"Hmmm." Strucker leaned over to the body of the dead pony as the HYDRA scientists began to dissect it.... or rather, began to finish dissecting it. The corpse had been in HYDRA's possession for quite a while. Elsewhere in the "medical" facility, organs, blood and other samples were stored in jars and containers, shown for all to see.
"That's quite ze discovery." The baron commented as he grabbed one of the glowing vials containing a green fluid. "So... vat is this again?"
"Well sir... I have no name for it yet... but I think it can be accurately described as a form of "super-steroid"." The scientist said. "You see... when injected in constant supply a subject, the body will grow and grow and an extremely fast rate mainly in muscles and density. On all our test subjects so far... we must keep the subjects in constant supply of this "super-steroid" or the effects wear off... withdrawal symptoms are... quite nasty...."
"Hmmmm..." Strucker began to plunge into deep though as he grabbed the clipboard to view the notes. "Interesting... but you mentioned two more... what's the word... variations?"
"Yes sir... this type of super-steroid comes at the price of having to use it constantly. However... we've managed to derive two more serums from the blood of these equines. Another one... I have no name for currently is a serum that once injected into the blood-stream. It stays there permanently unless cured. However... there is a defect...."
"And that would be?"
"Subjects if not sedated first will die... and those who survive tend to lose their sanity... we've so far got cases of what can medically described as "schizophrenia". This got so bad that we actually had to terminate three fourths of the test subjects. A no easy task mind you... it appears that these serums can make a man bullet proof."
"Good... good... we'll have to improve upon these then. So... what's the last formula?"
"It was.... well... perhaps the most potent out of all three of the serums we've devised. We can turn men into savage giants with this... miracle. Hulking brutes... berserk... insane... almost invincible. Just what HYDRA needs to win a war... our only problem is having the subjects retain their sanity, speech and intelligence."
"Then get working on it. This may be even more potent that the one Erskine used on Schmidt and Rogers." Strucker ordered, pulling closer, he whispered the next sentence to the doctor. "By ze way doctor... make sure ze Red Skull does not know about this."
"Will do sir." The doctor nodded with a wink. "Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra." The baron replied as he walked out the door to give his report to Schmidt. Unbeknownst to him, a large owl-like creature was watching him, the factory, and HYDRA. It's eyes narrowed at the sight of the notes and the experiment. The creature continued to frown, as it's fertile mind raced to formulate a plan as it took out a device from a belt at it's waist.
He looked over at the notes again to confirm, before deciding to wait for his cue.
"Just like old times..." Steve beamed as he sat at the back of the truck, taking a tentative glance at the driver who was currently oblivious to what had gone on in the back. He took another look back at the dirt road, watching the four unconscious bodies that lay there, no one seeming to notice them at all.
"What do we do once we get there?" Bucky asked as he grabbed a silencer. "It's not like we can just waltz in through the front."
"Well... I didn't just get us a location now..." Slade began with a grin underneath his mask. "I also got us things like the guard schedules, flight plans, and shipments. That's how we knew some poor suckers were going to be here for us to hijack. Besides... this truck isn't carrying anything. The two guys in the back? They're just passengers, the driver is hardly going to care if they turn up missing. We just lie low for a minute, and we slip out."
"Hope you're correct." Medic commented. "Ze absolute last ting ve need is for zem to find us all here...."
"Indeed doc... that'd terrible. But that's why I got a safety net." Slade smiled as he held up his "smartphone". "I can hack into their factory's network, and can cause... well... anything I want. General chaos if you like. For example... one press of a button, and I can send there men scrambling into the parade ground because well... someone THOUGHT a fire broke out... or maybe... I can send all these idiots to the hangar... because someone MADE IT SOUND LIKE there has been a fuel leak..."
"So... if you do that... you can cause the alarm to sound?" Erica asked scratching her head. "What if someone thinks that the alarm sounded because we broke in?"
"Doesn't work like that kiddo. HYDRA is high-tech enough to have pre-recorded messages in case of "emergencies". I press this button... and the announcer won't shut up about how there was a fire in one of the hangars until I tell it to." Slade explained. "You don't have these things in 1944, but try a few decades and you might have things like it."
"So... this is technology from the future?" Trude asked.
"It is. HYDRA is all about producing advanced weapons to conquer the world." Steve explained. "You have things like lasers, advanced missile technologies and aviation technology. To put this into perspective, try imagining fighting a war with things like rifles and bullets, while the enemy uses weapons that can vaporize you instantly.... wait..."
"The Neuroi uses lasers... you have to be really lucky to survive one of those... right Trudy?"
"Shut up." Trude grumbled. "Besides... being a witch, I don't think it's that much of a problem when we have things like magic on our side. It's not going to matter if someone, no matter how strong, how resilient or how quick becomes a pile of dust. That's typically what happens with the Neuroi..."
"You know... if we somehow could get our hands on whatever HYDRA is making and give it to the people back home... the Neuroi wouldn't be a problem anymore..."
"Or... maybe even just turn the entire regular army into um... I think the right term is Übermensch." Barkhorn said. "I am certain when the men can push their own tanks or even pick them up... I think the war would have been more than just won."
"Enough chatter." Bucky spoke up. "We're here. Quiet now..."
"When I give the signal, we move..." Slade said as he activated his tactical vision. "Everyone know's where they're going?"
The plan was simple really. Erica and Slade headed to the factory's production zones to plant charges. Steve and Gertrud would head to the servers within the factory to attempt to deduce where HYDRA's base of operations were and/or any other things that could be gained from HYDRA. Medic and Bucky would go to HYDRA's storage and labs, destroying anything that HYDRA was making. After this was all done, everyone would meet up, steal a plane or find a way out. And then boom. Done.
[Local time: 8:30 PM, HYDRA laboratories, eastern Equestrian coast.]
"We are due to send these weapons back to HYDRA island." Reaper commented as he watched the vials of blood being transported out to be sent to the production facilities which would help produce more vaporizer rifles for HYDRA back at home. Taking a look at the young girl strapped into the chair, who was currently barely conscious as usual, losing blood in large amounts wasn't exactly something that was good for someone.
"Poor kid." Reaper quipped as she listened to the labored breathes of Chris, who's eyes flickered through semi-consciousness. The door opened as Rumlow stepped in.
"My shift. You're off."
"Good." The hooded assassin replied as he exited the medical facility as Rumlow took a seat to keep an eye on Chris.
"Be quiet... you got that?" Slade asked as he placed the charge right within the container of weapons. "You got my back?"
"You betcha!" Erica replied as she cocked her MP40. "But you know... I don't think anyone's coming in here..."
"Better safe than sorry." Slade commented as he placed the charges down. They would have less than eight minutes to get this done before he estimated the next shift would arrive. Judging from his tactical vision... eight minutes might actually be stretching it. All he could do is work fast, hope Erica has his back, and hope everyone else works just as quickly.
"Everything good Trudy?" Steve asked as he took a look at his flash-drive, Shield slung on his back and a silenced pistol in the other hand. He took another look at Barkhorn who was knelt downwards.
"Yes... sneaking around isn't really my thing."
"Not my thing either." The Captain said. "I'd rather sock the bastards in the face..."
"I'd rather be fighting Neuroi..." Trude commented as she finished scrutinizing the dead soldier. If the soldiers back at home really could have been as strong as Steve, the war probably would have been landslide. She took another look at the huge human-shaped dent in the ground. "I hope they don't notice this."
"Hopefully not..." Steve said, recalling how he had picked up the soldier and slammed him against the earth, killing him instantly. "Okay... according to Slade, we have eight minutes."
"Eight minutes to..."
"Sneak in, get the data, and then level the place. Once the next shift arrives... getting out is going to be pretty difficult..."
"How do you get data on that little thing anyways?"
"Slade showed me how... he just told me to download everything." Cap replied. "I done this before... sorta..."
"I take it this kinda of stuff is your thing?" Bucky asked as he looked at the two dead guards, both with two large syringes in their necks.
"Ja. A type of neurotoxin that I've developed. Field testing it today..." Medic said as he pulled out the needles. "I... vill still need ze needles...."
"Well... I don't have all day. I got a lab to destroy."
"By chance Herr Barnes... you tink zey vould have any..."
"No way doc... We can't have any of those... things leaving that lab." Bucky said. "Luckily... our route leads to the hangar... and I got quite a solution for how we're going to deal with the lab."
"And how do you plan on zat?"
Wielding torch? Check.
Gasoline? Almost got it.
Method of transporting Gasoline into the room? Check.
Incendiary bullets? Check.
Within the rooftop of the factory, the Owl creature continued to watch the movement's of one and all with it's "Detective vision". Well... wasn't this perfect? It looked as though his "cue" had gotten here early. He cast his gaze back on the holding pens where various subjects of the serums HYDRA had created from the Equestrian bodily fluids were being held.
Venom... Mirakuru... Titan....
It seemed as though the blood of these horses had properties that could allow it to be... changed... into these chemicals. Chemistry... not the study of matter, but rather the study of change.
And Thomas Wayne Jr. was quite the expert in the study of change. He waited a few moments before the pieces fell into play.
And began the hack.
