Steve moved quickly between the rows of cages, his hands gripping the cold metal bars before wrenching them open one by one. The prisoners inside—American soldiers captured and broken down by days of confinement—stumbled out with disbelief written across their faces. Some stared at him as if he were unreal, while others wasted no time grabbing weapons from fallen guards.
Even as he worked, Steve's expression grew heavier.
He hadn't seen the two people he was looking for.
Grabbing a burly soldier by the arm, he pulled him closer, his voice urgent. "Where are the Colonel and Bucky?"
The soldier hesitated for a brief second, then answered quickly. "Bucky was taken to the lab. As for the Colonel…" His voice trailed off, his eyes dimming with unmistakable grief.
Steve's heart sank.
Without another word, he turned and rushed toward the exit, his movements sharp and decisive.
"Wait!" one of the freed soldiers shouted after him. "How are you going to break through all those German troops outside?"
Steve paused for just a fraction of a second before turning back. His gaze swept across the group, steady and unshaken.
"I've defeated Hitler two hundred times."
The line, so often repeated in propaganda, sounded absurd in any other context. But in that moment, delivered with complete conviction, it carried a strange weight.
Then he turned and charged out.
The soldiers exchanged glances, the earlier mockery still lingering in their memories. But as they looked at his unyielding back, something shifted. One soldier stepped forward first, gripping his weapon tighter, and then another followed.
Within seconds, all of them were moving.
They weren't running away anymore.
They were following him.
The factory doors burst open, and the German soldiers waiting outside immediately opened fire. Gunshots erupted, muzzle flashes lighting up the darkness. But the flood of American soldiers pouring out didn't hesitate.
Under Steve's lead, they surged forward with overwhelming force.
The numerical advantage turned the tide almost instantly. German soldiers were knocked down one after another, their positions collapsing under the sudden assault. Weapons were seized, including the strange, powerful guns developed by Hydra.
The battlefield shifted in moments.
With the outer defenses broken, Steve rushed back inside, heading straight for the laboratory. His eyes locked onto a familiar figure strapped to an experimental table.
"Bucky!"
For a brief moment, Bucky's vision was unfocused. Then recognition returned, and he pushed himself up, his voice urgent. "Where's the Colonel?"
Steve's expression darkened.
He didn't answer.
Bucky understood anyway.
A shadow passed over his face, and a flicker of grief appeared in his eyes. "The Colonel… died for us."
"No!" Steve's voice cut through the air, sharp and unyielding. "He's not dead. He can't be."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and charged deeper into the base, throwing himself back into the fight.
Bucky didn't hesitate. He grabbed one of the captured super weapons from a nearby soldier, his grip tightening as the battle reignited around them.
The intensity spiked instantly.
With Steve as the spearhead, the German forces began to crumble. Their lines broke under relentless pressure, and one by one, they were cut down. The Hydra soldiers, once confident, now faced a force that refused to stop.
"Avenge the Colonel!"
The shout came from somewhere within the ranks, but it spread like wildfire. More voices joined in, fueled by anger and grief. Some soldiers even turned their guns on those who tried to surrender, their emotions boiling over into ruthless action.
Steve and Bucky pushed forward together, breaking into the deeper levels of the facility.
When Bucky reached the second floor, he stopped abruptly.
Ahead of him, Steve was already engaged in a fierce battle.
Boom!
The sound of bodies colliding echoed through the space as Steve's fist slammed into his opponent. Across from him, the Red Skull stood, his hand slowly rising to touch his face.
His eyes burned with fury.
"Do you think you're the only one who's been blessed by fate?" he sneered.
With a twisted grin, he reached up and peeled away the face he wore. It wasn't skin—it was a disguise. As it came off, his true appearance was revealed.
A crimson skull, grotesque and inhuman.
Steve and Bucky froze for a moment, the reality of the name finally making sense.
"Where is Colonel Locke?!" Steve roared, stepping forward again without hesitation.
"Locke?" The Red Skull's expression turned vicious. "That damned man ruined our operations again and again. He tore through our defenses like they were nothing!"
He moved suddenly, striking Steve with brutal force and sending him backward. But in the same instant, he took a heavy hit in return, the impact shaking the structure around them. The ceiling beams groaned as cracks spread.
Standing at the far end, the Red Skull's gaze swept over them with cold satisfaction.
"Just wait," he said slowly. "Victory belongs to Hydra."
Steve clenched his fists, anger surging through him. He tried to pursue, unwilling to let him escape.
But Bucky grabbed him from behind.
"This place is coming down!" Bucky snapped. "If you want to get buried under all this, go ahead—but I'm leaving!"
The words cut through the haze.
Steve hesitated, then finally stepped back.
Around them, flames spread rapidly, consuming everything in their path. Explosions echoed as the structure began to collapse, the roar of destruction filling the air.
And then, gradually, everything fell silent.
…
Back in the United States, the atmosphere had changed.
On crowded streets, people moved more slowly, their expressions heavy. Newspapers drifted through the air, carried by the wind before settling onto the pavement.
At the top of every front page, the same headline stood out in bold letters.
"Colonel Locke, the only combat hero in U.S. military history, has died heroically while stopping a German plot."
The words struck like a hammer.
At a classified military base, the tension was just as palpable.
Boom!
"No updates from the New Jersey camp?" Chester demanded, his voice low and sharp as he turned toward Carter.
She shook her head, her gaze lowered. "Not yet. Only a handful of soldiers made it back. What they said doesn't give us anything concrete. The last confirmed sighting of Steve places him deep inside the Hydra base."
"Damn it!" Chester slammed his fist down, frustration clear on his face. "Why is he so stubborn? And you—" He cut himself off, exhaling sharply.
Beside him, Howard Stark rested a hand on his shoulder, his expression just as grim.
"We've got a bigger problem," Howard said. "There are already large-scale protests within the military. Even Lieutenant General Pilde is demanding full disclosure on Locke's mission."
"The news of his death hit harder than expected," he continued. "Plans to expand the war effort have been halted. Command is afraid of what this could do to morale."
"Locke… dying like that?" Chester muttered, shaking his head. "With just a small squad? That doesn't make sense. And now everyone's panicking over rumors."
His tone turned harsher as he spoke. "If it weren't for the congressmen backing us, we'd probably be losing funding over this."
Howard adjusted his glasses slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Right now, the priority is finding Steve. We need a new symbol—a new war hero."
"But we don't even know where he is," Carter said quietly.
"He's not the same as Locke," Howard replied. "He's the only successful subject of the super soldier program. He is the weapon we created."
…
News finally arrived from the New Jersey camp.
Carter, Chester, and the others rushed over immediately, anticipation building as they approached. In the distance, a group of American soldiers emerged from the forest, their movements slow but steady.
At the front stood Steve.
The moment Carter saw him, she couldn't hold back anymore. She broke into a run, closing the distance before throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.
Steve froze for a brief second, caught off guard.
Not far away, Bucky watched the scene unfold, his expression turning strange.
The scrawny kid he remembered had already transformed into a tall, broad-shouldered man. That alone was enough to be shocking. But now, seeing a beautiful officer rush into his arms without hesitation…
Bucky clicked his tongue softly, keeping his face neutral.
Inside, however, his thoughts were anything but calm.
Damn… guess my guy really made it.
....
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