"We can't afford to simply let all that knowledge and progress be thrown away just so we can still maintain the moral high ground. If we don't at least make the most of what we can get, someone else will that has similar morals like the Nazis.", Stimpson argued.
"Like the Soviets?", Steve raised an eyebrow as Stimpson leaned back in his chair, "Well... yes...".
"Yeah, Phillips made the same argument. You'll have to make your decisions if and when this war ends and we find ourselves in the position of thinking about what we do with all the brains of the Third Reich outside of the Nazi party itself in our hands... but I'm telling you, do not offer any such deal to Zola or anyone else under him from HYDRA.", Steve had a cold look to his face.
"I agree with him. Zola's a despicable bastard that clearly shares much of the same vision as Schmidt. I know that from breaking my fist against his face once or twice when he couldn't help but to be smug. Only difference is Schmidt's obviously insane; Zola's just straight up evil and if we give him a yard; he'll run us out of the stadium, so to speak.", Phillips argued.
Roosevelt thoughtfully exhaled, "Now I see why Hydra is named after the legendary creature...One head cuts off, more heads grow and replace the first head...Schmidt must be severely angry at the loss of Zola and wouldn't care as long as he has more to replace Zola, even if the minds are slightly less intelligent than Zola, they are still despicable for they have been indoctrinated into Hydra for months, if not years already...".
Steve nodded, "Yes, sir...And please do not blame me for bringing this up, but we cannot have a third world war off the chance they attack the mainland...It was a tragedy with Pearl Harbor, and that was with the Japanese, but with Hydra, and Nazis being slowly overtaken by Hydra, they would do anything to make our homeland a cataclysm of war...The weapons I have seen on the frontlines, before being destroyed, was terrible and great, sir...And even if Zola is locked up and such, he is still brilliant to somehow bring information to Hydra, even when the location is classified and all, he would cause great chaos, and Schmidt is insane to pull off a pronged attack, especially with Hydra's heads, not just the science department, but everything...I do not know what Schmidt's plans are, but I least do know that they are of great evil, sir.".
There was silence for a few moments as Stimpson leaned over to Roosevelt and the two of them privately discussed for a few moments. Steve could just make it out thanks to his improved hearing. "War Department wouldn't be happy if we placed off limits someone like Zola.", Stimpson said.
"Would you rather risk a man like that to infect this nation as easily as he already has in Germany? It would be like us introducing a cancerous tumor willingly.", Roosevelt argued. "Besides, might be easier to get away with now in rejecting him rather than say towards the end of the war if we get our hands on many more minds.".
Stimson looked at him for a moment before he spoke quietly, "Zola would be that devastating, then?", and Roosevelt nodded, "He and the others of HYDRA. It would be like just simply letting the Nazis reform right with in our own shores and ranks. We cannot afford to have a third world war like Rogers implicated, Mr. Stimpson, especially when we have at least 138 million people here.".
Stimpson reluctantly nodded. He knew there would be arguments from some of those in the Pentagon but thankfully, he still had enough pull with enough higher ups and the Pentagon still was under civilian leadership like him rather than totally subservient to the military. They might be able to stave off holding a handout for HYDRA but if Steve and Phillips came back again with any other research or engineering groups, they had hard lines for, his hands would probably be tied by then.
"Alright.", Stimpson nodded. "I'll have to get a few folks, especially the Paperclip planners, in line but I think we can be able to make sure that Zola and HYDRA will take any sort of knowledge they've gained to their graves; either by the noose, the firing squad or a cold cell.".
Roosevelt replied, "Good.", before nodding as their private discussion was over, and then looked at Steve and Phillips, "You will have your wish, Rogers, that Zola and Hydra will never see of America, with their arrogant knowledge they've gained, to the grave.".
Steve exhaled slowly, "Thank you, sir.", and Stimpson replied, "And I expect you and General Phillips would take every opportunity to oust any other research and such by Hydra and Nazis, to make things easier for us to get the Paperclip plan denied then, if not forever. I can only do so much, gentlemen, even with the President's permission.".
"Well, don't shelve that Paperclip plan completely.", Phillips said. "I can make it an SSR priority to try to track down and find any other groups of Nazi eggheads that maybe we could use. A lead designer at Messerschmitt whose only job was researching more efficient engines probably isn't as much of a threat as opposed to someone like Zola. It's a population of 70 million; they can't all be evil, right?".
Phillips looked over to Steve as he gave a nod. "Erskine wasn't, so I would agree. Still, I think we'd have our work cut out trying to find those that are truly clean.", Steve replied.
"We'll figure something out, Rogers.", Roosevelt said as he gave a small smile. "But I promise you, so long as I live, I'll make sure that Dr. Zola is unable to spread his tentacles anywhere else.".
Steve gave a grateful small smile, "Thank you, sir.", knowing that Roosevelt only knows the actual truth behind Atlantis in that private conversation long ago, with his gifted crystal. Roosevelt is apparently looking better than how Steve remembered him, but of course, the crystal's energy would only do so much with Roosevelt being somewhat fragile with his paralysis from the polio, but yes, the age-slowing aspect is helping him part of the way without being too much suspicious.
Stimpson replied, "Excellent. And as for France and Italy, we'll let you know in due time for our other plans, and-", before seeing a Secret Service agent come forward from outside the Oval office, "Yes, what is it?", seeing his tense face.
"Pardoning my rude intrusion, but I got a phone call from the family wing, there's a frantic search indicated by Mrs. Roosevelt and Mrs. Rogers, as apparently, in the playroom, a bird didn't see the large windows, creating quite a crash landing on the glass, and it scared the children into screaming and crying, causing the group of selected secret agents to assume that it's a threat, not seeing in the mess of the playroom and such that a grate was broken near where the previously occupied person of Miss Brookyln Rogers was, and as the grate was too small to fit the adults, the child would be anywhere in the White House by now.", the Secret Service agent reported clearly, even if confused and shocked somewhat as the grates are supposed to be heavy-duty in a way, if not too hard to lift, not knowing Brookyln's super-strength, and apparently, sensitive super-hearing in a way.
"Wait... are you saying that she broke the grate?", Roosevelt asked as Steve was trying hard not to break out into a laugh. He knew Brooklyn would be alright, even if she got freaked out.
"I wouldn't worry too much, sir...", Steve said. "Brooklyn's kind of inherited a few perks from me.". Roosevelt looked at him for a moment before exhaling, "I should've known with genetics...You don't look much frantic, Rogers.".
Steve replied, "Brookyln is a natural fast learner like me, as we taught her that loud noises by unknown things are dangerous, if they do make people afraid, even when they are non-threatening like a bird, and well, a bird crashing into the glass would sound like an explosion, and with your children reacting in fear and shock in screams and cries, sir, I assume that it freaked Brookyln out, and since we taught her to hide and take cover under the nearest thing, she saw the grate, and took cover...How long did the group check the threat?", looking at the Secret Service agent.
"Inspecting the threat and checking the object of the threat, it would take a minute, and it was another minute of calming down the crying kids and such before the broken grate was noticed.", the service agent replied.
Roosevelt blinked, "So, two minutes, and then you got the call then in five minutes or such, agent?", and the agent nodded, "Three minutes, sir, when I got the call after the two minutes of elimination of threat level, as I heard that the family wing is currently being searched, but nothing yet.".
Steve replied in surprise, "She really took it seriously...Agent, call the family wing back to my wife and Mrs. Roosevelt to calm down the frantic search, and do a room grate call, not loud since that would be echoing and hurting the ears of my daughter, is that clear?".
The agent blinked, and looked at Roosevelt, "Do what Rogers said. The rest of us will split up, and I will stay here.", and Phillips nodded, "I will check the meeting rooms.".
Stimpson replied, "I will check the sitting rooms.", and Steve said, "I will check the library.", with a nod, and the men agreed, and left the oval office with Roosevelt.
As the oval office has two wall grates, in the north and the south, Roosevelt gently called for Brookyln a minute for each grate, and after that, Roosevelt patiently waited, hoping that the other men and the service agents and his family had a bit of luck when he heard a loud sneeze from the north wall grate.
Roosevelt rolled his wheelchair over to the grate, calling gently, "Brooklyn?", and heard a little voice, "Dada?", and he replied, "No, it's not your father, but I'm a friend of your father, Franklin Roosevelt, through everybody calls me President.".
Brookyln's voice replied, "Me go far...Wanna bath...Wanna mum and dada...", with a whimper, and Roosevelt replied, "You certainly did come a long way from the family wing, Brookyln. Listen to my voice, and if you're unsure, I will do this.", tapping a coin from his pocket against the metal of the wall grate.
"Me hear that! Promise you not leave?", Brookyln spoke hesitantly as she hadn't officially met President Roosevelt, but hearing the stories of him, her parents told her that he's a good man, very nice, and a hero like her daddy.
Roosevelt replied, "I promise I won't move from this spot, Brookyln.", still tapping the coin for her to find him easier, and Brookyln's voice replied, "Me come.", and he heard the faint sound of steps and hands getting closer.
"Certainly quite a talker too at such an age...", Roosevelt said. "Must be the whole Atlantis thing...", he admitted as he clutched the crystal around his neck.
Ever since he received it, Roosevelt is almost as healthy as he did before the polio, aside from his legs still paralyzed. Not to mention that any sort of stress from the war was feeling fairly light on his shoulders which it wasn't the case when America first entered into the war.
Either it was due to the fact that at least now the Allies in both Europe and the Pacific were driving the Axis back to their homelands now or the help of the crystal; either way, it certainly was making quite the impact. He could easily run the next election for sure; just to make sure to see the war through. After that, if he still made it, he was fairly confident he wouldn't run in '48.
As he kept tapping the coin, he watched the wall grate, hearing the sound of feet and hands getting louder, and soon, a dirty clothed transitioning toddler girl appeared, peering at the strange funny-cool wheels of the wheelchair as it's the first time she ever saw one, looking up at Roosevelt shyly yet curiously, "Me Brooke.", through the bars of the wall grate.
Roosevelt smiled, "Nice to meet you, young Brooke. You prefer that instead of Brookyln?", and she nodded, and Roosevelt chuckled, "You really need a bath, though I can tell that you certainly take quite a bit after your father...I'll get your father to get this grate off, since you must be tired from going a long way and breaking the first grate back in the playroom.", as she smiled happily, "Dada!", tired too, but still buzzing up of adrenaline somewhat, and wanting a bath badly, and wanting her mummy and daddy again, and after the needed nap, a real good meal of her mummy's milk and a bit of solid food.
It was a few minutes before eventually, Steve returned, and his eyes lit up when he saw Brooklyn with the President. "There you are!", he gave out a huge sigh of relief as he walked over. "Gave us quite a scare; we got worried you might have gotten stuck in the vents somewhere...".
Brooklyn looked apologetic, "Hide, Dada...", and Steve replied as he got next to Roosevelt, kneeling, "You did good to hide when you thought you were in danger, sweetheart...It was only a bird that crashed into the glass.", as Brooklyn then looked sheepish, "Oh...".
Roosevelt chuckled, "Your father's right, you did good, and yes, it was silly to think of a bird as a threat there, but you're safe, albeit dirty, and you will be out of there in a minute, right, Steve?".
Steve nodded, "Yep. Get back a bit, Brooke. Wouldn't want to hurt you suddenly, okay?", and Brookyln nodded, getting back a bit as Steve grabbed the grate, and with his super strength, it was easy as a breeze as the grate broke off in one piece, as he moved it off to the side, and then Brookyln crawled fast and hard into Steve's lap, "Dada!", nearly making him fall back, making his formal army outfit dirty and such, but he doesn't care as he held his daughter to his chest, smiling in relief and warmth, looking her over.
Roosevelt smiled, "I'll make a phone call over to the agent in charge of the family wing. Your wife must be worried after wondering several minutes already.", rolling over to his desk to grab the phone, dialing the rotating numbers.
"Yeah, she probably is, but at the very least that's all over now. Still kinda crazy, bird and all crashing through the window. I'd freak out too, if I'm honest. Except I would've pulled out my service arm rather than escape into the grates.", he chuckled as he looked to Brookyln.
Brookyln looked up at him, "Home, Dada?", before giving out a sneeze, and Steve smiled, "Don't worry, we're going home in a while, sweetheart, but first, with the president's permission, we'd have to give you a clean bath. Wouldn't want people to ask questions.".
"You don't have to ask me twice.", Roosevelt chuckled, "You can use any of the bathrooms.", with a nod as he then got a beeping signal of a pickup, with an agent's voice replying, "Sir?".
Roosevelt replied, "Tell the good news. We found her. She's in the Oval Office with me and Steve Rogers.", and the agent's voice replied, "Yes, sir. And that's good to hear. Will send Mrs. Rogers with a quick escort.", and then the phone call ended.
A few minutes later, Peggy sprinted in with a relieved sob, "Brookyln!", as Brookyln smiled happily, reaching out to her, "Mumma!", with Steve passing her into his wife's arms with a tender smile.
"Oh, my baby! Don't you dare scare me like that again, Brookyln Michelle Rogers...You're so lucky that you're safe...and very dirty to boot.", Peggy kissed her all over, with a stern yet relieved look, and Brookyln looked at her, "Me come long way...Mumma bath me?", with a little giggle.
Peggy looked at her daughter, "You're not going to have bath toys or bubbles this time as you are in trouble, young lady. You are lucky that it's a warm and clean bath for you.", and Brookyln nodded with a pout as she knew that she's not back home where she has her favorite bath toys and bubbles, and decided to hold back her request on her mummy's milk until Peggy is calm again.
Roosevelt smiled, "One of the bigger bathrooms is up that way.", gesturing with a hand, and Peggy nodded, "Thank you, Mr. President, for finding her...I'll leave you to finish the meeting, Steve.", leaving the Oval office as she held Brookyln, peeking over her shoulder with a smile at Roosevelt, "Bye, nice Pressy!".
"Give her a year or two and she'll be speaking like she's reading off one of your speeches.", Steve chuckled as he and Roosevelt were alone once more; obviously, Phillips and Stimpson were probably elsewhere discussing something rather than spending much time for the search since there were already dozens of folks running around doing that.
"I take it's a bit more than simply your improved genes, am I to guess?", Roosevelt asked.