MUs Winter Soldier | Season Three | Episodes Four

#MarvelUltimatum

#MUsWinterSoldier

"I have seemed to love you in numberless forms,number less times ...

In life after life, in age after age , forever "

Rabindranath Tagore

"Old Soldiers, Old Secrets"

The walk from the Triskelion to Stark Tower was brief but felt longer for Fred and the others. The wind whipped against their faces as they walked down the streets of Manhattan, but it didn’t phase them. Jim Morita, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, and Fred Jones—each one as fit as a fiddle, though the years had etched their experiences into their faces—were a force of nature. They hadn’t come to Manhattan to play nice. They had come for one thing: answers.

As they approached Stark Tower, the sleek, towering structure gleamed under the bright sunlight. Fred couldn't help but ire the architecture, but his thoughts quickly turned back to the real reason they were here. They had a bone to pick with a certain genius inventor who had been keeping secrets from them for far too long.Fred turned to his friends, his expression grim.“Alright, let’s make this quick. We’ve got to find out where the hell Barnes is. And I don’t care if Howard’s in the loo or wherever—he’s gonna hear from us.”

As they entered the lobby, they were immediately greeted by Jarvis, the AI that ran the Stark building. The smooth, metallic voice echoed in the room.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, gentlemen. How may I assist you today?"

Fred cracked his knuckles as he shot a pointed look toward the others. “Jarvis, get Howard down here. I don’t care what he’s doing. I need him here now.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “And tell him we need to have a little chat about James Buchanan Barnes.”

Jarvis processed the command without hesitation. “Understood, Mr. Jones. I will notify Mr. Stark immediately.”

Fred sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the polished counter. “Tell him it’s us. We need answers, and we need them now.”

With a soft click, Jarvis responded, “Of course. Please wait one moment.”

Fred, Dum Dum, Jim, and Gabe didn’t move an inch. They were all in their usual attire: simple white t-shirts, blue jeans, and black Converse shoes. Nothing flashy, nothing unnecessary. Just veterans who knew how to get things done.

As they waited, Dum Dum Dugan grinned and muttered to Jim, “You ever think we’d be standing in a lobby like this, giving orders to an AI?”

Jim smirked. “Never thought I’d live long enough to see the day. But here we are.”

As the seconds ticked by, Fred turned to Gabe, who had been unusually quiet. “You alright there, Gabe?” Fred asked, his tone softer than usual.

Gabe looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “What, you think just because we’re older we’ve gone soft?” he said, cracking his neck. “I’m fine. I’m just waiting to knock some sense into Howard.”

Before Fred could respond, the elevator doors slid open, and down walked Tony Stark, followed by his mother, Maria Stark. They were clearly startled to find the Howling Commandos standing there, their presence in stark contrast to the usual high-profile guests at Stark Tower. But before anyone could say anything, Dum Dum shot forward, his voice booming across the room.

“Howard Anthony Walter Stark! Get yer ass back here!” He lunged toward Howard, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him backward. Howard sputtered, trying to get free, but Dum Dum wasn’t having it.

“You need to get your back here because you are getting a serious ass-beating!” Dum Dum growled, shaking the older Stark as if he were a ragdoll. “You kept Bucky from us, Howard! You’ve got no idea what you’ve done!”

Fred snorted, rolling his eyes as he leaned against the wall. “Half the agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. are useless. Barton can’t keep his damn mouth shut. I had to throw a damn newspaper at him just to get him to stop running it. And that’s saying something because it should’ve been his damn face.”

Howard, still struggling to get free, turned to Tony with an apologetic look. “Tony, I didn’t mean to hide it from them. I—”

“Hide it?” Tony snapped, folding his arms across his chest. “You kept it from them for decades, old man! Not cool. Not cool at all.” He turned to the Howling Commandos with an incredulous look on his face. “I mean, why the hell would you hide Bucky from his team? His own team? You all should’ve known, but he kept you all in the dark, playing the ‘protect’ card. You don’t do that to family.”

As the verbal sparring continued, the elevator doors opened once more, and from them emerged none other than Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, fresh from his meeting with Howard. He stood tall, dressed in a white t-shirt, blue jeans, Converse shoes, and a black leather jacket—casual but unmistakably the soldier who had once fought alongside them all. His steely eyes darted around the room, and he tried his best not to laugh at the scene unfolding before him.

The Howling Commandos, who had been bickering amongst themselves, fell silent at the sight of their long-lost friend. Fred was the first to speak, a grin spreading across his face as he clapped Barnes on the shoulder.

“Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour!” Fred said with a sly grin. “Cap, you missed the fun. Howard here has been getting his ass handed to him by Dum Dum.” He nodded toward the commotion, where Dum Dum was shaking Howard like a ragdoll, his hands on Howard’s throat. “You know, the usual. Not telling us that you were pulled out of the ice? Like some damn chicken sitting on an egg, waiting for it to hatch.”

Barnes chuckled, his smile reaching his eyes as he watched Dum Dum deliver a playful bonk to Howard’s head. “You guys are getting old,” he said with a wink, his voice deep but filled with amusement.

Dum Dum stopped for a moment, turning toward Barnes, his face filled with mock indignation. “Excuse you? Old? You went into the ice for 70 damn years, Barnes. Seventy. Me, Jim, and Fred? We’ve got every right to call you old, because you might not show it, but you’re in the same boat as the rest of us.”

Fred laughed, clapping Barnes on the back. “Yeah, it’s been 70 years since we’ve seen you, so forgive us if we’re a little out of shape around the edges.”

Barnes’ grin softened as he looked at his old comrades. “You guys look just the same. Still the best damn team I ever had.”

Howard, still recovering from the assault, glared at Dum Dum. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I was just trying to protect you.”

Dum Dum’s voice was low but filled with a heavy kind of truth. “You don’t protect family by hiding things, Howard. You tell ‘em the truth and let ‘em decide for themselves. So now you’ve got to deal with the consequences.”

The group chuckled, the tension finally breaking. Barnes stepped forward, his eyes glinting with a quiet fire. “Alright, alright. Let’s not keep beating the old man up. We’ve got more important things to talk about, like getting the team back together.”

As they all gathered around Howard, Fred, Jim, and Gabe exchanged a knowing look. They had finally found their leader again, and nothing—not even time—could take that from them. Not anymore.

“Let’s make sure we don’t let this shit happen again, yeah?” Fred said, clapping Barnes on the back again. “The Howlies are back in business, and we’ve got some old wounds to heal.”

And with that, the Howling Commandos were whole again, ready to face whatever came next—together.

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Title card is by Ash