Colonel Phillips' office was filled with smoke.
The choking scent of cigars mixed with the bitterness of strong coffee, creating an atmosphere of anxiety that belonged to the war.
The map of the European theater hanging on the wall was covered in flags representing different units.
Suddenly, the harsh sound of static crackled from the radio in the corner.
A young radio operator's terrified scream tore through the stuffiness of the conference room.
"...Monster! It's an energy weapon! Repeat, our armor is... melting! My God! They're melting just like candles! Ah—"
The communication cut off abruptly, leaving only static.
Phillips slammed his fist on the table.
He rubbed his temples wearily, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at the map of the European theater on the wall.
The map was covered with flags representing different units.
The vast majority were red arrows representing retreats and crises.
"The speed of HYDRA's technological development has exceeded our imagination."
"The 4th Armored Division lost twelve Shermans in one hour."
"Energy weapons."
Peggy Carter stood in front of the map, her uniform crisp, but her expression was graver than ever before.
"They already possess stable energy weapons that can be deployed in actual combat."
"All of our armored advantages are rendered useless in front of them."
Lynn scanned the map.
It was a shocking sea of red.
In the midst of this red despair, only one glaring green arrow had pierced deep into the heart of the territory occupied by the German Army.
The label on that front line was: Soldier Boy.
"Only the theater he is in is advancing."
Phillips added bitterly.
"He is an army all by himself. But we only have one Soldier Boy. We can't use him to fill the holes across the entire European battlefield."
Lynn picked up the coffee on the table, which had already gone lukewarm, and gently blew away the foam.
A war on the verge of failure.
An enemy with overwhelming technology.
For him, this was not a crisis.
This was the best billboard.
The perfect billboard to showcase the value of the "ultimate weapon" in his hands.
"The continuous retreat of our conventional forces just proves that our previous tactics were wrong."
"What do you mean?"
Phillips looked up.
"We shouldn't get entangled with the HYDRA army. We should go for a direct decapitation strike."
Lynn walked to the map and drew a circle over Germany.
"Where are their factories, their laboratories, their scientists…?"
Phillips exchanged glances with the few officers present, their faces showing a helpless expression that said, "Do you think we don't want to?"
"Of course we want to! But HYDRA's core strongholds are top secret. All the infiltration teams we've sent, even the best ones, never returned."
A lieutenant colonel couldn't help but speak up, his tone full of frustration.
"We don't even know which damn rat hole their leader, Red Skull, is hiding in!"
This was exactly the answer Lynn wanted to hear.
Only the helplessness of conventional means could highlight the value of unconventional ones.
Just then, the silent Peggy Carter suddenly spoke up.
"I know a place."
"A week ago, I captured a HYDRA communications officer in London. He didn't have time to destroy the intelligence he was carrying."
Peggy took a file out of her briefcase.
"According to the decrypted intelligence, HYDRA has a complex of underground fortifications in the mountains near Wrocław, Poland."
She circled a location on the map laid out on the table with a red pen.
"The codename is 'Giant'. It was a secret project built by the Nazis early in the war, later taken over by HYDRA."
"Intelligence indicates that their most important research facilities and some of their high-ranking officials have been transferred there."
Lynn looked at the red circle on the map.
A perfect stage.
"Conduct the highest level of aerial reconnaissance on this area."
Lynn did not ask for Phillips' opinion but issued the order directly.
His status as a Congressional plenipotentiary representative gave him this authority.
"Wait!"
Phillips stood up instinctively.
"Mr. Morris, I respect your status, but I am in charge of this command post. Any military operation requires..."
Lynn turned around slowly, a gentle smile still on his face, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth.
"Colonel, my status is that of a Congressional plenipotentiary representative. This means that here, my word is the will of Washington."
He took a step closer.
"Now, do you still want to discuss the issue of command with me?"
Phillips was stunned for a moment. His military instincts made him want to retort, but looking at the blood-red on the map, he finally nodded wearily.
"Let's start from here."
Lynn's finger pressed heavily on the fortification complex named "Giant".
"Let's strike a hard blow to the heart of HYDRA."
...
Two days later.
All the reconnaissance reports were laid out before Lynn.
Photos taken by high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft showed that the mountainous area was heavily guarded, and underground energy reactions were detected.
Everything matched Peggy's intelligence.
Confirming the intelligence was accurate, Lynn walked alone toward Soldier Boy's barracks.
Soldier Boy was maintaining his scarred shield.
He used a piece of deerskin to wipe the smooth surface of the shield over and over again, as focused as if he were treating his lover.
"Speak up, what boring job is it this time?"
He didn't even look up, his tone full of boredom.
"A stage worthy of you."
Lynn threw the map and reconnaissance photos of the "Giant" fortification complex onto the table in front of him.
"HYDRA's lair. Their top scientists and craziest weapons are all inside this turtle shell."
Soldier Boy stopped what he was doing.
He picked up a photo showing the entrance to the fortification complex.
A steel fortress was embedded in the mountainside, surrounded by anti-aircraft guns and armored patrols.
"You want me to wipe this place off the map?"
"No."
Lynn shook his head.
"I want you to walk in there, bring out their most important things, or... destroy them. I want to make their leader tremble in their own bunker, listening to your footsteps."
"Heh..."
Soldier Boy let out a low chuckle.
He liked this script; it was far more interesting than simple destruction.
He reached out and forcefully traced over the red circle on the map.
"When do we start?"
"Midnight tonight. A plane will take you over the target."
Lynn looked at him.
"An airdrop, do you have any objections?"
Soldier Boy laughed heartily, as if he had heard some huge joke.
...
Midnight.
An unmarked C-47 transport plane was flying silently above the clouds.
The red lights in the cabin flickered on and off.
Peggy Carter sat in the cockpit, calmly piloting the plane. Her voice came through the internal communicator.
"Reached the target airspace, weather below is good. Preparing for airdrop."
Lynn walked to the back of the cabin and opened the cargo door.
Below was the deep night; the boundless sea of forest undulated under the moonlight, like a black ocean.
The silhouettes of the distant mountains were faintly visible.
Soldier Boy walked to the cabin door and looked down.
The strong wind blew his hair; there was not a trace of nervousness on his face, but rather an excitement for the hunt about to begin.
"Do you need me to repeat the mission objectives?"
Lynn asked loudly against the howling wind.
Soldier Boy did not answer.
He just turned his head and gave Lynn a cruel and fanatical smile.
The next second, he jumped headfirst from hundreds of meters in the air in a nosedive.
No hesitation, no parachute, not even a single preparatory movement.
He just jumped like that.
Like a meteorite, he fell decisively toward the land shrouded in darkness.
Lynn stood at the cabin door, watching the small black dot quickly disappear from his field of vision.
The wind whistled in his ears.
"Go."
He whispered softly, his voice swallowed by the wind.
"Present an art exhibition called... fear, for this World."
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