Shadows of the past

Saving Marni

November 1943, Krausberg,Berlin

Approaching the HYDRA base from the woods, both men jumped into the last truck leading into the base, being noticed by the two agents there, Steve gave a friendly welcome, "Fellas." The two agents charged at the men, starting a fight between them.

Now having the serum, the men easily overpowered the two agents, knocking them out and tossing them onto the ground. As the truck stopped, another agent lifted the curtain, faced with a shield, Steve thrust it into his face before jumping out, shortly followed by Bucky.

Taking cover behind the nearest tank, the two men cautiously surveyed their surroundings before making a move. Spotting a tank positioned near a wall, they swiftly devised a plan to utilize it as a means of entry into the base. Scaling the tank with practised agility, they manoeuvred along the wall until they reached the compound's interior.

Inside the base, they encountered a locked door with a small window. Stepping aside, they waited for an unsuspecting agent to open the door, only to swiftly overpower him as soon as it swung open. Dragging the incapacitated agent through the doorway, they emerged into the corridor, swiftly closing the door behind them to avoid detection. Taking refuge in the narrow space between a wall and a storage unit, they remained hidden.

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Finding themselves on a bridge above the cells, the men hijacked a HYDRA agent, knocking him to the floor and causing the men in the cell to look up. Crouching down to take the keys off him, a soldier asked, "Who are you supposed to be?" Steve looked in the opposite direction before responding, looking down at the men, and said, "I'm Captain America."

Not sure if he understood, a British soldier asked, "I beg your pardon?" Going down to the level of the cells, both super soldiers unlocked the cells, freeing the men. Dum Dum Dugan, just released, asked, "What, are we taking everybody?"

Responding to him was a soldier who had also been released recently, pulling out his dog tag," I'm from Fresno, Ace." After freeing all the men in the cells, both Steve and Bucky looked around - not being able to see the one person whom they were doing this for. "Is there anyone else? We're looking for a Commander, Armani Rogers." Bucky asked quietly, not wanting to be detected, hoping one of them knew where she could be.

A soldier close to Steve replied, "There's an isolation ward in the factory. No one's ever come back from it."

"All right," Steve said, running off after Bucky, telling the men what to do and where to go. Johann Schmidt saw the attack on a small screen and, knowing they were outmatched, started the bombs. "No, no! What are you doing?" Dr. Zola asked, seeing what he was doing.

Tilting his head at the screen, Schmidt responded. "Our forces are outmatched." Turning to look at the screen in shock, Zola watched for a moment before running off. Steve and Bucky arrived at the isolation ward, where they found Dr. Zola, briefcase in hand. Having turned around and seen them running away, the men went after him before stopping by the room he came out of, peering into it.

As they entered the room, they could hear the mumbles of a female. "Commander. Three-two-five-five-seven." Quickly making their way over to the source of the voice, both men saw Marni strapped down to the bed. "Marni?" Bucky asked in a hushed voice. Steve peered down at the bed, moving his head from top to bottom.

"Oh, my God," he said quietly, ripping the straps from the bed easily - due to his enhanced strength. When he had taken off the last strap over her chest, she moved her head to the side. "Is that...?" She asked, hesitancy lacing her voice. "It's us. It's Steve and Bucky." With a smile on her face at the recognition of the names, she whispered, "Bucky...Steve."