The operations room was stifling. Smoke and sweat mixed together, burning the throat.
Levi leaned against the wall, watching the members of the Howling Commandos—each of them wearing a grim expression.
He knew why.
On the wall hung a schematic of a black aircraft, labeled Valkyrie. Beside it was a world map, with New York, Washington, and Chicago all circled in red.
Red Skull's plan.
"So, boss," the bearded Dugan said hoarsely, "the mission is to sneak into the Alps, find that lunatic's lair, and blow this thing and the whole base sky-high?"
Everyone looked at Peggy Carter.
"You could put it that way," Carter replied calmly.
"How do we get in?" Falsworth, the explosives expert, rubbed his hands together. "Parachute in? Anti-air fire will be insane. Ground infiltration? We don't even have a map."
Carter answered with just two words.
"We don't."
Silence fell over the room.
"All we have is a vague coordinate range," she added. "Internal structure, defensive layout, troop numbers—unknown. The only thing we know is that it's HYDRA's most heavily guarded core stronghold."
"A suicide mission," Logan said coldly from the corner, retracting his claws.
A man walked in holding a drink—three-piece suit, thin mustache.
Howard Stark.
"Hey, don't be so pessimistic, gentlemen!" Howard strode up to the map and flicked the blueprint with a finger. "In the dictionary of Howard Stark, there's no such thing as an unbreakable fortress!"
He paused, studying the design. "That said, Schmidt's red skull really does have some brains. This aircraft design… it's way ahead of its time."
"But no matter how advanced the design, it still needs power." He held up a photograph.
A blue cube glowing softly.
The Tesseract.
Levi's heart jumped. This was what he'd been waiting for.
"This thing has near-infinite energy, but it's extremely unstable," Howard said, shaking the photo. "So, to keep you from being roasted alive, I prepared a few little gifts."
Assistants carried in several metal cases and opened them. Inside were rows of strangely shaped weapons.
"Energy-disruption rifles—short-circuit their weapons. High-energy absorption grenades—create a small-scale energy vacuum. And these combat suits have anti-energy coatings. Might just save your lives."
After the explanation, Howard shrugged. "Of course, all this might only buy you a few seconds. What you're facing is something out of myth."
Steve Rogers had been staring at the map the whole time—just a crude red circle covering dozens of square kilometers.
"The area's too large," he said gravely. "We don't have time to search. We need the most direct route."
He turned and looked at Levi.
"Levi, take a look."
Everyone turned toward him.
Levi cursed inwardly. Great, time for the 'Eastern mystic' again.
But he knew he couldn't hide now. This determined whether he'd get close to the Tesseract.
One thought filled his mind: Tesseract—Space Stone core—not yet copied.
Levi cleared his throat and slowly walked over. He picked up a magnifying glass and pretended to examine the map, muttering in Chinese.
"In war, deception is the way…"
Howard curled his lip. He believed in science, not mumbo jumbo.
Five minutes later, Levi stopped the magnifying glass at an inconspicuous point in the northwest corner of the map.
"Here."
Everyone leaned in.
It was a canyon, labeled in German: Todesschlucht — Death Gorge.
The terrain was treacherous, ending in a glacier waterfall marked Extremely Dangerous.
"Impossible," Colonel Phillips frowned. "That's a dead end. Ground forces can't pass through there."
"And," Howard immediately added, "according to thermal scans, energy readings there are the weakest. No way the base is built in a place like that."
Levi scratched his head, looking innocent. "I don't know. Just a feeling. The most dangerous place is often the safest, right?"
Another feeling.
The Howling Commandos believed it.
They trusted Levi's instincts more than intelligence reports.
Steve glanced at Levi, then turned to Colonel Phillips. "Colonel, I trust him. We go in from here."
Phillips exchanged a look with Carter, then nodded.
"Alright," he said, checking his watch. "Transport plane leaves at five tomorrow morning. Good luck."
---
That night, in a London officers' bar, the Howling Commandos took over the biggest table, covering it with alcohol.
This was probably their last peaceful meal.
No one mentioned tomorrow's mission. No one said goodbye. They bragged loudly, told dirty jokes, and drank glass after glass.
Levi sat in the corner, wiping down a modified M1911 pistol. A compact energy-absorption device had been added to the frame—custom work he'd asked Howard for.
Valkyrie's fall. Blow the base. Stop the plane.
"Damn."
"Hey, Eastern kid, what're you thinking about?" Logan sat down across from him with a glass of whiskey.
"Tomorrow's mission," Levi said, holstering the pistol.
"You look excited," Logan said. "Not afraid of dying?"
"I'm afraid," Levi smiled faintly, raising his glass. "If I die, I can't drink anymore. But fear's useless. Might as well think about how to profit a bit."
"Profit?"
"Like finding a few bottles of 1928 German dark beer in Red Skull's base."
They clinked glasses.
Logan didn't respond. He drained his drink. He knew Levi was lying—but didn't bother asking.
Nearby, Steve stood talking quietly with Peggy Carter.
"You still owe me that dance," Steve said softly. "We'll dance when I get back."
"Alright. I'll wait," Peggy said firmly. "Don't be late, soldier."
Levi sighed inwardly. That wait would last seventy years.
On the other side, Howard Stark slipped free of the crowd and approached with a drink.
"Hey, 'intuition kid'!" he said, sitting down. "That thing you said today—'make the empty seem full'—which Eastern witchcraft book was that from?"
The Art of War.
"Never heard of it," Howard sniffed. "But I'm more interested in you. You seem to know a lot of strange things. That 'transistor' you mentioned last time—I looked into it, very inspiring! What else do you know?"
"A little of everything," Levi said with a grin, then smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, Howard—any new discoveries about that blue cube? Is it really that amazing?"
"Amazing? My God, it's the Holy Grail of physics!" Howard leaned in and lowered his voice. "Its energy density, spatial structure—completely beyond our era! I even suspect it comes from another universe!"
"And how do you channel its energy?" Levi asked. "Sounds unstable. One wrong move and boom, right?"
"Excellent question! That's exactly what I've been studying!" Howard lit up, launching into an enthusiastic lecture about energy properties, controlled activation, and storage methods.
Levi memorized every word.
Piece by piece, the scattered information formed a plan in his mind.
A plan to steal the Tesseract's power—right in the middle of gunfire and explosions.
They drank until midnight.
Arms slung over shoulders, they left the bar and returned to base. No farewells—just exchanged looks and firm nods before heading to their rooms.
Levi returned to his room and stood by the window, gazing at the London night.
His palm was damp with excitement.
Tomorrow would be the most important day since he arrived in this world—and the most dangerous.
Success meant soaring to the heavens.
Failure meant starting over.
"Red Skull. Captain America. Wolverine. The Tesseract…"
He whispered the names and grinned.
"The cast is complete. The stage is set."
"Let the show begin."
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