Man Out of Time - A Captain America / Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"Eagle One, this is Base," the Marines regular commander called from back on the USS America. "Request visual confirmation of all submersibles."

"Base," Steve said. "This is Eagle One. All Force Recons have landed."

Having a Harrier jet hovering above Sulphur Bay while scuba-gear clad Marines emerged from submarine transport vessels and swam to shore undid the entire point of having submersibles in the first place. But as far as the Marines were concerned, this was a training exercise. The chances of finding a 67-year-old alien stronghold were slim. Even if they did find something, the aliens had likely cleared out after the battle that had taken down the USS John F. Kennedy. But Marines did war exercises every year, and doing it here, where there was a chance of a legitimate threat, instead of the defunct naval base at Pago Pago, made sense. The Vanuatian President had given his consent after receiving a phone call from President Obama.

"Eagle One," the Marine commander called. "Request confirmation as soon as Force Recon has engaged the target areas."

"Roger, that is a ten-four," Steve called, glancing towards Waesisi Bay and the beach at Ombous, where a second and third Special Forces unit of six Marines each was doing the exact same thing. "Force Recons are fanning out. Let me check with Avengers and confirm they're ready to roll out Phase Two."

Below, the Force Recon Two squadron leader pulled off his flippers and walked up to an elderly man standing on the beach with a fishing pole, watching Marines erupt from the ocean like creatures from the black lagoon. The man seemed more perplexed than concerned. The squadron leader shook hands and handed him some trinkets. Vanuatu was a peaceful, but poor nation. When Steve had toured here with the USO in 1942, the most efficient way to win local support was to give 'cargo,' small gifts. A candy bar. A watch. An old pot without a lid. Other than the fact there were a few more houses on Tanna than back in 1943, not much had changed.

"Base, this is Eagle One," Steve called. "Force Recon has engaged all targets."

There was nobody in the jet to hear Steve laugh. Putting the locals at ease was the opposite of what the Marines usually did, but these people were friendlies … they hoped. The goal was to bribe a local to warn others to pay no mind to the men running around their beaches with helicopters and guns. He hit the broadcast button on the second frequency he was monitoring. The one reserved for the Avengers.

"Black Widow this is Captain. Ready to roll out Phase Two. Any issues?"

"Just keep those Jarheads away from my target!" Natasha snapped.

"Jarhead?" Tony Stark called over the Avengers frequency. "Who you calling a jarhead?"

"I could detect no presence of heads shaped like jars on the Midgardian warriors," Thor answered. "I found their countenance to be quite pleasing."

"You are to maintain proper radio decorum at all times!" Natasha said. "All of you!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Steve said. He hit the broadcast button on the first frequency he was monitoring. "Base, this is Eagle One. That is affirmative. Repeat. Affirmative. Permission granted to roll out Phase Two."

While he was overseeing a mock D-Day exercise on the remote southeastern side of the island, where volcanic ash from nearby Yashur volcano discouraged settlement, the Avengers were quietly targeting villages where the locals had reported an influx of 'cargo.' As had happened in 1942, the quickest way to rout out Japanese, or in modern times alien, sympathizers was to recruit the neighbors to report all suspicious influxes of material goods. 'Cargo.' Stuff that had come from someplace else. Only now, the 'someplace else' was extraterrestrial in origin. Technology just a little too advanced to be from Earth.