"Why… why have all my closest friends left me? First Dr. Erskine, then the Colonel, and now even Bucky…"
Steve's entire body trembled as the words forced their way out. There was a raw, suffocating grief in his voice, the kind that made it hard to even breathe. Losing comrades on the battlefield was one thing, but losing the people who had shaped him, who had stood beside him from the beginning, felt like something deeper—something that hollowed him out from the inside.
An arm slowly wrapped around his shoulders, steady and warm, pulling him into a firm embrace. Carter held him against her chest without hesitation, her own eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she looked down at him. The sight of this unbreakable soldier breaking apart in her arms twisted something painful in her chest.
"It's not your fault, Steve," she said softly, her voice firm despite the emotion behind it. She tightened her grip slightly, as if anchoring him, refusing to let him fall any further into that abyss.
The sorrow lingered, but war did not wait for grief. Before long, a classified report marked urgent priority was rushed into the military command, its contents spreading tension like wildfire.
"What? New super soldiers?"
Chester shot to his feet the moment he read the report, disbelief flashing across his face. His hands tightened around the document as his eyes scanned the details again, as if hoping he had misread something. The battlefield updates painted a grim picture—an enhanced individual had emerged within the German forces, leading a devastating counteroffensive that shattered the U.S. advance in one sweeping blow.
The front lines that had taken weeks to secure were lost again almost overnight. Casualties among the forward units were severe, far worse than anything they had anticipated.
"Why did this get into the news before it even reached us?" Chester slammed the report down, anger surging through him. His voice rose sharply, echoing through the room as frustration boiled over.
He didn't yet realize the truth behind it—that Hydra's infiltrators within the United States had deliberately leaked the information, weaponizing panic and confusion as part of their strategy.
As his thoughts drifted to the intelligence he had just received from Dr. Sora regarding Hydra's ultimate objective, a cold weight settled in his chest. The idea of total annihilation, of a plan that went beyond simple warfare, pressed down on him with suffocating force.
…
"Destroy all Hydra bases in one coordinated strike?"
Steve stood across from Chester, his expression hardening as he processed the mission. The weight of his recent loss hadn't faded, but something else had taken its place—a grim determination that burned just beneath the surface.
"Yes," Chester replied, his tone urgent and unyielding. "The stolen serum was used by Hydra. They've created their own super soldiers now, and they've got control of the Cosmic Cube. Their goal isn't just victory—it's total destruction. We don't have time to hesitate."
His gaze locked onto Steve's, searching for any sign of hesitation. He knew exactly what Steve had just gone through, knew that asking him to lead another mission so soon was cruel in its own way. But the situation had already crossed the point where compassion could outweigh necessity.
There was no alternative.
…
The dense jungle trembled under the thunder of war as Steve charged forward at the head of the assault. Explosions erupted around him, tank shells screaming through the air, but his shield came up with perfect timing, absorbing the brunt of the impact.
The sheer force of his advance shattered the enemy's formation. German soldiers faltered, their momentum collapsing under the pressure of a man who seemed unstoppable. With Steve breaking through the front line, American troops surged behind him, flooding into the Hydra base like a rising tide.
Gunfire echoed endlessly as the battle erupted in full. The disruption caused by Steve's assault threw the enemy into chaos, giving the U.S. forces a brief but critical advantage as they pushed deeper into the facility.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive impact sent Steve crashing into a reinforced wall, the force rattling through his entire body. For a brief moment, the world blurred, but he forced himself upright almost instantly, shaking off the disorientation as his focus snapped back into place.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward again, closing the distance between himself and the enemy soldiers. One of them barely had time to react before Steve grabbed him and hurled him aside like a ragdoll. The man's body slammed into his comrades, knocking them all to the ground in a tangled heap of panic.
"Ugh—nice one, Steve!"
"Steve!"
Cheers erupted from the American soldiers as they watched him tear through the opposition. From his position on the second-floor stairway, Steve drove a powerful kick into another soldier, sending him tumbling down the steps.
Gunfire cracked sharply through the air, the rhythm of battle continuing without pause. Then, cutting through the chaos, a different sound emerged.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow, deliberate applause echoed from above, accompanied by the steady rhythm of approaching footsteps. The contrast to the frantic battlefield was unsettling, almost theatrical in its calmness.
Steve's head snapped upward, his eyes locking onto the third-floor platform. A familiar face came into view, and the moment he recognized it, his expression darkened instantly.
"It's you."
The man standing there was unmistakable—the Hydra agent who had shot Dr. Erskine. But he was no longer the same. His body had changed, grown stronger, more imposing. A sinister smile stretched across his face, and the aura around him had shifted into something far more dangerous.
Steve's mind connected the pieces immediately. The transformation, the power—it all pointed to the same conclusion.
Super soldier.
Hidden among the American troops, Chester stared up at the figure with burning hatred. His hands clenched at his sides as memories of that fatal moment resurfaced.
"Steve… a hero?" the man sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "You're just another experiment. A product of some chemical cocktail. If it were your old Colonel Locke, maybe I'd bother taking a second look. But you? You're nothing."
Before the last word had even settled, he moved.
Leaping from the third floor, he dropped straight toward Steve, his fist already driving forward with crushing force.
Boom!
Steve raised his shield just in time, but the impact still sent him skidding backward, his boots scraping violently against the ground. The shock traveled through his arms, rattling his entire frame.
That single clash acted like a signal. From all around the factory, hidden German soldiers emerged, opening fire as the battle reignited with renewed intensity.
Carter fired a precise shot, dropping an enemy instantly, but her attention remained fixed on Steve as he pursued the fleeing Hydra agent deeper into the facility. Chester grabbed her arm without warning, pulling her toward the side corridor.
They didn't have the luxury of watching.
"Haha! Is that all you've got, Steve?" the Hydra agent taunted as he vaulted upward, reaching nearly ten feet in a single jump. He landed lightly, his movements effortless, his expression filled with contempt.
Gunfire erupted again as he drew his pistol, firing toward Steve's position. The fight became a blur of motion—close-quarters combat mixed with rapid gunfire. Both of them moved at speeds that defied ordinary limits, dodging bullets at point-blank range while trading heavy blows.
Boom!
Steve's arms trembled slightly as he absorbed another strike through his shield. Through the narrow gap above it, he saw the enemy retreating once more, vanishing into the deeper tunnels of the base.
A curse slipped from his lips before he could stop it. The man's strategy was clear—hit, retreat, repeat. It left Steve with no clean opportunity to end the fight decisively.
At the same time, Chester and Carter moved quickly through a side passage, following the direction of Steve's pursuit. They pushed forward until they reached a large workshop filled with strange, advanced vehicles—Hydra technology scattered across the space.
Gunshots rang out suddenly.
Both of them dropped to the ground instinctively as bullets tore through the air above them.
"Damn it!"
Chester reacted immediately despite his age, drawing his pistol and returning fire toward the soldiers who had ambushed them. His movements were sharp, driven by years of experience, his focus unwavering.
He glanced at Carter, expecting her to join in, but something about her stillness caught his attention. Her gaze was fixed ahead, her expression tense, her pistol raised but unmoving.
"Hey… long time no see."
The low voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. Chester's head snapped up, his eyes widening as he saw the figure approaching—holding a shield.
"You… you're the Red Skull?"
His voice was tight, filled with disbelief as he stared at the towering man walking toward them with measured steps.
"No, no," the man replied with a faint smile, clearly enjoying their reaction. "The one Steve's chasing—that's Lord Red Skull."
Gunfire erupted again as Carter opened fire, her expression turning ice-cold. The Hydra agent moved instantly, his shield snapping up to block the bullets before he darted sideways, using a nearby barrier for cover. In the next heartbeat, he shifted direction again, charging straight at them.
"Go!" Chester barked, stepping forward without hesitation. He planted himself firmly between Carter and the approaching threat, his stance resolute despite the obvious danger.
He knew exactly what the serum could do. He knew what kind of monster they were facing.
"No," Carter shot back, her voice sharp and unwavering. "We leave together."
....
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