Chapter 17: The North Atlantic Breach
The deck of the Allied destroyer USS Erebus groaned under the weight of an unnatural storm. Above the freezing waters of the North Atlantic, the sky wasn't black; it was a bruised, swirling purple where Project Solomon was beginning to tear at the seams of the world.
The Void-Forged Unit
The Howling Commandos stood on the stern, their silhouettes transformed. Arthur's midnight-navy [Archivist Combat Shroud] pulsed in sync with the gear he had forged for them.
Steve Rogers: His shield had been treated with a spatial-diffusion coating, allowing it to absorb Tesseract energy without overheating.
Bucky Barnes: His sniper rifle now sported a [Spatial-Void Scope], capable of tracking targets moving through different temporal phases.
Dum Dum Dugan: His signature bowler hat remained, but his shotgun was loaded with [Void-Tipped Munitions] that didn't just pierce armor—they erased the kinetic friction of the air.
"Thirty seconds to the drop zone!" Gabe Jones shouted over the roar of the rift. "The radar is going haywire! It's like the ocean doesn't exist on the other side of that fog!"
Deployment into the Rift
Arthur stepped to the railing, his staff glowing with a fierce, unstable blue light. Through his [Chrono-Vision], he could see the "intended" timeline trying to push back against the intrusion. This wasn't just a battle; it was a rejection of reality.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Rift Stability: 42% and dropping.
Environmental Hazard: Temporal Friction.
Effect: Non-shielded allies will experience 'Time Sickness' (reduced AGI).
"Arthur, what are we looking at?" Steve asked, his voice steady despite the lightning arcing from the clouds to the sea.
"A door that was never meant to be opened," Arthur replied, his eyes glowing. "On the other side is the Rift Generator. If we don't shut it down in the next ten minutes, the 'Future Hydra' fleet will have a bridge straight into 1944."
The Jump
Arthur didn't wait for a landing craft. He slammed his staff onto the deck, creating a localized [Spatial Anchor] that expanded to encompass the Commandos.
"Hold on to your souls!" Arthur roared.
With a collective leap, the unit dived off the ship and into the heart of the purple fog. Instead of hitting the water, they hit a solid plane of shimmering energy—the "bridge" Thorne had envisioned.
[ OBJECTIVE UPDATED ]
Current Location: The Solomon Bridge (Inter-dimensional).
Enemy Presence: Hydra Rift-Guard (Tier 2).
Divergence: 23.4%.
As they landed, a formation of Hydra soldiers stepped out of the mist. They weren't wearing the wool uniforms of the Wehrmacht; they wore sleek, carbon-fiber plating and carried rifles that hummed with a stable, terrifying orange glow.
"Those aren't our Germans," Bucky muttered, chambering a round.
"No," Arthur said, spinning his staff as the first orange bolt hissed past his head. "Those are the ones who won. Let's show them why they're being deleted."
Current Status:
DP Balance: 1,200.
Sync Level: 27% (The Rift is feeding your staff).
Unit Morale: High (Empowered by Void Gear).