บท 49: IMUC-CHAPTER 49: FROZEN END
The transport fighter jet smoothly flew above the clouds, basking in the golden sunlight as it sped toward the far end of the Atlantic Ocean. Kyle and Steve cautiously entered the cockpit of the aircraft, with Kyle wielding a sword and Steve holding a shield.
It was evident that Red Skull had fled in haste, as there were few armed guards on the jet. The guards they had dealt with earlier in the rear cabin were the only ones, leaving the spacious cockpit eerily quiet.
There were no visible figures on the control instruments of the transport fighter. It was on autopilot, following the predetermined flight route set by the onboard system.
Behind the pilot's seat was a storage compartment emitting a faint blue light, revealing glimpses of the items contained within the cuboidal object behind the glass storage unit.
Kyle's eyes were fixed on the items inside the storage compartment from the moment he entered. His eyes reflected the blue radiance of the objects. Even without a clear view or message indicating the cards, he was certain he hadn't made a mistake.
The Tesseract. There could be no mistake!
Despite being ten meters away and separated by a metal and glass storage frame, he could still vividly sense the awe-inspiring and captivating mystique emanating from it.
Steve intended to slowly advance into the cockpit with his shield, but Kyle shook his head. It was apparent that Red Skull had known they had caught up with the jet during their commotion in the rear cabin, so there was no need for a surprise attack.
It was disadvantageous to reveal ourselves while the enemy remained hidden, but the overwhelming difference in strength was something even the wounded Red Skull couldn't reverse.
Kyle confidently stepped forward, brandishing his sword, and said coldly, "Schmidt, you're the only one left here. Stop hiding like a rat if you call yourself Hydra! Use whatever tricks you have left now before you die!"
Steve, seeing Kyle's actions, spread his hands and took a step forward, adopting a warning tone, "It's time to put an end to all of it, Schmidt!"
Facing the cold mockery and questioning from the two, a chilling response suddenly came from the pilot's seat in the cockpit, where Red Skull was situated, "You two just don't know when to quit, do you? Do you really think you've defeated me? Do you believe that simply donning clothes with the American emblem makes you a national symbol? I have seen the future, a beautiful world without national divisions, completely subservient to my rule!"
Confirming Red Skull's location, Kyle and Steve exchanged glances and silently coordinated to surround him from both sides.
Red Skull however continued to speak from the pilot's seat, "Until the final moment, no one can determine who wins and who loses!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his palm slammed down on the control panel, pushing the steering wheel to its maximum position.
"Buzz!"
The previously smoothly flying transport fighter abruptly came to a halt, then pitched downward at a ninety-degree angle, heading straight towards the cloud layer below.
Everything in the cockpit, including Kyle and Steve, became weightless, tumbling and floating at various angles.
"This is just the beginning…" Red Skull sneered from the pilot's seat, secured by his seatbelt, as he lifted a large laser weapon. However, the muzzle wasn't aimed at Kyle or Steve, who were tumbling uncontrollably behind him, but rather at the front windshield of the cockpit.
"You both can die now!" His crimson skeletal face was slightly distorted as a frenzy of emotions burst out in his sunken eye sockets, as he fired the laser weapon at the cockpit's windshield.
"Bang!"
In the instant the windshield was shattered by the laser, a powerful pressure difference occurred inside and outside the aircraft, generating a strong vortex that sucked everything in the cockpit towards the broken window and into the high-altitude airspace outside.
They were above ten thousand meters in the sky and if it were an ordinary person, they would have long lost consciousness due to the intense pressure difference but Kyle and Steve were not ordinary people!
"Kyle, be careful!" Steve managed to grab hold of an iron frame on the ceiling of the cockpit and his worried gaze shifted towards Kyle, who was still floating.
"That guy really has a death wish!" Kyle gritted his teeth and, as his body was being pulled towards the window, he reacted swiftly by driving his sword into the floor of the cockpit.
"That was close." Kyle breathed a sigh of relief as he stabilized himself by anchoring his body to the sword embedded in the floor. However, when his gaze shifted downwards, his pupils slightly contracted.
Unfortunately, the sword made of Carbonadium Sword was stuck on top of the glass container emitting a brilliant blue light. The shattered glass revealed cracks, gradually exposing the mysterious aura of the Tesseract inside.
'My goodness, this…' Kyle felt his scalp tingle as flashes from the movie where Red Skull made direct contact with the Tesseract crossed his mind: being forcefully banished beyond the galaxies, guarding the Soul Stone alone on a desolate planet for over seventy years.
At this moment, the Tesseract was fully exposed to the air and it was less than half a meter away from him!
As if stimulated by the sword's impact, the enigmatic blue glow on the surface of the Tesseract became even more pronounced. Then, beams of light shot out from it, revealing dazzling cosmic star maps in the void.
Space began to twist inch by inch, and the Tesseract drew Kyle even closer to itself!
"This is not good…" Kyle found himself in a dilemma, unable to move as he stared at the Tesseract in front of him, slowly opening a spatial tunnel under him.
Am I going to be transported away?
Kyle forced a bitter smile and prepared to accept his fate by closing his eyes when Steve's voice suddenly reached his ears, "Kyle! Get out of the way!"
In the next instant, a shield swiftly flew over a distance of more than ten meters and struck the Tesseract, which reflected a starry sky map, knocking it away from Kyle's side. It flew towards the gaping hole in the window and out into the open air.
"That was close!" Kyle's face turned pale as he thought of his situation. He was just a hair's breadth away from being transported to who knows where by the Tesseract!
'I love Earth!' Having escaped from the danger, Kyle's joy was overwhelming and he even wanted to give Steve a bear hug.
"No!" Red Skull shouted as he watched the Tesseract pass by him and fly out of the window. He looked stunned and hurriedly reached out to grab the Tesseract.
*Buzz—* The fading starry sky map continued to glow, and a rainbow beam of light struck Red Skull from the sky, engulfing and evaporating his figure.
The Tesseract completed this simple spatial manipulation and continued to send the plane plummeting toward the sea.
As the plane continued its suicidal 90-degree dive, with less than a kilometer left until the ground, Kyle struggled against the strong wind pressure and managed to reach the pilot's seat to steer the steering wheel back into position.
Immediately after making this move, the transport plane recovered its normal driving state, but the control instruments seemed to be on the verge of damage, emitting smoke.
"Phew." Kyle wearily sat on the floor after he controlled the plane.
Although the strong wind pressure still persisted, fortunately, the plane finally stabilized, and with its low altitude, the gravitational force was greatly reduced to an acceptable range.
"Are you okay?" Steve smiled as he descended from the ceiling of the cockpit and took a seat in the pilot's seat, fastening his seatbelt.
"I'm fine. Quickly contact the base and have them arrange for the landing of this plane," Kyle said while waving his hand.
"Okay." Steve nodded and started operating the instruments from the pilot's seat. After a while, his relaxed expression gradually turned serious as if he had discovered something.
"What's wrong?" Kyle noticed Steve's unusual expression and couldn't help but stand up and ask.
Steve took a deep breath and said sternly, "The situation is not good. The autopilot cannot be disengaged, and many manual control functions are damaged and unusable. This plane is still heading towards its original destination, New York City."
"What!" Kyle realized the potential crisis and said in a low voice, "Don't panic, let me think of a solution!"
"There's no time." Steve shook his head and he clenched his fists quietly, and it was as if he had made a difficult decision in his life. He smiled relievedly and said, "Kyle, go to the rear cabin and prepare a parachute for yourself."
"What do you mean?" Kyle was slightly stunned.
Steve firmly said, "I'm going to sink this plane into the ocean. Hurry and prepare a parachute to jump off."
"Don't rush into anything, there must be another way. Besides, even if someone has to stay on the plane until the end, I…" Kyle's words were quickly interrupted by Steve.
"Alright, let me take care of this." Steve held onto the control yoke with both hands, his young and handsome face filled with determination. He smiled and said, "Kyle, you don't know. I've been chasing after you all this time."
"From the training base to the small fight and battlefields later on, I could only watch your back. I constantly pushed myself to catch up while accepting the opportunities you gave up."
"Since I've claimed to be Captain America, let me surpass you this time and lead the way in front of you!" As he said this, Steve seemed to regress to the weak-bodied but indomitable youth he once was.
"I understand." After Kyle finished speaking, he silently walked towards the rear cabin of the plane, knowing that no matter what he said at this moment, he would not be able to stop his comrade's decision.
Because the other person was not only his best comrade-in-arms but also his brother, and even more so, he was Captain America of this world! Even if they were to encounter countless dangerous situations, he would always be the one charging ahead with a determined look on his face, willing to sacrifice himself to protect everything he wanted to safeguard.
"Oh, and take care of Agent Carter for me," Steve reminded him before Kyle left.
"Huh? Who's going to take care of your girlfriend? I'll be waiting for you at the base!" Kyle turned around and cursed.
"I… do like Agent Carter, but she's not my girlfriend," Steve shook his head and, in a joking tone, said with an ignorant air, "Agent Carter, she has always had feelings for you."
"Don't make jokes in this situation. How could she possibly like me? You must have misunderstood something," Kyle was a bit confused. What's going on? He had only flirted with her a few times.
"Then let's consider it a joke," Steve shrugged, instructing, "Next Friday night at 8 p.m., I have a date with her at the Starbird Club. If I don't make it by then, you go in my place."
"Don't worry. I'll reserve the whole place for you and you will dance with her when you come back," Kyle waved his hand and left the main cabin. Steve's voice could still be faintly heard from behind:
"I am counting on you, Brother…"
Fifteen seconds later, a figure jumped from the rear cabin of the plane from a high altitude. After reaching an altitude of a hundred meters, the parachute was deployed, and Kyle slowly descended toward the blue sea.
Under the parachute, Kyle looked up, gazing at the distant plane that continued to move away, soon disappearing on the other side of the clouds.
"Steve, regardless of the outcome or how long it takes, I believe that one day, we will meet again."
(End of this chapter)
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