OOM: near the Baltic Sea, 1944

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

The good news is, there are no snow drifts here and the snow is thin on the ground enough that Captain America and the Howling Commandos barely leave footprints.

The bad news is, while it's still snowy, the air is warming as winter creeps to its end. Warm air and cold air colliding means mist; mist means low visibility; low visibility means extra caution and slowing their advancement to the next HYDRA factory.

Steve leads the way, every footstep careful, as he represses the urge to shiver. He's not going to lose his cool because of a little fog.

He hopes.

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn't like the terrain.

It's flat, it's filled with trees, the mist is thickening and as it does his distance sight's going to hell even more, which means as a sniper he can't do his job, can't spot anything hunting them, can't see it coming, can't--

Get a grip, Barnes!



Bucky grits his teeth, audibly, and moves a little quicker.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

There's supposed to be a road, about ten miles from their drop point. They've come eight.

After the destruction of two factories, does HYDRA--and Schmidt in particular--know to watch for them yet? Is the trail to the road being watched, patrolled, even on a day like today?

...especially on a day like today?

His gaze is alert, his ears straining for any sound that isn't familiar footsteps in the cold, quiet mist.

Steve pauses, then raises a hand to signal to the Commandos that it's safe to advance.

[nerves_of_ice]

The figures around him are his friends and comrades-in-arms.

He knows that.

It's just that he can't see them all, not clearly.

And as he tries, his attention drifts from the trees ahead to the men around him.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve pauses again to wait for the Commandos to catch up to him, when he sees something in the trees, crouching behind an incongruous collection of branches, looking a lot like a cougar waiting to pounce.

Without another thought Steve yanks his shield from his arm and throws it at the figure, who falls from the branch with a grunt. The shield bounces back to Steve and he slides his arm through the straps.

Where there was one scout, there's sure to be more.

[nerves_of_ice]

He startles, swinging his weapon around to bear on the fallen figure before he can stop himself.

Jones gives him an odd look, then goes back to keeping watch on his own sector.


Bucky's only barely aware of it, or of the cold sweat beginning to drip down the back of his neck.

He hadn't seen it. He hadn't seen it.

If Steve hadn't--

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve falls into step with Bucky and puts his hand on Bucky's back to gently steer him away from the others.

"Talk to me," he says quietly.

[nerves_of_ice]

The muscles under Steve's hand are tight; Bucky's wound up, although he's trying hard not to show it.

"Sorry," he mutters. "I'm fine, I'm good. I won't let you down, Steve."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I know." He looks at Bucky, concerned. It's hard not to feel like Bucky isn't one-hundred percent mission-ready, even so.

He says, still quiet--this conversation is for Bucky's ears alone--"If something's happened you need to let it go until the mission's done. Okay?"

[nerves_of_ice]

Shame washes over him in a hot wave, driving away everything else.

Bucky nods once, short and sharp.

"Okay."

He meets Steve's eyes.

"Consider it gone."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve nods and removes his hand.

"Eyes up, guys," he calls softly to the rest of the Commandos. "We're approaching the perimeter. It's only going to get uglier from here."

[nerves_of_ice]

Falsworth calls back, just as softly, "So long as we're not looking at anything uglier than Dum Dum here, we'll be just fine!"

Stifled laughter ripples through them all as Dugan makes a face at Falsworth, and in the midst of it Bucky finds a smile of his own, and relaxes.

It's okay. He's okay. They all are.

They've got a job to do, and by god, nothing is going to stop them from doing it.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve pats Bucky's back once more, and then moves to the front of their loose formation, his shield on his arm.

The trees are starting to clear, and he thinks he spies the road through the mist ahead.

[nerves_of_ice]

Once they're on the road, the way in is straight and clear - much to the dismay of the HYDRA personnel on site.

The explosions start as soon as they hit the perimeter, and Bucky finds that shooting through the smoke doesn't bother him nearly as much as the mist did.

All that matters now is the mission.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Once again, they fail to capture any of the staff alive.

Steve tries not to let it bother him. (Not now, anyway. Later.)


So that leaves setting the charges and burning this place to ash.

[nerves_of_ice]

The way out's usually easier than the way in, as anyone close enough to respond would have done so during the raid itself.

They're all careful anyway; it would be the height of stupidity to get shot up after the hard work's done.

Still, the mood on the way back to the rendezvous point's lighter than it was coming in.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve moves through the guys as usual, checking up on them, laughing at their jokes, slapping their backs.

(Sometimes you have to laugh. It's the only way to cope.)

He falls into step beside Bucky last.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Another one down," he murmurs.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"One step closer."

He glances at Bucky.

"You okay?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yeah."

He owes Steve more than that, though, and they both know it. Right now the other man isn't just his friend; he's their captain.

"Had a rough go-round back at the, er, new local. Shook me a bit. I won't let it happen again."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve starts to ask if he informed security, but--well, he had a rough go-round of his own.

"Was it the fog?"

[nerves_of_ice]

That gets Bucky's full attention, and immediately.

"You too?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve nods. "Yeah. First while I was out running, then again when I was swimming in the lake."

He pauses, then adds, "And I've been waking up coughing."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Coughing?"

If anything, that doubles his concern.

"Are you having any trouble breathing?"

Again, he carefully doesn't say.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve thinks it, even so.

"No. I've had Orpheus listen to my lungs and he says they sound fine."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Maybe you've just caught your first cold," he says, a little doubtfully. "I mean, there's no reason you couldn't, right?"

He takes a couple more steps, with the only sound being their footsteps, then adds,

"Or maybe there's something going around at the local. Some kind of weird flu, or something."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I have no other symptoms, though. No sneezing, no upset stomach. Just coughing.

"And insomnia.

"And bad dreams."

That's probably enough for now.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Huh. Maybe the little bastards are screwing with you, too," Bucky mutters, and there's real dislike in his tone.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"What little bastards?" He looks at Bucky with concern.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Cleaning crew. Or so I hear."

He glances over at Steve.

"I was catching a few winks and... woke up in the dark with them moving around."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"They were cleaning," Steve says flatly. "While you were sleeping."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not quite."

His tone is getting flatter and flatter, carefully controlled.

"They were crawling around being stealthy. Whispering and such. Drawing crap on the mirror, making noises, staying just out of sight. Playing practical jokes, you know?"

Beat.

"I didn't get mad until one of them got into the closet and went after my rifle."

What that means in terms of what he'd been before he got mad -- well, Bucky doesn't feel the need to specify that.

It's probably all too obvious by now, anyway.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Dear God," Steve murmurs and rubs his forehead. "Did they threaten you with it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Grabbed it and lit out, laughing all the way."

Bucky looks as sour as he sounds.

"Or tried. I caught hold of the little bastard's shirt. He quit laughing then, but eeled free when it tore. Field-stripped my rifle on the run and vanished into the bathroom like he was never there. Like none of them were."

A beat.

"Guess they didn't like the idea of someone fighting back."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Maybe it was the first time someone did."

[nerves_of_ice]

"They try it again, it won't be the last."

He glances over at Steve again.

"But between that and the weird fog and all out on the range, I guess it spooked me some."

A beat.

"I won't let it happen again," Bucky repeats, quietly, but with grim determination.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve pats his back. "I know.

"It's scaring a lot of people," he adds.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Jerks the cleaning crew may be, but at least a guy can fight them," Bucky agrees.

"How do you fight fog?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I've been looking into that," Steve says. "Not much luck so far."

To be fair, Orpheus was there and he's...distracting.

[nerves_of_ice]

"I'll ask around too. Can't hurt, right?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I hope not."

A few more steps, then, "Be careful with this, Bucky. It's not an enemy like HYDRA. It's not people, no matter how superpowered. It's something ... ancient."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky looks over at him.

"I know you don't think I'm leaving you to go up against whatever it is without me."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I wouldn't dare.

"I just want you to be careful."

[nerves_of_ice]

Cheerfully,

"I will if you will."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I will...do my best."

[nerves_of_ice]

His grin flashes, quick and bright.

"Then we'll both be fine."