Kapitel 93: The Captain's Test -91
Steve might have expected the room to explode into chaos at the death of the Führer, but nothing happened. The people seemed to barely pay attention to him at all.
They remained calm and composed, paying attention to him. Their guns all aimed at him or Bucky.
Steve knew that he only had two options at this point. Either surrender himself to their mercy or try to make a run for it. However, with Bucky there, he would be far too slow to ever have any hope of escaping, which meant he would have to abandon his friend.
Letting go of both Hitler's lifeless body and the gun, Steve raised his hands, unwilling to leave his friend behind here alone.
"Stand still, Captain. Move, and we will open fire." came a voice, clear and authoritative, from the back of the room. A figure stepped forward. It wasn't a face Steve recognized, but the bearing and uniform marked him as someone of high rank within the Nazi hierarchy.
Steve complied, letting them drag away the body of the Führer and take the gun, as well as wheel the bed with Bucky off to the side.
He felt completely lost in this situation. Everything had been going so well until it suddenly went as wrong as it could.
One moment, he was making his escape. The next, he was in the middle of a coup in the midst of the very nation he was fighting against.
Then as if all that wasn't confusing enough, the wall of soldiers suddenly parted and made way for… a black silhouette of a man.
"Mr Rogers, how nice of you to finally decide to join us." The silhouette said as he moved to the front, now flanked by the armed guards.
'Really? Another Redskull so quickly?' Steve couldn't help but think as this looked like some other group like Hydra was taking control of the Axis power.
As Steve stood there watching the black silhouette of a man, the silhouette stared back at him, seemingly hoping for a response.
Finally, after just staring at one another for a while, the silhouette lost the battle of patience. "You know, I had all this planned out; I had dozens of analysts going over all your possible responses and prepared my own. So many hours of practice, and you are just going to stand there?"
Steve, his mind racing through confusion and skepticism, couldn't help but find the situation surreal. Here he was, standing in the heart of enemy territory, and the person in front of him was lamenting over ruined plans and wasted preparations as if they were discussing a botched dinner party, not a clandestine meeting in a war zone.
"I'm sorry to disappoint," Steve finally replied, his voice laced with irony. "I didn't get the memo about the rehearsal."
That seemed to amuse the silhouette of a man as Steve once again tried to take in the situation. Around him stood a small army of nazi soldiers; Hitler lay dead, and now he was talking with a guy in some strange black outfit with glowing eyes and mouth.
"And here I thought you never had any humor, guess it just disappeared when you realized what you had missed." The mysterious man mused.
Finally unable to take it any longer, Steve began asking for answers. "What are you talking about? Who are you anyway? And what is going on here?"
"Yes, I imagine you have many questions. Let's see if I can't answer a few, shall we?"
Steve felt that this man was very much like Howard, a showman who didn't take things seriously. He doubted this guy would prove himself a good man like Stark had done in the end.
"Firstly, who am I? I am O5-1. That's all you need to know. As to what is going on here? I figured I would stage a little play is all." He said and pointed towards the figure of Hitler. "Get up 2430."
Then, to Steve's shock, the downed dictator stood back up. Using the back of his sleeve to wipe the blood off his face. "That really damn hurt, you know." He complained as he rubbed his forehead, which Steve was sure had had a hole in it.
"Now, no need to complain; you knew it would happen; this was, after all, part of the deal 2430."
[Flashback]
The immortal clone of Adolf Hitler, also known as SCP-2430, or Adolf as he preferred, had been put back in his cell after his brief taste of freedom, and right away, he sent a request to the ethics committee.
It would no doubt take a while to get a response on that. Months would likely be considered quick on such an unimportant request.
Which is why he was so surprised when he was told someone from high up in the Foundation wanted to talk with him.
The talking wouldn't be in person, no, no; Adolf was moved into a room with nothing but a chair, a table, and a large screen on one wall.
As he sat down, the screen came to life, and a dark silhouette introduced itself as O5-1.
"Hello 2430. It is good to see that you are doing alright, I was very worried when I learned that you found yourself lost outside of your Containment." The silhouette greeted him.
"Yes, thank you. Though I must say, I'm curious as to why someone like you would want to talk with me?" Adolf asked.
"Yes, I was informed that you sent a request to the ethics committee. I'm afraid such a request will take quite a while to process. But you don't have to wait; I have the authority to grant you your request."
Adolf knew that such a thing wouldn't be free, yet he had to admit that he really was itching to be allowed more interaction with the outside world. "I guess you have a request for me in return, yes?" He bit down on the bait.
The dark silhouette had neither eyes nor a mouth, but Adolf was sure O5-1 was smiling.
"That depends; how good is your acting?"
[Flashback end]
Steve's gaze flicked between Hitler, now inexplicably alive, and O5-1, his mind racing to make sense of what appeared to be impossible. "What is this? Some kind of trick?"
"No trick, Captain," O5-1 replied, his voice smooth yet carrying an underlying tone of authority that demanded attention. "This is merely the result of deception. You believe that you are in the heart of Germany, you believe that this is Adolf Hitler, you believe the war is still ongoing, and you are all wrong."
Steve's brows furrowed in confusion, his grip on the reality he thought he knew loosening with each word. "What do you mean? If this isn't Germany, if he isn't Hitler, then where am I? Who is he?"
O5-1 chuckled lightly, a sound that seemed out of place in the heavy atmosphere. "You are currently within a secure SCP Foundation facility, Captain. SCP-2430 is an entity that possesses the memories and appearance of Adolf Hitler, but he is far from the man himself. As for the war, it concluded quite differently from what you've been led to believe."
Steve felt his frustration grow; these answers were giving him almost nothing; far from answering his questions, they just made him have even more questions. "Speak clearly, what is going on here?"
O5-1 paused, seemingly considering how much to reveal. "Firstly, the war is over; you have been unconscious for longer than you have been led to believe during your stay here. Congratulations, Captain. Your efforts proved to be the turning point that allowed the Allies to win the war."
Steve was relieved to hear that the war was over, that they had won. He took another look at Bucky, and, looking closer for the signs, he could indeed see that he seemed slightly older, or maybe it was just the hair. The hair made him look older, and it might have been half a year.
"I missed my dance." He whispered as he realized he was late for his date with Peggy.
O5-1 observed Steve's reaction, noting the mix of emotions that crossed his face. "Indeed, Miss Carter was most unpleased about that. Though, she has been waiting for you."
Steve's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Peggy Carter. The thought of her waiting for him after everything that had transpired ignited a glimmer of hope in his heart. "Peggy... she's waiting?"
"Yes, Captain. She has been waiting for you all this while." O5-1 confirmed, his tone softening ever so slightly at the mention of her name. "She's played a crucial role in the post-war efforts and has been instrumental in the formation of what would become S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization you'll find has goals not dissimilar to our own."
The revelation stirred a whirlwind of emotions in Steve. "What is it you want, with me, with Bucky? Why are we here? Why put on this whole play with this." He pointed at the apparent clone of Hitler. "What is it you want?"
The dark silhouette that was O5-1 stared at Steve for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "Come, sit with me." He said as some of the men dressed in nazi uniforms carried a table and two chairs. Placing the table between Steve and his host.
Steve didn't really feel like sitting down and having a chat right now, but he understood that if he wanted answers, he would have to play along. Not to mention that more than just answers, he wouldn't be getting out of here alive unless this other man allowed it.
Seeing him sit down, O5-1 waved his hand, and another nazi dressed follower of the guy stepped up and placed a few paper folders next to him. "Now then, we have much to talk about."
"Well, first of all, as I said, the war is over, and the Nazi rule has been dismantled; those responsible for the horrors doing the war are either dead or have been fairly judged." O5-1 once more began to explain the situation.
Steve couldn't help himself but ask a question. "What's with him then?" He asked, pointing towards Hitler, who stood on the side.
"Ahh, 2430, He is, as I said, a clone of Hitler and immortal. He was made by the Soviets. Under their care, he suffered fates far worse than death. I can assure you, the punishment he suffered at their hands was so horrible that you wouldn't wish it on even your worst enemy. "
Steve noticed how the person in question slightly shivered as he heard O5-1.
"We are of the belief that he has paid for his crime; I mean, the real man is already dead; this is just a clone who didn't do anything. So, we merely keep him locked up. Mostly to prevent the rest of the world from making a fuss about it."
Steve could somewhat understand that; he was sure that plenty of people would either demand his death, for him to be tortured, or those who believed in his cause might find another motivation to continue their work if they knew he was alive, clone, or not."
"But what does that have to do with me? Why am I here? And why was I made to believe I was still in the middle of World War II?" Steve pressed on, needing to understand the full scope of the situation he found himself in.
"That was partly for my own amusement, to prove that I could do better than Shield and to help you listen." The man said and continued to both confuse and anger Steve.
Steve's gaze hardened, his patience thinning. "So, this was all a test? A game?"
O5-1 shook his head. "Not a game, but a test, I guess. It could be considered as such, a test you failed, mind you. I have been waiting for you to make your escape for a long time. Yet you didn't make a move until I handed you the perfect opportunity."
"Perhaps you just didn't feel the proper amount of urgency? In the future, I will keep that in mind when I do something like this again. But I assure you, I had more reasons than my own amusement for this."
O5-1's casual revelation sparked a mix of frustration and incredulity in Steve. The idea that he had been part of an elaborate setup, simply to test his responses under fabricated circumstances, was difficult to stomach. Yet, as he sat across from this enigmatic figure, Steve realized the depth and complexity of the world he had awoken to.
"And what reasons might those be?" Steve asked, his tone measured but firm, seeking clarity in a situation that seemed to defy logic at every turn.
"The tesseract." Was all he said before making a pause, letting the words sink in.
A/N
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