"Captain Rodgers!"
"Captain Rodgers!"
"Captain Rodgers!"
"Captain Rodgers!"
Steve was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of the loudspeaker at the front of the plane. Looking down, he found Firebrand asleep in his lap, curled up into a ball like a cat. He looked around to find the plane empty except for the pilot, co-pilot, and two extra support troops sitting near the front. He figured that Dugan, Bucky, and the others must have stayed behind to get on another transport plane to the next Hydra base they needed to take out. As Steve shook Firebrand awake, he began to stir and stretched his limbs. The feeling of his joints popping seemed to satisfy him as he let out a content sigh. Hopping down off of his lap when Steve stood up, Firebrand proceeded to follow closely behind him as per the punishment that was dealt out to him.
Steve was quite upset with little Firebrand when he found out that he had followed him along by sneaking into his duffel bag, but as punishment was something that he was quite new to, he decided on something fairly simple. He was only a young pony, after all, so he wanted to go easy on him. Firebrand had to stay in his sight at all times and when they got back to base, he was to help Peggy and Howard with anything for five hours. The colt sadly accepted the punishment as he ventured to get back in his daddy's good graces.
"Captain Rodgers HQ is on the horn for you," the pilot announced through the loudspeaker.
'Maybe I can get a hold of them and have them pick up Firebrand somewhere close by.' he thought. 'It's going to be too dangerous for a little guy like him out in the field.'
"Come towards the cockpit," instructed the pilot. "You can use the radio near the front of the cabin sir."
Looking up at where the pilot was talking about, Firebrand saw a big black box attached to the inside of the plane which was connected by three long wires going into the cockpit. He watched Steve with interest as he grabbed a lever on the side of the box and cranked it hard hearing a clicking sound.
"This is Rogers, go ahead. Over."
"Steve, this is Peggy. I have one thing to ask you before we proceed. ....Is Firebrand with you? I lost track of him yesterday and I haven't been able to find him."
"Hi, mommy!" Firebrand exclaimed happily.
Peggy seemed to go silent for a minute, not saying anything. Steve decided to just pick up for her and continue the conversation.
"Yeah, he's with me. Can you come and pick him up? I don't exactly want him around bullets, bombs, explosions, and..well, Hydra if you catch my meaning. He's at risk out here." Steve asked.
When Firebrand heard this, he looked sadly at the floor of the plane and began pawing at it pathetically.
"Actually Captain, that might turn out to be a bit of a problem," the Colonel's voice chimed in. "The squirt may be safer out there with you at the moment, despite how crazy it sounds. We received intel from one of our own that Hydra agents have managed to infiltrate the SSR. We don't know how many and how high this reaches up. I'm guessing Schmitt really wants that pony of yours back pretty badly.
Steve was conflicted about this situation. Firebrand is always going to be at risk in this world no matter where he goes. The knowledge of Firebrand's existence could put him in danger from people like Schmitt, which unfortunately are a abundance in his world. People like him would stop at nothing to get their hands on him to uncover the secrets of his magic. He knew they were right, but he didn't like to admit it. The only moderately safe place for Firebrand, for the time being, would be with himself.
"....Have you started an investigation?" he asked hopefully. "We'll have to come back to base at some point."
"Yes, but we are making slow headway. As much as I hate to say it, Firebrand is safer there with you for the time being. You'll be moving around all the time, so it will be harder for Schmitt to get a lock on your position." she admitted. "You've been trained to avoid gunfire and block it with that shield of yours. So I'm counting on you to protect him do you hear me? If I find so much as a scratch on him, I will personally kick your arse."
"Yes ma'am," he replied with a chuckle. "I'll do my best. But with everything going on out here too, it's going to be tough."
"Now, we have a few other things to go over before your drop. We've confirmed our analysis of the munitions you recovered last night. Howard Stark was able to identify the alloys in the firing chamber as a rare metal found only in the mountains of Bavaria."
"No small feat, I promise you," Howard's voice added.
"Our sources were able to narrow down the location to a remote castle compound in the Bavarian Mountains. This castle doesn't show up on any of our liberated Hydra intel, so we can't know for certain what we are up against. Though we assume this is one of the bases that you pinned down on that map of yours over here. Take a look at the dossier on the table behind you. It contains all of the information that we've managed to gather so far."
Turning his head around, Steve saw the fold-out table in question where many files and pictures were laid.
He grabbed one of the folders and took a quick look inside at the information, slipping it into his backpack for later.
"We also have a research film reel that was just smuggled out of the area," Howard informed. "It's located in the locker at the back of the plane. I'll tell ya, these guys whoever they are, are obsessed with documenting their work. It's almost like a drug to them or something."
Steve went to the back of the plane and found the old reel sitting there on the counter. He looked around the chamber and found an old beaten-up film projector for them to watch the reel. Setting it up, he slipped the film into the projector and turned it on as it clicked and whirred.
Firebrand watched closely as a white scratchy screen with black streaks popped up for a few seconds before shifting to an image of a folder with the words "Mastermann Project" across the label.
Suddenly, he could hear a familiar voice with a familiar accent coming in through the reel that made him shiver and grasp Steve's arm tightly with his forelegs.
"After years of planning and research, my time has come, at last, Project Mastermann is a reality."
As the second slide popped up on the screen showing a picture of the all too familiar Arnim Zola, Firebrand yelped and dived behind Steve, and started bawling as he shook with fear. Steve, out of concern for the foal, picked him up and allowed him to bury his face into his chest as he tried stroking the sobbing pony to calm him down.
"It's okay little buddy. Everything is alright. The scary man can't get you. Not as long as I'm around."
"History shall record that Dr. Arnim Zola was the first to unlock the secrets of the human genome. And thus, my immortality is assured."
The slide show then shifted to an image of the man Steve sought to bring to justice above all else. Johann Schmitt, The Red Skull.
"Using the blood of my benefactor, Johann Schmitt, and the red equine that our enemy has taken from us, I will replicate and surpass the work of the traitor Abraham Erskine. The Americans believe they have created a perfect human specimen in their precious Super Soldier. They are fools. The perfection of the human body is a false goal. What does it profit us to perfect something that is inherently limited? No...to truly evolve, we must improve upon it."
It shifted to another image that seemed to depict a large castle of some kind with a shot of its rooftops.
"Herr Skull secured a remote research facility and outfitted it with Hydra forces for my protection and assistance. The Skull has also honored me with the loan of the Tessaract Cube to aid in my research....under his supervision, of course. He will not be disappointed. I shall work tirelessly until I have unlocked Erskine's secrets and taken them to places that he never imagined...or perhaps feared to tread. It is my goal, my purpose, my destiny."
The reel finally ran out of the film as it sputtered, turned to white, and finally turned off. After a few minutes, Firebrand was able to finally calm down as he turned around carefully and was glad to find that the scary man's voice had disappeared. Steve grabbed Firebrand who allowed him to set him back into his harness which he had become quite comfortable being in. As they slowly moved back towards their seat in the middle of the plane, Peggy's voice once again sounded on the loudspeaker.
"Zola's technology is getting dangerously close to Erskine's work. If Hydra succeeds, they will be unstoppable. Try to find us more of those reels, it will give us an idea of what we are up against," Howard instructed.
Suddenly, a banging coming from the cockpit drew Steve and Firebrand's attention to the front of the plane as the co-pilot peeked his head out.
"Captain, we are nearing the drop zone!"
"Your job is to shut down the long-range air defenses. Once the drop zone is secure, radio in, and we will give the invaders the go-ahead. And Steve....please be careful...especially now that you have a little one to look after. There is so much that we just know absolutely nothing about...." Peggy warned.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure this guy doesn't leave my sight," Steve said slyly as he ruffled Firebrand's mane.
All of a sudden, the plane began to shake violently, nearly knocking Steve off of his feet as they were pelted by machine gunfire. Steve could hear sounds coming from the cockpit as the pilot began to panic.
"Incoming! It's too much! I'll have to pull away!"
"Wait! I'll drop here. Get out of here as soon as I'm clear."
"YES SIR!"
"Alright Firebrand, I want you to hold on to me really tightly and don't let go until I say you can alright? We're gonna be taking a skydive."
"A skydive? Are we swimming in the sky?" he asked innocently.
"Something like that." he chuckled. "Just close your eyes once we start falling and hold on to me tightly."
Firebrand nodded as they moved towards the plane's entry door and Steve kicked it open as a rush of ice-cold wind blasted into their faces. The last thing Firebrand saw before he started to tightly close his eyes was a beautiful snow-capped mountain range going on forever from one direction to another and fiery explosions thundering in the sky. After a moment of preparing himself, Steve bailed out of the plan and started to rapidly dive towards the castle. Avoiding the explosions from Hydras cannons, Steve looked around and angled himself to aim right at one of the buildings. The dive lasted for only a few seconds as before Steve hit the roof of the building painfully, he grabbed his shield and used it to absorb the impact of the fall. They crashed through the roof and into a small room of the castle where the shock, instantly knocked out three of the guards.
As soon as he gathered a file that they found in the room, he made his way across a bridge and to the building on the other side where two other guards were waiting. A quick angled toss from his shield quickly dispatched them as he turned his attention to a strange mechanism adjacent to a locked door.
"Oh yeah, Stark told me about these." he mused in remembrance. "Enigma keypads I think he said. If you have the code, you can unlock them fairly easily."
It took a minute, but Steve was able to find a common character in the code that helped him unlock the hallway of metal doors that had been blocking his path.
Carefully and quietly going into the other room where the first cannon's controls were, the two overheard the soldiers there having a conversation with the man they assumed to be one of Red Skull's top lieutenants.
"How many times must I come down there?! You have an 88-millimeter automated cannon. How hard is it to hit one target?!"
"I'm sorry Baron, we checked-"
"You checked nothing peasant!" the Baron barked. "One more mistake and you will taste The Claw, am I clear?"
"Yes, Baron."
Peeking out from over the balcony, Steve looked around trying to figure out a strategy.
"They would see me coming a mile away, I gotta hit them from a distance,"
Aiming at one of the soldiers, he gave his shield a toss as it flew 30 feet and knocked out one of the soldiers. Unfortunately for him, they saw him almost instantly.
"I see something! Up there! Shoot him!"
Firebrand yelped as he once again launched his black horseshoes off of his hooves. One of them hit one of the Hydra troops aiming at them, while another made another soldier spin as his gunfire hit everything in the room. Including the cannon's control panel which set off a fiery chain reaction. The horseshoes were drawn back to Firebrand as they once again magnetized snugly to his hooves.
"Oooookay, we have got to figure out how you do that," Steve thought aloud as the fire started to spread.
Firebrand tapped his shoulder as Steve followed where he was pointing. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinheads as he began to panic. The fire was only a few feet from a pile of explosive materials that were about to blow the tower sky high.
Looking around, Steve found an open window for the duo to make their exit.
"Tower's coming down...got to move!" he exclaimed.
Flinging himself around to the wall outside, he flipped, pole-vaulted, and somersaulted over and under the flag poles and architecture of the tower. Steve was beginning to be rather concerned for Firebrand as he was laughing way too hard at explosions and fire more than he should have been. After a few well-timed flips, Steve made it through an opening in the next building over, which lead them to an open room where four more Hydra soldiers were standing guard.
Jumping down to the floor below, Steve reacted quickly as he flung his shield at the first soldier, knocking him out while he flipped over to the second one and bashed him to the adjacent wall with a solid kick to the midsection. When Firebrand saw one of the soldiers reloading while Steve was occupied, Firebrand gave a loud whine which made Steve turn around and quickly react by holding his shield up close as he heard a shot from the soldier's rifle. Luckily for Steve, the shield blocked it flawlessly as the bullet dropped harmlessly to the floor with a clatter.
As the third and fourth soldiers tried to rush him, Steve knocked them out consecutively with a bash to the face with his shield on one and a crushing roundhouse kick to the jaw to the other. However, the second soldier wasn't out for the count as he tried taking out Steve with a sneak attack from his bayonet. Firebrand quickly jumped out of his harness, trying to protect his daddy as he leaped and hit the soldier in the abdomen with a "punch" from one of his forehooves, not realizing how much power he was putting into it... The next thing Steve knew as he whipped his head around was Firebrand blasting the Hydra soldier through the opposite wall and into the room next door.
"Okay, before the day is out I'm seriously gonna find a free moment to figure out how to help you use those things," Steve said to the colt with a chuckle.
"Did I do good?" Firebrand asked hopefully.
"You did great buddy. Just be a little more careful next time okay?"
"Okay!"
They then heard the loudspeaker begin to activate as they heard the voice of the "Baron" that now has gone on to their hit list.
"Attention all security forces; this is Baron Von Strucker! We have a saboteur in our midst. Converge on the area around the Western cannon. I want him found and neutralized immediately...on pain of death. Hail Hydra!"
"Well get in line Strucker," Steve replied dryly. "Everyone here seems to want a piece of me."
Looking around, he found another Enigma keypad which he hacked into fairly easily as Firebrand tried to learn what Steve was doing.
Going through another series of metal security doors, Steve soon found his way into what appeared to be a communications center for this part of the castle. Dozens of strange machines lined the walls on every side as a small group of Hydra officers was conducting work on the other side of the room. He slowly snuck in as he heard them talk about a weapon they called the Baron's Satan Claw and how one of their comrades had the unfortunate pleasure of being tortured with it.
Thinking up a plan, he decided to try using Firebrand's unique ability to his advantage.
"Firebrand," Steve whispered. "Those horseshoes of yours seem to react to your will and emotions. Try aiming them at the group of soldiers on the right while I go for the ones on the left okay?"
Firebrand nodded gleefully as he aimed at the soldiers and waited for Steve's instructions.
Tossing his shield, he managed to hit the console on the left as it knocked out six of the officers at once. Steve quickly gave Firebrand the go-ahead as he launched one of his horseshoes at the other console and blew it up. The resulting blast knocked out the rest of the soldiers as his horseshoe safely flew back to him.
"Great job buddy. With a little bit of training when you're older, you'd make a great soldier." Steve said proudly.
Firebrand soaked up the praise as he tried mimicking a salute which Steve humored him by returning.
Looking around the room, Steve picked up a couple of dossiers as he looked for a way to the communications tower. Firebrand drew his attention to a ladder that presumably leads to an upper level.
Going up a set of stairs, Steve carefully climbed up the ladder, listening for any possible signs of traps or troops that were waiting to ambush them. As he made it to the top of the ladder, he came into another communications lab with a somewhat smaller number of machines. What drew his attention though, was a strange set of gloves and a cowl sitting atop another dossier. As he went over, he saw a label on the folder describing the item.
"Zemo family heirloom and diary entry huh? That must have been a very strange family." he thought aloud.
He pocketed the items into his pouch for later viewing as he continued looking around the room and soon found a large radio and tuned it into the Allied frequency.
"Captain America to headquarters. Over."
There was only static for five solid seconds before a familiar voice came in over the com, making Firebrand's eyes light up.
"Cap, this is Peggy. Are you and Firebrand all right? That drop..."
"I'm okay! Daddy smacked a bunch of bad guys on their bootys!" Firebrand giggled.
"Well I'm glad to hear one of you is having fun," she replied.
"That was the easy part for us. Be advised, the flak's so heavy I could have walked down on it," he warned.
"We know. The invaders are on their way to back you up, but we need you to take out the long-range AA cannons before they can safely airdrop," she replied with haste.
"Copy. Maintain schedule. By the time they get here, we will have the skies clear for them. Captain America out."
Steve turned off the radio as he went back to the opening and flipped down to the floor below, not knowing he was about to run into another wave of soldiers.
Next Time: The Flemish Farm