"Does it hurt?" Bucky asked Steve while they navigated through the crumbling building, narrowly avoiding a falling ceiling.
"A little bit," Steve replied, wincing.
"Is it permanent?" Bucky inquired.
"So far, it is," Steve confirmed.
Alex, listening to their conversation, couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. Their exchange was quite unexpected. After all, discussing matters related to pain and permanence didn't seem to fit the intense situation they were in.
As they reached a stairwell, they faced a choice: ascend a narrow passage or descend to the ground level. Steve was about to head downstairs when a series of explosions rocked the building, causing a large wall to collapse on the stairs, blocking their way down. With no other option, they had to go up.
Steve dragged the weakened Bucky into the passageway, where they could hear soldiers outside engaged in a fierce battle against HYDRA forces. More explosions echoed, leaving Steve's ears ringing. When the smoke cleared, they spotted someone standing in front of them.
It was the leader of HYDRA, Johann Schmidt.
"Captain America, how thrilling," Schmidt remarked, a hint of mockery in his voice. He held a titanium box in his hand.
"I'm a huge fan of yours," Schmidt sneered before passing the box to the scientist in the white coat that Steve had seen earlier.
Schmidt took a step closer, and Steve followed suit.
"So, the experiment succeeded in the end," Schmidt observed, looking Steve up and down with surprise. "Although there's been no improvement, it's still quite impressive."
Steve's anger flared at Schmidt's words. With a fierce roar, he threw a punch, sending Schmidt stumbling back a few steps.
"You'll see," Steve retorted.
Schmidt broke into a wide smile, seeming pleased with Steve's reaction. He retaliated by throwing a punch at Steve, who quickly raised his shield to block the attack.
As Steve lowered his shield, he noticed a clear fist-shaped dent in it. Just as he was about to retrieve his pistol and take aim at Schmidt, the HYDRA leader delivered a powerful blow that sent Steve crashing to the ground. Steve watched his pistol fly out of his grasp, turned his head to see Schmidt, and responded by kicking Schmidt squarely in the chest. The force of the kick propelled Schmidt backward, creating some much-needed distance between them.
As the doctor saw Steve and Schmidt engage in a confrontation, he hastily rushed to the aisle console and pressed a switch. The aisle separated, creating a gap between the two adversaries.
Simultaneously, Steve and Schmidt both stood up. Schmidt locked eyes with Steve and declared, "No matter what Erkins may tell you, I am his most successful creation."
With a wicked grin, Schmidt extended his hand and began to peel off his face, revealing a gruesome red skeletal visage underneath.
"Did you become like him?" Bucky asked, his voice filled with concern.
Upon witnessing this horrifying transformation, both Steve and Bucky couldn't help but take a sharp breath. Schmidt proceeded to spew a barrage of nonsensical rhetoric to Steve.
Then, without wasting a moment, Schmidt turned and entered an elevator adjacent to him, and the elevator doors swiftly closed.
Schmidt had escaped, leaving them trapped in this dire situation. Further explosions rocked the environment, causing the walkway beneath their feet to tremble. There was no time to deal with Schmidt; they had to make a hasty escape or risk perishing in the chaos.
Without hesitation, Steve scooped up Alex and sprinted upwards, while Bucky stepped onto the crossbar first and made his way across. Just as Bucky traversed the beam...
Another explosion reverberated, causing the beam to collapse. Alex raised his hand, manipulating the magnetic field to levitate the beam back into place.
Observing Alex's actions, Steve was taken aback and inquired, "What's going on with you?"
"Do you really want to know? I'm the sole survivor of a drug experiment in a Nazi concentration camp," Alex replied with a nonchalant tone. After all, there were numerous Nazi concentration camps, making it difficult to discern which one he had been subjected to.
Steve's expression contorted with intense hatred at the mention of this vile Nazi experimentation. How could such a young child endure such cruel experiments? It was an affront to humanity.
"Those damn Nazis!" Steve clenched his teeth in anger.
Steve balanced himself on the beam and joined Bucky's side. Bucky gazed at Alex in astonishment. Alex urged, "You must keep this secret. They can't find out about my ability. I don't want to be a lab rat again."
"Absolutely, your secret is safe with us!" Steve assured him with a smile and a thumbs-up.
"I'm not much of a chatterbox either. This secret will stay buried with me," Bucky chimed in, placing a hand over his lips and miming a zipper, chuckling softly.
(End of this chapter)
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