25: Winter is coming
The thing twisted, low growls followed by high-pitched sounds, bulging flesh with veins grotesquely protruding.
As he looked at the things in front of him, Johann Schmidt grimaced in disgust as anger began to fill him.
"This is the best you've achieved so far, Dr. Zola?" The question, asked in a cold and emotionless voice, made Dr. Arnim Zola swallow hard as he felt sweat dripping down his forehead.
Licking his dry lips, he responded, trying not to stammer.
"Achieving compatibility between the incomplete Compound V and the Infinite Formula has proven more challenging than expected, sir, but I know I'll get there soon! The problem is that the Infinite Formula still doesn't possess all the properties of the original user, but with enough time—"
"Speed up the process," Schmidt interrupted, causing Zola to look at him wide-eyed.
"B-but sir, that would mean—"
"I know what it would mean, but it doesn't matter! Great advances aren't made by being cautious. I want my perfect serum, Dr. Zola, I don't care what you have to do to get it... Besides, it's better if they serve a greater purpose; at least it will give some meaning to their deaths... better than just turning into soap, don't you think?" At the Hydra leader's words, Dr. Zola frowned but still nodded.
Then he looked at the dozens of deformed figures chained with thick metals behind the bars.
"What should I do with them?" At that question, Johann Schmidt paused... sure, they were failures, but... maybe they could be useful.
"The Captain will be here soon. We need to delay him until my serum is complete... use your knowledge, doctor, and use these monsters for that purpose. They might not manage to kill him, but they'll certainly give him enough trouble." With those words, the Hydra leader left the place, leaving Dr. Zola alone with the nightmarish creatures his experiments had created.
As he listened to their moans, growls, and whines, Dr. Zola swallowed, but thinking about the Red Skull's words, he couldn't help but let ideas begin to emerge.
They were unstable, but if he added some mechanical parts to overcome that and reinforce their structure... yes, he could see it. Maybe they wouldn't be an army of perfect super-soldiers, but they wouldn't be far off...
and above all, they would give him the time he needed to perfect the Infinite Formula created from the blood of his favorite prisoner, and with it, create the perfect serum that Johann Schmidt sought.
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"Rogers!" Steve turned around when he heard someone calling him. Bucky, standing in front of him, lowered his guard. They had been having a training session in one of the open fields at the main army base in Italy.
The place had changed a bit, but renovations were still ongoing as the U.S. Army, along with the new Italian Army division, the Partisan Division, used the area to ensure that German troops were kept away from the Italian borders.
Steve wanted to get back into the fight; he wanted to be deployed again. But when he tried, along with Bucky and some other members of his group, they were told they had to wait a little longer. The time they had spent captured had taken a toll, and they needed to rest and recover before returning to the war effort.
They had to accept this reluctantly. After that, in the following days, they focused on recovering, which wasn't too difficult for Steve, as he had a strong constitution. Although he had lost some weight, he was still quite healthy. Bucky was in a similar situation, so they would soon be able to return to the front lines, which is why they were training.
Until a man with a stern face interrupted them. He was one of their superior officers, and Steve recognized him because the man often inspected the soldiers' conditions at the base.
"And Barnes, it's good that you're together," he said as he approached, causing both of them to raise an eyebrow in clear doubt.
"What's going on, sir?" Steve asked, and the man smiled at them.
"I heard you're almost ready to return to the front. Normally, you would have been assigned to a new squadron, but a new offer has recently come in, something that might interest you." An offer?
"I hope it's something good," Bucky said, and the superior officer gave them a strange look. Almost like... he was envious?
"Well, this hasn't spread yet, but the Captain is back and is recruiting." It took them a moment to understand what he meant, but when they did, both of them widened their eyes.
"The Captain? That Captain?" Bucky asked, and the officer nodded with a smile.
"Seems like you made a good impression, boys. I can't give you all the details here, but if you're interested in the offer..." At this, Steve and Bucky looked at each other.
A tacit understanding passed between them.
"Where do we sign?"
It wasn't just them; several other soldiers, outstanding in various fields, were called as well.
After all, a Captain America can't be a Captain America without his Commandos.
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"The place has changed a bit, don't you think?" John said, looking at the base. Beside him, Raven nodded, admiring the view along with him from atop one of the mountains surrounding the area.
Perhaps one thing that even the war hadn't completely altered was the spectacular scenery in the country.
"It's a bit colder," she commented, stretching out her hand and catching a snowflake. The end of the year was approaching, and with it, winter. The first snowfalls had already begun, painting the tall mountains white.
"Do you think that will be a problem? Flying will certainly be more difficult for you," John said, thinking that due to the weather, certain strategies they had previously used would have to be changed, which was unfortunate.
"I can still fly, but my vision isn't as good," she had already tested it.
"Then we'll change our strategies. After all, it's no longer just the two of us." When John said that, Raven nodded, though she also frowned slightly.
"Let's go; the meeting will start soon." With that said, Raven transformed into a raven and perched on John's shoulder as he easily began to descend the mountain.
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Poland, City of Warsaw.
"This information... have you verified it!?" A voice echoed in the small, carefully insulated room. It was filled with doubt, urgency, but above all, hope.
The messenger nodded, his eyes equally bright and his voice trembling.
"Dozens of times, we've verified it dozens of times. Our contacts with the Allied countries have assured us it's true... Captain America is coming to help us!"
Captain America... Upon hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armia Krajowa clenched his fist. This, this was the opportunity his people had been waiting for.
That his people most urgently needed!
Tadeusz Bór stood up, his thoughts racing as he began to consider his plans. Originally, the Armia Krajowa had decided to wait a few more months, gather their forces carefully, and deliver a decisive blow to liberate Warsaw. from German occupation.
But if Captain America was on their side... wait a few months? That man had liberated northern Italy in days!
"We will prepare, we will prepare immediately!" There was no better opportunity. He didn't know what the Captain's full plan was or what he sought in Poland, but right now, it didn't matter. As long as he helped them reclaim the capital city and expel the Third Reich regime, they would give him all the support he needed.
Of course, if Tadeusz had known that John planned not only to liberate Warsaw. but also to destroy all the Nazi concentration camps in the country, he probably would have fainted from excitement.
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"Why Warsaw?" Steve looked at Bucky, who had asked the question.
"Well, there are several reasons, but the main one is that we need a safe place," the man—Captain America—replied, looking at everyone gathered in the most secure room of the base.
He then pointed to multiple locations marked on a large map of Poland that had been placed in front of them.
"These are all the concentration camps that Germany has in the country. The general public is unaware of the true scale of what's happening here. You probably don't know either, but millions of people have been imprisoned in these places."
"Millions?!" Steve almost shouted, and he wasn't the only one surprised; all the soldiers called to the meeting were also in disbelief.
In these times, it was difficult for people to grasp the true scale of what was happening in Poland. After all, the Nazi regime controlled most of the news coming out of the countries they occupied.
Of course, some figures were known to Allied leaders and the military high command, but it wasn't something that was widely shared, so the general public underestimated the horrors being committed. It wouldn't be until much later that people would learn what really happened.
Well, not in this world. In this world, that truth would be known much sooner because John was going to intervene.
"Yes… millions, and they will all share the same fate if we don't do something. That's why we must liberate Warsaw first. If we simply attack the concentration camps and free all those who have been captured without a plan, we'd be leaving them to fend for themselves. With Warsaw free and the Polish people occupying it, we can give the prisoners a place to go and regroup. Of course, one city isn't enough, so we'll also liberate the surrounding areas, and every time we attack a concentration camp, we'll ensure a safe route for them," John explained the plan in broad strokes, which, of course, didn't seem easy to carry out.
A soldier, a man with a well-groomed mustache and a bowler hat on his head, raised his hand and asked a question.
"No offense, Captain, but…" He looked around the room, carefully counting all the heads in the room before continuing.
"I don't think 14 people are enough for something like this." Upon hearing this, John nodded.
"You're right about that, Sergeant Dugan, but I never said we'd fight alone." The man, Dugan, was a bit surprised that the Captain recognized him so easily.
"I've already contacted the Armia Krajowa. The Polish people are ready to take up arms against those who have destroyed their homes. We'll be the war hammer that ensures that happens, no matter what." That's when they understood.
Of course, they had heard the stories of how John had liberated northern Italy with the help of the Partisan rebellion—how the man was the first to charge, the one who took on the most difficult missions and broke down the most impenetrable walls.
He was the tip of the spear that the rebellion used as a guide to carve a path through the German bases.
"I see, now I understand. I apologize for speaking without knowing," Dugan said, somewhat embarrassed for not having considered things more carefully.
"Don't apologize, I understand the concerns. This is not an easy mission, and I can't promise that everyone will make it out alive. But what I can promise is that your efforts won't be in vain, that this mission will be completed, and that the Third Reich, along with Hydra, will be defeated."
At his words, several of those present smiled, some nodded, and others adopted expressions filled with determination.
"We leave tomorrow morning. If you still have anything to do, do it now."
With that, he dismissed them, allowing them to begin their preparations.
Charles and Cassandra, who had been nearby but silent, approached. Both were dressed differently from the other soldiers. In fact, whether it was them, James, Raven, or John, they all dressed differently.
James, although still reluctant, had adopted a pretty cool suit with yellow and blue colors, though the blue in the suit was almost a deep black.
When the regular soldiers saw him, they joked about his outfit, which made him a bit annoyed, so he ended up stealing a long, dark coat to cover himself, which, of course, disappointed John a little.
For her part, Raven dressed very similarly to John, after all, she was somewhat like his right hand; the only difference was that she didn't have a star on her chest.
Cassandra and Charles' outfits were less distinctive but still similar enough in style to what John wore to make it obvious which group they belonged to.
All the suits had been made by Howard using special materials like carbon fiber to give them extra protection—well, all except for Raven's, who actually made hers using her ability. After all, every time she changed her appearance or transformed, regular clothes didn't change along with her, so in a sense, having her own suit was useless to her.
Of course, the Commandos would also be given special suits, but these would follow a slightly more military aesthetic to differentiate them from the core team, which obviously consisted of the metahumans.
"Do we really have to wear these?" Cassandra asked, removing a tactical face mask made of metal that covered the lower half of her face.
Charles, beside her, rolled his eyes.
"Do you really want our parents to know we're here?" The idea of masks for both of them actually came from him. He didn't want to worry their parents, who thought they had been sent on vacation with distant relatives. At least that was the only thing Charles could put in their minds without feeling too guilty.
Something that, of course, would be ruined if their faces were seen in the newspapers and on the news. After all, John, as Captain America, was quite noticeable, and without a doubt, images of his return to the battlefield and of the people who would follow him in future battles would spread around the world, thanks to the war reporters who would undoubtedly cross their path one way or another.
Therefore, it made sense to Charles that they should do something to prevent their identities from being easily recognized.
Cassandra frowned. The truth was, she didn't care much about what her parents thought; after all, they hadn't cared about what she thought or wanted. But since Charles had asked, she had agreed to do it, even if it seemed a bit ridiculous. Of course, just because she agreed didn't mean she couldn't complain about it.
Ignoring both of them, James approached John and looked at the maps.
"How long will it take us to liberate Warsaw?" The man was clearly growing more impatient.
"I want to do it in three days," John said, making everyone look at him.
"As I said, we're just the war hammer. The Armia Krajowa will take care of everything else. All our team needs to do is expel the German army, more precisely the Hydra army, along with their special weapons, from Warsaw and its surroundings. Once we've done that, we'll go from camp to camp searching for Victor and Dr. Zola, and we won't stop until we succeed."
Of course, if in the midst of this, they happened to run into a certain Klaus Schmidt, better known in the future as Sebastian Shaw, and he got in their way… well, at that moment, Charles would have to prove his worth if he didn't want to see everyone die.
Of course, John wouldn't let that happen; Charles was just Plan A, but John still had a few other plans in case things didn't go as they should. Naturally, all those plans were less effective than Plan A, so it would be best if Charles acted as John believed he would.
After all, his sister was with them, and if he thought she was in danger, the boy surely wouldn't leave her to fend for herself, right?
Upon hearing John's response, James nodded, more relaxed. It was fine; they were already in Europe. Three more days were nothing. His brother could handle it. At the same time, a part of him also knew that what John wanted to do was the right thing. Victor had always said he was too kind, and James had always denied it, but he supposed he couldn't keep denying it when it was his fault they got captured in the first place.
After all, he had wanted to destroy the source of the energy weapons to prevent more innocent people from dying unnecessarily, but instead, all he did was give the fucking Nazis a way to create super soldiers using his blood and Victor's.
Another reason he had agreed to help John, besides rescuing his brother, was that James felt responsible and wanted to fix things before all of this turned into a great disaster that would lead the world into an even darker era than it was already living through.
Without him knowing, this "heroism" within him had been what drove Charles, infecting the boy with that same sense of responsibility to do something and prevent the imminent disaster.
"Then I'll be ready," James finally said and left.
"You should go too; soon, things will get intense, and there won't be time to relax," John told the siblings, who nodded and left to get ready and rest.
"Do you think they'll do well?" Raven finally asked when only the two of them remained in the room.
"James, without a doubt. Charles and Cassandra? They're just rookies; there hasn't been much time to teach them anything. Well, Charles might already know the theory thanks to his powers, but in practice, theory often doesn't work," John said and then looked at her.
"I want you to watch their backs." Those words made her frown.
"I thought I was going to fight by your side," she didn't want to be a babysitter.
"And I didn't say otherwise; I just need an extra eye on them."
She seemed to think about it for a few moments before agreeing.
"Fine, but if the situation isn't good and I have to choose—"
"You'll come to me, I know."
She remained silent, not denying it, and John could only sigh. Raven was pretty good at following orders, but when it came to matters like this, it was obvious what her actions would be.
He wasn't complaining, of course. Having someone who genuinely cared about you didn't feel so bad after all.
"Come on, you need to get a good rest," he finally said, dragging her with him to send her to bed. After all, John didn't need much sleep, but Raven did.
As he walked, John couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, wondering if Hydra had made any progress with the serum or if they had failed instead.
He supposed he would find out soon.
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Note:
And the prelude to the war has ended! Soon, the Warsaw Uprising, and with it, the war for Poland's liberation, will begin.
The pieces are in place; it's time to start moving them.
In case anyone is wondering, the Infinite Formula that Zola mentions is not the same as the one from the comics, but rather what he called the "serum" he created using Victor's blood to grant others his same "regenerative" properties. It's still incomplete, but essentially, this incomplete version functions similarly to the Infinite Formula from the comics, slowing aging and accelerating the healing of some wounds. Of course, this isn't good enough to counteract the effects of the incomplete Compound V, as you may have noticed in the first part of the chapter.
Still, this Infinite Formula may have some pretty interesting uses on its own…
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