Allied Liberation Camp - Poland
Captain America scanned the ridge, his eyes narrowing.
From the pocket dimension, Azazel shifted uneasily.
"He sees us?"
"Impossible," Ernst said, checking the readings on his visor.
"We are phased out of the visual spectrum. But he senses us. That mental protocol I gave him... it's evolved."
Ernst zoomed in on the Captain's shield.
To the naked eye, it was just painted Vibranium.
But with Ernst's enhanced perception, he saw something else.
A faint, golden shimmer coated the metal.
It pulsed in rhythm with Steve's breathing.
Tactile Telekinesis, Ernst realized. Or perhaps low-level probability manipulation.
"Look at the shield," Ernst whispered.
"It's not just aerodynamics making it return to his hand. He's calling it. He's projecting his will onto the object."
Ernst grinned.
He had taught Steve a mental discipline to manage pain, but Steve's sheer force of will had turned it into a weapon.
He wasn't just throwing the shield; he was guiding it with his mind.
"If he keeps developing this," Ernst noted, "he won't just throw the shield. He'll control it like a drone. Fascinating."
He tapped Azazel's shoulder.
"We've seen enough. The experiment is a success. Let's go home."
BAMF.
Hydra Base - The Alps
They returned to the routine, but the atmosphere in the base was grim.
Dr. Zola was gone, captured by the Howling Commandos on a train in the snowy wastes.
With Zola out of the picture, Schmidt leaned heavily on Ernst to finish the Valkyrie.
Ernst complied. He completed the designs for the massive flying wing, integrating the Tesseract energy drives.
It was a masterpiece of engineering, destined to crash into the ice.
"It is finished, General," Ernst told Schmidt one afternoon.
"Excellent," Schmidt replied, his red skull gleaming.
"Load the bombs. We fly for New York in three days."
Ernst nodded, but internally, he was checking his watch.
'Three days? You won't last two.'
It happened at night.
A massive explosion shook the mountain. Dust rained from the ceiling of Ernst's quarters.
Ernst sat up, not surprised, but ready. He looked out the window.
The perimeter wall was breached.
Captain America led the charge, his shield gleaming in the searchlights, reflecting tank shells like they were pebbles.
The Howling Commandos were tearing through the Hydra lines.
"It's time," Ernst said calmly.
"Azazel!"
The demon appeared instantly.
"The Americans are inside the perimeter."
"Forget the Americans," Ernst ordered.
"We are here for the inventory."
Ernst and Azazel moved quickly through the chaos.
They didn't head for the hangar or the escape vehicles.
They headed for the residential block housing the scientific staff.
Ernst kicked open the dormitory doors.
"Wake up! Everyone up!"
Dozens of terrified scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, scrambled out of their bunks.
"Dr. Ernst!" one shouted.
"The Americans are killing everyone! What do we do?"
"You come with me if you want to live," Ernst shouted over the sound of gunfire.
"I have secured an escape route. Move!"
Like a shepherd herding sheep, Ernst led the panic-stricken group deep into the bowels of the base, to a reinforced storage bay he had prepped weeks ago.
"In here!" Ernst ordered.
The scientists rushed in.
But instead of an exit tunnel, they found Azazel standing in front of a shimmering, two-meter-wide tear in reality.
A portal.
"What is that?" a chemist stammered.
"Freedom," Ernst lied.
"Go. Now."
He shoved the first man through.
The others, hearing the approach of American gunfire, followed blindly.
One by one, the hundred greatest minds of the Axis powers stepped through the rift and vanished.
When the last one was through, Ernst turned to Azazel.
"Let's go."
They stepped through, and the portal snapped shut behind them, leaving the room empty just as Captain America kicked down the door.
The Island Base - Unknown Location
The transition was jarring.
The scientists stumbled out onto a concrete landing pad, coughing and disoriented.
Instead of the snowy Alps, they were hit by the smell of salt and the sound of crashing waves.
It was night, but the air was warm.
"Where... where are we?" a physicist asked, looking around.
They were on a jagged, isolated island. High walls surrounded the facility.
There was no land on the horizon.
"Welcome, gentlemen," a smooth voice called out.
Kerry walked down the steps, flanked by armed guards in unmarked uniforms.
"I am Kerry. I manage this facility for Master Ernst. You are now employees of the Future."
"Employees?" a scientist scoffed.
"I demand to be returned to Berlin! This is kidnapping!"
He tried to push past Kerry.
Thud.
A guard struck him with a rifle butt, dropping him to the ground.
"It is a job offer you cannot refuse," Kerry said pleasantly.
"You are war criminals. If the Americans catch you, you hang. If the Russians catch you, you work in a gulag until you freeze. Here? You get funding, food, and protection."
Ernst stepped forward, adjusting his cuffs.
"Look around," Ernst said, his voice projecting authority.
"There are no boats. The currents around this island will crush a swimmer. You are trapped. But you are also free to pursue science without the constraints of morality or politics."
He looked over the crowd. Zola was gone, but these men... they built the V2 rockets, the nerve gases, the jet engines.
"Work for me," Ernst said, "and we will build a world that makes Hydra look like a child's toy. Refuse, and you can swim home."
The scientists looked at the ocean, then at the guards, and finally at Ernst.
Slowly, the grumbling stopped. They nodded.
"Excellent," Ernst smiled.
"Kerry, get them settled. Azazel, take me back to the Alps. I have one last thing to do before the curtain falls."
——-
LinkedIn update:
Ernst: 'Excited to announce I have acquired 100 top-tier scientists!'
Skill Endorsements: Kidnapping, Portal Management, Public Speaking.