1 | SURVIVE • BUCKY BARNES [COMPLETED]

XXV.

Commenced earlier in the night of their return, the Howling Commandos took on the European front as a force to not be reckoned with. The team was assembled upon the mutual agreement to take down HYDRA once and for all. And that is exactly what they set out to do.

Howard Stark equipped the troop with the finest weaponry, uniforms, an impeccable sharpshooter and two of the best enhanced humans the world would come to know.

Led by Dum Dum Dugan, it consisted of the finest soldiers ever to step foot on the battlefield. They stormed their way through every HYDRA base, factory and hide-out spot imaginable, leaving nothing less than destruction in their path. They continued to wreak havoc and give the Nazi science team one hell of a battle throughout the insistent cold of the winter as they continued to search for Johan Schmidt.

Gideon herself proved to be an important asset to the team as well. Not only did her knowledge in the medical field help with the various injuries that arose, her intelligence helped provide useful insight as to where hidden HYDRA bases were placed and when to attack. 

And she was undoubtedly persistent in finding the man that killed her family.

Generally, she didn't like to consider herself as an angry person, and after everything she had been through, she tried desperately to keep it from making her cold.

But, eventually, the bitter wind and snow began to eat at her and the others, dimming the light in warm eyes, but the Howling Commandos weren't even close to the brink of giving up.

She wanted to capture the Red Skull more than anyone, it seemed. She had a vengeance that had been brewing for years and it was soon to reach its peak. 

However, unlike the soldiers surrounding her, the doctor didn't have much experience when it came to weapons and artillery, and so, she had to learn. And she learned fast.

From the moment the mission began, time was short, but she didn't waste a single second of it to train. She spent nearly every waking moment with Bucky at a firing range, a different weapon in hand after each clip and barrel emptied. Her hands became accustom to the weight of the metal, the exhilarating feeling as the bullets left the barrels in fiery escapes. And within a week's time, her accuracy excelled.

Her abilities allowed her to sneak up close on the enemy and attack at will. She could shoot, hidden in plain sight, up close at the HYDRA soldiers surrounding them without her presence ever being known. And that was exactly what she did.

Whilst Dum Dum Dugan led the force, Captain America, Bucky, and Gideon formed their own team of sorts, a well-oiled machine that worked their way skillfully across the snowy battle grounds.

Steve would lead in direction as Gideon ventured forward, staking out any incoming HYDRA agents as Bucky stayed behind, hiding and scoping from above. It was a well rigged tactic they formed. They had each other's back and were each other's closest confidants. They trusted each other with their lives and would give their own for each other without a second thought.

Padding over the snowy ground of forest deep within the Italian border, Gideon soldered a few meters in front of Steve and Bucky, invisible and shivering in her boots and uniform. She took a second to turn to them only to catch Steve hurling his vibranium shield at a spy hidden above within the trees and to see another HYDRA agent sneaking up from behind them in attempts to catch them off guard, a gun prepared in hand.

She stopped where she stood, her newly acquired skills kicking in. Her hand took her rifle from its holster and pulled the trigger in a swift motion, a deafening blow echoing from the barrel, and the bullet left the man dead in his tracks.