"So, let's get this straight, we barely got out of the Hydra base, and you want us to go back in?"
Cyrus could hear the conversation and remembered it from the Captain America movie he watched when he was a kid. How old was he, eleven, twelve? He remembered watching the movie and telling his parents he would be Captain America one day. He ran around the house and found a trash can lid from somewhere and would say, "I can do this all day." His grandmother found it funny and used to tell all the girls about it. That's what his mother told him.
He smiled as he remembered those happy times before his parents died. Cyrus, sad, from the memory of the 2016 flood in Louisiana. They called it the "1,000-year" event. It was the summer time, and his parents went to see his grandmother, who was living there with her sister Clarice. He was supposed to go, but was invited to go with his friend to Silver Dollar City, a big fair-like place like Six Flags.
They spent the whole weekend there; it was fantastic. He met his friend's cousin, Peggy, was her name now that he thought about it. How coincidental. He had his first kiss in a photo booth. He kept the picture and always imagined getting together with her. Of course, she was married with two kids, the last he heard.
When he got home, there was no one home. They should have been home. He tried calling his grandmother, but got a message that the number was unavailable. He went online for the first time since he went on the trip. It was there that he saw the news about the flood. He even saw his grandmother holding onto a treebranch before being swept away.
There it was, online, a video showing his grandmother being swept away by the flood. He saw the comments, a mixture of horror and mockery. He knew that if his grandmother was holding onto a tree, it probably meant his parents were dead. No way G-Ma, as he called her, would be left on her own if his parents were alive.
Cyrus saw Steve walking up to him. He coughed and smiled, "What'd they say?"
"They're on board," Steve smiled.
"See, what'd I tell you, they're all too stupid to know better, especially Dum-Dum." Steve smiled briefly.
"What about you? Are you willing to follow 'Captain America' into battle?"
"Heck no, I heard him punching Adolf Hitler was all an act, how can you trust the guy?" Cyrus looked at his childhood idol, "I'm going to follow the guy who would get beat up and tell everyone, 'I can do this all day!' That's the guy I'm following.
Steve and Bucky shared a laugh, but they both heard the bar go quiet, and Agent Carter walked in wearing a stunning red dress. Cyrus got up; he knew who she was here to see, no need to embarrass himself.
He rejoined the other Howling Commandos for a drink and watched as Agent Carter left…an impression on everyone in the bar.
Steve came out looking like a proud peacock. "So, when's the wedding?" Cyrus asked. Steve, caught off guard, turned a little red and then straightened up to use his Captain America voice, "They've asked me to meet with Mr. Stark tomorrow, you too, pal."
"Look at this guy trying to duck the question," Cyrus laughed at Steve, and the others harassed him for a while, finishing their drinks and telling Steve to keep them coming.
Steve and Cyrus arrived at Howard Stark's weapons center. Cyrus hung back for a bit, "Go see if you can find Howard." A mischievous smile plastered his face. Steve couldn't understand it, but Bucky had been acting strange ever since he was rescued. Bucky sat on a desk waiting, and eventually, Agent Carter came around the corner. She looked at Bucky, who pointed in a direction, receiving a quick but professional smile.
A few moments later, Carter came walking around the corner, trailed by Stev,e who was trying to explain something. Peggy looked at Cyrus, "They're ready." No more smile. Bucky followed as Peggy fury walked them to Stark, handed them off, and disappeared somewhere.
Bucky walked slowly behind Howard and Steve. He heard Howard explain to Steve about Fondu. It was a fun place, filled with all sorts of gear, motorcycles, and gadgets. A playground for the always mentally active Howard Stark. He obviously had some kind of ADHD, or something. Too smart to sit still, at least.
"The moment you think you know what's in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked," Cyrus heard Stark say. He admired the motorcycle for a moment.
"Me, I concentrate on work, which at the moment, is about making sure you and your men do not get killed.
Carbon polymer should withstand your average German bayonet, well, Hydra's not gonna attack you with a pocket knife." Howard and Steve moved on, while Cyrus looked at the protective armor, feeling it and thinking it. It was then that he saw Steve showing the iconic shield off to Peggy, who picked up a gun and started shooting.
Steve and Howard were surprised, but Steve remembered to hand Howard his suggestions for the suit.
"I have some thoughts as well," Bucky said to them.
"Really, I figured you would shoot some guns or something. Do you want a shield as well?" Howard seemed to like Steve but felt dismissive toward Bucky. He heard the man was also a super soldier, but Howard didn't get that vibe. Bucky was confident, but he also seemed to stroll everywhere he went.
"No, I saw your armor back there, but I have a suggestion for something a little stronger. It's cheap, easy to produce, and easy to shape. It's too expensive for your average soldier, but it could work for elite soldiers, like us." Buck smiled, but Howard rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I'll bite. What's this stuff, and where do we get it?" Howard responded.
"You'll have to make it, but I wrote up the formula for it and the manufacturing process." Bucky reached into his back pocket and took out several folded pages. He handed them all to Stark, who at first looked at it like it was a joke. His demeanor completely changed.
Stark looked at Buckey, "Plastoid? Is this real?"
"Yeah, try it out. You've probably got most, if not all, the equipment you need here for a small sample. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours."
Howard was looking through more of the pages when he stopped on a couple of pages that caught his attention.
"What's this?" Stark showed the pages to it, which landed on something called 'Repulsorlift. ' There was a floating car, but next to the drawing, there were notes on the theory and how to make it work.
"Oh, Steve and I saw your Gravitic Reversion technology demonstration at the expo the night before I shipped out. It didn't work, but after the Hydra experiment, it seems like I've gotten a lot smarter. I was thinking about that thing and had some ideas on how to fix the problems.
"A lot smarter, to say the least. If this stuff checks out, you're at least as smart as me! You should be working in here with me, not out there shooting Krauts."
"Maybe after the war, right now, I want to stick with Steve and take down Hydra. I still owe them. But, hey, save me a place at your company," Cyrus smiled.
"Yeah, I'll save you a place, right next to me. Full partnership!" Stark exclaimed.
"Sounds good!"
"Let's get back to focusing on now. Do you need a weapon or anything?"
"I have my own," Cyrus said, and then caused a stir when a sword appeared in his hand. All they saw was Cyrus reach behind his back and then reveal the sword. This was a trick he learned from Duncan; all immortals needed to conceal their swords so that they could bring it with them wherever they went.
"This is my spada da lato, a rapier, but the metal is made of something exotic." Cyrus turned the sword, presenting the handle to Howard. Although not a sword enthusiast, Stark knew his material sciences, and the metal this was made of was stronger than vibranium.
"What's this made from?" Stark asked.
"I don't know, I found two exotic materials, the blade is what I call beskar, and the hilt is made from Phric," Cyrus revealed the names.
"Do you have more of this?" Stark looked at Cyrus, hoping to hear him say yes, but he was disappointed.
"I'm afraid not, I found the sword in an abandoned monastery. It was lying on the ground. I picked it up, but I haven't had much of a chance to use it. It seems like it can cut through just about anything.
The two men talked for a while longer. Steve was bored by this time, but Cyrus quickly finished explaining what he wanted for his suit: "Blue pants and long-sleeve shirt, Red boots and gloves, and a blue Domino mask with white eye covers. It should spook the enemy."
"You've got red and blue, do you want some white in the costume?" Stark asked.
"It's not a costume, it's a battle suit, and I'm not trying to copy Steve, what would you call me, Major America, Captain America Jr?" Steve and Bucky laughed.
"No, but any idea on what you want to be called?" Stark asked.
"Yeah, Bucky. Just call me by my name."
Finally, they were finished with Stark, who was eager to kick them out anyway to try the formulas. To his surprise, he even found notes for a super battery and a robot of some kind.
"Wow, Buck, I never knew you were at Howard's level of intelligence. It seems like I got the brawn and you got the brains.
"That sounds about right," Bucky joked with his friend.
"Do you think all of that stuff will be ready for the mission?"
"Maybe, even if it's not, I'm sure things will be fine.
Bucky didn't realize that his notes would cause as big a stir as it did, but at 2 AM, he was dragged out of bed and brought to Colonel Phillips.
"Sergeant Barnes, have you been holding out on us? Howard Stark pulled me out of bed twenty minutes ago and showed me armor that could easily resist bullets and grenades. Next, he tells me he got it from you. Where the hell did you get this?"
"First, I came up with the formula and wrote it down. I've never had a chance to try to make it, but I saw Stark had so much manic mad scientist energy that I figured he could see if it worked. I guess it did."
"Stark has relentlessly hounded me about taking you off the mission because your potential contributions to the war are far beyond what you can contribute in a mission. I'm inclined to agree with him," Colonel Phillips stared at Cyrus, waiting for his response.
"The moment you try to bench me from the war, I promise I'll go AWOL and join up with Steve. There's nothing more important to me right now than ending Hydra. I already told Stark that after the war, I would be interested in a long-term working relationship."
"Why are you being so stubborn? It's the serum, right?"
"Sir, I was stubborn before the serum, but now my stubbornness is set to hellmode."
Fine, but we aren't sending you out with just a mask; you're getting a helmet. I don't care if the rest of you get shot up, but I'll be damned if we let anything happen to that brain of yours. Dismissed!"
"What a weird conversation, at least I can go back to bed," Cyrus thought to himself.