As expected, Thor's relentless Gatling assault set off alarms across the HYDRA camp. The sound of the heavy gunfire, accompanied by a barrage of shouted insults directed at their families, made the HYDRA soldiers panic. For a moment, they almost believed the entire Allied army had arrived.
From a distance, Steve's eyes misted up. To him, it looked like Thor— Blake —was sacrificing himself to buy time for the rescue. He's risking his life for this mission, Steve thought, feeling a surge of respect. He deserves the super-soldier serum more than I do.
Blake's sacrifice won't be in vain! Steve vowed. Taking advantage of the chaos Thor had created, he slipped unnoticed into the base.
With Thor drawing all the attention, even the infiltration skills Steve had picked up were barely necessary. Moving silently through the corridors, he was able to avoid most of the guards.
Meanwhile, outside, Thor was making quite the spectacle. Dual-wielding Gatling guns, he was mowing down HYDRA soldiers left and right.
The HYDRA forces were stunned. Many of them wielded advanced energy guns powered by the Tesseract, yet even those seemed ineffective against this relentless foe. Watching him sprint with two massive Gatling guns and dodge fire with ease, the HYDRA soldiers began to question if they were up against some kind of demon.
"Is he human?" one soldier muttered. "I've seen accurate snipers, but who's ever seen a guy accurately firing a Gatling gun?"
If Thor could've heard their thoughts, he'd have laughed. You think I threw Mjölnir for nothing all these years? If he wanted, he could hit them from miles away with the hammer. And even against someone as powerful as Thanos, he never missed his mark—well, except for that one time he hit the chest…
At one point, he picked up one of their energy guns for fun, but after a couple of shots, it ran out. Without a Tesseract recharge, it was basically useless.
…
Meanwhile, inside the compound, Captain America was making steady progress. Most of the guards had run outside to deal with Thor's attack, leaving fewer obstacles in Steve's path. Thanks to some tips Thor had given him beforehand, Steve moved with confidence.
Eventually, he reached the cell block, where a guard eyed him warily, one hand on his gun. Bucky isn't in sight, Steve thought, realizing he'd need a bit of deception.
In a gruff voice, he announced, "The Führer anticipated a rescue attempt and ordered that all prisoners be lined up and executed immediately."
The guard hesitated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Steve leaned in and whispered, "Hail HYDRA."
That did the trick. The guard relaxed and took out the cell keys, unlocking the doors. But as soon as Steve glanced inside, he scowled. "Where is everyone? Don't tell me you let some of them go!"
The guard stammered, "Some were taken to the lab for experiments in the quarantine area. Uh—wait, you're not…" But before he could finish, Steve acted, swiftly breaking his neck.
Turning to the prisoners, he called out, "I'm Captain America. I'm here to get you out—everyone, make a run for it!"
The captives reacted immediately, gathering confiscated weapons and charging into the compound. They were surprised to find only a few guards left in the vast base, thanks to Thor's distraction.
Captain America make his way to the other in the lab, to free them. This is where Steve found Bucky strap into a table.
"Who is that" he mumbles.
"Bucky, its me Steve" Steve said as he see Bucky worrisome state.
"Steve?"
"I thought you were dead"
"I thought you were smaller"
...
As they burst through the front gates, they caught sight of Thor, who was now joyriding in a stolen tank, roaring through the camp and firing rounds at anything in sight. That explains the sounds of artillery, Steve thought with a grin.
When Steve finally emerged with Bucky, HYDRA's forces were all but defeated. Thor spotted them and poked his head out from the top of the battered tank. Seeing him, Steve's emotions welled up. He rushed over, barely holding back tears of relief.
"Hey, you're alive!" he exclaimed, punching Thor lightly on the chest. "Good to see you, brother."
"Hey, I don't die that easily," Thor replied with a laugh. "I'm still waiting to be called Uncle Blake by Howard's son!"
Captain America shook his head in amusement. "Why are you so invested in Howard's future kid? And how are you so sure he'll have a son?"
Thor just grinned mysteriously, keeping his answer to himself as the liberated soldiers gathered around them, cheering their victory.
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