Several days later…
Colonel Phillips was in his command tent reading aloud a prepared statement for a special condolence letter his aid was typing. "Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period." Phillips read out as Howard Stark walked into the tent with some photos.
"Last surveillance flight just came back. No sign of activity since the compound exploded and no responses from the transmitter or their radio." Howard told the Colonel who looked over the photos.
"Go get a coffee, corporal." Phillips ordered and his aid quickly left. "You're unique status here leaves me in a conundrum, Stark. You're rich and the army's number one weapon's contractor so there's not a lot I can do to you but what were you thinking of going along on that mission?"
"Kal said they needed a pilot to get them through a dangerous area. I'm one of the best pilots in a custom designed plane, faster and nimbler than anything the army has. If anyone had a chance of getting him and his team close enough for the mission it was me." Howard defended his actions. "And he was my friend. He needed my help."
"Did he ask you to do it?" Phillips asked.
"He didn't have to. I offered." Howard answered.
"There won't ever be a next time but next time just say no. You're the smartest man in America, Stark, you're place is in the labs back at the SSR. The only reason you were even here was because you decided to get out of the lab to deliver some supplies. What if you were strafed by enemy aircraft or one of those AA guns got luck? Then the war effort would go south quickly." Phillips told him off, chastising Howard for putting himself in danger like that.
"Kal needed my help with the mission. We both know how important it is and he could get it done, especially with Rogers helping him. Despite the odds and whatever Hydra is working on I know he's ok. I have faith." Howard defended himself.
"Faith, Stark? Since when are you religious?" Phillips questioned almost as if not buying his words.
"It's not about religion." Stark dismissed. "It's about believing in someone when others don't. You can blame Kal for that cause I think the guy is rubbing off on me a little."
"Well, I hope that faith lets you sleep at night, Stark because as far as I'm concerned, you're never leaving the SSR labs again, even if I have to put two men on you at all times." Phillips told him. "Lieutenant Elbert has done things that even I couldn't believe but Steve Rogers is nothing more than a glorified chorus line dancer. And now I'll have Senator Brandt up my ass because he's most likely dead."
Howard was about to respond when he and the Colonel noticed a lot of movement outside. All the men were rushing to the perimeter of camp and their faces seemed to indicate it was something good. "You sure about that?" Howard remarked as he and the Colonel walked out to see what was going on.
The men in camp gathered at the entrance to camp to see Superman and Captain America leading hundreds of men down the road. Clark and Steve stood shoulder to shoulder with Taskforce Vanguard behind them, leading the freed POWs from the Hydra compound. Those that were injured were helped by abled-bodied soldiers and the Hydra armored vehicles and trucks they commandeered provided transport for those that were seriously wounded. The men in the camp quickly helped the injured while cheering for the men's safe return. Old friends were reunited and injured were quickly taken to the medical tents. Colonel Phillips and Howard walked over as Clark stepped forward and gave him a salute.
"Sorry we're late, Colonel. Four hundred prisoners rescued, and Hydra's compound is destroyed." Clark told him before looking over Steve who stood at attention. "I apologize for whatever position this put you in, Colonel. I'd like to submit myself to disciplinary action."
Colonel Phillips looked him over and then glanced at Steve. "That won't be necessary, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, sir. And he's ready." Clark assured Colonel Phillips, referring to Steve.
"We'll see." Phillips replied before walking away and passed by Howard who he stopped for a moment to say something. "Faith, huh?"
He didn't even wait for the man's response before leaving, not wanting to see the smirk of satisfaction on his face. Howard quickly got that smirk and gave Clark a brotherly hug.
"And I was just starting to get worried about you? Why the hell didn't you try and contact us?" Howard wondered so Clark removed the broken transmitter from his pocket and Webb lifted up the radio transceiver which had a bullet hole in it. Their escape, while successful, wasn't exactly smooth. "You'd think these things grow on trees. Unbelievable."
"Sorry, but we were more concerned with getting the men to safety than protecting our communications." Steve commented.
"Don't worry, Howard." Clark and Logan removed their packs and handed them to him. He opened them and saw the myriad of papers they stole from Hydra. "This should keep you occupied for a while."
"Not exactly chocolates or wine but if this is what I think it is then I'll enjoy it." Howard quipped as the two shook hands. "Glad to see you're ok, Kal."
"I'm not sure about that but good to be back and alive." Clark patted him on the arm before looking over at Steve who was being praised and congratulated by the soldiers in the camp who once mocked him when he was on stage. He decided to help in that moment. "Hey everyone! Let's hear it for Captain America!"
The entire camp erupted into applause and cheer as Steve stood there, soaking it all in. For so long he wanted to get into the war for the right reasons and now that he had, he wasn't going anywhere. Captain America would no longer be touring with his USO shows…he was joining the war.
Back at the destroyed factory…
What was once a proud Hydra factory/compound was nothing more than a burnt wreck of ruins. Destroyed vehicles in what used to be the vehicle pool, burnt or decayed bodies of Hydra soldiers/followers who weren't vaporized, and the melted metal remains of whatever projects they were working on in the factories. Remnants of the factories remained like the walls of buildings while the roofs had collapsed after the fires and explosions which included Savage's lab but surviving the wreckage was a hidden safe Savage kept in the floor. It was made of some reinforced metal and its unique position allowed it to survive being melted or blown to pieces.
A pile of rubble began to shift like something buried underneath was trying to get free which was probably next to impossible as the rubble had to weigh several tons so even if someone was under there, they wouldn't be getting out anytime soon. At least by normal means. A distinct hum was heard before a powerful sonic shockwave erupted from the rubble, sending hundreds of pounds of steel and cement flying through the air. The dirt shuffled as a human hand reached up and grasped a broken piece of metal rebar which it used to pull the rest of the body out. It was Vandal Savage or what looked like him at least. He limped out of the rubble holding the Vibranium spear he used to free himself from that horrid rubble prison. Burnt scraps of fabric were all the remains of his uniform, broken bones had been reset and healed along with severe third-degree burns. His face was still healing from the burning, explosion and crushing as the left side still needed the flesh to regrow along with the eyeball. Vandal Savage wasn't just a regular man as his survival showed. He was something far more.
He walked out of the rubble and looked for his safe which he eventually found after putting on some clothes he scavenged off of dead Hydra soldiers. Using the Vibranium spear he sliced through the safe like it was made of cloth and pulled out two items. The first was the metal ore sample of Vibranium and the second was the lead case holding the fist sized chunk of Kryptonite. The small sliver he used against Superman was taken from this piece and he secured it away for safe keeping. Savage hadn't gotten this far without taking plenty of precautions. His lab may have been destroyed but those ideas were safely kept in his head and with the Kryptonite and Vibranium not all was lost. Once they were secured, he began the long arduous walk towards the nearest German outpost.
Line Break xxxxx
London, United Kingdom
Senator Brandt stood at a podium in a private ceremony filled with influential senators and politicians from the US, many British Parliament members, military personnel and of course, the press. He had come to the UK to show his face for part of the Captain's USO tour and was using the recent breaking news headline of Captain America freeing 400 POWs from a Hydra compound to further his own political career like the smarmy politician he was. All the newspapers and radio stations in the US, UK, and likely further reported on Senator Brandt honoring Captain America at a lavish ceremony with a Bronze Star for valor. It was just him peacocking and gaining political power for a possible Presidential run later down the line.
"I am honored to present this Bronze Star for valor to my personal friend, Captain America!" Senator Brandt gestured to the entryway behind him. "Captain America! Captain, that's your cue!"
Senator Brandt's aid then walked out and whispered to him. Everyone in the crowd watched on in amusement and confusion as an elderly four-star general looked at the man sitting next to him. "I thought he'd be taller."
SSR Headquarters London, United Kingdom
The Agents of the SSR were busy at work, which now included Steve Rogers. After the successful rescue of the POWs and the destruction of Hydra's lab in Austria, the Allied forces secured the Northern Italian borders. Southern France to the west, Switzerland, Austria to the North, and Yugoslavia to the east. Now, many were eager to push the offensive north into Germany and France and there were plans but the eagerness was from politicians and eager generals. Those that really knew what they were doing understood the complexity of the situation. With winter approaching, scaling the Alps was ill-advised so launching an invasion into Southern France would risk them getting surrounded as they pushed north. The plans for the moment were to develop the next stage of the war. With Italy taken out, they had the advantage as they knew the Germans wouldn't scale the borders during the winter months, so they had the time to train new forces and gather the necessary supplies for whatever plans were had. With the aid of Superman, they suffered minimal losses. For the SSR, their priority was Red Skull, and the other burgeoning weapons projects Germany was developing.
Peggy and Clark, who was dressed in his military fatigues, watched Steve using a pencil to mark a general map of Europe with the locations of the Hydra factories he saw on the map in the Hydra compound. "The fifth one was here in Poland, right near the Baltic. And the sixth one was about here, 30, 40 miles west of the Maginot Line." Steve remembered as the orderly took the map. "I just got a quick look."
"Well, nobody's perfect." Peggy quipped and Clark chuckled as they walked over to the general table when Howard walked over.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right now?" Howard asked.
"I've decided I'm officially off the press circuit." Steve replied which he was happy about including Peggy and Clark when they saw Colonel Phillips walk over.
"Rogers, you just embarrassed a United States Senator in front of a room full of reporters and ten members of Parliament." Phillips told him.
"So…he did good then?" Clark remarked.
"Ha, you deserve a medal just for that." Phillips joked as he handed Steve a small box holding his Bronze Star and also had one for Clark. "If he deserves one so, do you, Lieutenant. Armed Services committee sent one for you as well."
"Thank you, Colonel. Howard, how's your progress on the information we stole from Schmidt's lab?" Clark asked him.
"Still ongoing but enough to make me envious as well as scared. It's clear that Schmidt isn't the only genius in Germany." Howard said.
"Red Skull. Schmidt was calling himself Red Skull and the reason for that was obvious." Steve said as the others looked at him in confusion. "Dr. Erskine's early formula really wasn't ready."
"Schmidt, Red Skull, whatever the hell he calls himself it doesn't matter. What I want is to take out these special weapons projects before they're operational." Phillips stated and everyone agreed. He then handed Clark a file that SSR had managed to pull together with help from the SOE. "Is that him, Elbert?"
Clark opened the file and saw a black and white photo of Vandal Savage. "Yeah, that's him. Who is he?"
"Standartenführer Vandal Savage, high ranking Nazi member and SS colonel of Die-Unsterbliche Armee." Peggy told him.
"Immortal Legion. That's not ominous at all." Clark remarked.
"Intelligence doesn't have a lot on Savage before he appeared in 1933 with plenty of money and influence to assist in the building of the Nazi party and the Waffen-SS. Shortly after Hitler's rise to power, he began using that money to help fund various divisions of the German war effort and economy. Arms, automotive, planes, he's had his hand in a lot of pockets and established connections with various scientists and military leaders. Too many to count but with what you were able to learn at the factory, one of the people Savage has helped is Oberführer Wolfram Von List and Doctor Ulrich Vogel. The super soldier SS-officer you encountered must have been the first prototype of Projekt Kassenschalger." Peggy added.
"And from what I saw, Savage has been instrumental in getting him resources to perfect his project and add on new ones." Clark said as he led them over to the main strategy table where a new map was marked with small flags. Six of them were the Hydra Facilities Steve saw on the map in Red Skull's factory so they had a red H on them while the other five were learned from the intel Clark and Logan took from Savage's lab and were labeled with an V for Vandal Savage. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us. This war is far from over."
"Hate to add onto to what we already have but Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra was shipping all the components they were building to another facility not on the map. A main Hydra Base." Steve added.
"Agent Carter, contact MI6, the SOE, and OSS. I want every Allied eyeball looking out for that main Hydra Base as well as all the intel on the areas on that map. This is crucial now more than ever. The enemy was biding their time and smarter than we gave them credit for but thanks to the mission in Austria we're no longer caught unaware. Now we have the chance to deal with these issues before they become major problems. The SSR's goal has shifted, everyone. Allied commanders are now contemplating the next phase of the war. They are gathering resources, training men, and defending the new established borders of the territory we have taken back. They will keep the pressure on the German war front and in doing so put stress on materials and resources, keeping these weapons projects at bay while we move in to strike. We are gonna set a fire under Red Skull's ass and burn those places to the ground to make Savage roll around in his grave." Colonel Phillips stated as his aid came over with some papers for him to sign.
"That's gonna be a lot of work for us. We'll need to divide and conquer." Clark suggested.
"My thoughts exactly. Lieutenant Elbert seems to think you're ready, Rogers, and if the after actions reports are to be believed than you can handle yourself. You think you can wipe Hydra off that map?" Colonel Phillips asked.
"Yes, sir. I'll need a team and I've got some people in mind, with all due respect." Steve answered.
"I figured as much. Get to work. Time is of the essence, Rogers." Colonel Phillips told him, and Steve gave him a salute before going to track down the men he wanted for his team.
"I take it I'm gonna handle the other pieces of that map?" Clark asked.
"That's right but right now I'm more concerned with your after-action report." Phillips told him.
"In all honesty, sir, I feel the same. I'm just hoping that the Kryptonite meteorite Savage and Von List have is small." Clark hoped.
"Any idea on how he got it in the first place?" Phillips asked him and Clark shook his head.
"No, sir. He just said a friend gave it to him. And he said he saw it first in Von List's lab so that means there's more out there." Clark said and that made him and the others worried. It seems as though Clark wasn't as invulnerable as they thought he was.
"But it just affected you? No one else?" Howard asked and Clark nodded.
"Savage held it in his hand, and he was fine. And when Logan saved me, he touched it and nothing. The second I removed the lead cover…it honestly felt like my insides were being ripped apart. I've never felt that kind of pain before. And that was just a small piece, one of which could power one of those machine soldier suits. If they have enough, they could power an entire legion and march them across Europe." Clark said in worry.
"Ease up on the melodrama, Kal. I looked over the specs and the kind of armor Von List is making is beyond complicated, time consuming, not to mention resource intensive. If Von List really had the resources to make an army of these things, we would have seen them by now. The fact that we haven't means that the project was something begun when the war started, and he's been fighting for resources." Howard pointed out.
"Howard has a point. The main fighting force has been traditional military so that means he must not have had much success in resources until he sent the Blockbuster prototype. With how far we've advanced, these projects have started to gain leverage and prominence but they're still fighting for resources with the German Army and Airforce. That's where someone like Savage would come into play." Peggy added.
"Right, sorry for the unnecessary foreboding there." Clark apologized.
"None needed, Elbert. Happens to the best soldiers. Stark, how much would it take to build one of those suits?" Colonel Phillips asked so Howard did some quick math in his head.
"After what I read through the papers and data Elbert was able to recover from that lab, factoring in time to synthesize the more durable steel alloy for the shell, all the necessary smaller components like the gears and rotors to aid in movement, and assuming they have a factory to make all of them…I'd say…same amount of manpower and raw steel to make ten tanks, maybe twelve?" Howard estimated.
"Twelve tanks for one suit of armor. I sure wouldn't put in the resources for that, and the German manufacturing has been hit hard with the Allied bombing raids not to mention the strain of two fronts and everything Elbert has left in rubble. But if Savage is as dangerous as we thought he was, he could have worked out deals to get Von List what he needs even for a few." Colonel Phillips said. "Still, even one of those suits would be bad news so the sooner we locate that factory the better. Agent Carter, do we have any SSR assets in Poland?"
"Yes, sir. We have an operative there working with the Polish resistance." Peggy replied.
"Contact them along with any OSS, SOE, or MI6 operatives in that region. Find that factory and begin dispatching operations to the other areas on interest on the map. The sooner we take out these weapons projects we deprive the Germans of the weapons to keep this war from ending sooner but we're done all we can for now. Let's see where it leads us. Dismissed for the day." Phillips told him before looking at Clark. "Get some rest, Captain."
Clark nodded when he realized what Phillips said. "Sir?"
"Your efforts have earned this promotion, Captain. And no way am I gonna allow Rogers to outrank you." Phillips told him before he walked away.
"Congratulations, Kal." Howard patted him on the back. "Up to celebrate? Drinks on you?"
"As much as I appreciate that, Howard, I think I'll take a rain check. I could just use something to eat." Clark answered.
"No problem. I've got some connections, and I can get us to the best place in the city." Howard offered when he saw Clark try to come up with a polite way to say no. Clark's gaze was aimed at Peggy and while she was more subtle, it was shared. And it clicked. "Oh, oh, sorry. No, I get it. No one wants a third wheel and who am I to get in the way of you crazy kids. And if that's the case then by all means I'm happy to help."
"Howard, you can stop now…" Clark told him.
"No, no. Let me help." Howard took out his business card and gave it to him. "Head on over to the Ritz and speak with Alexander at the front desk. Give him my business card and tell him I sent you. He'll hook you up."
"Ok, Howard. You can stop." Clark told him yet again and began to push him away.
"Hey, I'm just trying to be helpful. If there's anyone you should listen to when it comes to romance with the ladies, then it's me. I mean, I'm sure you did ok back home in Kansas but lovely British women like Peggy are something else entirely. Name one woman who comes even close." Howard said but Clark said nothing. Normally, Howard would have taken that as Clark agreeing with him but the look on his face said something different. "You have been with other women before, right?"
"That's none of your business." Clark got defensive and there was a very slight tinge to his cheeks. This conversation wasn't exactly a comfortable topic if his blushing was any indication.
Howards eyes widened as realization struck him. "Oh my god, Peggy was your first wasn't she? I can't believe it." he muttered in pure disbelief at this shocking info. Clark had been a virgin until he met Peggy, this was unreal. Who the hell even stays a virgin in these horrible times they were living in? "Don't tell me she was also your first date?" he questioned now wondering about his friends past with women, if he even had one to begin with.
"No!" Clark raised his voice, looking almost offended. "I've been on dates before."
"But Peggy was your first time with a woman." Howard repeated as if he still couldn't believe it. "I don't know whether to question your lack of intimate life or commend you for having a heck of a woman as your first."
"Ok, that's enough of that." Clark grabbed Howard at his arms and lifted him up like he weighed nothing. He proceeded to walk him towards the exit. "Have a good night, Howard. And let me remind you that Peggy shot me because she was ticked off so I wouldn't do anything to make her upset or angry with you like gossiping or saying something about someone else's relationship."
Clark walked away, leaving Howard in disbelief. He was gonna keep his mouth shut for sure. Clark could crush him like paper, but he was more scared of what Peggy would do to him. "A virgin past their twenties…I can't believe it." Howard muttered in disbelief before he left.
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