A convoy of vehicles slowly made its way down a winding mountain road toward the vicinity of Neuschwanstein Castle.
At the end of the road was the castle itself. However, since the entire castle was built on a cliff, the road initially led to the side of the castle. To reach the main gate, one had to go around it.
But when the convoy reached the end of the road, they encountered two machine-gun bunkers blocking the way. Behind the fortifications, not far from the castle, a few jeeps and military trucks were parked in front of the building.
"Who are you?" A U.S. soldier, rifle in hand, stepped cautiously out of one of the bunkers and stopped the convoy to inquire.
From the white eagle insignia on his shoulder patch and the spade emblem on his helmet, it was clear that he was a member of Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division.
The presence of Easy Company at this location was no accident. When the Eagle's Nest operation was being planned, Josh had already discussed it with General Taylor.
Once the primary strategic objectives of the operation were accomplished, Josh requested that troops be sent to secure this location.
Although the Eagle's Nest was not of significant strategic value, it remained a symbolic target for Allied forces. The task of capturing it was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, led by Captain Winters.
Since Neuschwanstein Castle was less than 100 kilometers away and of no strategic importance, General Taylor had casually ordered the 506th to occupy it as well.
Knowing the close ties between Josh and both Winters and Aldo, Colonel Sink, the 506th Regiment's commander, naturally assigned the mission to Easy Company.
The bodyguards in the lead vehicle handed over some identification and documents to the Easy Company soldier for verification. After a brief exchange, the soldier and bodyguard approached the vehicle carrying Josh.
"What's going on?" asked Vito, getting out of the passenger seat as the two approached.
"Boss, Sergeant John Martin here says the main gate of the castle was destroyed in an explosion and is currently impassable. We'll have to use the side entrance," the bodyguard from the lead car explained.
"John Martin?" Josh rolled down the window and turned to the American soldier. Recognizing the name, Josh realized he had met this man before during visits to the Rainbow Theatre in London.
"Yes, sir!" Sergeant Martin's face lit up with joy at being recognized by such an important figure.
Although Josh wasn't part of the military hierarchy, everyone in Easy Company knew of him.
"You mentioned that the main gate was destroyed. What happened?" Josh asked, obviously concerned since the castle was about to become his property.
"Well, sir, when we arrived, the castle was being used as a Hydra research facility. Even though there weren't many of them, just a few dozen, they were pretty stubborn. They blew up the gate and tried to use the terrain to stop us. We didn't have much in the way of siege equipment at the time. But that night, our commander infiltrated the castle alone and neutralized most of the Hydra soldiers who tried to resist. Heaven knows how he did it!" Sergeant Martin told enthusiastically.
Josh nodded knowingly. It was clear that Aldo had once again used the Beastification Serum that Josh had provided. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to single-handedly take out dozens of Hydra soldiers in such a dangerous fortress.
Fortunately, only the main gate was destroyed, and the main structure of the castle remained intact. Still, Hydra's presence here was puzzling.
"Thank you for the information, Sergeant Martin. Is it possible to meet with Aldo now?" Josh inquired.
"Of course, sir. Follow me." Martin nodded and signaled to his fellow soldiers in the bunkers before leading Josh and his group to the side entrance of the castle.
After passing through the side entrance and navigating the complex corridors of the castle, Josh finally arrived at a room on the second floor where Aldo was busy writing.
"Josh! I've been waiting for you. It's good to see you!" Aldo stood up and greeted Josh with a bear hug.
"Good to see you too. I heard about your solo mission—storming the Hydra-held castle and taking out their soldiers single-handedly. Pretty impressive!" Josh said laughing and patted Aldo on the shoulder.
"Come on, Josh. You of all people should know how I did it," Aldo replied in a low voice, glancing at Ophelia who was standing behind Josh. "By the way, why is she here?"
"Let's not get into that right now. I brought some good stuff from Vienna for all of you—it's in the cars. Send someone to bring it in," Josh said, changing the subject.
"Oh? That's great news! Any good booze? This place is so remote, even the nearest town doesn't have a decent bottle!" Aldo's eyes lit up.
"Of course there is! Not just liquor - there's fresh fruit, newly purchased beef and vegetables from the nearby town!" Josh confirmed.
"Martin, have your platoon bring in the supplies. We'll have a real feast tonight!" Aldo ordered excitedly.
"Yes, sir!" Martin saluted and left immediately.
"I heard this place used to be a Hydra research facility. What's the story?" Josh asked once Martin was gone.
"Hang on Josh. You still haven't explained why she's here," Aldo said, still clearly annoyed as he looked at Ophelia.
"My apologies, Lieutenant Aldo. We were on opposing sides at the time and I had no choice. I deeply regret the incident and I sincerely apologize. But now we both work for Mr. Kahn. Let's leave the past in the past, shall we?" Ophelia said with a smile, responding to Josh's signal.
"Josh, is that true?" Aldo asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Ophelia is one of us now and completely trustworthy," Josh confirmed with a nod.
Aldo looked at Ophelia, then at the collar around her neck, and silently gave Josh a thumbs up.
"As for the research facility, it's simple. Early in the war, this place was used by Hitler to store looted French art. When Bavaria came under Hydra's control, it was turned into a small research base under the command of a Major with a couple dozen guards and about a dozen scientists. They were working on strange experiments that none of us soldiers could make sense of," Aldo explained with a shrug.
"Did you know about this place?" Josh turned to Ophelia.
"No, I've never heard of it," she replied.
"Did you report it?" Josh asked Aldo.
"Of course I did. I sent a letter to battalion headquarters, but it seems they didn't consider it a priority," Aldo said, winking at Josh.
Understanding Aldo's implication, Josh smiled in satisfaction. "Then take us to see it."
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