Marvel: The Journey

Get access to 15+ chapters on patreon.

patreon.com/aidenusmani 

**********

While the once-great Third Reich crumbled, HYDRA lurked in the shadows, biding its time until it was ready to unleash an offensive that would shake the very foundations of the planet. Their secret weapon: the Valkyrie, a massive super bomber fueled by the otherworldly power of the Tesseract. Led by the fanatical Johann Schmidt, the nefarious organization had one goal in mind – to bring the United States of America to its knees. The plan was simple, yet devastatingly effective: drop the Valkyrie's flying Tesseract-powered bombs on major cities across the country, leaving a trail of destruction and despair in their wake.

In the dark, foreboding halls of the Hydra headquarters, the infamous Red Skull stood tall, his piercing gaze fixed upon a mysterious and massive wheel that lay before him. His loyal pilots gathered around him, eagerly awaiting their leader's words.

Raising a glass in a toast, Red Skull spoke with unwavering confidence, his voice ringing out with a sinister tone. "Tomorrow, Hydra shall reign supreme, its power soaring to new heights on the wings of the mighty Valkyrie. No longer shall our enemies be a threat, for their weapons will be powerless against us. If they dare to shoot down one of our planes, hundreds more shall rain down upon them, unleashing a storm of fire and destruction that will leave them begging for mercy."

With a cruel smile on his lips, Red Skull continued, "And if they think they can cut off the head of the beast that is Hydra, they are sorely mistaken. For every head that is severed, two more shall rise in its place, stronger and more determined than ever before. Our victory is inevitable, my loyal pilots. Now, let us drink to our impending triumph!"

With a satisfied grin, Red Skull downed his drink, savoring the taste of victory as his loyal pilots echoed his sentiments with thunderous shouts of "Hail Hydra!" The sound reverberated throughout the hangar, stirring the hearts of the Hydra soldiers who joined in the chant with equal fervor.

Turning away from his adoring followers, Red Skull's eyes fell upon a sight that filled him with pride and awe. Before he stood a formation of five hundred soldiers, standing at attention with military precision. As one, they saluted their leader and bellowed out the words that had become their rallying cry - "Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra!"

But even as Red Skull reveled in the devotion of his followers, his sharp senses caught sight of a red light flashing on the wall. His attention instantly shifted to the source of the signal, his mind racing with the possibilities of what it could mean. For all his power and might, Red Skull knew that even the slightest misstep could bring his grand plans crashing down. And so, with a calculated calm, he strode towards the flashing light. 

Amidst the imposing walls of the HYDRA headquarters atop a mountain, the tranquil silence was shattered by the piercing blare of alarms ringing out from the surface entrance. Barbed wire glistened in the moonlight, wrapped around the earthen-walled compound that housed the nefarious organization's inner sanctum. In a flurry of activity, HYDRA soldiers raced to take their positions, ready to defend their stronghold against any intruders.

One soldier scrambled to look over the wall, only to be met with the sight of Steve hurtling towards him on his motorcycle. With a burst of adrenaline-fueled momentum, Steve ramped off a gun emplacement, soaring through the air and crashing through the barbed wire. In a swift and brutal assault, he crushed one guard with his bike and slashed another with his whip.

But HYDRA was not to be underestimated. With a hail of gunfire raining down upon him, Steve expertly swerved and tossed a grenade toward his attackers, sending them scattering in fear as the deafening explosion echoed through the compound.

Despite his heroic efforts, Steve's luck ran out when a Hydra rifleman blasted out his tire. With his front fork digging into the ground, he was thrown over the handlebars, but quickly regained his footing, swinging his shield in a desperate attempt to fend off the dozens of guards closing in on him from all sides. 

Deep within the ominous halls of the HYDRA headquarters, in Schmidt's forbidding laboratory, the guards dragged in a battered and bruised Steve. Lying on the ground, he gazed up at the grotesque portrait of Red Skull that adorned the room. Suddenly, the shadowy figure of the HYDRA leader stepped forward, his malevolent presence filling the room.

Steve struggled against his captors, but they held him firmly in place. Red Skull's crimson face gleamed with malice as he spoke, "Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I will say you do it better than anyone else." He leaned in closer to Steve, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "There are limits to what even you can do, Captain," he sneered. "Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?"

Captain America stared defiantly at Red Skull, refusing to back down in the face of the villain's taunts. "He told me you were insane. That seemed like enough," he retorted. But Red Skull was undeterred, his malevolent gaze fixed upon Steve.

"He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine," Red Skull sneered. "Yet he gave you everything. What made you so special? Nothing..."

But Steve wasn't about to let Red Skull's words get to him. Slowly raising his head, he met the villain's sunken eyes with a steely gaze. "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn," he said with quiet determination, his voice carrying the weight of his unwavering spirit and unshakable patriotism. 

Red Skull seethed with rage, his crimson face twisted in a cruel sneer. Without warning, he lashed out and smashed Steve in the face. The guards held Steve in a vice-like grip as Red Skull continued his brutal assault, battering him mercilessly, blow after blow. Steve fought to stay conscious, his body wracked with pain and exhaustion.

After what felt like an eternity, Red Skull finally stepped back, breathing heavily. Steve panted for breath, his body battered and broken. But despite his injuries, he refused to give in to his captor's brutality. Through gritted teeth, he mustered the strength to deliver a defiant taunt. "I can do this all day," he spat.

Red Skull's lip curled in a twisted smile. "I believe you can," he said, his tone dripping with malice. "But I am on a schedule." With that, he drew his Luger and pointed it at Steve's head. Steve stared down the barrel of the gun, his heart racing as he braced himself for the worst.

As Skull prepared to execute Steve, a series of loud thunks echoed through the room. Curious, he turned his attention to the window and saw three figures rapidly approaching a collision course with the glass. With a quick spin, Skull aimed his pistol at Steve once more.

But before he could pull the trigger, Steve swung one of the guards around, using him as a shield to block the blast from Skull's weapon. The guard was incinerated instantly. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass filled the room as Dum Dum Dugan, Falsworth, and James smashed through the window on ziplines. Dugan landed squarely on Skull's desk, unleashing a barrage of gunfire with his .30 caliber weapon.

As the U.S. soldiers moved down the corridor, four Hydra troopers appeared and started firing at them. The sound of gunfire echoed through the narrow space, causing everyone to scramble for cover. One Hydra soldier fell to the ground, while the other two continued their attack. In a moment of desperation, the second soldier threw a grenade that detonated, killing himself and his comrade.

The final Hydra trooper, who had watched his comrades fall, began to panic. He stuttered and mumbled something about heads and rising before being shot dead. As the echoes of the gunfire died down, Colonel Phillips stepped into the corridor with his shotgun, followed by a dozen marines. His sharp eyes scanned the area, and he barked out, "Let's find the others." 

As the Valkyrie took off into the sky, Red Skull's escape seemed inevitable. But Colonel Phillips and Peggy Carter weren't about to give up that easily. They quickly commandeered Red Skull's car and set off in hot pursuit, determined to catch the plane and stop Skull's evil plans.

While racing towards the plane, Steve Rogers and Peggy shared a poignant moment. They both knew the risks involved in this mission and the possibility that they might not make it back alive. In a moment of raw emotion, they shared their first and last kiss, a bittersweet reminder of the love that could have been.

Finally, they caught up to the plane, and Rogers made his daring leap onto the wing, ready to confront Red Skull and put an end to his nefarious scheme once and for all.

Captain America found himself on the Valkyrie, a plane carrying a terrifying payload of HYDRA Parasits - bombs that were powered by the Tesseract and designed to obliterate American cities, including Rogers' hometown of New York City. 

With his shield in hand, Rogers took on the HYDRA pilots and worked to disable the bombs. He fought with fierce determination and skill, taking down the pilots one by one. However, his mission hit a snag when he encountered a HYDRA soldier who stopped him from disarming the bomb for Chicago. Despite the soldier's efforts, Rogers was determined to succeed.

In a desperate struggle, Rogers managed to knock the soldier into the plane's propeller and eject the pilot. Now in control of the plane, Rogers had to navigate through a barrage of cannon fire to bring the bomb back onto the ship.

As Rogers made his way to the bridge, he felt a sudden blow to the back. Whipping around, he found himself face to face with Red Skull, who aimed an Arnimhilation 99L Assault Weapon directly at him. Rogers barely had time to react, but his instincts kicked in, and he quickly raised his shield to block the incoming blast. With one swift motion, he knocked the rifle out of Red Skull's hands, sending it clattering to the floor. Unfortunately, in doing so, he was forced to let go of his shield, leaving him momentarily vulnerable.

In a flash of motion, three sharp claws emerged from Red Skull's chest, eliciting a gasp of shock and disbelief from him. Steve and Red Skull both turned to see James standing behind them. "This is for what you did to my brother!" James declared as he withdrew his claws.

Red Skull retaliated quickly, kicking James away and spinning around to face his opponents. He raised his fists in a fighting stance and grinned maliciously. "I guess you finally found out the secret documents. He was meant to be my pet, Hydra's pet, but he had to be saved by the American fool here," he taunted.

James gritted his teeth and glared at Rogers, who nodded back in silent agreement, before both charging toward Red Skull. The three engaged in a continuous battle, their moves swift and deadly. In the heat of the fight, Rogers accidentally hit the controls, causing the plane to lurch and plummet. With his quick reflexes, Red Skull was able to re-engage the auto-pilot and level the plane. But before he could regroup, Red Skull fired his HYDRA pistol at Rogers, narrowly missing him.

Rogers seized the moment and hurled his shield toward Red Skull, sending him crashing into the Tesseract's containment unit. But Red Skull, desperate and determined, reached for the glowing cube, hoping to use its power against Rogers. Yet, as his hand made contact with the Tesseract, he was consumed by blinding darkness, feeling his body pulled into another realm. There, before him, stood a colossal figure of a purple woman with glittering Infinity Stones adorning her forehead. A wicked grin crossed her lips as she stared down at Red Skull, and with a snap of her fingers, he found himself back on the Valkyrie, but with a force tugging at his entire being. Filled with terror, he screamed as he was yanked away into the unknown.

James noticed an unusual portal opening behind Red Skull, and he immediately assumed that he was about to attack Rogers. With no second thought, James sprang into action and lunged toward Red Skull. However, just as he got close, the Tesseract emitted a powerful beam of energy that struck him and sent him flying out of the Valkyrie. As Rogers witnessed the tragic scene unfold, he let out a horrified cry of "James!" as James plummeted into the vast expanse of the ocean below.

When Rogers spun around, he realized that Red Skull was no longer there. The villain's entire body had been teleported away, leaving behind only a void. As he scanned the area, he noticed the Tesseract melting through the steel floors, plummeting down into the dark, cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean below.

Captain America's heart raced with urgency as he realized the Valkyrie was still on autopilot, heading straight toward New York City. He scrambled to find a radio connected to the aircraft and finally managed to establish contact with the HYDRA Headquarters. Jim Morita answered the call, but he was quickly interrupted by Peggy Carter, the love of Steve's life. The two exchanged a somber conversation, with Steve informing her that Red Skull was defeated but he had to sacrifice himself to stop the plane. As the gravity of the situation sank in, they shared a heart-wrenching moment. Steve promised Peggy a dance that he knew he could never fulfill before the radio went silent. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the impact as he steered the plane into a crash landing on the Arctic ice.