Chapter 118: Alps Base
Five hundred feet underground in the Alps.
Hydra base.
Due to Mason's influence, Steve joined the battle early on, and under his constant strikes, Hydra's facilities were repeatedly destroyed.
Therefore, compared to the original timeline, Hydra's power was significantly diminished. Although they had mass-produced energy weapons using the Tesseract, they hadn't been able to equip all their forces on a large scale.
Bases were damaged everywhere, and even the bombs originally planned to devastate major cities could now only target a fraction of the East Coast.
"Look at what's happened this past month!" Schmidt slammed the report on the table, his crimson face twisted with rage.
"We only have three bases remaining. With the Allied advance, even raw materials are in short supply..."
"I don't want excuses!"
"It's because of your failures that my plans have been delayed again and again!" Schmidt roared.
"Those enhanced soldiers you created couldn't even handle a man in tights carrying a shield, letting him rampage across the European theater!"
"I'm just a scientist..." Dr. Zola lowered his head, quietly hiding his resentment.
Just then, an officer entered. "Agent Zero has returned from Britain. They brought back something unusual; I think you should see it yourself!"
"Oh?"
"Hitler opened a dimensional portal in the Scottish waters. Although brief, several creatures emerged, but one of them shows intelligence and might be controllable."
Schmidt became interested. "Take me to it."
Mason stood with a blank expression, holding the cage containing Hellboy. Three other operatives stood in formation beside him.
"We haven't fully analyzed this creature yet. It appears highly aggressive; its right hand seems to be made of stone, and its strength is tremendous—it can easily bend the reinforced cage," a researcher explained.
"Zero, report on your mission!"
Mason stared straight ahead, his expression vacant, his voice monotone as he recounted the operation.
"Bring it here," Schmidt commanded.
Mason placed the cage in Schmidt's hands.
Hellboy stared at Schmidt in fear, occasionally glancing back at Mason, his face filled with distress.
"Fascinating little specimen,"
Schmidt chuckled, handing it to Dr. Zola. "I'm giving this to you. I expect results soon!"
"Send them to the reconditioning chamber, examine them thoroughly, and reprogram them. I need to ensure their loyalty!" Schmidt ordered.
Having confirmed Schmidt's location, Mason discreetly transmitted his coordinates.
Upon receiving his signal, the entire Strategic Scientific Reserve mobilized.
"According to signal analysis, their location is underground in the Alps. We need to concentrate our forces for an assault, coordinating with Mason from inside!"
Carter, dressed in uniform, stood before a tactical map in the briefing room. To her left sat a determined Steve Rogers, and to her right sat an exhausted Howard Stark.
Howard had been dealing with difficulties lately; at a Stark Industries celebration, his partner Robert had been thrown from an upper floor.
Although he was fortunate enough to land on a terrace several stories below and survive, he remained in critical condition and hadn't regained consciousness.
According to doctors, he would likely remain comatose indefinitely.
Through investigation, Howard learned the perpetrator was Captain America's partner, Mason!
He also discovered the circumstances: Robert, driven by inappropriate intentions, had attempted to drug a woman's drink but was caught in the act.
The woman wasn't just anyone; in just over a year, she had become not only a major investor in Stark Industries but also a close associate of Carter, head of the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
Now that Captain America and Mason were involved, what could Howard do? He could only try to smooth things over and minimize the fallout.
However, without Robert's assistance, company matters were consuming his energy, leaving him overwhelmed.
"Now that we've confirmed the location, couldn't we wait until Mason exits the base and then launch a bombing campaign?" an officer suggested.
"No!"
Howard shook his head. "Schmidt has stockpiled significant weaponry in that base. If detonated, the consequences would be catastrophic."
Carter nodded.
"And we're hoping to use this facility to locate the other bases so we can eliminate them all at once."
In fact, with the Allied advances in Europe, the area where Hydra's hidden facilities were located had been steadily narrowed.
Now that they had precise coordinates, the well-prepared Strategic Scientific Reserve quickly deployed adequate forces.
"Notify Mason that we're ready. As soon as he creates a distraction, we can launch our full assault!" Carter ordered.
Steve had already led the strike team into position near the base entrance in the Alps.
Deep underground.
"Take them to the reconditioning room for memory wiping!"
Mason and his three companions were escorted by a researcher to a separate chamber. In the center stood a chair equipped with leather restraints and straps.
Mason stood behind it, watching as the other Hydra operatives were placed in the chair one by one.
A hemispheric metal apparatus rose from the chair's back.
Thin needles emerged from the device and penetrated deep into the operative's skull.
A thick cable connected to the apparatus led to the laboratory's center, where a dark blue cube rested in a containment unit.
"Initiate energy transfer, begin memory erasure!"
"Monitor output levels!"
"Ahh~!"
The Hydra operative convulsed violently, but the metal restraints held him firmly. He could only roll his eyes and gasp for air.
When the procedure finished, the operative was limp and had to be carried by soldiers into the observation area outside.
Dr. Zola stood nearby, coldly observing the process.
"How did you achieve this? You can actually harness the Tesseract's energy."
A voice came from beside him. Dr. Zola was slightly startled. Having spent considerable time at the Hydra base, he knew most personnel were Schmidt fanatics, often oblivious to his technological achievements.
He hadn't heard such recognition in quite some time.
He turned toward the voice, about to respond modestly, but the satisfaction on his face instantly froze.
"You... how could you...?"
Mason stared intently at Dr. Zola.
"What are you wondering? How I remained conscious?"
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