Chapter 8: Making Deals

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??? (POV)

So there I was, standing in front of the Allies' best assault team. You might be wondering what their name was, but even they didn't know it. They were a new squad and yesterday's mission was their first time working together. But despite being new to the game, they already knew their roles very well and worked together like a well-oiled machine. They were quick, they were efficient, and they got the job done.

My first interaction with them didn't end well and I'm still pissed at what that Boston marica said about my parents. If not for the fact that I didn't really want to fight and was trying to get more information about the team and the war's current situation, I would have already escaped while giving that marica a broken nose.

Now, from what I learned before the argument, was that the Allies were in a bit of a pickle in the war against the Axis forces, but things weren't looking too bad for them. Hitler fucked up big time by attacking the Soviet Union two years ago and lost an ally in the process. He didn't even prepare for the extreme temperatures and got pushed back. Then, he messed up again when the Japanese attacked American air bases, but they didn't do much harm though they forced America to join the war. Hitler being a bigger idiot, decided to provoke America further by declaring war on them too, even when there was no need for it.

So, after a bunch of fuck-ups, Germany and Japan were barely holding up against the Allies. The only reason they were still standing was because of Hydra. But now, this new team seemed to be all about attacking and wiping out all of Hydra's bases. And who's leading the charge? None other than Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, with Sergeant Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury as his right-hand man. Now, back to the situation at hand.

"Alright, what do you want?" I said in a no-nonsense tone.

The man who surprisingly spoke first was a middle-aged Colonel, as indicated by the badges on his military suit. 

"Well boy, I would first like to say, that you will be shot on the spot if I was given even the smallest of reasons to suspect that you will be a threat to me or those around me. So, you better calm your ass down before I make you Swiss cheese. Secondly, you will answer all of our questions truthfully or you will be shot. Lastly, don't expect me to show you any kind of sympathy just because you are young, I will treat you the same as any other enemy soldier that treats my country." Right after that everyone in the tent except Cap, Fury, Dugan, and the Colonel, pointed their guns at me.

Even though it may have sounded like he was lying, I knew that the man talking to me was very serious about everything he said. I knew that he had already been informed about everything that happened during the raid last night, as he wouldn't have come to see me otherwise. Additionally, I learned that he was not happy after hearing that I had beaten the best soldier under his command. This caused him to come and see me in person. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse when he saw that I had lost control and was threatening one of his men. Nobody could stop me from doing this, which made the situation even scarier.

I looked at everyone, then looked back directly at the eyes of the Col. and then said, "I'm happy to answer most of your questions, especially if they are about Hydra because they are on my shit list anyway. But just to let you know, your threats of death and pain don't scare me at all 'cause I'm not afraid to die. I'm at peace with my life, and I know I'll go to heaven since I haven't done anything that would look bad in God's eyes."

I once told Captain America and some other soldiers that I didn't like Hydra, the group they thought I was a part of. They were surprised, but the Colonel didn't trust me and thought I was lying. Nick Fury, who seemed composed, was hard to read. I could tell that he was trained in espionage, but I knew more than him because of the knowledge and training I got from 47. Fury was unsure of what to think of me because he knew I was telling the truth, but still had trouble believing me and was trying to figure out what my intentions were.

I believe that I can reach the level of a highly skilled person like '47'. He is a teacher and part of me at the same time. I have learned a lot from him. However, I realized that just practicing was not enough to become as good as him. I needed to gain practical experience. 

On the other hand, the other guy who is also part of me and I call 'Q' because he's like the inventor from those James Bond movies, was a little disappointed that he couldn't teach me many things over the years. But now that I am out of confinement, he will have more opportunities to help and teach me.

When I saw that most of the people in the tent were ready to continue, I said, "The only regrets I have are that I won't be able to avenge my parents by destroying everything that is part of Hydra and that I will break the promise I made with the people that are currently the closest thing I have to a family. Other than that, I have nothing to lose and am ready to die at any moment."

As I finished speaking, I couldn't help but notice Steve Roger's reaction - his demeanor suddenly shifted and his expression became more serious. Although I sensed that there was a deeper story behind his reaction, I chose not to dwell on it at that moment. As the group processed what I had just revealed, the Colonel began to ask me a series of questions. Initially, his inquiries revolved around my background, past experiences, and the time I spent in captivity under Hydra.

I sensed that the Colonel was trying to gather as much information as possible about me, and was likely building a mental profile to review later with his contacts in the army. Though I was careful not to reveal all my secrets, I shared enough information to establish a small sense of trust between us. I knew that having his confidence would be vital in the things I would say later, and I hoped that my answers would help him understand my situation better.

The Colonel questioned me about my experience at the Hydra base. He wanted to know what I saw and heard while I was there. He was looking for any information that could help him understand how Hydra worked and who were the people in charge.

However, when he asked me about the people I helped escape from the base the night before, I didn't tell him everything. I only said that they were other people who had been kept captive like me. The Colonel did not take my answer well and tried to threaten me into telling him more, but I refused, I didn't want to betray the trust of Rose and Theo.

It was only when things were getting heated and the Colonel looked ready to act on his threat, that Captain America intervened and tried to calm down the Colonel.

He told the Colonel, "Sir, please calm down before something out of our control happens. I know you want to know more but I think we need to first think about everything we learned thanks to him and make some plans for what we will do moving forward. I think we can come back later to ask the boy more questions." 

As I stood there in front of Captain America, he turned to me and asked, "And you, can I call you Uriel?" His question took me by surprise and I found myself lost in thought. I began to reflect on my current identity and realized that I was no longer just Uriel, nor was I just a mere 47 or Q ether. I was something new, something different, something more. I was Araneae - a name that represented my rebirth and transformation.

However, I quickly realized that I couldn't reveal this new identity to Captain America. If I did, it could jeopardize my plans for the future and potentially lead to my discovery. Instead, I decided that Araneae would be my secret alias, only to be shared with those I trusted the most. As for my public persona, I knew that I would have to continue using my original name, Uriel, to avoid drawing any unwanted attention.

Even though it might appear that I took a long time to respond, in reality, it was only a fraction of a second. One of the abilities I acquired with my transformation was an accelerated thought process, which is pretty self-explanatory. As I thought about all this, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for what the future held.

Now back to the Cap. (I will start calling him that in my head because I don't want to say his long title in my thoughts every time I'm talking to myself), "You can, but only because I don't have any other name to give and you seem to be one of the few here who doesn't immediately judge a book by its cover."

As I observe him, I notice a slight wince on his face. From his demeanor, it seems that he might be feeling a tad embarrassed about the initial impression created by his team and the colonel in my presence. 

"I want to thank you for the thought, and also extend my deepest condolences for your loss. I can only imagine the trauma and pain that you endured during your captivity by Hydra, and I greatly admire your courage in trying to protect the people you hold dear. Your words about your hatred for Hydra and your desire for revenge have deeply resonated with me and my dislike for anyone who bullies the weak. So, I would like to extend an invitation for you to join me and my team on our mission to fight against Hydra put an end to all their plans, and bring an end to this war once and for all."

The Colonel was the first to object, as he still didn't think I was trustworthy. He wanted to send me back to America to experiment on my body, hoping to create more Super Soldiers for the war. However, Cap didn't agree with this and began to defend me. He believed that I had already suffered enough and that I was too young to endure anymore. He argued that if they did this, America would be no different from Hydra, and they would become just as bad as the enemy they were fighting.

What surprised me was when Nick Fury and Dugan also supported Cap's argument. They reasoned that if I ever escaped, I would likely become a problem for America, using all the training that Hydra gave me against them. Instead, they suggested that I stay with them and use my skills and abilities to help them take down Hydra. In essence, they would use Hydra's own weapon against them. Lastly, they said that by having me on their team, they would be able to watch and understand me better.

After remaining silent for a few minutes, the Colonel turned to the rest of the team and asked for their opinions. The team exchanged glances, and then collectively agreed with Cap's suggestion that it would be better if I stayed with them. 

Upon hearing their thoughts, the Colonel decided to leave and entrust the rest of the decision-making to Cap and Fury. However, before departing, he made it clear that he would still report the matter to his superiors, and any problems that I might cause would be their responsibility.

Once he was gone, Cap and Fury decided to ask me again the same question Cap asked me and finally get the answer that I couldn't give before because he was interrupted.

I looked at them and then the rest of the team. I thought about how they were trying to protect me when they barely knew me and finally about how my only chance for revenge right now was joining them.

I looked back at Cap and said, "Alright I'm in, mostly because I really don't have a choice right now, and you all showed me that you're nothing like Hydra. Although, now that I'm in, I really want to know what this team that I'm about to join, is called?"

After hearing my agreement and then my question, Cap looked at Fury, then at the team, then back at me and said, "We are the Howling Commandos and we welcome you to the team."

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Hi there! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I've been really busy lately, and I had a bit of writer's block when working on this chapter. Hopefully, that won't happen too often but I can't promise anything as I'm learning that this is part of life and the process of being a writer. But I promise to do my best to stick to my posting schedule from now on. The next chapter will be out on Saturday, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!