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Inside the Hydra military fortress, outside the command room.
Dressed in full German military fatigues, Johann Schmidt stood at the railing on the third floor of the fortress building, gazing down at the sprawling, luxurious mechanical factory below and the heavily armed Hydra guards with a confident smile curled on his lips.
With the Tesseract in hand, it wouldn't be long before the Hydra guards were fully armed with limitless energy devices.
On this battlefield of World War II, no army or force could stop his advance. Schmidt smiled faintly, about to turn and return to the command room. But at that moment, a sudden, thunderous roar outside the fortress shook the building slightly.
"Hmm?"
The sudden disturbance caught the Red Skull off guard. He watched as the Hydra guards below rushed for the exit, and the outside of the Fortress seemed to be in an uproar, with alarms blaring frantically from every corner.
"What's happening?" Schmidt's face remained stern and calm. He turned his eerie gaze to a trembling officer standing behind him, the current head of the military fortress.
The officer's face was filled with fear, sweat dripping profusely from his forehead, soaking his uniform. He shook his head vigorously and stammered, "I-I don't know, sir!"
"Then why didn't you go out and check?!" Schmidt's eyes narrowed dangerously, a murderous intent flickering.
"Yes, sir! Right away!" The officer saluted sharply, adjusted his cap, and hurried out.
Red Skull furrowed his brow, then turned back to the command room, closing the iron door behind him. He pondered for a moment, then activated a hidden panel on the inner wall, revealing a cubic Magic Cube that emitted a mysterious blue glow.
Fortunately, as long as he had the Tesseract, nothing else mattered.
Schmidt reached out with his gloved left hand, retrieved the Tesseract from its hidden compartment, and placed it securely in a briefcase as a precaution. Sitting in the commander's chair, he opened several communication channels, loaded his hip pistol, and calmly awaited reports from outside.
The first floor of the military fortress building.
Most of the Hydra personnel heard the commotion outside and rushed out, except for one Hydra guard who ran in the opposite direction, stealthily infiltrating deeper into the Military Fortress.
"Captain, your disguise and infiltration skills are quite something. I've learned a lot," A tiny figured whispered while being perched on the Hydra guard's shoulder.
"Well, I used to make a name for myself with them," The disguised man, actually Steve Rogers, disguised as a Hydra guard, replied in a low voice.
Taking advantage of the distraction and commotion outside, Steve, along with Scott, successfully subdued a Hydra guard and donned his uniform to quietly infiltrate deeper into the Fortress building.
"So this Red Skull guy, does he really look like a skeleton?" Scott asked curiously.
"He's disfigured due to an incomplete Super Soldier serum injection that caused his skin to peel off. But now he's probably wearing a mask, so he's not so easy to spot," Steve explained in a hushed tone, scanning the hallway on his way up to find Johann Schmidt.
"Wow, that sounds kind of scary."
Scott continued to chat as if on a tourist trip, showing no signs of readiness for infiltration and disguise. As Ant-Man, with his ability to shrink and expand at will, he felt no need to hide unless focused attention was directed at him.
"Tony was right about you talking too much," Steve sighed helplessly as they reached the first floor without spotting the Red Skull. He took a step toward the second floor when they, unfortunately, encountered a squad of Hydra guards coming down the stairs from the second floor.
Seeing the situation, Scott wisely remained silent and slipped into the crevice of Steve's hood.
Steve, with a steady heart, pretended to be calm and showed no signs of panic. He continued up the stairs.
The Hydra team and Steve met on the stairs, one going up and the other going down.
---
"Hey," The leader of the guards stopped in his tracks, sizing up Steve with a glance. Both wore protective headgear that hid their faces from each other. However, Steve's towering stature immediately caught his attention; such height was uncommon among them.
"Uh-oh."
Scott, hiding on top of Steve, sensed the danger of exposure and wiped a metaphorical sweat for him. Just as he was preparing for a confrontation, Steve spoke in earnest:
"Hail Hydra!"
Steve's tone was calm and determined, remarkably infectious, like a loyal Hydra soldier. Even if Red Skull Johann Schmidt were present, he might not suspect Steve as an intruder.
"Hail Hydra."
The leader of the guards nodded in agreement, echoing Steve's call, before leading his team downstairs.
Steve breathed a sigh of relief, having narrowly escaped, and walked calmly upstairs.
"Captain, you're amazing!" Scott marveled, completely amazed. This was what acting was all about!
"Take notes," Steve chuckled, feeling an inexplicable urge to chant Hydra's internal slogan.
"I can't, I just can't!" Scott shook his head and gave Steve a thumbs up. "You deserve an Oscar for that, Captain."
The two continued their infiltration upstairs.
Outside the military fortress.
Hundreds of Hydra guards scurried about like ants on the ground, though they saw no sign of enemies. Yet small missiles rained down from the sky, unleashing a relentless bombardment that left the Hydra guards in utter despair.
High above the military fortress.
Dressed in the new, expandable Mark suit, Iron Man soared through the sky. A triangular light glowed on his chest, while small missiles on his shoulders carpet-bombed the ground below.
From this height, and with the current armament of the Hydra guards, not only could they not counterattack, but even surveillance was difficult. They were completely vulnerable, like fish waiting to be slaughtered.
Caesar hovered nearby with his hands in his pockets, watching idly. While Tony continued his barrage of missiles, Caesar couldn't help but activate his communicator. "Steve, how's it going on your end?"
"We haven't found Red Skull Johann Schmidt yet. He must still be inside. Could you intensify the attack?" Steve reported back.
"Intensify the attack?" Caesar glanced at Iron Man and suddenly had an idea, speeding towards the nearby mountains.
Moments later.
Just as Tony finished reloading his depleted launcher and heard a buzzing sound behind him, he turned in surprise. When he saw what was approaching, his jaw dropped in disbelief.
In the dim light of the night, a small mountain hummed into view, hovering at an altitude of nearly a kilometer. And below him, shouldering the mountain, was none other than Caesar!
Tony struggled for words for a moment before finally managing, "Little Godfather, are you trying to create a meteorite?"
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(End of Chapter)