Chapter 25: The Rescue of the Hostages

Kyle stepped out of the shower room and realized that the weather outside had changed. The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling, making the path of the training base bumpy and uneven from the downpour. This scene, combined with the current timeline, felt somewhat familiar. As Kyle pondered while seeking shelter from the rain, he noticed a woman approaching hurriedly through the curtain of rain, holding an umbrella and glancing around as if searching for someone.

When he saw her strikingly cool face, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, “Carter?”

“Kyle!” Carter exclaimed upon spotting him under the eaves of the shower room, disregarding the muddy ground as she hurried over. “Why aren’t you with Steve? Why are you here at the men's shower room?”

Kyle was puzzled and seemed to guess something, teasing, “You don’t actually enjoy watching perfect male physiques, do you?” After all, the last time at the training base, when he was a soldier, Carter had barged into the dormitory while Kyle was stepping out of the shower.

However, this time Carter didn’t even bother to retort with a tease, urgently saying, “Kyle, I came specifically to find you. Please convince Steve! You’re the only one who can persuade him now!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Kyle scratched his head in confusion.

“I’ll explain on the way. We need to hurry, or it’ll be too late!” Carter firmly grabbed Kyle’s hand and pulled him into the rain.

As they neared the military camp area, Kyle asked, “Are you saying that the soldiers of the 107th Regiment at the front line in Austria were ambushed by the Germans, and only a few managed to escape back here? And among those missing soldiers is a sergeant named Bucky Barnes?”

After hearing Carter’s brief message, Kyle immediately understood her urgency. Bucky Barnes was Steve’s closest friend before he joined the army, and he would later become the Winter Soldier, controlled by Hydra. For Bucky’s sake, Steve had even fallen out with Iron Man and ended up in a fierce fight.

Now that Bucky was in trouble, and the incident happened not far away, Steve would surely risk everything to save him.

“So… Carter, you want me to stop Steve from going?” Kyle asked.

“Of course! First of all, we don’t even know if those attacked soldiers are still alive. Right now, there isn’t a large force here to launch a rescue operation. It’s far too dangerous for him to navigate one of the most perilous battle zones in Europe alone and infiltrate deep behind enemy lines!” Carter insisted.

“I understand.” Kyle smiled and said no more, causing Carter to frown slightly, sensing a bad premonition. However, if anyone could deter Steve’s determined actions, it would only be Kyle.

They arrived at the military camp area, specifically at the tents used for publicity personnel. Steve was still dressed in his blue and white striped American star-emblazoned uniform, hastily throwing on a rain-resistant Nike jacket as he prepared to swap out a spare tire on a military jeep.

He looked ready to set off alone. After Carter returned, Steve was eager to say something, but when he saw Kyle behind her, his expression turned unnatural. “Kyle, are you here to talk me out of this too? I know it’s risky, but if I have the ability to help and don’t act, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

“Hey, I haven’t even said anything yet. How do you know I’m here to talk you out of it?” Kyle shrugged, helping Steve toss the second spare tire into the back of the vehicle.

Steve looked surprised as he patted Kyle on the shoulder, and they exchanged a smile. Between men, there was no need for many words; a single gesture conveyed their thoughts.

“Kyle, you?” Carter looked at him incredulously, thinking he was making things worse.

“I’ll go with him; that solves the problem, right? It’s much safer with two.” Kyle said confidently.

Carter looked at Steve, then back at Kyle, and sighed, “Don’t you understand? This is not something one or two people can handle.”

What happens when a determined young man with a clear goal meets another reckless supporter? Within less than half a minute, Carter’s efforts to dissuade them completely failed, and to consider their safety, she had to secretly utilize her own resources.

Ten minutes later, a plane took off amid the thunderstorm, heading into the heart of the war-torn regions of Europe under the cover of darkness and rain.

Inside the aircraft, Steve and Kyle sat on one side while Carter sat across from them, briefing them on the situation. “Hydra’s camp is at Klausburg, nestled between two mountains, resembling a factory. I’ll try to get the plane as close to the entrance as possible.”

“Stark is the best pilot I’ve ever seen; he’s the only one who would dare to take off in this storm,” Carter added.

At this point, a gentlemanly man in his thirties casually waved from the pilot's seat. Howard Stark? The founder of Stark Industries and father of Iron Man.

Kyle’s eyes brightened; he had long wanted to meet this legendary figure from the Marvel universe.

He greeted, “Is this Howard from the Strategic Scientific Reserve? I’ve seen your scientific inventions at the expo; they are brilliant works.”

“Lieutenant Kyle,” Howard responded politely, “I’ve heard of you too, the one who turned down the Super Soldier program, the lone warrior, and the title of American hero. If we get the chance, I’d love to treat you to cheese fondue when we get back. Of course, Agent Carter is welcome to join.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kyle smiled, showing no concern for the dangers ahead, as though he was certain of a safe return. With some cards up his sleeve, he genuinely wanted to establish a good rapport with Howard.

“Attention! We are entering enemy-occupied territory!” Howard warned sternly, swiftly maneuvering the controls to evade gunfire as the plane shook violently.

Through the windows, they could clearly see lightning flashing in the sky above and the flashes of enemy gunfire lighting up the dark landscape below, with both natural and man-made attacks severely affecting the aircraft's flight.

“It’s too dangerous. Steve and I will jump from here; you all should return immediately,” Kyle assessed, opening the aircraft door, and the night wind rushed in, billowing his coat open at a height of a hundred meters.

“We’re already very close to the enemy factory,” Steve nodded, rising to stand beside Kyle at the door.

“Steve.” Carter called out to him, slowly saying, “Please make sure to come back alive.”

“Don’t worry,” Steve reassured her, jumping out first.

“With me here, Steve will be fine. I’ll treat you to a proper meal when we return,” Kyle waved, following Steve as they both leapt into the rain-soaked night.

In just a few seconds, the two rapidly descended, disappearing into the stormy darkness.

“Not just Steve, please make sure to return too, Kyle,” Carter whispered to herself, watching their figures fade away, lost in her thoughts.