Finding Love in France (Alternate Version)

Part 5: Radio Silence

Steve Rogers was having a nightmare. His unit was under attack and he was running for a tree line to try and take out a group of enemy troops. He made quick work of the first dozen or so, but kept feeling the searing pain of bullets as he did. He couldn't see his men from this vantage point, but heard screaming mixed with gunfire. He was trying to neutralize the enemy before things got worse. As he was jumping off the hood of an armored truck he had just disabled, he felt the back of his head collide with something heavy. The last thing he remembered was the sound of his shield knocking the offending enemy soldier across the forest as the world blacked out around him.

He woke up drenched in sweat, momentarily unaware of his surroundings. As he tried to pull himself together, he remembered where he was. He was still too exhausted and sore to try and get out of bed, but studied the room. What kind of place was this? He looked at the reinforced metal walls, with small vents near the ceiling and realized he was below ground. There was an IV attached to his right arm, bandages all over his body, and pillows holding his left arm and leg up off the bed. He felt around the back of his head and ran his fingers over the line of sutures. His shield was propped up against the wall. As he was trying to make sense of it all, he heard voices coming from upstairs. Thankfully, they were speaking French.

Mila had decided to bring her commanding officer back with her to talk to the patient. Her entire unit knew what her mission had been, so he wasn't a secret to them, though they had all been sworn to secrecy not to tell civilians. As they approached the stairs to the bunker, she asked him if he thought it was too soon to tell the man everything that happened. She was concerned that he would be too upset to comply with his recovery.

As they walked downstairs, the commanding officer saw the giant propped up in bed, cautiously looking him over. In English, the man said "Bonjour, Captain Rogers. Pleasure to meet you, sir. The papers do not do you justice." The man stuck out his hand to shake.

Steve shook hands with the man and got the pleasantries out of the way. "Thank you, sir. Thank you for your help. And you are?"

"Commander Lupin, French Resistance. You already know our friend, Dr. Abrams." The normal-sized man replied.

"Yes, thank you Commander." He got to the point. "What happened? Where are the rest of my men?"

The Frenchman cleared his throat. "You and your unit were ambushed...there were heavy losses."

Steve looked down at his hands. "Survivors?"

"Evacuated to a base near Reims." Lupin reported.

"Has command been notified?" Steve was trying to follow protocol, even though his thoughts were reeling. "Do we have casualty lists?"

"No. We have been unable to make contact with the Allies. There was a coordinated attack on multiple operational outposts throughout France and Britain. Also many losses...I am sorry." frowned Lupin.

"Peggy..." Steve was trying to keep it together.