Hours later, back somewhere in the Champagne region of France, Bucky sighed deeply as he moved his left arm, wiggling his fingers as Steve had healed the remaining stuff from the mangled flesh, now flawless with faint scars and such, "So, let me get this straight. All this healing gives me a magical contract where I am not even able to say anything of it which I am fine about, keeping secret about Atlantis that you, Mole, Jacques, Peggy, and a whole crew discovered, where a whole city of people is living with royalty to boot, with the guy who made you a Atlantean super soldier, fighting Hydra which is a scientist/secret branch off the Nazis with a madman who wants to rule the world like a God, and got the honor to visit/stay in Atlantis whenever anyone wants while protecting the city from the surface world, with the royals giving you those crystals as a gift, and now Jacques, hopefully having escaped while faking his death, is going back to Atlantis because he can't live any more nights longer without his dame and family he made in Atlantis. How am I doing so far there?".
"Pretty much spot on there...", Steve chuckled. "Sorry I didn't tell you any of that before, especially with what happened to me, but you understand, of course.".
"Yeah, no kidding...", Bucky chuckled. "Damn, sounds like I missed a lot of fun there...", he said as Steve had a solemn look, "I wish I could say the journey was fun... but with how many we lost and especially at times with Rourke and Helga's betrayal of us... it was touch and go for a while that we might not even make it.".
"Shit, sorry, Steve... you're right; sometimes I still kinda have that mindset that a number of us boys were having; seeing war as more of a fun adventure... I thought I had mostly got that out of my system at Dieppe when one of our few casualties amongst our Rangers got his head blown out from a grenade round a few yards from me.", Bucky said.
Steve grimaced, "Damn...That's rough, Bucky.", and Bucky sighed deeply, "Well, at least you got me on the right track, Steve. So, how do you think Jacques would contact you or Mole?".
"Probably when he's in safer waters like the North Sea or in the English Channel. All those rivers and tributaries, it would take some time before getting into the English Channel, and then of course, straight on down and west into the Atlantic.", Steve commented.
"Did you tell him where Peggy is? Maybe he'll turn up at your place to let her know that he made it... or hell, maybe he'll be a surprise visitor at the wedding?", Bucky smirked as Steve nearly face palmed, "Oh, jeez, you're right! I almost forgot about the wedding...".
"Hey, it's alright; we just get ourselves back to England and hopefully we'll have enough time on leave to go through with it. Shoot, with what we just pulled off, I say we've earned at least a week's worth of R&R.", Bucky chuckled.
Steve nodded, "Well, we had five weeks to plan for this mission...Gods, I really hope Phillips will radio tonight or soon. I missed her so much...".
Bucky patted his shoulder, "Hey, don't worry, as long as we got many routes to take the freed prisoners to Britain for recovery and all, we will make it in time for Christmas.".
"Hope you're right... all I know for sure is that we've certainly given Schmidt another headache after dealing with his goons back in Atlantis.", Steve chuckled.
"Speaking of which; have you been looking over those papers we nabbed on the way out? I can't make heads or tails of them.", Bucky asked. Steve shook his head, "Honestly, I'm not fully sure, but they're mostly weaponry related... and some pretty advanced looking kinds too.".
Bucky blinked, "You think they're even stronger and more reliable than those things that exploded on the Hydra goons?", and Steve sighed, "Since Hydra is a based-scientist secret society, I wouldn't doubt that. From what Abraham said, they're always trying to specify weapons and upgrade them up after stages of testing and all...".
"No wonder why you said Schmidt's a madman...And you're sure he got dosed with the super soldier serum thing?", Bucky asked, and Steve replied, "It's true I haven't met him, but seeing those things back there, including those planned submersibles, he's a genius, but a mad scientist all the same, looking to the big picture which is not good for us...I mean, a normal man wouldn't actually come up with all this!".
Bucky replied, "Good point.", with a nod before a knock came upon the door with Mole's voice calling out, "Captain, Sergeant, we got orders by morse code on the radio, with a Colonel Phillips saying that 3 Navy ships are patrolling the Channel, and if we get to North Normandy from here in the Champagne region, we can split the freed prisoners and the injured people into the Navy ships, saying that better not to put all eggs in one basket.".
Steve smirked, "Good old Phillips. His logic is sound enough. Shall we get going while it's dark?", and Bucky replied, "We gotta be relying on the maps, but if we use the back roads, it should be easier to avoid patrols, even if half of France is already liberated.".
"My thoughts exactly. Probably 3 days to do this. Let's go.", Steve nodded, realizing that if he and Bucky's on one of the Navy ships, he can do a very secure phone call with Phillips, reporting everything, which is better safer than using a hacked radio.
Elsewhere, in Germany, deep in the mountains, dark and hidden, lies a fortress, and in the fortress, three Nazis leaders are on an inspection tour.
An ominous air hung over the three men; all members of the SS with two of them, Roeder and Schneider, being two ranks of General in the paramilitary organization while the third, Hutter, was only a Major.
"He's certainly taken his autonomy to great lengths...", Schneider, who was the highest ranked of the three, observed as they walked through the hallways of the fortress.
"Too great of lengths, I think...", Roeder said. "You've heard the rumors, not even Himmler seems to be able to get a leash on him anymore.".
"I think he's planning on embarrassing the Reichsführer.", Hutter gave his opinion on the situation. "Basically, force the Führer to oust Himmler so he can take over.".
"Bah...", Schneider waved his hand. "Himmler will always have a safe place in the Führer's circle; Schmidt would be quite mad to try anything.".
Roeder replied, "I can concur on that, General Schneider.", with a nod, "But still, this place is...unnerving of a sort, through why, I can't tell off the tip of my tongue.".
"Maybe the red hydra flags...", Hutter muttered under his breath as they walked past a few HYDRA Stormtroopers before coming to a stop as their host was waiting to meet them. The three men came to a stop as they stared at Schmidt, who looked fairly clean for someone who was grievously injured, aside from two large cuts which appeared from his ears to his neck.
"Heil Hitler!", the three men announced as the straightened up and held their arms up in the Nazi salute. "Heil Hitler.", Schmidt said, his tone not as enthusiastic as the others nor was his salute as strong. "Schneider, Roeder...".
"Hutter, sir.", Hutter spoke up as obviously, the two had never met before. Schmidt nodded before he turned his focus on the two higher ranking men, "Now then, I expect your being here is in relation to your earlier message?".
Schneider nodded, "That's right. As of yesterday, at just after 12:05, we have received a very alarming SOS message from the Nazis command factory in the Lorriane region of France, saying things about groups of different allied people, explosions on the perimeter. Then the radio room went silent at 12:30. We sent out a couple of infantries to investigate, and we were reported that the factory was completely obliterated to smithereens, not even any scraps of survivors at all, and then to find out that there was a secret base below it, a base with your insignia, Schmidt. The base was completed blasted out and flooded. Care to explain, Schmidt?".
Schmidt was a bit taken aback by that information. The sheer fact that their facility in Lorraine in the Vosges mountains had been discovered, much less attacked and neutralized completely, was a certain shock to him. "HYDRA is responsible for assisting in the technological progress of the Third Reich; you cannot expect my unit to simply do everything here.", he explained in a calm tone. "Our work is of much higher priority than you think, and secrecy is of great importance. Having it hidden within a supposed hidden base to keep it safe from any sort of Allied attack or discovery was tantamount.".
Schneider and Roeder glanced at each other upon hearing that answer. Every man there was playing a mental poker game with each other, keeping their cards as close to their chest and waiting for the right moment to play.
"Do you question the Führer's appointments and decisions?", Schmidt then asked as it made the two generals nervous. If they, in fact, were questioning... well, best case, it would be reassignment from their fairly comfortable positions they had in Berlin.
"Well, that being said; the sheer fact that we were not at least informed that you had that base...", Roeder recomposed himself. "One would think this facility would be more than enough to carry out whatever projects you've been working on. Projects that we still have not seen.".
"One would think, Schmidt, that you serve at your own pleasure. This place was a reward for your injuries.", Schneider countered.
Schmidt pursued his lips, "Reward? Call it as it is, but to me, it's exile. I do no longer reflect his image of Aryan perfection.".
Hutter snorted, "You think this is about appearances? Schmidt, you had mini submersibles! The Third Reich would have been satisfied if we attacked Britain and the western shore of France from the sea with those submersibles, with the Allies never expecting it to come while they would have expected our U-Boats, as we can occupy France again, and to succeed over Britain, yet we have been pushed back, all thanks to this rumored one-man army who literally is putting up moral all over the place!".
"First of all, the submersibles...", Schmidt began. "They were not ready, but they would be the next step in the evolution of submarine warfare... have hundreds of subs with the same deadly efficiency of our U-Boats at the reduced number of crew and supplies. Secondly, what has happened in France is because of failures across Europe; not invading the British when they were all alone two years ago, and our failure in crushing the Soviets this past year and now we're facing a disaster in Stalingrad.".
"Failures that could've been prevented if you had kept up with your promises to the Führer.", Schneider interjected. "And of the one man that has been apparently a galvanizing godsend for the French resistance?", Roeder asked.
Schmidt calmly yet lowly spoke, "It's very impossible for a man to be an army itself, let alone being a godsend for the French resistance. Those Frenchmen are always one for dramatics, due to being famous with their arts and romantic flair, you know that.".
Hutter replied, "Perhaps you are correct as rumors aren't always true, but could you be interested to know that the rumored man is an American? And he is rumored to be called Captain America because of his symbol on his uniform, let alone having that disgusting flag painted in a way on a shield, and I say this seriously, a freaking shield!", as in the world of war in the present, people rely on grenades, guns, armored helmets and bomber planes/boats.
The other two officers looked at Hutter. They had wondered where on Earth he had been hearing this sort of thing. "Major... you must be mistaken-", Schneider said.
"No, I'm not... several survivors of the resistance attacks in all these past few months have all mentioned this strange American and his shield... it being strong enough to stop an entire belt of an MG-42 without even a scratch.", Hutter spoke firmly.
Schmidt blinked just once, realizing that Erskine truly had escaped to America thanks to spies, a woman, and a helicopter, and he had taken just enough of the super soldier serum with him, having destroyed the rest in that fire when he escaped. So, Erskine truly made his threat and he had heard upon a faint, barely audible radio report in the radio room when they were talking with the zeppelin Hydra drivers and his general that Erskine had been shot fatally by Rourke.
Erskine must have had just enough grit and damn determination to make his threat come true before he died of his wounds, and this American, if the rumors about him being a one-man army is true and such, is the one and only Super Soldier who came out intact without side effects...And the shield, an invention of Erskine perhaps, or of the infamous Stark Industries.
Schmidt then spoke, "Gentlemen, you have come here to see the results of our work. Let me show you, and perhaps they will dispute the rumors of this Captain America and put the French resistance out for good.".
The three men looked at each other as Schmidt turned around and they started to walk behind them before they entered a fairly decent sized room with a few men, including Schmidt's chief scientist, Dr. Zola.
"Hitler speaks of a 1,000-year Reich, but yet our greatest foes not only haven't fallen, but they've also turned the fight against us. The British in North Africa, the Americans too, and now this disaster around a simple bombed out city that shares the name of our hated foes to the east. They spill their blood across every field in Europe, but still he is no closer to achieving his goals.", Schmidt said.
"And I suppose you still aim to win this war through magic?", Roeder scoffed at the thought. Schmidt smiled wryly, "Science, General, but I can see why you presume that magic is similar, but it's not. Science is more effective and logical with tests and such, and soon, our specialized weapons will be outfitted for war. Is that correct, Dr. Zola?".
Zola nodded, "C-Correct, sir...". Obviously, Zola was a bit nervous at the moment, especially in regard to their guests.
"HYDRA is assembling an arsenal to destroy my enemies in one stroke, wherever they are, regardless of how many forces they possess, all in a matter of hours.", Schmidt snapped his fingers. "Your enemies?", Roeder's attention was focused on that one little word. 'My'... not 'Our', but 'My'.
Schmidt nodded, "Indeed. My weapon contains enough destructive power to decimate every hostile city on Earth, such as London, New York City, Paris. And this, simply put, is the power of the gods I've harnessed.".
"Thank you, Schmidt...", Schneider said as Schmidt was making a mental note and counting the three men as he looked over his nearby device. "For what exactly?", he asked while still not looking at the men.
"For letting us know of your delusions of grandeur.", Schneider chuckled. "One weapon to devastate major cities? Impossible...".
"Really? None of you listened to Werner Heisenberg? His theories with atomic research.", Schmidt replied. "Jewish physics.", Roeder spat. "You know the Führer himself dismissed those ideas.".
"Perhaps... but in my case, what I have is less theoretical, yet much more practically and real.", Schmidt replied with a nod and a small smile.
Hutter himself noticed a global map on a table, tracing as he looked over, with red flags of the Hydra insignia, and black flags, perhaps as a marked city to be devastated, and like Schmidt said, Hutter can see Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, San Francisco, Kansas City, New York City, Mexico City, Rio De Janeiro, Cape Town, Cairo, Madrid, London, Paris, Rome, and then his eyes widened as he saw Berlin.
"Berlin is on this map!", Hutter shouted in horror and shock, looking back at the generals, Schmidt, and Dr. Zola. "So, it is.", Schmidt merely said much to the shock of the two guests at his sheer treason and practically not even bothering to hide it.
Schmidt then hit a button as his machine began to activate and quickly rotated around, now pointed in the direction of the three men.
Schneider shouted, "You will be punished for your insolence!", turning around to get out before realizing that he and the others were trapped, for the door was locked tight like a vault door.
Roeder yelled, "We can't get out! What are you doing, Schmidt?! You shall be brought before the Fuhrer himself!", as Hutter stared at the machine in horror, "Schmidt, you are a madman!".
Schmidt merely scoffed, hearing that before he activated his weapon. A blue sphere shot out of it at a rapid speed before striking Hutter, vaporizing the major instantly. The other two were completely stunned at the moment at what had just happened. Schmidt hadn't been bluffing.
Of course, things didn't stop as a moment later, the gun quickly turned to fire at Roeder who dodged one shot to the chagrin of Schmidt before the next shot vaporized the Nazi.
Now it was Schneider's turn; the man could do nothing but scream before he two joined the others and was nothing but tiny particles.
