Chapter 018: Timeline Fracture
Mason's heart pounded. He scanned the area—the street was in total chaos. Through the confusion, he spotted two men carrying Dr. Erskine toward the end of the block.
One was tall, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, his back to Mason, face obscured. The other was blond, walking forward while occasionally glancing back nervously.
Mason was momentarily stunned. This young man was the military officer he'd encountered at the Stark Expo a month ago.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Mason was taken aback. Recalling the congressional meeting Dr. Erskine had casually mentioned last night, a terrible suspicion flashed through his mind. "No way—I absolutely cannot let anyone take Dr. Erskine away!"
He'd initially assumed these two were covertly protecting the doctor, but now it seemed they were probably Hydra infiltrators! With that realization, he grabbed a fresh magazine from the ground and gave chase.
Mason's leg was wounded, and he was only managing through sheer willpower, so his speed was naturally slow. The two men carrying Dr. Erskine were also hindered by his weight.
After half a block, Mason finally caught up.
"Doctor, how are you?"
Mason gripped his weapon and called out. The two men hadn't executed the professor on the spot, probably to avoid witnesses in broad daylight.
Mason, wary of alerting them, hesitated.
"Thank God, Mason, you're alive!" The professor turned around, his face lighting up upon seeing Mason, then his expression shifted to concern. "You're wounded—how bad is it?"
Mason gritted his teeth. "Just a flesh wound."
"Doctor, it's not safe here. I suggest we evacuate immediately!" The tall man in the suit and horn-rimmed glasses surveyed the area warily.
Mason felt he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him. Just then, the tall man stepped forward and grasped Mason's slightly lowered Thompson. "You're injured—let me help you."
Mason was startled and tried to pull away, but felt the man's strength—he pressed the barrel firmly downward, refusing to yield!
"Sir, you're experiencing shock from your injuries. We need to get out of here immediately; follow-up attacks could occur at any moment," the tall man said in a low, authoritative voice.
"Mason, stand down. They're friendlies. This man beside me is Thomas Varley, Army Intelligence. He arranged today's meeting. He happened to witness the shootout while en route to City Hall," Dr. Erskine said, catching his breath.
"This gentleman before you is Frederick Clemson, State Department. He's also a close associate of Congressman Brandt."
Hearing Dr. Erskine's words, Mason didn't lower his guard—instead, he was suddenly struck by recognition. He finally remembered who this guy was. In The First Avenger, this was the operative who'd deceived the congressman to infiltrate the rebirth facility.
Then, during the celebration following the successful procedure, he'd used a concealed explosive device to create chaos, stolen a vial of Super Soldier Serum, and then coldly assassinated Dr. Erskine.
Was this Dr. Erskine's inescapable fate? Was this brilliant scientist destined to die at his hands? Mason's mind raced, and he fell into a brief moment of disorientation.
He quickly snapped out of it. If events followed the canonical timeline, even if Dr. Erskine died here, Steve Rogers should still receive the serum and become Captain America.
But now, because of Mason's interference, he'd been selected as the Super Soldier candidate. If the professor died, then Steve would have no chance whatsoever.
"I don't give a damn about the timeline. The doctor can't die here. I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me!" A savage determination flashed across Mason's face, which he carefully masked.
"I'm sorry, I'm too tense. I can barely stand. Could you help me?" Mason said, feigning weakness.
Frederick didn't suspect anything. He'd been a sleeper agent in New York for years, and no one could trace any connection between him and Hydra. Hearing Mason's words, he relaxed marginally, attributing Mason's earlier behavior to combat shock following the attack.
"Hey, it's alright. There were four of them. I honestly don't know how you took them all down single-handedly," Frederick said quietly, feigning admiration.
As he spoke, Mason took a step forward, staggered, and collapsed. Frederick was about to reach out to catch him when a murderous glint appeared in the wounded man's eyes. The dark barrel of his Thompson flicked upward, spitting fire.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
At point-blank range, there was no need for aim. The bullets tore through fabric and flesh, shredding Frederick's torso! His eyes widened, blood spattering his glasses, but no matter how desperately his mind raced, he couldn't figure out where he'd blown his cover.
Gunfire erupted, and the street descended into chaos once more.
Dr. Erskine's mind went blank momentarily. After several seconds, he processed what had happened. His eyes widened in horror, and a flush of crimson rose to his pale, blood-drained face!
"Mason, have you lost your mind?!"
"I haven't lost my mind. This guy is a Hydra operative!" Mason's expression was ice-cold. He knew he was wounded and probably wouldn't last much longer. If they took Dr. Erskine away, there would be no rescue. So even though he knew his actions seemed insane, he'd still pulled the trigger.
With a slight adjustment, Mason aimed at the young officer standing nearby. Just as he was about to fire again, a figure flashed forward and blocked his weapon.
"Listen to me—I won't allow you to fire again!" Dr. Erskine shouted forcefully. Mason shook his increasingly heavy head.
Because of the influence of the original film, he was absolutely certain Frederick was a Hydra agent, but the blond officer named Thomas was different—he might have been manipulated by Frederick. Thinking this, he lowered his Thompson.
"Murder! He's murdered someone!"
The young officer named Thomas finally reacted, scrambling backward and screaming in terror.
"Drop your weapons!"
"Nobody move!"
NYPD arrived promptly, surrounding Mason's group.
"I am Dr. Abraham Erskine of the Strategic Scientific Reserve—we've been attacked!" Dr. Erskine loudly identified himself. Upon hearing this, a heavyset police sergeant stepped forward.
"Cordon off the perimeter and secure the crime scene!" Under his command, several officers helped Mason's group into a patrol car, and escorted by multiple police vehicles, they headed directly for the nearest hospital.
Mason had only rudimentary bandaging, and seeping blood quickly soaked through the gauze. He seemed to hear Dr. Erskine whispering urgently in his ear, but then a wave of crushing exhaustion washed over him, his vision tunneled, and he blacked out.
Before he lost consciousness, his gaze drifted down, and he seemed to see a flash of red text on his left arm:
"CRITICAL TIMELINE DEVIATION DETECTED. WARNING! WARNING!"
"DELIVERY MISSION PARAMETERS RECALCULATING..."