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#4
FEB 13 |
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“Riding With the Wind”
Captain America approached the podium, where both the local and national news had gathered for a press conference. He'd asked the press to be there for the announcement that he intended to make that afternoon, one that he felt was long overdue. With his shield strapped to his arm, he talked into the microphone, letting his voice be heard throughout the crowd, although his patriotic voice would be heard clear across the room even without the mic.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I want to thank you for coming today,” Captain America told them as he looked out across the sea of reporters. “I asked all of you here because I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately. This great country of ours is in peril…unemployment, poverty, gang violence, the Jersey Shore, and many, many other problems.”
“The United States has always been the greatest nation on Earth, but over time we've allowed things to regress to a place where something called a 'Snooki' is more idolized than our scholars; a place where our children never go outside because video games and the internet monopolize all of their time; a place where our politicians are actively blocking laws that could help people simply because they don't like the person sitting in the White House!”
“I love my country and I will fight to the death for it, but we as a people have fallen on hard times and allowed our beloved land to fall prey to the seven deadly sins! And it is because of this, I have decided to ask you to join me in making this land of ours great again.”
The audience applauded as Captain America looked over the side and motioned for his partner to join him. Chase walked out onto the stage, wearing an updated version of the Bucky costume. He was wearing a black domino mask over his eyes and had a blue hood hiding his hair underneath.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I met this young man recently and he so impressed me with his willingness to sacrifice his life to save another that I've decided to take him on an my new partner,” Captain America told them. “I'd like to introduce to the young man who will be joining me as I go across this land of ours, American Ace!”
Chase Rivers waved and smiled awkwardly under his mask and hood as he looked out at the crowd, wondering how he let himself get talked into this.
One Week Earlier
“Are you serious?” asked Chase as he sat on Steve Roger's couch. “I don't believe you're asking me to do this.”
“Believe it, kid,” Steve said as he brought the young man a cup of coffee. “When we were in the sewers, fighting Vermin*, I saw something in you that I rarely see in anyone your age. I saw someone who was willing to stand up for what's right, even at the cost of his own life.”
*Last issue -TC
“An innocent kid was in trouble, sir,” Chase told him as he took the cup. “I couldn't stand around and let her get eaten by rats. But I still don't see why you're asking me of all people to do this. I just woke up after a ten year coma, I know nothing about the world. I don't even remember my life before I fell asleep.”
“I'm asking you to do this because I need a partner,” Steve told him as he looked out the window. “I can't make America see how great it is alone. I need someone like you by my side. This country's fallen into a depression, Chase. It's not as bad as the one I witnessed back in the 1930's, but it's darn close. America needs its spirits lifted, and we're the men who are going to do it.”
“So, we're going to travel the country doing what, exactly, sir?” Chase asked.
Steve turned around and smiled. “We're going to make America great again,”
Now
American Ace was being bombarded with question after question as he stood at the podium, unsure of how to answer any of them.
“Will you be joining the Avengers as well?”
“Why are you wearing a hood when the original Bucky didn't?”
“Why aren't you calling yourself Bucky, like Captain America's first sidekick?”
“Will you be teaming up with any of the other young heroes?”
“Do you wear boxers or briefs?”
American Ace looked at the microphone, barely squeaking a word out as the feedback rang across the room. “Uh–”
A dead silence fell onto the crowd as the young man started to feel nervous as he looked for the words to say. “It's- it's an honor to be chosen as Captain America's partner in this adventure, and, uh...the name Bucky really is more suited for his other partner. No, no team-ups just yet, and uh...I wear boxer briefs.”
Another silence fell onto the crowd as they started applauding the new partner of Captain America. American Ace just tried to smile, feeling like he was going to lose his lunch.
After the press conference, Captain America knocked on the bathroom door, where his new partner was busy getting sick inside.
“You alright, kid?” asked Cap as he waited patiently.
After a few seconds of silence, Chase opened the door, his hood down and his mask in his hand. “Sir, you didn't tell me it would be all over the news,” Chase told him, feeling a little better than he did minutes ago. “Millions of people could have been watching. What if-what if my parents were watching and they didn't know who I am because of the mask?”
“That was the point,” Captain America told him as he put a hand on his shoulder. “I want people to know that we're doing this. Hopefully we'll get a lot of support in our endeavor. As for your parents, I promised to help you locate them and we will. I already have my contacts working on it.”
“Do you think they'll...remember me?” asked American Ace. He had no memories of his life before waking up. For him, life began a few short months ago in a hospital. He wasn't even sure if Chase was his real name.
“I'm sure someone out there wants to find you,” Captain America said as he put an arm around the young man's shoulder. “And I won't rest until we find your family.”
At a bar in New York, a man was reading the paper about Captain America's announcement. He smirked at he put the paper down. He'd been paid a lot of money to pay Captain America a visit and get something important from him. “So, Captain America's going to be blowing through every town in America?” David Cannon said as he downed the rest of his drink. “Wait'll he gets to see what a real hurricane is like.”
The next day, Steve Rogers was dressed in his civilian clothes; loading up his motorcycle with a similar motorcycle was sitting next to it, which was presented to Chase earlier. Steve had been teaching the young man how to handle the motorcycle, as that was going to be their main mode of transportation as they traveled the country.
“So, what's going to be our first stop, sir?” asked Chase as he put his bag onto the bike.
“A little town in Rhode Island,” Steve told him. “It's really in need of cleaning up and it's only about a day's ride away.”
“So why aren't we going in costume?” Chase asked as he looked over at the super soldier.
“The costumes are just meant to protect our identities,” Steve said as he got onto his motorcycle. “We'll be wearing them soon enough. In the meantime, it'll be Steve Rogers and Chase Rivers doing the bulk of the work. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I'll ever be, sir,” Chase said as he put on his bike helmet. “Let's go save America.”
Just a few miles away, a small tornado was blowing down the street, destroying everything in its path. At the top of the funnel rose a man in streamlined green armor and a helmet. He looked down over the people, who were running in terror.
“Bring me Captain America!” Whirlwind shouted. “Or I'll bring this to its knees before I blow it away!” Whirlwind started to hear snickering coming from all around as he thought about what he'd said. “You know what I mean!”
Steve and Chase were heading through downtown when they realized that the wind was really starting to pick up. Steve pulled over and looked at Chase, who had pulled over next to him.
“What's wrong, sir?” asked Chase.
“That,” Steve said as he pointed toward the devastating gusts of wind that were coming from a tornado in the heart of downtown.
“What is it?” asked Chase.
“A whirlwind of evil,” Steve replied as he reached for his backpack. “Let's suit up, kid.”
Whirlwind was using his vortex to pick up everything that wasn't nailed down as he moved along the street, overturning cars and flinging debris everywhere. The people who couldn't outrun the wind were hanging on for their lives as the winds attempted to suck them up.
“No one can outrun the wind!” Whirlwind shouted as Captain America's shield hit him in the back of the head. Whirlwind fell to the ground as Cap's shield returned to his arm.
“You're full of hot air, Cannon,” Captain America told the man as American Ace stood at his side.
“And you're full of something else if you think you can beat me that easily,” Whirlwind said as he held out his wrists and fired several sharp blades from his wrists. Captain America pushed American Ace out of the way and held up his shield to deflect the blades. As Cap was distracted, Whirlwind picked himself up with another vortex. “Let's see how you like it when I set my winds to full speed!”
Captain America and his new partner struggled against the wind as it threatened to blow them both away. Cap grabbed American Ace's hand and held onto him as Whirlwind saw the opportunity he'd been waiting for. He aimed his wrist launcher and fired a blade at Captain America's hand, pinning his glove to the wall.
“Now, I'll use the forces of my winds to suffocate you!” Whirlwind shouted as Cap tried to hold onto American Ace with his other hand trapped. It was only the glove that was pinned to the wall, so he pulled his hand free and grabbed his shield from his side, launching it again, losing it in the wind. “You fool, did you think you could hit the wind!”
“Not the wind,” Cap smiled as the shield cut through the rope of a scaffolding hanging from the side of the building behind Whirlwind. It swung down and knocked the villain across the street, knocking him out.
“You sure took the wind out of his sails, sir,” American Ace said as Captain America looked at him with a soured look on his face. “What? I thought it was funny.”
Cap took the blade out of the wall with his bare hand and tossed it away before pulling his glove back on. “Alright, kid, let's get back on the road. If we go now, we can reach our first rest stop just after nightfall. The cops will be here soon to pick up the trash.”
“So, are all of your villains like this?” American Ace asked as they walked away.
“Yeah, but you get used to it,” Cap said as they disappeared into an alley to return to their civilian clothing.
The two arrived at a rest stop later that night as Steve got off of his motorcycle and stretched after a long ride.
“We'll get some dinner, fuel up the bikes and head off again,” Steve told Chase as they parked their bikes. “You all right?”
“Yes, sir, just not used to those long rides,” Chase told him as he yawned and stretched. “I never even learned to ride a regular bicycle, you know. At least, I don't think I did.”
“You'll get used to it soon enough,” Steve told them as they headed inside the rest stop restaurant, unaware they were being watched.
Several countries away, a messenger walked into a control room with a box. The room was lined with computers and monitors, all of them detailing Captain America's every move. The messenger approached, handing the box to a man hidden in shadow. He opened it and looked down at the blade that had pinned Captain America's glove to the wall hours earlier.
“Take this to the doctor,” the man in the shadows smiled as he looked at the monitor of Steve and Chase. “Make sure Mr. Cannon receives his money. I'm sure he'll put it to good use once he's released from prison.”
“What do we do about Captain America's new partner? Captain America will train him well.”
“The boy has chosen to stand by Captain America, so he will die just as painfully.”
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To Be Continued...
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