"You don't give up do you?"
The cold Johann felt was unlike any other. It wasn't ice and it wasn't water, it was a sharp biting wind that engulfed him as he lay still unable to move. Fear had spread throughout his chest like rushing water. He had no idea where he was or if he could be captured. What happened when he held the tesseract? Was he dead? These questions flooded his mind as his vision remained dark.
"Nope"
Steve felt the warmth that resembled that of a mid-afternoon sun, it was cosy, and reminded him of home. He had no idea where he was, or why he couldn't move or see. Something about the warmth lead him to believe he was in a safe and familiar place. However, he could still feel them, the harsh punches of anger that came from the fight between the Red Skull and him. His eyes so full of fury and hate, they still burned into his soul even now. It was almost like he could see them in the darkness.
"You could have the power of the gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations. I have seen the future captain! There are no flags!"
Anger pulled at Johann's heart, at the memories that poured into his mind. Rogers had denied joining him on the campaign that would rock the world, he didn't understand his potential or just how perfect he was. Rogers was hand chosen by Erskine to be the superior man and he instead chooses to fight in some petty war between nations. For god's sake his name is Captain America. How pathetic is that! Johann stopped his tirade of thought for a moment to clear his mind, perhaps he wasn't just upset that Rogers was fighting for the other side. He remembered what Steve had said to him, how he refused to join him to create a better future for the world, it… Hurt. He knew he was worthless compared to the other super soldier, there was no doubt about that, but perhaps he wanted to be something more with the American, an unstoppable duo. They could have made a perfect world together and Rogers didn't even bother to listen. Johann settled for a moment sinking into a sort of sad feeling. Why was it so hard for him to accept that this one particular man didn't even try to see his vision? He was jerked out of thought by the faint sounds of loud clangs nearby, fear returning to him quickly.
"Not my future!"
Steven began to hear the faint sound of cars outside his window as they hummed along the busy road beneath him. Sounds of people moving around the town and loud honks began to wake Steve from his unconscious state. He slowly started to regain his senses, first hearing and then touch. He felt as though he was laying on a very soft cloud with a thick blanket over him. His head propped up enough to be comfortable and the pillow was soft enough to be almost engulfing. For a moment fear struck him, he could have been in enemy territory where Schmidt blinded him with the light of the cube and proceeded to kidnap him. The fear however faded as he sunk deeper and deeper into his bed before finally opening his eyes. To say it hurt to see the sun was an understatement. He pushed himself however, and managed to open his eyes wide enough so that he could see his surroundings. He found himself in a plain room with very generic furniture, strangely familiar yet foreign at the same time. The sound of a familiar baseball game played over the radio that was in his room. He slowly sat up in his bed and looked at the window then to the door. Suspicion set deeply in his chest before slowly manoeuvring himself out of the blankets so that his legs were out of bed ready to run if he needed.
A knock came at the door and a lady dressed in a well put together uniform stood before him. She wished him good morning but something about her was off, she looked a little too perfect. Her accent was strange, nothing like the girls he knew back at home. That's when he heard that familiar cheer over the radio, that game, he remembered being there that day. His comfort faded immediately as he jumped up from the bed, his body ached terribly but he knew he had to get out of there. He managed to smash through the wall realising he wasn't in a real room at all. Then he ran, his legs ached his body screamed for him to stop moving but despite all of the protesting he continued to run. Where he was going he didn't know, he just knew he had to leave. That's when he found himself running in the middle of a busy street, television screens plastered on every building accompanied with blinding flashing lights. Hundreds of people were roaming the streets, hundreds of eyes staring at him as if he were the enemy. It was New York, yet not the one he remembered and not the one he felt at home with. "At ease soldier!" A power voice called from behind him as he was suddenly surrounded by men in dark uniforms with weapons at the ready. The man approached almost cautiously but with a swagger of confidence. There was nothing overly strange about this man other than his very noticeable eyepatch. Steve felt he was going insane, what was happening? Who are all these people? What happened to my home? His mind was running in circles and he felt as though he was going to pass out from the stress. "Ah look, I'm sorry about that little show back there but, we thought it best to break it to you slowly," the man with the eyepatch spoke in a calm tone.
"Break what?" Steve questioned the only thing he wanted to know was just that, what. The man's commanding eyes shifted to that of sympathy as he looked down at Rogers with a small sigh.
"You've been asleep Cap, for almost 70 years."
The world went silent, all the noise he had heard left his mind, as everything stood still. He looked around at the world that now presented itself to him. That couldn't be right, how could anyone sleep for 70 years? Is that why his eyes trained and his body ached? What happened to the Red Skull? Did he die in the plane crash? All he could remember was the blinding light from the tesseract and the plane suddenly nose diving into the ice. He never even said goodbye to Peggy, Steve wondered if she could possibly still be around.
"You going to be okay?" The man asked with genuine concern laced in his voice.
"Yeah just, I was in a plane and- and I had a mission."
The rattling on metal bars grew louder in Johann's ears. He finally dragged his eyes open and was greeted by a dim and cold room. Once his eyes had adjusted he slowly began to lift himself up but found himself unable to. Restraints had been tied around his wrists, ankles, as well as across his body. Captured. He turned his head left and right as he tried to survey the darkness around him. The room was too dark to make out anything fully, he knew wherever he was he was in the middle of it. Suddenly a loud sharp bang resounded throughout the room as someone hit something very hard against a metal pole. "Well fellas, I've just been told the old Nazi is finally awake, Summers, go and get the food." A muffled cocky American voice came from the right of him. Johann concluded he must be in some sort of cell, they wouldn't just leave him out in the open a decision like that would be foolish. Nazi, Johann spat in his mind, if only they knew what I did to those idiots during the development of my weapons, they'd think twice when associating me with them. The sound of metal twisting out of shape filled his sensors then suddenly he felt he was no longer restrained. He cautiously and slowly pushed himself to sit upright getting a better look of the room. The walls were a dark metallic colour and the floor looked like solid concrete, solitary. Voices joked and laughed with each other outside of the door. They will regret mocking me, his mind hissed as he slowly slid off the table and placed his legs onto the ground. He noticed almost immediately that his full leather attire was gone, he had been put in what can only be described as prison overalls. How did they manage to do this to me? I know I was knocked unconscious but surely I would have felt movement around me at some point. He looked down at his chest to see if he could make out a number or any clue as to where he was but it was futile as he still couldn't see properly. A hard knock resounded on the metal door and he stared at it like a cautious cat not ready, but waiting, to strike.
"Do you think we could just shove his food under the door and leave? I am not too keen on seeing hi-"
"Relax Summers, it's not like he can do much to us. He has been asleep for years right? That's gotta have some sort of toll on the body. He can probably barely lift his head, look, just open the door a little bit and drop the tray quickly on the floor and presto! You did it." This American was the same one that ordered the timid man to fetch food for him. Asleep? Years? How is that even possible? Johann questioned his face showing mixed emotions of shock and fear. He quickly moved his way behind the door so that should it be opened he could pull it open and escape. They must be lying a way to strike fear in me, he thought to himself as he pressed his body firmly against the door. He couldn't ignore his legs aching or the fact that his head was throbbing from getting up so quickly. Perhaps they sedated me, there is no other reason as to why they would bother undoing the restraints. The door creaked and rattled as locks began to undo themselves and click open. Slowly, but surely, the door was pushed open by a small recruit who peered in the room before stating.
"He's gone?" In a rather shocked but still timid voice. The older American peered over his recruit before letting out a chuckle.
"Come out come out where ever you are Red Skull," he called mockingly as the other soldiers around him try to hush him as they moved away from the cell. "Oh come on you pussies, he is harmless, anyway we have guns remember?" The guard spat at his friends before pushing past Summers turning to his right to be greeted by the Red Skull who was a noticeable foot taller than him. "Hiya pal!" The guard grinned widely at him before grabbing the tray of food and placing it on his bed. Johann didn't speak, merely watched him. "What got nothin' to say?" The guard looked almost hurt he seemed to really want to start a fight with the old soldier. "Oh that's right you probably don't understand English! Ah well I can't speak Nazi so I ain't gonna help you there. Uh," the guard looked between the food and Johann before talking in a mockingly exaggerated voice, "you eating the food okay?"
Johann sneered, being mocked as if he was some dumb school boy burned a hatred in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. "I speak English you pathetic American," he spat back folding his arms against his chest. "Why don't you instead tell me where I am before I send your head through a wall or would you like me to spell that out for you?" Johann snapped back in the same mocking tone as he stepped away from the wall so that he stood before the guard fully.
"Woah hey pal, I didn't mean it ya know, no need to get your feelings hurt," as he said this he signalled for his other men to enter and as they did they slammed the door fully open all brandishing their weapons at him. "We don't want any trouble with you, we just came here to give you some food, okay?" Johann didn't flinch at the sight of the guns which caused the guard to become slightly unnerved, but he held his ground knowing he had back up. "Now, I'm not sure what that director Fury has install for you but I am sure it won't be pretty, ya probably gonna spend the rest of your life locked up here, so ya better start being nice to-." Before the guard could even think about finishing his sentence the Red Skull leaped forward grabbing him by the collar and pushed him hard into his fellow men who toppled over each other. He quickly leaned down, grabbed a gun, and ran passed them. He had no idea where he was or how he was going to get out, but he knew there had to be a way. His breathing quickened along with his steps as he continued to clamber down hallways that seemed to stretch on forever.
He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before noticing an emergency exit. He heard voices and alarms begin to sound as he sprinted towards the escape stair well. He slammed open the door and found himself surprisingly on the bottom floor of the stairs. What in-. He had no time to question it, he heard the slamming of boots on metal following him quickly. He took in a deep breath and began sprinting and climbing his way up the stairs. The alarms blared in his ears, they were deafening, and it began to sound like they were coming from inside his head. Exhausted, and barely able to move he finally reached what seemed to be the ground floor. When he opened the door he was greeted by rows of soldiers, surrounding by dimly lit cells with glass walls. His breathing was laboured but he stepped forward with a tired, but confident, stride. The sound of guns cocking and loading rang around the room as the large hanger door on top of the facility opened. Some of the men quickly ran out of the way when a peculiar looking jet landing gracefully in the middle of the room in front of him. For a moment Johann thought he was dead. The room looked foreign, unlike any American base he had the misfortune of seeing. The technology of the jet shocked him and his mind flew into a state of panic. His eyes darted around the soldiers, the room, and back to the exit of the jet which began to open. Everything was futuristic, flashing lights, images that appeared to shimmer with perfect colour reflected on security camera televisions. The design of the cells unlike anything he had ever seen. His exhausted legs felt like they were going to buckle, he felt himself losing consciousness. Johann inhaled deeply trying to pull himself together but, what if the guard outside his cell was telling the truth? What if he had been asleep for years? A commanding presence stepped his way out of the jet followed by two similar dressed agents.
"Hey now everyone, let's all calm down, our friend here looks a little lost," the same man who greeted his arch-nemesis was now here to speak to him. The man waved his hand to the mix of guards and soldiers and they began to stand at ease, but never letting their guard down. He slowly moved over to Johann who watched him carefully his dark blue eyes surveying him cautiously. Some sort of spy no doubt, and agent, probably working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Even though Johann was completely outnumbered some soldiers were still terrified of him, perhaps it was because of his history, or simply his grotesque red skull made them recoil into submission. "Confused? I'd be very surprised if you weren't, or maybe you're just good at hiding that sort of thing," he continued to speak as he made his way directly in front of the war criminal, only a meter or so away from him. "Got no plan now do ya? I'm sure the guards here have been most accommodating."
"Oh Ja, spectacular hospitality, I'll be sure to come back if I'm in the area," Johann joked with no hint of laughter in his voice. He had many questions he wanted to ask, but to ask and beg to know where and what was happening would make him appear weak, he couldn't let that happen. He would not submit.
"Hm, funny aren't you?" The man gave a small chuckle before sighing as he looked away from Johann for a moment to catch his thought. "You've been asleep for quite some time now. After your whole fight with Captain America you both went down, crashed straight into ice. We brought you here, thawed you out, and waited. When I say quite some time, I mean quite literally 70 years."
70 Years.
Johann's eyes widened with shock, he couldn't hide the fear he felt in his eyes now. What had happened in 70 years? Was Captain America still alive as well? He took a step back and was met with the end barrel of a certain cocky guard's gun. He swallowed his fear as glanced behind him then back at the agent. "What will you do with me now that I am awake? If you're going to keep me here you might as well just kill me now." Submitting his pride to death clawed its way at his heart and his mind. It was not easy, but he couldn't live for God knows how long in this hell… Perhaps it was hell.
The agent let out a small chuckle and smirked playfully before waving his hand at the guard to tell him to back off. "Oh you're not staying here. I could use someone like you working for S.H.I.E.L.D, with restrictions of course I can't just let you out of here with no rules. You're still a war criminal after all, but a damn smart one." Johann tilted his head at the man, confused.
"Is this some sort of joke?" Johann asked seriously folding his arms across his chest, "you really think I am going to believe you? Why would an American want my help?" He let out a small laugh then continued, "This deal does not sound promising, like you said I am a war criminal which means the war must be over, you have nothing to give trade with me. I have nothing left, especially nothing left to lose."
Fury shook his knowing the Red Skull was not going to be easily convinced. He looked around the room before taking another step closer to him. "Let's talk privately shall we?"