The Red Soldier: Origins of the Red Soldier

ISSUE #10

Suddenly the sadness in his heart ceased, and a fire began to burn in his belly. A sadistic smile spread across his face, the grief he felt inside had turned to excitement, an excitement for vengeance.

***

Peggy stood, motionless, outside the door as she checked the ammunition in the Browning Colonel Phillips had given her. She hadn't fired a gun so large until the day before, when she'd argued relentlessly with the colonel to let her go on the mission. He'd given in after a few hours of her berating him, calling him every single name under the sun, and then he took her to the shooting range, taught her everything she'd need to know in order to stay alive.

There were voices coming from inside which she tried to listen to through the metal door, but it was difficult. She slid the door open just slightly, peaking around the corner. Steve stood in the centre of the room, unphased by the number of guns pointed directly at his head. In a moment of foolish bravery, she stepped into the room, the barrel of the gun directed towards the centre of Red Skull's forehead.

'Lower your weapons, Gentleman,' she said, cocking her shotgun. Steve glanced at her, flashing a proud, but concerned smile. She nodded at him quickly, her eyes locked with his before returning to the countless armed men. Peggy Carter was expecting one of them to move; she was prepared to shoot. She had not, however, expected the ground to begin shaking. The floor beneath her rattled, almost causing her to lose her footing, and then the colourless glass separating them from the frozen cold climate of the Alps, became tainted with a dark red glow.

On the other side of the glass stood (Y/N) (L/N), floating effortlessly; his eyes matching the same blood red colour of the magic which enveloped his gloved hands. The window between them shattered into a million pieces, every shard of glass surrounded him in a crimson cloud. No more were the guns pointed at Steve Rogers, instead, all were pointed at (Y/N) (L/N).

He levitated forward calmly, the broken pieces of glass following him. 'Ah, Roter Soldat, I was wondering when I might see you again,' Red Skull hissed, a sense of pride in his voice. (Y/N)'s nostrils flared as his eyebrows knitted themselves together. With a sharp wave of his hands the glass began to soar through the air, each shard digging its way into the neck of every HYDRA soldier present.

Blood spilled down their chests from their throats, oozing sluggishly from their collarbones to the floor, where it began to pool. Red Skull studied him once more, except this time there was fear in his eyes. 'You took everything from me, Schmidt,' (Y/N) said plainly, inching towards Red Skull. 'Everything...'

'I gave you everything, Roter Soldat,' Schmidt grinned. (Y/N) grabbed a fistful of his collar, pulling it tightly, 'I just simply took it away as well.' With that said, Red Skull's hands wrapped themselves around (Y/N)'s neck and then he forced him to the floor.

The glowing red eyes disappeared behind soft eyelids and Peggy began to shoot, firing bullet after bullet at Red Skull, only one of them penetrated the armour he wore though. The bullet lodged itself in his shoulder, and he turned to face her. She searched her pockets for any ammunition, only just finding a few bullets when Red Skull picked up Steve Rogers by the neck and slammed him into the ground, right beside (Y/N) (L/N). Then, he walked right past her, not giving her so much as a sidewards glance.

***

The first thing he saw when his eyes began to adjust to the light of the room was Peggy Carter leaning over him, a shotgun slung over her back, and a manilla folder in her hands. There were tears in her eyes, her lips twitching worriedly. (Y/N) got up slowly, the bones in his knees cracking. He scanned the room carefully, Steve was gone, and so was Red Skull.

The sight before him turning his stomach. Men lay dead, sharp fragments of glass protruding from their pale necks. The soldier had not meant to cause such chaos, but if it was necessary to see Red Skull die then he guessed it was worth it.