In order to get into Romania, the second team: Iron Lad, Vision, Human Torch, Toro, Stature, and Hulkling used their powers to penetrate German air-space and land at a secret airstrip located deep within Romania that was held by an Allied resistance group, a mere ten miles from the Castle.
A small band of partisans met them at the airstrip and provided them with directions to the castle, but refused to join the Heroes on their mission.
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The team made their way up the road, and all was quiet…too quiet.
When they were about a half mile away they could catch first glimpse of the castle. The castle was a dominating structure, huge, dark, and evil. "Just the sort of place the nazis would choose as a stronghold." Stature joked.
Another quarter mile up the road, movement was detected ahead of them. Surveying the thick forest on either side of the road, they observed a dozen shadows moving in the darkness. Whatever they were, they were not wearing German uniforms, and were fast and seemed to know the territory.
Suddenly they were taken by surprise by a sharp voice coming from directly behind them, speaking in Romanian "who are you? What are you doing here?"
The voice belonged to a man named Olaf, the leader of a local group of resistance fighters unaffiliated with the group they had met at the airstrip. The moving shadows in the forest had been Olaf's men. Olaf identified the Invaders present and formally introduced himself in poor english. Olaf told the team that he and his men were staging an attack on Castle Vladistopol as well, in order to remove the nazis from their land. As he spoke, Olaf made almost constant mention of a "Blood Curse" the nazis had brought with them into the region, but adamantly refused to elaborate further when questioned.
Olaf revealed the resistance fighters' plans to access the least secure area of the castle, by scaling the rear face and entering through the upper-most observation turret.
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The back of the castle was not guarded at all, and The team flew upward to the observation turret 500ft from the hill at the base of the castle. Once inside the team had to defeat the 5 nazi soldiers stationed inside the turret as watchmen.
Once inside the castle they found themselves in a long, dark corridor. They all heard a loud whir as a panel in the ceiling opened to reveal a strange piece of machinery. The strange machinery began to immediately blast the Heroes with intense bolts of energy. Rendering the entire team unconscious after much struggle.