Chapter 24: The Bomb
Steve returned to the headquarters of the Strategic Scientific Reserve Department to provide a report.
A newspaper on his desk displayed the headline, "Captain America to be Awarded the Medal of Honor."
Steve had little interest in attending any ceremonies; he was too busy. Under the watchful eyes of Peggy and Howard, he recited the coordinates of all the HYDRA military bases from memory.
"Latitude 40 degrees 23 minutes north," Steve stated, looking at the other two and adding, "I just took a quick look."
Peggy smiled, noting the subtle changes in their relationship since Steve's victorious return. Sparks of attraction between them could ignite at any moment.
"No one is perfect," she quipped, blinking playfully.
Alex couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking that they should focus on the occasion at hand.
However, as Alex reached into his pocket, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of melancholy. The little device, about the thickness of an adult's middle finger, held a faint sadness for him.
Colonel Phillips entered the room and, as he approached, glanced at the map and the blueprints Steve had brought back from the HYDRA factory.
"Do you have any idea what this is?" Phillips asked.
Howard, growing impatient with Steve's flirting with Carter, was eager to change the subject.
"According to Rogers, this is the most powerful explosive in history," Howard replied with a hint of bitterness. He had always prided himself on creating the most potent inventions, but this time, he felt defeated.
Howard carefully picked up the blueprint with a pair of pliers.
"If Schmidt hadn't rewritten the laws of physics, this would be the stuff of fiction..." Howard trailed off.
Schmidt's delusions about gods and other worlds didn't hold any factual basis. Alex knew that the Tesseract was Odin's treasure, related to Asgard, a place far advanced in science and technology compared to Earth.
Howard shook his head and sighed, "I dare say if they had enough of this, the war would be over."
His words hung heavy in the room. It was a critical moment in the war, and if there were many such blueprints, it could lead to global destruction, with HYDRA reigning supreme.
Phillips moved to the map and examined the X marking the HYDRA camp, his expression filled with gravity.
"Then we'd better secure all this intel," Phillips said as he gripped the edge of the table, studying the map. "Is this the location of all the HYDRA factories?"
Steve set down his pencil and shook his head. "Not all of them."
"Bucky, I mean Sergeant Barnes, mentioned that HYDRA moved most of the bombs to a different location. They're not marked on this map," Steve added.
Bucky had overheard many of HYDRA's secrets while he was imprisoned in the laboratory cage. Upon his return, he had shared everything he could remember, and this information was among the most crucial.
The room fell into silence once more as everyone contemplated the existence of these powerful and inhumane bombs. They knew they had to secure them before Schmidt could utilize them. Even though they didn't know the precise location of the bombs, they had Steve's map and knowledge of other HYDRA military bases. Destroying these bases might make Schmidt more vulnerable.
Colonel Phillips turned to Steve and smiled, asking, "What do you think, Rogers? Can you use this map to take down HYDRA?"
Steve returned the smile. This was precisely what he intended to do, and he had already formulated a plan for the perfect team.
"This little guy here has provided me with enough material to study for quite a while. Once my plane arrives, we can leave Europe immediately. This little fellow isn't a cause for concern," Howard remarked, holding a magazine with a sky-blue hue.
"It's quite astonishing. A ten-year-old infiltrated a HYDRA base and returned alive. It's truly remarkable," Colonel Phillips teased, not forgetting the embarrassment Alex had caused him.
"Cut it out," Alex retorted, rolling his eyes while holding a book.
Controlled by Alex's magnetic field, all the guns had turned into scrap metal, leaving the disarmed soldiers with no option but to surrender.
Alex absentmindedly stroked his chin, realizing that he now had the power to single-handedly control a war, not to mention his extraordinary physical capabilities.
Only Howard, Steve, and Bucky were privy to his abilities. It was almost like he was operating undercover. After all, a ten-year-old boy infiltrating a HYDRA factory and returning unharmed was truly astonishing.
"Alex has been very cooperative and helpful," Steve interjected.
"Oh, come on. If you praise him too much, he'll think it's a license to do as he pleases next time. You can't spoil kids like that," Howard advised sagely.
Alex was speechless and promptly got up from his chair, heading for the exit. He can't stand these guys treating him like a kid.
(End of this chapter)
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