The Death Knell

At the same time, another thing was happening in Washington, D.C., not far from New York.

There are more than 100 national cemeteries in the United States, and Arlington National Cemetery, located on the Potomac River in Washington, DC, and famous for its green lawns and white crosses, is the most famous one.

Being laid to rest there is considered a patriot's honor.

At this time, two strong men walked across the Arton Bridge, wearing long-sleeved shirts with hoods, walking into Arlington Cemetery in the breeze of the Potomac River, and strolling on the stone steps of Arlington Slope. superior.

They walked slowly, pausing slightly at each tombstone as they passed, as if they were reading each story of the American Dream word by word.

Although it is a cemetery, it is as beautiful and peaceful as a park. With Arlington Hill as the center, the cemetery is distributed on slopes and flat areas, covering a total area of ​​2.48 square kilometers, full of green grass and surrounded by trees.

As of the 1990s, a total of 225,000 people are buried here. All the tombstones are distributed in a fan shape, like guarding the flying Stars and Stripes on the cemetery hill.

Except for the graves of George Washington, Parker Costis and his wife, General George Marshall, President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, General Pershing, General Halsey and other famous celebrities... .

Other cemeteries are not divided into different levels. Soldiers and officers of all levels only have one cross, which is very equal.

"We are wrong. Howard will not let himself appear mediocre. A simple cross cannot satisfy him."

One of the two men whispered to his companion. With his dark stubble, aged eyes, and long shawl hair that hadn't been washed for an unknown amount of time, he looked like a homeless man.

But every step he took was solid and powerful, and his temples bulged high, as if he was ready to fight the enemy at any time.

The person traveling with him was also very strong. He wore a blue T-shirt hood covering the side of his face and a brown leather bomber jacket. He had a clean and handsome face, and he was full of righteousness when he spoke:

"I know...it's just that I want to see our comrades who fought alongside us before, and I hope they can enjoy peace here."

"Of course, but we know at least one-tenth of the people sleeping here. Can we come see you next time when we have more time?" The long-haired young man sighed, and he turned his head to avoid the pedestrians passing by. , whispered.

The young blond man nodded slightly. He raised his hand to cover his face: "I know, Bucky, we followed the Red Skull to the United States. We don't know where he is hiding yet. Time is tight, but at least let After I missed Howard’s funeral, why don’t I go to his grave and meet him?”

Bucky sighed. He always had nothing to do with Steve. He looked around, kept saying "borrow" to the tombstone along the way, ran to the big tree on the side of the road, and pulled out two open flowers. A dandelion with small yellow flowers, came back and handed one to Steve.

"We can't go empty-handed, here you go."

Steve took the flowers without saying anything. During World War II, many of his comrades died without even a single dandelion. He had indeed arrived in a hurry and had traveled halfway around the world overnight, but he always had to bring flowers with him when visiting his grave. .

Although this little flower is a little wilted and broken, and seems to have been bitten by insects, it is better than nothing.

Steve and Bucky took the flowers and searched for new graves with larger tombstones. They soon found Howard's grave. His tombstone was larger than General Marshall's next door.

Bucky rolled his eyes secretly. He knew this was the case. They say that everyone is equal after death, but those who set up monuments are not equal. With Howard's financial resources and Stark Industries' power, if he could sleep in a simple There is a ghost under the white cross.

‘Howard Stark, 1924-1991, patriot, scientist, father. ’

Maria's name is also engraved on the tombstone, but the dates of birth and death are not written, and there is no epitaph.

Steve and Maria were not familiar with each other. He walked to the tombstone and put down the flowers, then stood there quietly looking at the grave where no grass had grown.

He recalled the days when he and Howard got along. He created a shield for himself, and it was he who led him to play mahjong all night long. The man with the coquettish mustache seemed to be cheerful at all times and had helped him a lot.

Now Steve felt alone again.

The Godfather is dead, Howard is dead, and Holloway is dead. In addition, three-quarters of the Howling Commandos are also dead. Only he, Fury, and a few others are still alive.

The breeze blew across the green grass in the distance. Steve raised his hand to wipe off his hood and looked at the tombstone intently.

After Bucky presented the flowers, he didn't say any more witty words to Steve, but just stood beside him in silence.

"Bucky, am I a good person?"

After a long time, Steve suddenly asked him a question, his tone full of confusion.

Bucky nodded without hesitation: "Of course, you are Captain America, and you are probably the best person in America. Why do you say that?"

"No, I'm not asking whether I am qualified as a warrior, but whether I am... a qualified relative or friend?" Steve sighed. He looked up at the sky, the dazzling sky The sun didn't make him feel warm.

"Have you thought about Mr. Wilson again? You still can't forget about tearing off the arm of his body, right?" Bucky sniffed. Howard was also an old friend of his.

And because the two have almost the same hobbies, Howard liked drinking, smoking, and playing with women when he was young, and Bucky also liked it, so their relationship is even better.

"What if I defeat all my enemies and want to live a peaceful life, only to find that there is no one around me?" Steve gritted his teeth. He found that his family and friends had been decreasing. Even those who are alive have not been seen for a long time.

He was a little worried, worried that one day he would wake up and suddenly become alone.

"Then you have to find a way to die in front of me." Bucky curled his lips and said seemingly casually: "Because I will always be by your side."

Steve smiled, hugged Bucky, and patted each other on the back, but what he said was another sentence.

"This is a cemetery, pay attention to the language."

"Okay, it's up to you, but I think it would be nice to pull off the Red Skull's head and give it to Howard as a sacrifice."

"salute!"

Captain America raised his arm and saluted Howard's tombstone as a farewell to his comrades. Bucky, after all, also raised his hand to salute. They didn't have much time and they still had missions ahead.

The two veterans maintained a saluting posture for more than ten seconds, then put down their hands and turned to leave. They had to rush to New York, because there was a high probability that the Red Skull's next target would be there.

.....................

But when they walked out of the cemetery and before they could get back to the car, a helicopter flew in the sky. A black man in black leather clothes had his feet on the landing gear and his hands were hanging on the windshield.

After landing, Luodan walked straight towards the two of them, and asked expressionlessly with his hands behind his back: "Captain, do you want a ride?"

The strong wind lifted his fur coat, and he looked like a shadow, floating around.

Bucky looked at Steve and then at Fury: "It's good to have a ride, but...where's your hair?"

He couldn't look directly at Fury because of the angle. The midday sun reflected strongly on the black bald head, making Bucky unable to open his eyes.

Is this the latest American method of defending against snipers? So dazzling!

"Nice to meet you too, Bucky." Fury's expression remained unchanged, and he greeted Bucky as if he didn't hear the question. Perhaps he automatically converted the question into hello language in his mind.

"How did you find us?" Steve didn't care about Fury's hairstyle. He also felt that a bald head was suitable for a spy.

But he and Bucky smuggled into Mexico and then rowed back along the coastline at night. How did Fury discover them?

The helicopter's propellers were still spinning rapidly, and Fury signaled that this was not the place to talk and that everyone should get on the plane to talk. Steve took a deep look at him, and out of trust for his former comrades, took Bucky on the plane.

The helicopter pilot was a young girl, very unfamiliar, not a direct descendant as expected. Bucky looked at her curiously, and this was noticed by Fury.

"This is Iron Rider, a loyal agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's safe for us to talk here."

Fury introduced the newcomers to the two people on the intercom, and then gestured for Melinda to take off and take the three of them to the 'playground' of the old base, where it was safer.

Melinda turned her head and smiled at the two of them: "Captain, Bucky, welcome back."

"Okay, you can wait until you land and ask the captain for a personal phone number. Now maintain the level 2 alert and fly stealthily."

Fury asked her to concentrate on driving, and then began to explain how he found Steve sneaking:

"Howard has a lot of friends, but most of them are fair-weather friends and business associates. Maybe they will attend the church funeral, but they will not go to the cemetery to pay homage to him. He has very few real friends, and even fewer are still alive. , I installed surveillance cameras around his graveyard, and I expected you to come, so you showed up and stayed there for three minutes, which was enough for me to come from Tri-Curve Wing."

Yes, most people will walk on the paved paths in the cemetery instead of walking through the grass between the tombstones, which makes the installation of monitoring equipment much simpler.

Steve looked at the scenery outside the window getting smaller and smaller, and sighed helplessly: "Fortunately, you are one of our own."

"Yes, of course I am. I am also a friend of Howard. By the way, I did not tell Agent Carter about your whereabouts. Her current location is Ethiopia." There was nothing visible on Fury's dark face, but he Knows what Steve is worried about.

When it comes to Peggy, Steve seems a little uncomfortable. The long cold war between the two is not over yet. Even if the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union is about to end, they are not yet.

"As long as she's fine, let's talk about it. What are you doing with us? It's not like you're here to reminisce about old times." Captain America changed the subject.

Fury forced out a stiff smile to make himself look more humane: "There is indeed something going on. I'm here to ask you to save the United States. All of us are facing a big trouble."