(December 8, 1941)
Following the attack at Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan. Three days later, they declared war on both Germany and Italy, chargin’ into the second World War with guns blazin’. Canada had already been there for two years. Even though he, Logan, was marchin’ under the Canadian flag, he wasn’t exactly a Canadian soldier. His orders, though they came through the Canadian military, originated from somewhere else. They were called the Devil’s Brigade an’, just like in the first World War, they did the devil’s work. And just like in WWI, Cyber was his commanding officer. Though they had a history together, he didn’t remember it.
After Cyber killed Janet, he lost his mind, Logan thinks. No, that ain’t right, he threw it away an’ ran from it. He did exactly what they wanted him to do. What they needed him to do because it was the one thing they couldn’t do to him. They never could beat it outta him, no matter what they did. He always wanted to be a good man. But that part o’ him – the human part – it don’t heal like the rest o’ him. So, when it would start bleedin’ an’ not stop, when it got to the point where he couldn’t take it no more, he’d amputate it. Leave it behind an’ run. He made it so easy for ‘em. All they had to do was find him.
The man that found him was Creed. When Logan and Creed would engage in battle, it was Cyber who ended it by shooting him in the back. They then brought him back to the camp. There he’d already forced himself to forget all the stuff they wanted him to forget like them. Like bein’ a man, like havin’ anythin’ approachin’ feelins or remorse. All that was left was the need to kill, to exact vengeance. For what – he didn’t know, or even care.
When Logan was at his angriest, Creed would inform Cyber to tell ‘im. That’s how they always drew him back in. They gave him a clear path for that vengeance. They sent him to Madripoor to learn under Seraph. There he got his spit an’ polish. A clear set o’ orders an’ a handler to keep him on-point. Both at the stagin’ site, Seraph, an’ the kill-zone, namely Cyber and Nazi Germany. The never endin’ cycle of his rotten life.
In the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, Logan continues to drink and tell his story to the statue of Captain America. Like he said before, the States officially entered the war in December of ’41 but unofficially, they’d been involved since November of ’41, partnering with the U.K. an’ the free French in what ended up being called Operation: Blueboy. Take a guess how that got its name.
In a plane back in November of 1941 sits Steve Rogers, the man known as Captain America. A few men over from him, an older soldier calls out “here comes the sentinel of liberty!” and laughs to himself as he continues to read a book featuring Captain America himself. A fellow, younger soldier asks him what he is reading and the older soldier replies that he hasn’t seen it yet? They’re packin’ ‘em in their k-rats now. The younger soldier proceeds to ask Captain America if it is supposed to be him or is he supposed to be, or what is he…
The reply comes from somebody else – Bucky Barnes – who tells him that what he is, is a Captain. He then orders the soldier that he will address him with all respect due his rank. When Bucky sits down next to Cap, Cap tells him not to do that in front of… Before Cap can finish his thought, the plane starts to run into trouble. The pilot calls back to his crew to strap in tight. The decision was made by the pilot and his co-pilot that the crew couldn’t jump. They were already too low. The plane was going down!
“Blueboy” was the States’ first major airborne assault, ever. It was F.U.B.A.R. from the get-go. The American’s plan was to fly from Great Britain, all the way over Spain, an’ make their drops near Oran. It was a long shot literally but they could’a pulled it off if they’d had solid navigational info an’ good communication with the French forces on the ground. So a lot of ‘em jus’ plain ran outta gas.
On the ground at a base-camp, Cyber informs Logan that the Americans’ve scattered their sticks to the wind – they’re spread out from Gibraltar to Tunisia. His boy is somewhere in between. Logan asks how he is s’posed to… Cyber tells him that transport’s been arranged with an American who’s been runnin’ clandestine harrier missions against the Afrika Korps, workin’ with the British S.A.S. He knows the area, he’ll help him find ‘im. Cyber points over the jeep and says that’s him.
When Logan begins to get into the jeep he asks the driver what his name is. The driver, long before acquiring his trademark eye-patch, replies “Nick Fury.” Fury got him to where he needed to be in a hurry – his connections were solid gold. They still needed to find where Cap’s plane went down, but they narrowed down the possibilities pretty quick. All it took was a few abductions, some pliers an’ one or two car batteries. Once they had a general location, he, Fury an’ his S.A.S. boys started combin’ the area. It didn’t take long.
Logan knew plenty o’ folks who knew how to fight but Fury’s one o’ those few folks he ever met who, on a damn-near genetic level, knew how to fight a war. It was like goin’ to school, listenin’ to that guy. Fury pointed out how the Korps has taken up positions around the plane. One man per, spread out. There’s only four, maybe six men – completely indefensible – but from the American’s P.O.V., it must look like ten times that many.
He also points out who the Americans are coiling up for a counterattack but how Jerry has his transport positioned. They’re set up for a clean getaway. They’re just gonna pop shots until either they run low on ammo or get the feelin’ they’re about to get flanked. Then they’ll pull off, hit the gas an’ report the position – they won’t even bother firin’ from the rear ‘cause the Americans won’t be able to see ‘em ‘cause of the contour of the land. By the time the Americans get their act together, those Korps boys’ll be long gone.
One of Fury’s men adds that ‘hoevers leadin’ the yanks is playin’ it right cautious like… Fury says keepin’ his exposure down, not riskin’ any casualties, or he’s already casualty-heavy from the crash. Safe to say he must not have any radio at all. Frustrated, Fury adds that they may try to hail ‘em over the air, tell ‘em to sit tight while they… Just then another of Fury’s men points out that Logan has taken off. He tells him that he said “Let’s go Canada” and that he must have big brassy ones.
When Logan approached the Afrika Corps, he lit the place up like a carnival midway. He blew up their jeeps and killed all of Corps in cold blood. It was complete overkill. But then, the whole point was to make a dramatic entrance just like he did in Madripoor. Once the bloodshed was finished, Logan called out to the Americans to hold their fire. When Captain America saw Logan he recognized him immediately.
In Madripoor, Cap had made him an offer an’ there he was, showin’ up like the cavalry to take him up on it. Cap proceeds to ask him what he is doing there, to which Logan replies that he is there to take him up on his offer. He then asks Cap if he is still lookin’ for a partner. When he asked the question, Logan could tell by the look on Cap’s face that this wasn’t gonna go the way he’d planned. ‘Cause the position’d already been filled.
Bucky then informs Logan that Captain America already has a partner. Logan apologizes, he didn’t mean to dance with… Captain America’s partner was a young punk named James Buchanan Barnes – “Bucky.” The way Logan saw it then, Bucky wasn’t nothin’ more’n an obstacle, standin’ between him an’ his mission goal… in his underwear.
