Chapter 19
They were all sitting around Castiel, who was sitting on the arm chair with his face in his hand, his other hand was pulled in a fist, like he was physically trying to keep himself from lashing out and go back in time to get Dean even if it kills him.
“Cas?” Steve called tentatively. “Can you please tell us what is going on? How do you know Friedrich Holdstein?”
Castiel raised his eyes slowly to look at Steve silently for a few seconds.
“Have you faced him before?” Castiel asked instead without answering Steve’s questions.
“No. I heard about him and how vicious and cruel he was. But I never faced him. I was too preoccupied with Hydra.” Steve answered carefully. “They called him the devil. He was the third most important man in Nazi Germany.”
“He wasn’t from your time and that isn’t his name.” Castiel stated looking a little dazed.
“What? What do you mean?” Natasha asked in confusion.
“His name is Arthur Williams. An American scientist. From the future.”
Everyone just stared at him, trying to comprehend what he was saying.
“Cas, please could you tell us the whole story? You are confusing us here.” Sam pleaded, looking at him nervously.
Castiel gazed at him and saw how worried everyone looked and sighed tiredly.
“A few months after I saved Dean from hell, Heaven sent me on another mission. Saying, to bring me back to my full focus and stay away from my current ‘distraction’ aka Dean for a while.” He started with a small scoff at Heaven’s way of thinking earning a few small chuckles from his audience. “There was an American, brilliant scientist called Arthur Williams. He was from the far future, as in a few hundred years in the future, his brilliance went to evil genius territory, became one of the worst, cruelest villains in the future and caused so much destruction and massacres in his time. He managed to steal a time ship and decided to travel through time to change it so he can rule the world and be worshipped in his time. Which was so dangerous that he caught Heaven’s attention. They assigned him to me. To stop him before he ruins history.”
“By stopping him, as in-“ Clint started and Castiel nodded.
“Yes. As in killing him since his existence became too dangerous.” His lips twisted in a frown as the memories came back to him. “I chased him around through history. In ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, Medieval ages and many more. Every time, he managed to escape me but I always managed to stop him from changing anything. However, he caused so much destruction that some things couldn’t be fixed. Until, I finally managed to stop him in France during WWII.”
“How did you do manage to stop him?” Steve asked looking at him intently.
“I got help. From the French Resistance.” Castiel sighed while tapping his fingers on the chair’s arm. A nervous gesture he caught from Dean. “He managed to make a high place for himself by being General Friedrich Holdstein, the Nazi devil. He caused so much death then, since he was from the future so he knew enough to make Hitler trust him. He actually almost changed the course of the war if I hadn’t stepped in with the help of the French Resistance, who happily helped me after they knew that I was an angel that came from the future to save them from the devil. Then, he was on his knees defeated in front of me and-“ he cut himself off with another sigh.
“You couldn’t do it.” Thor muttered with wide eyes. “You couldn’t kill him.”
“No, I couldn’t.” Castiel admitted, lowering his eyes. “When I was about to, all I thought about was that he was just a human. Even with all the destruction he caused. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So, I just wiped his memories of being Arthur Williams and replaced them with ones about being only Friedrich Holdstein and left him there after destroying his time ship and claimed that he was dead.” He bit his lower lip harshly then. “But memories couldn’t be removed completely from the brain. It could be triggered if my name was uttered to him. Only the resistance knew my name then, and they made a promise to never mention my name again, so I never thought it will come hunt me again.” He looked up at them again. “According to the date of that newspaper, my face off with Arthur Williams was a month ago.”
“Dean is in his hands.” Bruce murmured with wide eyes. “If Dean uttered your name accidentally-“
“-Then all his memories would come back.” Natasha finished anxiously.
“And he is from the future. So, he must know who Dean and Tony are from history. He will knew that they came from the future.” Sam added, looking on the verge of panic. “He will try to find their time ship.”
“In conclusion, Dean, Tony and Sydney are in a horrible danger if that man regained his memories.” Castiel concluded grimly, noticing Steve’s sharp exhale. “And if he managed to take the ship, all history will be in danger. And I no longer have the power to chase him down and stop him again.”
“How screwed are they?” Steve asked anxiously.
Castiel met his eyes dead on.
“Very.”
***
The old camera let out a flash inside the hospital room, where Dean laid unconscious, next to him stood Holdstien whose eyes lit up viciously.
“Perfect.” He said to the journalist who took his picture with Dean. “I want this picture in tomorrow’s paper with a report that said we captured one of the resistance’s leaders and we will execute him.”
“As you wish, sir.” The journalist nodded shakily. “We will post it in the front page and-“
“No. not in the front page. We never post such news on the front page. Post it in one of the inner pages like we use to.”
The journalist looked surprised and confused at that.
“As you wish, sir.” He repeated while gathering his things with shaking hands.
“Don’t forget to mention the hospital’s name and address, and not in an obvious way. Do you understand?”
“I understand, sir.” The man murmured while rushing out of the room like he was escaping from hell itself.
Holdstein then turned towards Carl. “This will bring them out of their hiding place.”
“They won’t risk it, sir.” Carl pierced his lips. “Maybe if we lessened the guards-“
“Are you out of your mind?” Holdstein demanded angrily. “Or did the Soviet front affected your brain? If we did that, they will knew we are preparing a trap for them. On the contrary, we will double the guards, and we will surround the area in every security percussions possible like usual. Only that will convince them that everything is normal.”
“And you think they will attack in such conditions?”
“Only that will make them attack in attempt to release their friend.”
“That doesn’t sound like the resistance. Maybe they will try to save him while being transported to prison or when we are about to execute him. But here? In the hospital? While surrounded by all those guards? I don’t think so.”
“That’s because you don’t them very well, Carl.” Holdstein smirked mockingly at him.
“What? Me not knowing how the resistance think?!” Carl looked at him incredulously.
“I am not talking about the resistance. I meant this man’s friends. They are connected to the one who caused your transfer to the Soviet front last month.”
“What?” Carl’s body jerked violently at that. “Isn’t he gone, sir? Why is he back?”
“Wrong. The question is not why. But how.” Holdstein’s eyes lit up again. His voice got deeper. “How did they came back? That is the only question I care about right now.”