Howling Commandos

A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07

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4th November, 1943:

DAILY PROPHET

Wizard Genius in the Muggle Army! Surprises everyone, and becomes an International Muggle Hero!

London:

We all remember how shocked we all were, when it was announced that one of our own Wizards was going to take part in the Muggle side of this War. The Ministry of Magic had announced it almost a year ago, that Mason Aves, a Wizard Genius - the first person to Graduate Hogwarts two years early, ever since the establishment of the Ministry- was conscripted for the Muggle World War.

The Ministry of Magic had told us then, that they had decided to allow him that, since there were too many people who knew about Mason Aves in the Muggle World to Obliviate. But, there had also been reassurances, that young Mr Aves wouldn't use Magic unless it is in his own life's defence, or against a Wizard, and away from the sights of any muggles.

And he has kept his word, diligently. He fought as a Muggle for almost the entire time, and only used Magic when he encountered other Wizards, belonging to Gellert Grindelwald's Wizard Army. He also captured 4 of Grindelwald's Dark Wizards, one of them even his Lieutenant, Stefan Kohler just two days ago, and had them transferred to the Auror Department.

These arrests have helped our own Wizarding World War effort extremely, thanks to the information our Aurors and Unspeakables managed to extract from the Dark Wizards. And this, in turn, has already turned Mason Aves into a small Hero in our own World, comparable to the likes of Madam Persephone Crickerly, whose team is Mr Aves's contact in the Auror Department.

From bringing back important information from hostile territory, to helping the muggles take over an important Line in the Warfront, Mason Aves has had an eventful one year in the Muggle War.

He even mounted a few Rescue Missions in the past year, solo, in the first of which he rescued an important Soldier in the French Air Force, getting captured in return. The French Air Force soldier that he helped escape, did manage to escape, and took some information that helped the Muggle Allied Army win a long battle.

When Aves escaped from the Nazi group that had taken him prisoner, he also facilitated the escape of a group of 50 soldiers of various Nations, destroying the Camp in the attempt. (Refer to Pg no 4 for the full recap.)

And now, in a surprising turn of events, Mr Mason Aves, now Captain Mason Aves, of the British Royal Army, and the Allied Nations Agency of Strategic Scientific Reserve, has become an International Hero in the Muggle world, and the Wizarding World too!

On 2nd November, then Sargeant Mason Aves was assigned a mission to infiltrate a Nazi base, to rescue over 350 captured Prisoners of War. He did so, with the help of a Captain Steve Rogers, and rescued the 350 men, but not before fighting, and arresting two more of Grindelwald's Dark Wizards.

Yesterday, on 3rd November, Aves escorted the rescued group of some 280 people to the SSR base he had left from, the rest having died during the Rescue attempt, or of their injuries.

And now, after having his deeds made well known, the British Muggle Royal Family announced an Award ceremony for him, where he, and the so called Super Soldier, Captain America, were going to be given Medals for their courage. The American Muggle Government, similarly, declared a medal each too. 

Our contact in the Muggle Prime Minister's office had this to say, 'Not one of them came to the ceremony we had organised for them. The PM did speak to the two of them, over Radios, and so did the Muggle President of the USA. Turns out, they had some secret meeting with the Government leaders.'

The Head of the DMLE, former Auror Shafiq in the press conference he held yesterday, said that he completely agreed with the actions of Captain Aves, and that he deserves every bit of praise he gets.

When asked about possible breaches in the Statute of Secrecy, the Head of the DMLE said, 'We don't know if Captain Aves used Magic, but if he did, he made sure to obliviate any muggles who saw it, of it. We can tell you for sure, that the Statue of Secrecy was not broken by Captain Aves from the moment he began his training, to this day. It is however, possible, that Captain Aves used magic to get inside the base undetected. But, since he and this Captain America were separated, it doesn't matter. He broke no laws.'

Whatever the means, the newly promoted Captain Mason Aves, or as a few of the enthusiastic muggle children are calling him, Captain Britain, has rescued at least 330 people, and given a considerable advantage to the Muggle side of the War.

And we, at the Daily Prophet, can say this for sure. Magic, or Muggle, Captain Mason Aves, or Captain Britain, if the name sticks, is a certified Hero to the people of our Nation.

For more details about the Rescue Mission, refer to Pg no 4.

For more details about the life of Captain Mason Aves, refer to Pg no 4.

For more details about the Muggle World War II, and the Super Soldier Captain America, refer to Pg no 5.

For more details about the Wizarding World War against Dark Lord Grindelwald, refer to Pg no 5.

---

Walking inside the underground Headquarters of the Allied Forces, I wait in the small room I was given. It had just a chair, a desk, a few books, a small cot, and the newspapers. I had just gotten around to buying the Papers for the last two days, knowing that my mission was being broadcasted everywhere. Pulling the chair forward, I sit with my back to the door, and my legs on the desk.

I had just left the Bar from two buildings away, where the newly formed Howling Commandos were enjoying their first day of actual freedom from their imprisonment.

Since there were still a few minutes till Lorraine got off her duties, I pass the time by reading all the papers I had bought. I had even swung by the Diagon Alley, on the way here, and bought a copy of the Daily Prophet, to see if they had something to say about me, not necessarily expecting it to be nice.

The Daily Express, front page. The People, front page. The Daily Mirror, front page. The News of The World, front page. Heck, even the magical newspaper, the Daily Prophet, had done a large article on my mission, calling me a Hero. 

And literally all of them calling me the Captain Britain to the States' Captain America. Bloody children named me a superhero.

I guess I am a Hero, aren't I? I might not be goody two shoes, but I am a Hero to the people, as of now. Could change anytime, the minds of the public are really fickle.

Heh, Captain Britian. Almost ironic, really. It's the one name I hated the most amongst all the Aliases I had imagined in my mind. I really hope the name doesn't stick. It's bad enough that I'm stealing Steve's position from him, I don't want to steal his literal name.

As I read the honestly flattering articles inside the Daily Prophet, I feel the mind of Lorraine Smith start walking towards me, and at the same time smell her scent walking closer. Folding the Wizarding newspaper neatly, I put it inside my jacket's inside pocket. Taking my watch out of my trousers' pocket, I see that it is about 9:10 PM. 

I pick the Daily Mirror from the table, and start reading it, my back still to the door. Can't exactly read the Magical newspaper in front of a muggle. There are protection spells to hide Wizarding stuff from the papers, but Lorraine is an Intelligence Officer. Her not recognising the paper is bound to raise suspicions in her mind, which could lead to the Statute breaking.

It is as I was halfway through the article, the door to my room opens, silently, and Lorraine walks in, also staying silent. 

If I didn't know she was coming, and I wasn't.. me, I probably wouldn't have heard, or smelled, or felt her walk towards me.

"Captain Britain, honestly Lorraine, couldn't they come up with something better?" I say, without even turning back, or pulling my legs off the table.

Lorraine chuckles, after I hear her heart beat get louder for a few seconds, as she walks and sits down on my bed, and she says, "Well, you were named by literal children. They're your fans, you know. How did you know?"

Keeping the paper down, I turn my neck to look at her, and say, "You're still learning Stealth, my dear, I have already embraced it. You don't infiltrate multiple enemy bases, and only get caught once, and still escape, by being ignorant of your surroundings."

Lorraine narrows her eyes at me, and says, "I meant, how did you know it was me? I could have been anyone, even an assassin. And you had your back to me the entire time."

Smiling wide, I say, "I have my ways."

Lorraine pouts a little, and leans back, loosening her tie. She says, "You promised me a drink, Captain Britian. I hope you haven't forgotten."

"Nope, I haven't. Where would you like to go? The Rowdy bar where most of our rescuees are, or my home a half an hour away, where I have a small collection of bottles stored away." I say, as I get up, and offer my left elbow to her.

Lorraine twists her right arm around mine, smiles at me, her expression being as seductive as ever, and says, "Wherever you want.. " and then she leans towards my ear, and whispers, "Captain.. Britain.."

Shivering a little, I turn my head away to hide the red creeping up on my face, - damn my horny side- and say, "My house it is, then. The Colonel probably already knows where it is, so I'll just leave him a note informing him of us going there."

As I turn away to go write the note, Lorraine pulls me back, and starts walking towards the door, as she says, "Nope, no need. I already guessed you'll be taking me home tonight.. for a drink, of course.. and informed him that I'll be there."

Seeing her smirk, and not hearing her heart skip any beat, I obediently follow beside her. I say, "As my Lady wishes."

Lorraine giggles a little, and pulls my arm just a little bit closer to her body, as we start walking outside the base.

My Mutation was evolving, I'd noticed. At first, I could just hear prey moving around the forest, or smell it. But now, I could hear the heartbeat to the clearest detail, for anyone less than 30 feet around me. This means I know when anyone's lying, without even using telepathy.

But, in Lorraine's case, I'd already used Telepathy before I even slept with her. I wasn't going to sleep with a hiding Assassin, or a spy. She didn't have any ill intention the first time we slept, just lust, and a lack of sex for a few months. I was just the lucky bastard who flirted with her when she was sexually frustrated.

And now, I'm going on a date with her, after she had gotten even more sexy, somehow. Lucky me.

-

"Yeah, they purposefully boasted the numbers when they leaked the news. Rescuing 500 men is far more impressive than rescuing 280, doesn't matter that what you did was already impressive." Lorraine says, as we sit in the taxi, on the way towards Islington.

Nodding, I say, "I sort of realised that when every newspaper gave the same number, 500. I also noticed that the British newspapers are implying that Steve was just a hanger on, and the American newspapers are reporting that I was the hanger on. Seriously, propaganda at its finest."

Chuckling, Lorraine says, "You read the Washington Post, I'm guessing. But, to be fair, Steve was the actual Hanger on, as far as I know. Sure, he brought back the locations of other factories, and the bomb, but you were the one to rescue all those people first, even without his help, and you also led them in a fight against Hydra. Seriously, the British newspapers aren't exactly lying."

I look away, feeling a little bit guilty. I don't like the fact that I basically took Steve's first big accomplishments away from him, and I'm doing it again. I'll need to give him some bigger missions to lead later, if I find any suitable for him.

Lorraine entangles her fingers with mine, and pulls a little, bringing my attention back to her. Smiling, she says, "Don't be upset about your accomplishments, Captain. You both are an important part of the SSR, doesn't matter what the people think."

Pressing her hand softly, I say, "Yeah, I know. Without Steve there, I probably would have gotten in well enough. But I wouldn't have gotten all these people out of there safely. Red Skull only fled, because Steve was there with us. The 280 people that survived only did so, because Steve was there. I doubt the number would have been over 200 otherwise, if we had even managed to escape. Steve was a far more important part of our Mission that day than anyone realises. Heck, Steve could probably have carried that mission alone too, and brought back over 200 men, alive and well-"

Lorraine suddenly pulls me down by my collar, kisses my lips softly, which definitely manages to shut me up. As our lips separate for a breath, she whispers, "Less depressive thoughts, more kissing."

Chuckling, I rest my forehead on hers, and whisper back, "I won't say no to that, usually, but we're there, my home."

And sure enough, the taxi stops right outside my house, at No 1 Malbern Terrace, Islington.

After we get out of the taxi, and after I pay the fare, Lorraine stares at my house for a few seconds, and asks, "You live.. there? Do you stay alone?"

I hold Lorraine's hand, smiling a little at the feeling, and say, "Usually, yes. One of my school friends drops in, from time to time. But I don't think she's here right now."

"Oh?" Lorraine asks, and then says, "A female friend has the keys to your house, and permission to live here whenever she wants? Do I need to feel threatened, I feel like I should." Lorraine says, as we start walking forward.

Chuckling, I say, "Hardly. Darla's like my little sister. She's one of the first friends I made, in school, and we stuck throughout our education, even after we went separate ways. After she went through some troubles, I offered her a spare room in my home, and then, after she got back on her own feet, she still stayed in touch. She uses my house as a getaway from all the troubles of her job, and relationships."

Well, not much in the way of relationships. Her and Ana were still going strong. But I can't just say Darla and her team visits everyday to see if I have dropped a body off, and that Darla stays here 3 days a week. Thankfully, today was not one of those days.

Taking Lorraine towards the kitchen, I open up the Alcohol cabinet, and ask, "I have Scotch, Whisky, Vodka, Wine, and Beer. What would you like to drink?"

Sitting down at the dining table, Lorraine looks over the bottles, and says, "The Whisky, please. I haven't tried it yet."

I obediently pull the bottle of Single Malt Whisky out of the cabinet, and get two glasses for the both of us. Pouring it, I hand one glass over to Lorraine, and start slowly sipping it, enjoying Lorraine get a feel for Whisky.

As she scrunches her eyes after the first sip, I ask, "Well, how is it?"

"This is good! I'm glad I tried it, Mason." Lorraine says, drinking the rest of the glass in one gulp.

Chuckling, I say, "You're Wel-"

I don't get to finish my sentence, thanks to Lorraine getting up, and leaning forward, giving me a good enough view under her shirt. I shamelessly stare at it, and continue my previous sentence, "-come.." whispering it softly.

Lorraine giggles, and leaning a bit more forward, pecks me on my lips. Separating, she says, "You know.. I'm not looking for anything serious. I'm just 23, not yet ready to settle down."

Getting up, I pick Lorraine over the dining table, and settle her down on the spot in front of my chair, making her laugh a little. Holding both my hands on her hips, I say, "Lorraine, don't worry. I'm not looking for anything too serious either. Now, less thinking, more kissing."

Smiling, Lorraine drops down from the table into my lap, and starts kissing me, now with a lot more heat behind it. As she starts taking off my shirt, I allow it, and start working on her own Army shirt's buttons.

Once my shirt is off, I get up off the chair, helping her take her own shirt off completely. Picking her up, as we continue kissing, I place her around my front, her legs locking around me, and my hands holding her by her butt.

And then, I start walking towards my bedroom, her skirt getting thrown down on the way. All the while we keep kissing each other everywhere on our faces, and necks.

Soon, we reach the bedroom, with neither of us wearing anything on our upper bodies, and my hands groping her. As soon as I get the door open, I lay us both down on the bed, sideways, and keep kissing her.

Pausing from the kiss after about a minute of just that, and groping, Lorraine looks at me with a flushed face, her eyes twinkling from the excitement, and starts taking my pants off.

"Oh, damn." I whisper, as soon as she starts working her way down my chest.

Life is damn good, and I have no regrets.

-

The next day, a bit before 8, Lorraine and I walk inside the Allied HQ, and into the section given to the SSR. Before Lorraine can separate from me, to go towards Colonel Phillips's office, since she was his assistant, I pull her towards me, and kiss her once again, my right hand on her butt.

"Really?" Lorraine asks, smirking up at me. She says, "Didn't we have a conversation just yesterday, about how we're not looking for anything serious?"

Smirking back, I give her a press, and say, "What can I say, I can't just not worship a beautiful bird like you. And just because we're not going to settle down yet, doesn't mean we can't have some fun."

Shaking her head, Lorraine rises on her toes, and kisses me back, just as hotly, her own hands now on my behind. Grinning, she says, "It's a good thing you're good looking, Mason. Your flirting doesn't exactly speak a lot about you. Now, Stark and the Colonel are waiting for you, best not make them wait too much."

And then, she leaves me there, swinging her butt just a little bit more. A hand lands on my shoulder, as Dugan walks to stand beside me. He says, "Now we know where our Squad leader disappeared off to yesterday. That's a wild woman, isn't she."

Grinning in answer, I just shake him off, not actually saying anything. She's a wild one, alright. Walking towards the room where I was told to come with the team, I ask, "Anyone else here yet? Or are they still hungover from yesterday's binge?"

Laughing loudly, Dugan says, "Rogers and James are waiting in their Rooms, I think. The rest are all nursing headaches, having slept in the bar itself yesterday."

"And you didn't? I remember you drinking four pints, before I left. God knows the song didn't help you lot.. stop." I say, as we come in sights of Steve, wearing his Captain's uniform, kissing a female Private, a brunette, with a lot of fervour. Hearing the sound of footsteps, I turn back, just in time to see Peggy stop in shock. "Ah.. he's fucked." I whisper, only loud enough for Dugan to hear.

Dugan, the helpful man that he is, coughs loudly, making the pair stop kissing. Steve jumps away from the woman, making me sigh internally, since it wasn't actually Lorraine, and seeing Peggy, he says, "Peggy.. I can explain."

I slap my face, feeling embarrassed by just being a spectator. That's literally the worst words to say when your love interest catches you kissing someone else.

Peggy turns towards me, and says, "Howard is ready for you, Captain Aves, Captain Rogers. Unless.. one of you has a more important matter to attend to?"

And then, she walks away towards Howard's lab, with Steve following after her, asking for forgiveness.

Dugan starts pulling a Cigar out of his pocket, and says, "Gods, this team is fucked. 5 members hungover, 1 depressed, 1 a trigger happy asshole- me, and the two Captains are lovesick puppies."

I snort, not bothering with the lovesick comment, and say, "Yeah, and the trigger happy arsehole is the only voice of reason in our team. Best not keep Stark waiting. You coming?"

Shaking his head, he drags a puff out of the Cigar, and says, "Nah, I'll gather the others. You and Rogers take care of the official business, leave the grunt work for your underlings."

Gods, he really is an asshole.

Shaking my head, I walk through the open door, and into the large hall that Stark calls his Lab.

"You still don't know a bloody thing about women." I hear Peggy whisper from a few dozen meters inside the hall, and see Steve staring at her wistfully.

Approaching him, I ask, "What did you do? And I'm not talking about the mess out there."

"Why did you assume I did something?" Steve asks, feeling insulted, judging by his face.

Scoffing, I say, "When a woman's angry at you, and you don't think you did something, you definitely did something."

Steve pauses, thinking it over, and then asks, "What's a late night Fondue?"

Groaning, I whisper, "For fuck's sake, Rogers. Tell me youu did not bring Stark up, two days after you heard the comment."

Walking out of his personal office, Stark joins us, and adds, "Fondue is just bread and cheese, my friend. It's a food. I wasn't asking her to my bed." He then starts walking again, and mumbles, "Lord knows she's rejected my proposals enough times."

I chuckle, and follow after him. I ask, "You figure out how to use those Batteries in anything yet?"

Stark waves his hand, and says, "Except for weapons, yes. Those motorbikes, and the car, you see around you run on a few of those Batteries you brought back. Had to destroy a couple dozen guns, but the Colonel was surprisingly alright with it."

I look at the engineers working on the bikes, feeling impressed. Stark figured out how to use Tesseract energy to power motor cycles, and I don't think he just replaced the batteries.

"What about fuel? Petrol?" I ask, feeling curious.

Smirking wide, Stark asks, "What about it? These are the first Bikes to not need any sort of fuel. Well, I've had to still use the fuel tank, filled with water, to keep the engine cool, but that's it. No gas, no.. Petrol."

"That's.. impressive." Steve says, joining me in admiring the bikes.

Turning around, Stark then leads us towards a long table, and says, "Yup, sure is. Unfortunately, I don't know how to create more of those batteries, and I can't even split the charge already inside the bigger batteries inside of the Panzers. So, we're stuck with 4 of those bikes. If they get destroyed, that's it." Pointing at the table, he says, "But, we have other stuff."

The first thing on the list, was a mesh armour. I touch it in curiosity, feeling the strength behind it with just a single touch. It is definitely knife resistant, but not completely. I should be able to pierce it with my nails, and so should Steve with a single knife.

"Carbon Polymer. Knife resistant, bullet resistant. Should stop your average German bayonet. But.. Hydra won't attack you with a pocket knife." Stark explains, and then starts walking forward.

I hang back, and ask, "Is it possible to make our entire team a uniform lined with this? While it won't stop everything, it should help us shrug off minor rounds, and knives."

Stark looks back, and shrugs. He says, "Sure, have your team come by later to decide on their designs." He then pats the dented steel shield, with the American flag on it, and asks, "Rogers, I hear you're rather attached to this."

"It's more useful than you realise." Steve says, as we follow after Stark.

Stark walks behind the table, and says, "Yeah, the Colonel hoped you'd still want a shield. Says it'll boost morale amongst the Allies."

Stark motions towards a rack of shields, each one looking bulkier than the others, and pointing towards one, he says, "This one's fun. It's been fitted with electrical relays that allow you to absorb the Energy blasts from Hydra weapons. It should do that, since it worked during the trials."

"What's that?" Steve says, pointing towards a shield kept at the bottom of the table.

"No, no. Don't pick that, it's just a prototype." Stark says, trying to stop Steve from taking the shield.

Steve spins the shield around itself, and says, "Whoa, this is light. What's it made out of?"

Sighing, Stark answers, "Vibranium. It's stronger than steel, and a third the weight. It is completely Vibration absorbent, as far as we know."

"Why isn't it standard issue, then?" Steve asks, mounting the shield on his left arm, and posing with it.

Stark answers, "That's the only Vibranium we have. It is the rarest metal on Earth, and probably the strongest too."

"Can I see it?" I ask, holding my hand out.

Steve looks reluctant to part with it, but hands it over almost immediately. Taking the shield in my hand, I knock on the front a couple times, hearing the sound go off. That's odd, being Vibration absorbent, the shield shouldn't make a sound from the front. 

I ask, "Is it an alloy?"

Stark shrugs, and says, "Probably. I melted the Vibranium we had, got ready to pour it inside the cast, and then, I got distracted by the lovely Miss Carter, and dropped some of my other stuff in. One of the other SSR scientists says that he also dropped something in the mixture as he tripped when walking by. For all we know, it contains a few chemicals, my protective glasses, Dr MacLaine's ink pen, and my pure gold watch. So.. don't lose it."

Putting it on my left hand, I raise it in front of me, and tell Steve, "Punch it. Use your full strength, if you can."

Steve furrows his eyes in concern, and asks, "You're sure? I don't want to hurt you."

Rolling my eyes, I ask, "Don't be a pussy, Steve. Hit it."

"Unless you think you can punch harder than a 7.2mm bullet, fired from 10 feet in front of it, punch away." Stark says, leaning on the table to watch the show.

Steve frowns once more, and says, "If you're sure."

Pulling his right arm back, Steve punches with as much force as he can muster, his hand moving at speeds definitely too fast for Stark to see, and hits the Vibranium alloy shield with a loud gong.

I grunt, feeling a lot of the force transfer over to my arm, and to my body, as I get pushed a half a foot backwards. 

As Steve pulls his hand back, I straighten up, look at the completely unharmed shield in astonishment, and turning towards an astonished Stark, I say, "He definitely punches harder than a 7.2mm bullet, mate."

Throwing the shield at Steve, I say, "The metal is as good as Stark says, but you won't be an immovable object with it. If your body can't handle the force, you'll still feel it, as you just saw."

"Really? So it's bulletproof?" Steve asks, putting the Shield on his hand again.

I see Stark make a face, as he says, "That's an oversimplified explanation. That's a completely Vibration absorbent metallic shield, that could shield your body from bullets, mortar shells, and even punches. So yes, it is bulletproof."

Steve hefts it, and turning towards me, he says, "My turn. Punch."

Shrugging, I lean backwards, my hand pulled back, and taking a step forward to build momentum, punch at the shield, dead centre.

Once again, a loud gong sounds, as Steve pulls his hand back a little to absorb the force that managed to leak. Other than that, he was completely fine.

Looking at my hand, which was hurting a little, I say, "Yeah, I think Steve should have this shield. It's not for me."

I am not going to take this shield away from him. It's not my style anyway. I'm more of a daggers, or guns kind of guy. Or my fists, or my nails. Literally anything but a shield.

I shrug when Steve looks at me, the question right on his face, and say, "Hey, you're the Super Soldier. I'm just a regular guy who trained his arse off."

Steve smiles, and says, "Yeah, I think I like this shield. Red Skull definitely hits as hard as me, probably just a bit harder, and this should give me a small advantage."

Hearing the sound of heels once again, I look beyond Steve, and see Peggy walking towards us, her anger definitely not abated, judging by the icy look she's sporting. She looks at us, and asks, "What's all this ruckus about, then?"

Steve shows her his new shield, and says, "Peggy, look. What do you think?"

Peggy looks over at an adjoining table, picks up a gun. Almost immediately, Stark ducks down, and I hide behind the larger body of Steve, as Peggy fires 3 bullets at Steve, without stopping.

I hear a few soft gongs go off, as the bullets hit the shield, and then a few clinks, as the bullets fall on the ground, now flattened. Goddamn it, woman. A little concern for a fellow Brit?

"I think it works." Peggy says, and then walks away from where she came in.

Patting Steve on the shoulder, as all three of us watch at the retreating Peggy, I say, "Well, you're the luckiest unlucky guy, mate."

"About my uniform.. I had some ideas." Steve says, and hands Stark a piece of paper.

"Whatever you want, sport." Howard says, still staring at Peggy.

I look at Steve, having peeked at the sketch he made, and ask, "The American government still intent on making you their mascot, eh?"

Nodding, Steve says, "I don't mind. If wearing a colourful uniform boosts people's morale, then I'll do anything."

Shaking my head, I say, "The only way I'm wearing The Great Britain's flag, is if it can fit under my palm. I'm not wearing eye catching clothes, I'm not a bloody super soldier."

Yeah, there's no way I'm wearing Britain's flag like Steve does USA's. Or Puerto Rico, more like.

After we leave the lab, and start walking towards our Rooms to have our first team meeting, Steve glances at me from time to time.

Finally, after the 5th time of him doing so, I get annoyed, and ask, "What is it?"

Steve stops walking, prompting me to do the same, and says, "You're holding back."

"Excuse me?" I ask, honestly impressed at him, but hiding it behind confusion.

Steve frowns, and says, "I'm not stupid, Mason. You're stronger than a normal man, I know that. I realised that the first day I met you, and when I saw you fight Hydra that day. Today, you could have handled my punch without even moving back a little, and you could have punched at least four times harder than you actually did. Why are you hiding your strength like this?"

I stare at Steve, contemplating. He is smarter than I gave him credit for, that's for sure. And I can't just Obliviate him, or take his memories away. He's a good man, for starters, and my friend. If I can't trust my team mates with my capabilities, then what sort of team leader am I?

Besides, he'll just come to the same conclusion again some day, if I change his memories today.

And.. I'm not evil enough to do this to Steve, a friend of mine.

Tilting my head, I say, "Let's go to the team, there's something I want to show you all."

And then, I walk into the room where the team was, Dugan having gathered them all in a small meeting room.

As soon as I walk in, and after confirming that everyone here were just members of my team, I say, "Gentlemen, I have a revelation to make." 

Almost immediately, everyone stops talking, as they turn towards me, as Steve sits down next to Bucky, looking as serious as before.

Raising my hand into a fist, I punch it towards the wall, causing it to crack a little, and creating a small dent into the wall. As one, all of the members of my team jumps up, with some astonishment, and some fear mixed in. I look at Steve, and say, "I am stronger than normal people, very strong. I can probably take Steve Rogers over there, and win most of the fights we have."

"Wha- how? That's.. good for the war, but how?" Dugan asks, ever the sensible one. I did say he's the only voice of reason here.

Shrugging, I sit down on a chair, folding my arms, and say, "I used to be a normally strong person before my capture. Either this strength was always inside me, and Red Skull's and Zola's tortures awakened it or something, or they put something in me to give me this strength. I was an experiment for them, not a person. This strength is how I managed to escape Hydra, and how I rescued the other soldiers."

That's a lie, but that's the cover I'm going with. If.. and this is a big if, I someday meet Victor again, he's sure to know that something has changed about me, even if I don't give out any scent anymore. He's damn perceptive, I know.

"Why are you telling us now?" Bucky asks, his eyes once again becoming haunted. My mention of the two Hydra leaders probably took him back.

I sigh, and say, "Steve said something out there, which made me realise. We're a team, and we're going to be fighting for our lives out there now onwards. I'm being trusted by you lot to lead you, trusted with your lives. I wanted you all to know this, so that you know that I have your back. So that we don't have any secrets anymore."

Dugan stands up, and walks towards me. Putting his hand on my shoulder, he says, "This changes nothing, Aves. You're still our Captain, except now, you're just stronger."

The other people nod, making me smile, as Steve says, "I'm.. sorry, Mason, for putting you on the spot. I just.. you're strong, and I know of only one thing that can make it possible. It just.. made me wary."

Shaking my head, I say, "You're a good man, Steve. You were curious about why I held back, and why I'm stronger. That's normal."

"Can I ask.. why you hid it?" Gabe asks, looking at me in curiosity.

I snort, and say, "America created one Super Soldier and took a lot of his blood away, so they can figure out how to replicate him, and they tried to shut him off in a laboratory. I am queasy about giving my blood, thanks to Zola, and I'm not about to hide away in a lab. I'd prefer if this stays in this room, in our team."

Almost in a joking tone, Timmy asks, "Sure thing, mate. Any more secrets you want to share?"

Thinking for a few seconds, I say, "I can also do this."

And then, I hold my right hand out, in a claw shape, and slowly extend the nails until they're an inch long each. My nails are made of bone, denser than normal bone however, and are very sharp. So sharp, that I can definitely stab my hand into steel sheets, and even concrete.

Dragging my index finger's nail on the table, I make it carve out the name of our team on it, thankful for the War we are already going through.

Thanks to it, the only thought after seeing my super strength in all their minds, was 'Glad that he's actually on our side.'

Not one member of my team doubted my loyalty to the Allies, to the SSR, to the Team. And I already love that about them.

"Howling Commandos?" Steve asks, amused, looking at the name carved on the table. I just shrug, smiling wide. He chuckles, and says, "Could have been worse. It could have been The Super Secret Squad of Bad-ass."

As we all look confused at the weird ass name, Bucky groans loudly, and says, "I told you that name in confidence, Steve."

For a second, there's no sound. And then, "HAHAHAHAHA!!"

We all laugh at Bucky, the atmosphere now once again normal.

Super strong, or not. I'm loving this team, and I'm proud of getting to lead it.

The Howling Commandos.

Dum Dum Dugan, Timmy Roth, James Falsworth, Jim Morita, Bucky Barnes, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones, Steve Rogers, and I, Mason Aves.

9 members of the Howling Commandos, one leader, me. Captain Mason Aves. One Deputy, Captain Steve Rogers. And both of us were known amongst the team to be super soldiers. 

I am definitely not going to make it known to the outside world, however. I'd prefer to be a normal human outside, even if my friends know it to be otherwise. Can't say it'll stay secret, however. 

I smile, as we start planning our attacks on the factories and Hydra bases that we know of. This.. this is what I hope we stay like this, throughout the war.

But, knowing my luck, it probably won't.

---

A/N: His mutation was going to come out sooner or later. This way, it's on his terms. And Steve is observant as hell. He memorized an entire map within one glance, so he definitely remembers how Mason fights Hydra, and how fast he punches.

Hope this is the right decision, speaking as an author.

Thank you for your support! Tata!