Chapter 123: New Mission
"This was a suicide attack!"
"I jumped onto the landing gear and sneaked into the plane, but once inside, I found the entire cabin completely sealed, all the passageways blocked off."
"It took a lot of effort to break through the layers of barriers and reach the cockpit."
"But the final course had already been programmed, the target being New York. Once it crosses this ocean, the bombs on this plane could destroy most of the East Coast."
"And all the plane's control systems were completely sabotaged. There was very little I could do. All the Hydra soldiers in the cabin were dead. Clearly, from the moment they boarded the plane, they had planned a suicide attack!"
Steve sighed.
"I've tried everything, but nothing worked."
"To prevent the plane from crashing into New York, I have to find a way to bring it down in this wasteland." Steve's voice was filled with anguish, clearly masking immense pain.
"Carter, I'm sorry, the wedding will have to be canceled."
"No!"
Tears dripped onto the table in front of her. Carter, as strong as steel, couldn't hold back her tears.
"I won't cancel the wedding. I need you back. Your child can't be without a father," Carter said softly, touching her slightly swollen belly.
"A child?!"
"I have a child?!"
Steve's face lit up with surprise, followed by deep sorrow. He smiled, forcing himself.
"I found a way, maybe we can try." His words were encouraging, but anyone could hear the forced optimism in his voice.
"Mason, be the child's godfather!"
The signal cut off, and everything came to an abrupt end.
Hearing the dead air on the communication device, Carter finally couldn't hold back anymore and covered her face, weeping.
Mason also lacked the satisfaction he usually felt after completing a mission. He didn't even bother to check the notifications on his personal terminal, slumping into a seat and sighing.
Steve was missing.
Just like in the movies, the fierce winds and nearly a week of heavy snow made the search extremely difficult and covered all traces of the crash site.
Steve's disappearance cast a shadow over the victory of this war.
Not long after, following the battlefield cleanup, Mason was extracted back to New York by rescue personnel.
Mason had prepared himself for being transported back to the real world by the Time-Space Express Company, but when he opened his personal terminal, he found an unexpected message.
Delivery mission complete. Mission rewards will be settled after leaving the mission world.
New delivery mission activated.
The Winter Soldier Legend.
Deliver the mechanical arm to the Winter Soldier, James Barnes!
Mission Reward: 1500 Time-Space Coins!
Upon completion of this mission, the courier will be promoted from trainee to full courier, leveling up and unlocking new privileges.
Courier please note that in the multiverse, there is a high probability of triggering consecutive delivery missions.
The Winter Soldier Legend.
Mason clearly remembered that no Winter Soldier solo film had ever been released before his transition.
"Is it the butterfly effect or the impact of reality merging?"
Mason initially thought that, given the course of events, Barnes hadn't fallen off the train while saving Steve, and now that Steve was frozen in ice, he shouldn't have a chance to become the Winter Soldier.
But after careful investigation, he discovered that Barnes had disappeared on the Scottish island while pursuing Issa Gregory.
To find Barnes, the key was to locate Issa. Kardashian's business was mainly concentrated in the US and parts of Europe, not yet extending to Russia and Eastern Europe, offering little help in finding Issa.
He did consider asking Carter for help, but Carter was currently grieving over Steve's situation, and Mason planned to handle his current affairs before making a decision.
A month later, a unique wedding was held in New York.
Carter insisted on completing the wedding despite Steve's disappearance, even though many had given up hope of Steve's survival. Only Carter firmly believed Steve was still alive.
Compared to the original film, Carter's current situation was much better. First, as the head of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, she led Allied forces to severely damage Hydra and completely destroy Schmidt's conspiracy, achieving outstanding results and wielding considerable influence.
Second, she was pregnant, and the child they had together would become her final emotional anchor.
However, she hadn't informed anyone of her pregnancy.
As a true super soldier, Steve Rogers was repeatedly studied by intelligence agencies.
Carter witnessed the gruesome autopsy of Captain Hodge's body more than once.
The Pentagon even approved a special program targeting Steve, proposing to recruit eligible women nationwide—essentially using him as breeding stock to study the genetic effects of the super soldier serum on offspring.
This insane proposal was naturally rejected by Steve and strongly condemned by Carter. However, they managed to obtain Steve's genetic material, though artificial insemination reportedly yielded no successful results.
Capitalizing on this success, Carter recruited retired Colonel Phillips and, with Kardashian's help, joined forces with several key members of Congress to successfully reorganize the Strategic Scientific Reserve, forming the precursor to S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Carter became its first director!
While the United States during World War II prided itself on being one of the most progressive nations in the world, the status of women had not fundamentally changed. For a woman to become the director of such an important department was far more difficult than imagined.
However, given her own qualifications, coupled with Kardashian's relentless financial backing, it was only natural that Carter would be promoted to the position of director.
Carter was the director of this newly established agency, but she was also about to become a mother.
She knew all too well the ambitions of these politicians; once they knew she and Steve had a child, the child's life, whether boy or girl, would be completely controlled.
The child would lose their childhood, live under constant surveillance, and even with Carter's special status, she couldn't refuse occasional medical examinations.
For a child, this was an immense burden.
Carter didn't want this to happen, so she had to hide the pregnancy, and even after birth, she couldn't raise the child herself.
After discussing it with Mason, she decided that Mason and Kardashian would be the child's godparents, and the child would be fostered by Kardashian after birth.
Mason didn't promote himself, instead giving all the credit to Steve. He was better suited to remain in the shadows than to stand in the spotlight.
So, apart from a limited number of high-ranking officials, the general public didn't even know Mason existed.
Everyone was talking about the story of Captain America, Steve Rogers, who disappeared into the Arctic during his battle against Hydra leader Red Skull Schmidt, and was never seen again.
In no time, news of Steve Rogers and his iconic shield spread throughout the nation.
Author's Note
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