy fire rained over his head like an incessant steel downpour. He swallowed the blood trig down the inside of his mouth and quickly reloaded the on he had stolen from one of the German corpses.

  Carlo had been just a farmer; he hadn't been part of the army, and if it were up to him, he would never have wielded a on. But a man's will is smaller than God's will, and now he was here, as part of the partisaance. With the Allies aiding them, the resistance had bee bolder. They wahe Germans out, but the Germans had proved to be much strohan they had expected.

  A battle they had thought secure had turned into another where they were forced to begin a retreat.

  At this rate, they would lose Bressahe enemy was getting too close.

  Carlo adjusted the o time befritting his teeth and starting to terattack. He didn't aim because he didn't know how to, and even if he tried, the smoke and fire clouding his vision were obstacles he couldn't overe.

  He heard the screams, and a hail of bullets rushed towards him. He had hit one, and now he had all their attention. Carlo threw himself into cover, crawling on the ground, feeling the earth shaking.

  He heard the sound of wheels, enormous vehicles approag. They were probably those "panzers" he had heard about. Carlo didn't know for sure; he didn't even know the name of the on he carried. For him and many others, the only thing that mattered was knowing what to aim at and knowing what to run from.

  In this situation, he didn't know if he could run.

  He peered through one of the cracks, and what greeted him was one of the German army's metal giants, its on starting to aim in his dire. It was at that moment that Carlo knew he was dead.

  He didn't close his eyes because death didn't scare him; he had decided to die a long time ago, fighting for a future where his children could grow up. He only mented not being there to see it.

  The tank's on aimed at him, and Carlo looked into the deep darkness within, waiting for death.

  But death didn't e. An object moving faster than Carlo could react collided with the tank's head, causing it to veer off course, the turret bending as if the metal it was made of were nothing more tha cardboard.

  The enormous vehicle shook, and the German soldiers shouted in arm, aiming their ons in a dire Carlo couldn't see.

  Whatever had struck the German tank was now barely identifiable.

  Even without knowing what was happening, Carlo firmly grasped the on in his hands again and aimed. War never waits for anyone, and Carlo had long since learo react quickly to abrupt ges.

  He fired at the German soldiers, but sooopped because before his eyes, a figure that moved faster than the wind and struck harder than bears appeared.

  Every blow he delivered sent an enemy soldier flying through the air, his shield adorned with bright colors blog each bullet with ease, and in a matter of seds, he reached the eank and With a single kick, the enormous metal vehicle was overturned with a ease Carlo could barely believe.

  Not only he, but all those who were still alive and were part of the partisaance, watched in astonishment as a single man faced the enemy army. Many quickly snapped out of their daze; without losing this opportunity, they roared and emerged from their hiding spots, following the man who had ged the situation believed to be lost.

  Carlo stood up, along with many others, roared, and aimed his on. It didn't matter what kind of enemies were ahead or the ons they carried; with the mysterious man leading the resista was as if they had bee a spear of war navigating without any obstacles, cutting through everything like a sharp bde.

  "Carlo!" Upon hearing his name, he turned and saw his "ander" Carlo had thought he was dead, but he was gd that wasn't the case.

  "Franco!" He approached him. The man was an old Italian soldier who had deserted to join the resistance when Italy began to support the fascist regime. He had been keeping a low profile until Mussolini died and the Allies began to send troops for assistance.

  That was whearted to lead others like Carlo in the fight.

  "Do you have any idea what's going on, Carlo?" he asked as he aimed and fired before taking cain.

  Carlo quickly shook his head as he took cover alongside him.

  "Not a clue, sir, but we're regaining ground quickly." Both looked as best they could through their hiding spot to see aeam of German soldiers easily dispatched by the man with the star on his chest, as many had begun to call him.

  "Let's go, Carlo. We o meet our friend." Seeing that there were fewer soldiers attag them, Franco stepped forward. He was the leader of these men, and it was his responsibility to faything first, whether it was good or bad.

  Carlo didn't hesitate to follow him, and soon both approached as close as they could, providing c fire for the man who was effortlessly wielding a Browning M1919 with one hand while unleashing the wrath of God upon the German soldiers.

  Carlo didn't know the name of such a on, but Franco did, whily increased his astonishment at seeing how a single man could easily handle such a formidable on with one arm.

  The recoil didn't seem to affect him in the slightest, and when the bullets ran out, he simply threw the on as if it weighed nothing, causing one of the German vehicles to flip over and then explode into a thousand pieces.

  It was then that the Germans began to flee. The resistance cheered, and Franco approached the man who had slightly slowed his relentless assault.

  "Good sir, I 't express my gratitude enough. You have saved not only my men but also prevented Bresanona from being taken. May I know your name?" He extended his hand with a smile.

  The man looked at him, blue eyes with small hints of green in them, and a kind smile that trasted with the killing mae they had seen earlier. He took Franco's hand and shook it firmly.

  "People call me Captain America, but you call me Captain John. I'm a U.S. soldier," he said in surprisingly fluent and nearly perfect Italian, which startled Franco a bit.

  His introdu was simple but to the point, enough to let them know where he came from. It was then that one of the younger aly joined members of the resistance, who had been nearby, shouted and poi him after hearing his introdu.

  "I know you! You're the super soldier! I've heard about you!" The boy's name was Angelo. He was only 17 years old and had joihe resistance when his hometown was destroyed by the German army in a bombing. His vilge had beehe coast, so some news occasionally reached them.

  "Super soldier?" Franuttered. He could certainly believe that and decided to ask Angelo more about it in private.

  The man, John, smiled and greeted Angelo.

  "If you know me, that makes things easier. He tell you more about me. But the crucial point is that I'm on a rescue mission; I o go to Austria," When he said this st part, all the me excimed in terror, visible in their eyes.

  "Do you really want to go to that pce?! It's a living hell!" Franco said in warning. The border with Austria was now the most violent point in Italy, and it was said that the German troops were testiypes of experimental ons there.

  "I have no doubts. It's something I must do. I'll help secure Bresanona, but I'll leave soon. In my advance, I hope to help push back the German army as much as I . I could use a bit of help, but only from those willing, of course," he said, clearly making an offer.

  Franco looked at him seriously, then at Carlo, and then at his other men. He remembered what John was capable of and the term "super soldier" Maybe this portunity, ohat the partisaance shouldn't pass up.

  He smiled and shook John's hand once more

  "If you help us kick their butts, then we'll follow you. I'll get in touch with many more men. With them joining us, and with us, you'll definitely be able to break through the enemy lines," Franco said. He had some influend was fident that the other resistance leaders would listen to him. He couldn't promise to follow John beyond the border, but helping him reach it was certainly possible.

  Johurned his smile.

  "The's do it!"

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  Note:

  I probably don't o repeat this, but I will anyway. If you're someone well-versed in history or a history enthusiast who knows a lot about the events of World War II, I advise you to turn off your brain a bit because this story will not faithfully follow real events.

  For example, Azzano is the pce where the 107th lost and were captured. Azzano does; it's a fial location from Marvel. Like this, there are many this that have nothing to do with reality, so don't expect accuracy sihe existence of John, Hydra, and "mutants" will ge many things.

  Having said this (which will be the st time I mention it), I hope you enjoy this story. Critiques, advice, and other feedback are wele.

  The update of SuperSoldier is now avaible on Patreon (patreon.maCruzader) If you don't want to wait for a public update, you take a look at it n.n