12: The Last Stronghold

12: The Last Stronghold

John landed hard on the ground, causing it to shake violently. The cloud of dust that rose up concealed his figure for a few seconds before he cleared it away with a wave of his hand.

John walked out with firm steps, leaving behind the crater his body had created upon landing. He brushed off the dirt and looked up at the sky. The sound of the airplane engines was gone. He had destroyed the last of them, and now it was time to clean up this mess.

He walked and surveyed the entire base. The soldiers were celebrating as they emerged from their hiding places. Wherever John passed, they cheered louder, chanting his name. John waved at them and smiled. It was good to see his reputation growing, but it wasn't the time to enjoy it.

He spent several minutes helping with the "cleanup" before the situation was stable enough to have a proper discussion.

He met with the four main leaders of the partisan army and quickly began giving orders. They needed to count their numbers, know how many men they had lost, and how many weapons they had left.

"We need to regroup and tend to our wounded. I don't think this will be the only thing they try against us, but I won't let them think they can do anything more. They outnumber us, and if we let them continue preparing, it will be too dangerous."

In the makeshift meeting room, John spoke gravely as he looked at the map spread out on the table.

"What do you suggest we do, Captain? So far, we've been able to advance without problems, but if what the prisoners say is true, then more than 15,000 heavily armed men are waiting to crush us in Sand in Taufers," Marcello said. The middle-aged man had seen better days; he was covered in dirt and ashes, as well as freshly bandaged wounds.

"That's right. We've lost at least 100 men in this surprise attack. We barely number a thousand, and that includes the wounded... If we keep advancing, we'll simply lose," Lorenzo said with a sigh.

There was willpower; no one wanted to stop fighting. But when the numerical difference is so great, there isn't much that can be done. Not only that, their enemies had better and more lethal weapons, and although they had managed to steal some of them, the number that should be in a group of over fifteen thousand soldiers would surely dwarf the number in their hands.

Not to mention any unknown weapons the German army might have. Those planes were something they had never seen before. What else was there? What things beyond their imagination would hit them in the face when the time came?

"If it's the numbers that worry us, I think I have a possible solution," Nicola spoke up this time.

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I know many of you have already noticed, but for those who haven't, I'll say it directly. The truth is, we haven't found any prisoners so far, aside from the corpses." Silence reigned for a second, the faces of everyone present darkening as they recalled the sad scenes that greeted them.

Men, women, or children, it seemed the German army did not discriminate when it came to killing them.

"At the captain's request, my men have been focusing on finding out why. Before the recent bombardment, we had been interrogating several prisoners, and I believe we have discovered something important."

Nicola let one of his men step forward. The soldier looked somewhat nervous, yet he spoke clearly and without hesitation.

"We obtained this information from three different men. We ensured they had no contact with each other, and the three versions matched without any alteration. When the German army attacked northern Italy and advanced to Brunico, they began taking prisoners in large numbers. It didn't matter the gender or age; as long as they were 'healthy' and could 'work,' they were taken. and Those who were too old or injured were... killed."

Everyone frowned, but no one interrupted despite the obvious discontent among them.

"It's said that they are creating a factory, using the prisoners as slave labor in Sand in Taufers. That's where they've taken all the civilians."

John immersed himself in thought and looked at Nicola.

"How many... how many prisoners are we talking about?"

Nicola looked at him seriously and responded without hesitation.

"Considering the size of the towns that have been raided and the information given by the interrogated soldiers... at least 20,000 of them, sir."

Everyone in the room fell silent, the gears in their brains starting to work at full speed. John took a few steps with his hands behind his back in thought for a few seconds and then smiled.

"I may have a plan."

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"How do you feel?" John asked as he finished bandaging a wound on Raven's left arm. They were in a private room where no one could notice the girl's blue skin.

Raven winced as John tightened the bandage, looking at him with furrowed brows and responding somewhat hesitantly.

"A bit useless... while everyone else was doing something, I could only hide. The sky was too chaotic, flying was too dangerous, and shooting did almost nothing against those planes..." Remembering those scenes, she couldn't help but bite her lip in frustration.

Until now, Raven had been enjoying resounding success in all her "missions" and in every confrontation the partisan resistance army had with the German army.

She thought everything was simple, that they would always win... that she and John were enough to face this war.

Only today did she realize she had overestimated herself too much. Even with her powers, she couldn't make much of a difference; she couldn't help.

"Don't underestimate yourself so much. Maybe this time you couldn't make an overwhelming difference like before, but that's normal. No one is perfect, and that's why we're a team. We must help each other and cover for what the other lacks."

John sat in a chair next to Raven and crossed his arms as he spoke and looked at her. She still seemed somewhat disheartened, so he said a few more words.

"Besides, the mere fact that you could warn me in advance of their arrival saved dozens of lives. That alone is more than anyone else could have done. You should feel proud of that." Raven looked him in the eyes, pondering his words.

John was right. Although this time she couldn't do as much as before, it didn't mean she had done nothing. She was still useful; she just needed to learn where her strengths lay.

She sighed and let her bad mood fade away. It wasn't the time to be depressed.

"I heard there's a plan. What are we going to do?" she couldn't help but ask, her disguise returning to her. Somehow, she felt more comfortable in it. It made her feel stronger and more capable, much more than in her original body.

John seemed thoughtful as he looked at her. Until now, Raven had proven exceptionally useful in many ways. Without her, he certainly would have had some trouble dealing with certain matters.

Her help provided solutions that would otherwise be difficult to implement.

Even so, he couldn't avoid a certain guilt twisting inside him. This girl, who until a few days ago was just an ordinary young woman, had gone from that to being a complete killer.

In just three days, her death count was nearing triple digits, probably even surpassing that mark.

He wondered what she thought, how she really felt about it. He had no reason to doubt her words, but if words could truly express the deepest feelings of people, then there would be fewer wars.

She had said she was fine, that she didn't care, but was it really so? He didn't know, but regardless, things had already progressed to a point where Raven could no longer go back to who she once was.

What she would become in the future was uncertain, and John would be lying if he said he wasn't expectant of it. At the same time, he apologized to her internally. There was no turning back; whether it was him or Raven, both would create rivers of blood in their wake—Raven believing it was necessary, that all her actions were for a greater good, and John... well, the path to stardom was never easy.

"I have a plan, and it requires you to do something for me," he said without hesitation, making her straighten her back and give him her full attention.

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Several hours later, northern Italy near Molini di Tures.

Unseen and in the dark of night, John and Raven arrived at the "entrance" to Sand in Taufers. They had separated from the resistance army to carry out their part of the plan.

"Do you think you can do it?" John asked, looking at Raven while holding a brown fish that was frantically trying to free itself from his grasp.

Raven frowned and closed her eyes for a moment, letting her power flow. Her body returned to its blue form but didn't change completely, as that wasn't her goal at the moment.

John and she had experimented with her power several times. They both knew she could take "different traits" and combine them, which was how she created her disguises. But until now, they hadn't tried to see how versatile this part of her powers was. That was about to change.

Initially, the plan had been for her to use her bird form, but as they made their way and passed by the large "Ahr" river, John had another idea, one that could save them from possible problems.

Raven felt her body begin to change partially. On her neck and the sides of her torso, gills, similar to those of the fish John was holding, suddenly appeared.

Feeling the new "organs" in her, she couldn't help a sensation of suffocation. She still had her nose, but somehow she felt the air wasn't reaching her lungs.

Quickly, she returned to her original form and took a deep breath.

"How is it?" John asked with evident concern.

She swallowed and responded confidently.

"I think it can work." Without hesitation, she walked to the river and submerged herself in it, her body changing once more. This time, the feeling of suffocation didn't appear. The gills on her body worked correctly, and Raven remained underwater for several minutes, making several more changes to her body. She took the fish's scales to cover her skin, its eyes to see in the water, and tried to modify her hands to make them more like fins.

Anyone who saw what was happening underwater would be left with their mouth open. The way she changed and modified her body was beyond human understanding.

Once she had a more or less comfortable form, she tested her mobility underwater. While she wouldn't say she moved as naturally as a "fish," it was still enough to navigate the river without problems.

She emerged from the water, returning to her original form, and smiled at John while she gave him a thumbs up

John smiled, seeing that she had succeeded. It had truly been a last-minute idea, something he didn't know was possible but decided they should try.

"Then we need to change the plan."

He quickly pulled out one of the maps he carried with him and showed it to Raven, pointing to the path of the Ahr river.

"The river is a direct path to the front of Taufers Castle. If you go through it, you can enter their fortress without anyone detecting you." Originally, she had to go by air, using the night as cover. However, it was dangerous. Taufers Castle wasn't like any other base. Its security was even greater, and its protection against air attacks was also stronger. If it were just Raven in her bird form, she could easily do it, but this time she needed to carry a load.

For that reason, she didn't take the fish form and simply navigated through the waters. She had to maintain her humanoid form largely so she could carry her load through the river without fear of losing it.

While the castle was the center of the fortress, it wasn't the whole thing. Around it extended a large German military camp of at least 18 hectares. Raven had managed to make a quick reconnaissance from the sky in her bird form, giving them an idea of the layout of the place.

In reality, the Ahr River passed through the middle of the base, making it a perfect entrance, if not for the fact that humans couldn't breathe underwater and its width in that part was only about 17 meters.

It wasn't an ideal path for ordinary people... but Raven, she could take it and bypass any security the German army had installed in the place.

Raven studied the map and nodded confidently, the excitement returning to her once more. This plan was the most important so far, and her role in it was also crucial. She couldn't fail.

John then picked up the backpack on his back and carefully placed it in her hands.

"Remember, once set, you need to activate the timer. You have exactly 10 minutes between each activation and an additional 20 minutes to run," he explained once more.

Raven took the backpack and looked at the four charges inside. She didn't know exactly what they contained, but the faint blue glow hidden behind layers of tape and plastic bags made it clear she needed to handle these "explosives" carefully.

She closed the backpack and placed it over her chest instead of her back, firmly securing its straps.

She prepared to leave, but John put his hand on her shoulder before she could go. She looked at him in confusion before he pulled her to him in a strong hug.

"Be careful, okay? If you're in danger, don't hesitate to abandon the mission. Your life is much more important," he said sincerely.

Raven hadn't realized how cold she had been feeling from being wet until her body touched John's and she felt his warmth flooding her.

She returned the hug and nodded with some shyness.

"I will, but I won't give up easily." She didn't like to fail, and she wouldn't.

John let her go and watched as she slowly submerged into the water. It wasn't until her figure disappeared completely that he looked away.

John sighed. He truly didn't want to put her in so much danger, but there was no one better than her for an infiltration and assassination job like this. On the other hand, it wasn't like he was leaving her to her fate. He would also go, and if everything went well, the partisan resistance army would arrive shortly after Raven completed her mission.

He looked at the map. While the fortress was Raven's primary objective, John had another. Nicola had been right about one thing: if they needed numbers, there was only one way to get them.

"This battle should end soon." Once he achieved what he needed and returned control of northern Italy to the rebel army, he would focus on assisting the Allied forces. He looked toward Poland, which was quite far from his current objective.

Remembering all that was happening and would happen in that place, he couldn't help but frown deeply. Maybe he needed to intervene personally, but how? Hydra was only stationed in Germany and Austria, as far as he knew.

Then he remembered. Wasn't there an attempted uprising by the Poles? He cursed himself a little for never studying history properly. He could remember what he knew, but he couldn't recall what he had never learned.

He remembered it was around 1944, but not the month or the day the attempt took place. He only knew the Poles fought for 63 days before the Nazi army crushed them.

"I think I can do something with that." He was already leading the Italian resistance, so why not do the same for Poland? Wouldn't it be even more incredible if his name was acclaimed not only as the savior of Italy but also of Poland, France, even?

There were many battlefronts he could fight on. The problem was time. If he wanted to make significant contributions, he had to finish each battle quickly but in a way that his impact remained significant in the history books.

Of course, in the end, he wouldn't just save countries. When this war ended, he would have saved the world.

"Easy, right?" Remembering his previous contemplations, he couldn't help but clench his fist.

His strength... it was fine for now, but if he wanted not only to emerge victorious from this war but also from future battles, he had to ensure he became stronger.

"But I must not be careless." The way he experimented with the fusion of both serums was too rushed, too risky. He had to do things smarter and with greater preparation. If he wanted to experiment with the Tesseract's energy, he had to do it in a way that any potential danger could be quickly resolved.

"I wonder if the Vita-Ray machine is still intact." He would have to talk to Howard...

He put away the map and looked in the direction of Sand in Taufers. It was time to focus on the present. Thoughts about the future could wait for later.

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Günther Braun couldn't enjoy the smoke from his pipe; the news that his 16 Hydra bombers had been destroyed had come not long ago, leaving him feeling numb.

He looked out at the landscape through the window he had installed in his office and couldn't help but clench his teeth so hard he felt like he could break them.

Time and time again, his men were dropping like flies, even with the power of the new Hydra weaponry in their hands. He couldn't understand it. Was this "Captain America" truly invincible?

If he continued to suffer losses like this, sooner or later, the Third Reich would demand answers. Hydra would demand answers...

No, he couldn't let this continue.

There were three knocks on the door of his office, snapping Generalmajor out of his reverie.

"Come in," he signaled with his hand for one of the guards to open the door.

A messenger soldier entered with firm steps, holding several reports in his hands.

"Sir, preparations are complete," he said, and Günther Braun smiled.

Captain America had proven to be too strong. Simple attacks were useless against him. If Generalmajor wanted to definitively deal with this enemy, it had to be brutal.

He wanted to see if this Super Soldier could face an army of over 15 thousand men on his own.

He didn't even consider the partisan resistance. To Günther Braun, they were nothing more than nuisances, insects that could be crushed at any moment by his army. In his mind, the only enemy that really mattered was John.

"Then issue the order. In 3 hours, we will begin the invasion towards Bolzano." Perhaps it was somewhat hasty, but Generalmajor believed in his troops and their superior weaponry.

Before the Allied army could fully settle in southern Italy, they had to take the north completely.

Once that was done, taking Italy would only be a matter of time.

The messenger nodded. "As you command, sir." He placed the reports on the desk, saluted with his hand, and then withdrew.

Günther Braun looked at the papers the soldier had left on his desk. It seemed that the "factory" was progressing well. The Third Reich had no intentions of building something like that in Italy, but Hydra needed more manpower and facilities to continue creating superior weaponry.

Since he was being sponsored by them, he had to ensure he met their demands. Not that he really cared to do so. A factory in Sand in Taufers would only be more beneficial to him in the long run.

He looked out his window at his men preparing, feeling somehow that something was amiss. He didn't know why, but an old instinct told him that danger was near.

His eyes met those of a crow perched on the railing of his window balcony.

For some reason, he found himself staring at the bird, unable to look away. He wondered if this was how the enemies of Alföðr felt when their mythical crows observed them, He wondered if this was some sort of divine sign, an answer to his concerns.

The bird cawed and then flew away, disappearing from his sight, making his mind refocus.

"Increase patrols. I want guards to double their rounds before departing. Have our scouts survey the surrounding terrain, and the prisoners to be returned to their cells," he couldn't help but issue that order.

One of the guards in his office nodded, ready to carry out the command.

The Generalmajor glanced towards the skies one last time before sitting back at his desk, the full moon illuminating the sky behind him, leaving him with a strange feeling, as if he were missing something.

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Matteo trembled, the cold night air making him huddle even closer to his father. He looked through the iron bars of his cell, watching the guards pass by with their weapons gleaming in that strange blue light.

"Here," his father noticed his shivering and took off his torn and old coat, draping it over Matteo's shoulders.

The 12-year-old boy looked up at his father with concern, unable to help but ask the same question many others had.

"How much longer will we be here?" His father fell silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

Giovanni had never been a dishonest man; he had never liked lying, even when it was necessary. But this time, he couldn't help but want to lie to his son, to tell him that everything would be okay, that they would get out of here soon. But he couldn't do it.

He pulled Matteo into his arms, wrapping him in a hug. He glared at the soldiers guarding their cells, a rage building inside him with each passing second. If only he could fight...

As he watched them, there was suddenly a tremor that shook the entire place, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. All the prisoners were jolted awake by a loud noise followed by another coming from the German central base. Suddenly, the light inside the prison cut off, plunging the place into darkness only occasionally broken by the occasional blue glow from some guards' weapons.

Those with access to barred windows couldn't help but stretch to look through them, noticing large clouds of smoke with blue light rising in the distance, the base alarm blaring loudly, causing the guards to gather closer and closer to each other.

Whispers began to fill the place, and the guards present began to impose order by banging on the cells with their batons and shouting forcefully for silence as they gathered among themselves.

The leader of the guards reached the top of a tower positioned on the walls surrounding the massive prison. He didn't even need to use his binoculars to see the explosions in the distance and quickly gave some orders.

"Someone go find out what's happening!"

He pointed to one of his men, but before he could rush off, he suddenly seemed to lose his balance and fell to the ground. The leader of the guards opened his eyes in panic and quickly approached to see what was happening.

He moved the body and noticed a sharp piece of metal, like a handmade metal dagger, deeply embedded in his neck, blood beginning to flow.

He quickly backed away and tried to shout a warning, but before he could do so, his head was struck, causing his body to fall back lifelessly the next instant.

A similar dagger to the one that had killed his man was embedded in his forehead.

The nearby guards alarmed and raised their weapons, but before they could shout or fire, their bodies began to fall like marionettes with their strings cut, their helmets unable to prevent their fatal fate.

The remaining guards in the large prison were slow to realize that their comrades were quickly falling one after the other.

But the prisoners noticed it. Slowly, more and more of them approached the doors of their cells, watching as a dark figure dealt with the guards quickly and efficiently.

Giovanni watched as the guard near his cell fell lifeless with some astonishment and hope beginning to emerge within him. Slowly, he crawled as far as he could and reached out his arm, stretching until he reached the weapon, but a hand stopped him. Alarmed, he almost screamed but managed to contain himself when he saw that it wasn't a guard but a strange man with a star on his chest.

"Not yet," he whispered, allowing him to take the weapon but leaving behind a clear message. The man walked between the cells, breaking their locks with bare hands and making hardly any noise, causing those who witnessed such a feat to rub their eyes, wondering if they were imagining things.

Slowly, the prisoners began to emerge, but they all kept silent despite their excitement.

Many began to help the figure and snatch equipment from the dead guards. When those still alive began to notice that something was wrong, it was too late. Thousands of prisoners were already out of their cells.

Soon, a riot began to sweep through the place, and the prisoners, outnumbering the guards, easily overwhelmed them.

No more help came because in the distance, gunfire and explosions began to be heard out of nowhere. The base was under attack.

Soon, more and more prisoners were freed, and the vast majority of them gathered in front of the doors that separated them from the outside.

The towering walls of almost 30 meters made them hesitate for a moment. Even with the stolen weapons, many of them still had bare hands, their clothes were barely rags, and their physical condition barely kept several of them standing.

Could they really fight against the huge army outside the prison?

It was then that a figure leapt over the doors, grabbing the attention of many with its superhuman feat.

"Listen, everyone! My name is John! But people know me as Captain America, an United states Super Soldier who has been fighting on the front lines with the partisan resistance army in recent days," John introduced himself, his voice easily reaching every corner of the prison.

All present eyes looked at him with equal parts curiosity and astonishment. Many had witnessed how he dealt easily and quickly with the guards, and they could easily recognize him thanks to the silver star on his chest reflecting the blue light from the weapons he had handed out.

"If you're wondering why I'm here, then the answer is simple: to set you free and ask for your help," his words made the prisoners begin to realize what was happening. Some of them couldn't help but step back, the fear that the German army had instilled in them beginning to resurface.

Seeing their reaction, John spoke with more strength and conviction.

"The Nazi army has ravaged your towns and homes, turning you into slaves, cheap labor that they won't hesitate to discard. They don't care about your lives or your fate, and that cannot continue. Right now, the resistance army has begun to attack this base, to resist the invasion and liberate northern Italy from the clutches of the Third Reich! But their numbers are not enough; they are outnumbered five to one at least, and without help, they will surely be overwhelmed before dawn. That's why I'm asking you... No! I'm begging you! For your children, for your families, and for your home, fight for your freedom!" John said, injecting all the fighting spirit he could into his voice.

"With all of you, together, no matter how strong or numerous the enemy may be, we can win this battle! I know many of you are afraid and many are tired, fed up with this war. But if you don't fight now, if you don't rise up and fight today, then who will?!"

At his question, many looked at each other, their hearts pounding, remembering scenes from the past, death, the suffering they were forced to endure. Slowly but steadily, many began to step forward.

"It's true! We can't keep hiding. They've taken enough from us already! I don't want to lose anymore! I don't want to kneel before them and await my death, not without a fight," Giovanni said, thinking of his son, thinking of the future he would have to endure and refusing to let him suffer any further.

"That's right! We can't let them fight for us. We must help!" Soon, more and more men began to step forward and shout with courage, the fire beginning to burn in their veins.

John smiled.

"If you're determined, then take anything you can use as a weapon and follow me!"

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Raven stood atop the Taufers Castle, watching as the base burned in flames. So far, three out of the four explosives had detonated. The first served as the signal for the Partisan resistance army to begin their surprise attack.

Silently, the Partisans had been waiting for their moment to act. They had to leave behind tanks and vehicles to avoid making too much noise, but in the end, it was worth it.

Using the cover of night and Raven's help, who had taken care of the scouts monitoring outside the base, they managed to get close enough to start their attack just as the timed bombs began to explode.

The explosives had been somewhat improvised, created using salvaged Hydra weaponry batteries. Their effectiveness was unquestionable; a single charge reduced everything within its blast radius to dust. Nothing and no one could escape once the device detonated.

When that same device detonated near other energy weapons? Well, Raven had to close her eyes and was almost thrown off the roof when the shockwave engulfed nearly half of the base in an instant.

For a brief, fleeting moment, she wondered how many had died after that. Hundreds? Perhaps thousands?

Her hands trembled slightly at the thought. She clenched her fists with irritation. This was necessary; this was war, and she was a soldier. She couldn't afford to feel pity for her enemies.

She couldn't help but remember the words one of the German soldiers had said when she destroyed the base in Villa Santa Caterina.

"Hey, you were right. I really don't feel sorry," it was strange to realize that.

She wondered if she had always been this way or if something had changed her.

She heard gunfire coming from the southern part of the base. That was where the prison was located. It seemed that John had succeeded. Not that she doubted he would; he could do anything.

She looked at her wrist, suddenly, a watch that hadn't been there before appeared, the hands spinning in perfect functioning order. Sometimes, her power was quite useful in mysterious ways.

For example, this watch, it wasn't real, but according to all the tests she had done in her spare time, it acted as if it were real, always giving the exact time.

She looked at the time and knew it was time to leave. After all, this place would soon be reduced to rubble.

Her body turned into a bird, and she began to flap towards the prison. As she departed, she couldn't help but turn her head and find that her gaze met, for the last time, the eyes of the one who seemed to be the leader of the base, watching from the window in his office. Raven would have smiled if she could have, but instead, she gave him a brief final glance and turned her head again; the dead, after all, were not of her concern now.

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Günther Braun cursed, cursed, and continued cursing over and over again.

His previous neat appearance and air of authority were nowhere to be found.

Instead, his black hair with white streaks was disheveled, his military uniform wrinkled, and his eyes bloodshot. The middle-aged man looked out the window of his office as his base, his army, burned in flames.

It was like watching hell.

He knew something was wrong, he knew something was about to happen! Then why? Why didn't he act earlier!

No, it's not that he didn't act in time; instead, his enemies were quicker.

"Sir, we must go!" one of his guards said. The castle was not safe; they didn't know how or from where the attacks were coming. They needed to take Generalmajor to safety.

Günther clenched his fists but nodded to his men, starting to gather some things from his desk. It wasn't time for regrets; he had to make sure this wasn't a lost battle, to lead his men and turn the situation around.

To prove his worth, to the Reich, to Hydra.

As he prepared to leave, he couldn't help it, he glanced out the window one last time only to meet his gaze with the same crow he had seen before all this began.

Suddenly, his body trembled, sweat dripping down his back, sending shivers through his entire being.

Despite the distance, in a strange way, Generalmajor Günther Braun felt the crow was laughing at him.

"The gods... have never been on our side." He didn't know why, but somehow he knew. It wasn't a divine sign he felt when he first saw that crow; instead, it was a sentence, the sentence of death whispering in his ear about his imminent fate.

His pupils contracted; he wanted to scream but it was too late. Before he could even run, his vision filled with a familiar blue light, one he had once thought of as a blessing but now came for him to snatch his life away.

In an instant, the last explosive charge installed by Raven exploded, taking half of the Taufers Castle with it.

That night, Generalmajor Günther Braun died, and with him, the German base tasked with conquering Northern Italy.

In an unparalleled battle, the rebel army, along with Italian prisoners and under the guidance of Captain America, managed to defeat the Nazi army and begin their imminent and definitive expulsion from Italy.

Thus, they fought the final battle known as the Fall of Burg Taufers, the last major Nazi stronghold in Italy.

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A few days later, Salzburg, Austria. Hydra's main base.

Dr. Arnim Zola walked down the long corridor of the base, wiping sweat from his forehead nervously.

These days had not been good days. The loss of Italy had made worldwide headlines, and the German army was not pleased. Hitler was not pleased. Normally, all responsibility would have fallen on Generalmajor, who was stationed in Sand in Taufers, but since he was dead, they had to find another scapegoat.

Everyone was pointing fingers at each other, seeking a culprit, but it was undeniable that most fingers were pointing at Hydra. After all, they had provided most of the resources for the conquest of Italy. They had lost Dr. Erskine, and therefore, it was their fault that this "Captain America" existed.

Arnim couldn't help but grimace at the thought. Thinking about this "Super Soldier" only brought him more worries, mainly because everything that was said and demonstrated he could do was beyond anything they thought possible.

Many still couldn't believe it, but many others were forced to do so. After all, a battle like the one fought in South Tyrol was not something that simple soldiers, most of whom had been mere peasants, could win on their own.

Hydra wasn't blind, and taking as evidence that the weapons they had created were present in that battle, they had no choice but to accept that Captain America was stronger than anyone had imagined possible.

Because of this, Hydra's leader, Johann Schmidt, had been in a very bad mood. Well, there were more reasons for his bad mood, but the existence of Captain America was the icing on the cake of all of them.

Soon, Dr. Arnim Zola arrived at the door of the office of Hydra's supreme leader, swallowed hard, wiped the sweat from his face, and then raised his hand to knock three times.

"Come in"

Then he entered.

Arnim Zola walked to an open area where Hydra's leader, Johann Schmidt, admired the most prized object in his possession.

The Tesseract.

Arnim stood behind the imposing figure of the Red Skull and spoke.

"Sir, I have confirmed one last time, after the battle in Italy, Captain America departed alone to an unknown destination. So far, no one knows where he is or where he is heading."

"I see... Tell me, Dr. Zola, if you were a super soldier with more power than any other mortal, what would be your objective?" At his question, Dr. Zola didn't know how to respond.

Johann Schmidt chuckled at his lack of response.

"The greatest threat, Doctor. When a man possesses more power than anyone else, what he must do is ensure that power remains his alone. This 'Captain America' is no different from any other man. He will come here, sooner or later, like many others before him, and like all of them, he will fail."

The Red Skull turned around, making Dr. Zola want to look away from his face but unable to do so. He didn't dare.

"Don't you agree?" he asked, and Arnim couldn't help but look at the three long scars on Johann Schmidt's red face.

Remembering how he obtained them, he couldn't help but tremble slightly, but still nodded quickly.

"That's right, sir. No matter who or what, no one can compare to you."

The Red Skull laughed, looked at the Tesseract for a few more moments before turning away and starting to walk towards another, more secluded part of the office. Dr. Zola followed without saying anything else.

Soon they both reached a room heavily reinforced with steel, the hermetically sealed doors opened after the hydra leader keyed in an access code that only the two of them possessed.

Once inside, two pairs of furious eyes looked at them with clear murderous anger, growls similar to those of beasts coming from their mouths sealed with metal.

"What do you say, Doctor? When do you think they'll be ready?" asked the Red Skull.

Arnim swallowed but responded with much more confidence.

"Their healing factor is a problem. Our old methods of mind control are ineffective against them. However, I have recently started developing a new type of mechanical device powered by the energy of the Tesseract. While it won't give us complete control over their minds or thoughts, it will definitely allow us to control their actions."

Johann Schmidt grunted somewhat discontentedly but still nodded.

"I suppose that's the best I can hope for. Make sure to have it ready soon. I want to see how effective they can be in the field. They will surely be a nice surprise for this 'Captain America.' I wonder what expression he'll have when he faces these beasts."

There were more growls, the thick metal chains tightened as the so-called "beasts" tried frantically to break free without much success.

Johann Schmidt mocked and turned away, leaving the room and Dr. Zola behind, who looked nervously at the two individuals who had caused so many problems weeks before.

He watched as six long bone claws emerged from the hands of one of them and couldn't help but step back a few paces.

Chained or not, he wasn't going to get too close to the men who nearly killed the leader of Hydra.

Although, once he finished his device, he would have nothing to fear. When the time came, both would be the most loyal beasts under Hydra's command.

Immortal monsters who would do anything for them.

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Note:

And thus concludes the first arc of this story!

A somewhat exciting trip, right? But it was all just an introduction, we've barely scratched the surface of all the exciting things that could be done.

I certainly got carried away because I had never done a story of this style, so I may have exaggerated with the time I dedicated to certain things on screen, even so I feel that everything was necessary.

With that said I will try to make things less tedious in the near future, however if I feel that something needs time then I will give it that time,

As always, comments are welcome, if you can leave a like or its equivalent if you read this on a site that doesn't have them.

If you want to support me, read the chapters in advance and get some other rewards, don't hesitate to take a look at patreon ;D patreon.com/EmmaCruzader