Just Joking

On the next morning it was quiet for the few people who knew of the recent happenings.

The Wardogs, Commandos, Steve, Peggy, Colonel and even a few officers who heard of the small conversations between Steve and the Colonel.

No one seemed to have suspect of how Alfred McBride has not been seen when the two teams came back.

But it won't be long until questions start popping about.

But all in all it was a successful mission.

They were able to secure the HYDRA scientist Zola and stop at the extraction point.

Though when the Wardogs heard of the fall of their Captain, they were shocked and couldn't believe it.

After James was able to verify it most of them went mad, they tried to get rid of this anger in them by rushing at the scientist wanting to bash his head in.

The Commandos and Steve did their best to calm them down, even James was surprisingly calm and even yelled at his teammates to ease up.

But Steve was able to tell that James was as frustrated as the Wardogs, he was just smart enough to not make more problems than they already have.

The moment they reached base James left to be alone while the others did their things, Steve went to give his report.

As the sun started to set, Steve and Bucky found James at the far corner of a seating in a bar.

James didn't look mad, nor sad.

He did seem like he was contemplating something though.

Steve and Bucky came up sitting on the sides of the round table which was already filled with empty glass bottles.

As the two sat they didn't say anything but looked at the unusually thinking James.

A server came by soon and put three small glasses and a big Vodka bottle.

Steve took the chance and opened the bottle filling the three cups before he grabbed one along with Bucky and downing it whole.

It didn't do anything, not to Steve, and that was expected, but he still grabbed the bottle and poured Buckys than his, but paused.

He brought the bottle closer and rubbed on the bottle, and was the first to speak between the three this night.

"You know my first alcohol I ever had was Vodka...all because of Alfie." Steve said as he imagined back in the days.

Bucky smiled before he pulled his head back and drank the glass in his hand.

"Aaah…me too, I still remember it."

And with a smile Steve replied.

"Yeah, it was during our sophomore years and Alfie had just stolen a bottle, he forced us to sip the thing even when we refused, hahaha." Steve replied with another shot.

"When we had some, we didn't like it because the drink burned, when we refused to drink anymore Al called us weak before taking the whole bottle for himself." Bucky said.

"That wasn't a smart decision…" Steve shaking his head with a big smile.

He says so because when Alfie drank half the bottle, Alfie ended up too drunk and had to slow down before he completely blacked out.

His body was still too young and fresh for the world of alcohol, and at the time he was still learning how to use Chi.

As the two sat and reminisce about the old days, they didn't realize that James wasn't listening.

"What are you guys doing?" James asked as the two turned their attention on him.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"You are talking as if that idiot is dead…he's not." James said.

Steve looked down a bit too sadly, he was happy that James had faith in Alfie being alive but the chances were too small for that.

"...let's be real James, no one can survive that fall, even if it's Alfie himself, he fell down one of the biggest and coldest mountains known to men, the chances of surviving is…" Bucky paused not wanting to finish.

"We would have really known if he bit the dust if you had let me and te others to check ourselves." James lightly growled out, but the two can feel the deep frustration in his tone.

"That's enough James, we are also Al's friends, we are hurt as much as you are, but there was something Alfie always said to me… and it's that you should expect to be hurt when you sign up for this." Steve said.

"Fine, sit here and let your expectations of that idiots death be, I'm done for the night." James said as he stood up and walked for the exit.

But not before grabbing a few bottles still full on the table.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked.

"To dig up whatever hole my Captain is in." James said before walking out.

••••••

A few hours after Alfie fell.

On a very snowy and plain area in the Alps, something popped out of the snow before screaming.

"Shitt!! Oh shitt!! Aghhhh this...is...COLD!!" Alfie said as he was shivering.

He looked around to see that the snow was so high that it was up to his shoulders.

As he shivered he thought about what happened before, and never would he thought he would take Bucky's place.

Thank god he didn't lose an arm or even worse, get captured by HYDRA and turned into their mindless killing weapon.

Alfie began to walk his way from the deep snow and made his way to god knows where.

He patted himself down ridding of the snow and reached for his lower back getting a small radio out.

The radio seemed to have slowed down from the snow, Alfie hit the snow off before raising it in the air which really didn't do anything.

What he needed to do was find some warmth before figuring out a way back to base.

Knowing that comms don't work he organized his thoughts, and the first thing to do was get to somewhere high or close where he can get some connections for the others to pick him up.

But that Is right after he finds some warmth, because even if he is using Chi to ward the outside cold he still took in some from his nap a while ago.

If he had more abilities in his arsenal he would have found a way to get out of that falling situation.

He thought about making a portal in midair but it just wasn't possible for him, even if he did have his sling ring he couldn't have done so because it requires great focus and concentration to make a portal.

And doing it in midair wasn't something he can do, even if he managed to make one he would just fall past it before it fully widens for his size.

And other spells that the Sorcerers used like the energy chain wasn't in his abilities to use, because he didn't learn it.

During his time in Kamar-Taj since he was young, the first thing he learned was the portal, and after that all his focus was on one thing and one thing only.

Chi Energy.

That is why he is able to use it to this extent at this time of his life, if he had learned multiple things at once then he wouldn't have achieved much.

He may be smart but the mindset of a Sorcerer or a Chi Martial Artist to summon inner energies was stressful and a whole new world.

He was only able to comfortably use his Chi in his late teenage years, and even then he had hard time controlling the output strength of the energy.

But he had good practice with the Hand ninjas who he successfully and constantly annoyed to no end.

•••••

It was still daylight but the sunshine told everyone that it would set soon.

Steve was heading to James' tent to ease things up and make sure he is all right.

When Steve entered the tent he saw that James had both hands on a table leaning forward looking intently at a radio comm unit.

One particularly used to contact Alfie.

Steve looked sad at this scene, because he thought James was just having false hope and chasing unrealistic thoughts.

"James…" Steve started.

"I heard it, poster boy...there was…static coming from it." James picked up the radio and showed Steve.

Steve stood there with unclear thoughts, he didn't say anything but soon exhaled.

"Alright, I'll bring that to Howard, see if we can get anything."

"I'm coming." James walked past Steve and walked out first as Steve followed hopelessly.

The two rushed to the undergrounds Science Reserve where Howard was contemplating on something.

Howard stood thinking about what he should do with the crying wolf in the cage in front of him, it's been howling for a bit now and it's starting to annoy the workers distracting them.

"Maybe I should make something to better understand the language of wolves." Howard muttered.

"You just have to feed her." A gruff voice sounded behind him.

He looked back to see James and Steve walking up to them.

"James, Steve, what brings you by?" Howard asked.

James tossed the radio to Howard who caught it clumsily.

"This…is this Alfred's radio?" Howard asked, examining the radio.

"It's mine, what's on the other side of the connection is Alfie's...it's been making noises." James said looking at Howard intently hoping for some good news.

"Did you? I'll hook it up to the source and spread its connections to see if there is anything." Howard said rushing to the inner side of the labs.

James looked at the lab assistant near them and told him to feed the wolf.

"We have, Sergeant, but he doesn't really eat the things we give him…" The young man said.

"You see him as a dog, not what she is, don't feed her things you would a house dog, best to hunt down a deer and give it to her." James said before walking off after Howard and Steve.

Steve isn't trying to have false hope, but he did ask what the possibilities of Alfie being alive and is trying to contact them.

Howard isn't feeling any better, when he heard that Alfie fell to his death he didn't know how he should react.

Sure they were friends, but it was more acquaintance than a friendship, at least that's how it felt between them. Of course there were some friendship moments but really got along due to their ideas and imaginations.

And they didn't spend everyday like childhood friends would, but every week they would see each other back in the days.

But the more Howard thought about it when he was alone, he felt a sense of loss to him, and thinking about the moments with Alfie didn't help.

A lot of them couldn't believe Alfie, the Wolf of America, was gone.

And right now more uncertainty popped up when James came with the radio used for private chats between Alfie and James.

Steve and James saw Howard connect cords to the small radio from a bigger looking device before he did his things with buttons and turnings.

"Well? Anything?!" James asked impatiently.

"I'm widening the ranges on the receivers, let me work James." Howard turned to the two who looked a bit anxious and annoyed.

"Hello? Come in, this is Howard Stark...Alfred?..." Howard spoke onto the radio.

"Hello, this is Howard Stark from Strategic Science Reserve, is anybody there?...Alfred? Alfred buddy are you there?" Howard tried again.

The three held their breath listening to the fuzzy sound coming in, when a strange order of words came in through the speaker.

"There it is!! That's what I heard!!" James said.

Everyone listened more closely, it sounded like a combination of static and stuttering.

"It's...these are not just words!! It's- it's Alfred." Howard said shockingly to the two.

"Hold on!!" Howard did some turns on the device before the sound cleared up, and they heard Alfie's unclear but freezing voice.

>Fina...llyeee...yuu…idiots answer...ho-..ow loong are you gonna leave- ve-..me i-in th-...the cold?! I can't...be...believe you left me t..to freeze...my ass off..<

Was what they heard.

"Well I'll be damned!!"

"Son of a gun…"

"Bastard's still kickin'."

(Can you guess who said what above?)