Land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Those words ring through my head every day,like someone set them on replay in my head. I was in the military, was for a while now. It’s weird to call myself a veteran, as I’m only twenty nine, but you could say my retirement was forced. The enemy tried something horrible. They wanted to make their own Captain America.
I went through two years of torture, and agonizing pain, even after the war was settled. Injection after injection. I guess it was his blood. Then again maybe it wasn’t. It was October 31st, Halloween day, 2016. It was my second year anniversary of my captivity.
I look around, but all I see is rusting metal bars, in a concrete room. I look down, to see that I’m restrained by two metal cuffs, in a creaky wooden chair. It reminds me of the dining chair at my old house, how Momma used to make deep dish for Elijah and I. Dad was in the military, I guess that’s one of the reasons I enlisted.
I start to wobble the chair, hoping to tip it, but two men, no, teenagers walk through the rusted metal door. They’re both wielding automatics, maybe AK 47’s. The tall, yet slim one makes his way to me, and spits in my face. He turns to his friend.
They start laughing like schoolboys, and start speaking in Pashto to each other. My Pashto’s a little rusty, but I can make out a couple words I wouldn’t say in front of Mom.
After they finish their laughing fit, the shorter one takes a syringe with dark crimson liquid, and grins, his breath giving off a horrid stench.
He violently sticks the needle in my bicep, and everything slows down. The needle breaks before I even realize what’s going on in my body.
I pass out, for what seemed like hours, to an excruciating pain all over my body.
My bones break all at once, as my muscles grow at an alarming rate. I scream out in pain, while the two kids keep laughing. My bones grow back, stronger, binding the old broken pieces together.
I feel invincible, and break the cuffs, smiling.
The kids run as fast as they can, but I begin to run at them. I lunge at the first, and punch him in the mouth. He grins, as blood pours from his mouth. The other, terrified, runs at me, trying to hit me with a metal tray. I give him a confused look, and knee him in the crotch. I rip part of his blue shirt off, and tie it around my eyes, biting out two eye holes. I pick up the circular tray, and kick the door open.
The door opens with a creak, and I enter a long hallway. Three heavily armed men walk towards me, grimaces on their faces.
“Sorry about your buddies, they never shut up.”
They notice me, and pull their triggers, spraying a wave of bullets my way. I hold up the tray, but it only seems to stop the bullets, finding no other option, I throw the tray, sending it bouncing back and forth on the hallway walls.
It knocks out two, leaving the other terrified. He points a sidearm at me, hesitating. I run, and right before he has the time to shoot, I slide between his legs, extending my arms to knock his legs down. I quickly stand up, and and punch the side of his head, knocking him out cold.
I continue my Rambo- esque march, until I make it to what looks like an armory. I take a pistol with me just in case, and run back into the hallway.
I see a figure standing in the distance, they’re covered in some kind of armor, it’s black and red. Looks like it’s on my side, due to it firing at the terrorists. It hovers over to me, and lands.
“Isaiah Bradley?”
It says.
“In the flesh.”
I reply.
“Nice to meet you, I’m To- Iron Man.”
He says, insecurely.
“Who?”
“Nevermind. By the way, for the record, sorry about this.”
I don’t even have time to respond before gas begins to spray out of his hand, and I drift off to sleep.
PRESENT DAY
I wake up on a bed in a medical bay of some sort. I’m wearing a shirt with a logo on it, so I guess ‘Iron man’ or whoever it is, cared to wash me after two years of imprisonment. I get up out of my bed, and look out the window to see the glorious sight of New York City.
A cold, hard object taps my shoulder, this makes me jump, and I turn around to see a guy a couple years younger than me , with black hair, and a grin on his face.
“Names Tony, I have a proposition for you.”
END OF APP
Now this features Iron Man, as you know. Ben gave me permission to use his character and I’m glad for it. I thank him from the bottom of my heart.
Also a big thank you to Payton Aka Nexus, for inspiration on doing vignettes.
