Chapter 50
Himmler’s face was firm as he listened to Carl who was waving his arms around as he told him everything.
“Everything I am saying, sir, is true and I have witnesses that can confirm this.” Carl said anxiously. “General Holdstein pretended to be firm and cruel with the three spies, then he let them escape and ordered our men not to kill them and claimed that the whole thing is very dangerous and secret, while you in Berlin have no idea about the whole thing, then finally he vanished completely with Captain America when the three spies attacked our headquarters and no soldier saw him when he escaped.” Himmler just stayed silent processing everything. “More importantly, I have what confirms that Holdstein was the one who killed Colonel Von Darke, not the spies.”
“This is a very dangerous thing to say, Carl.” Himmler snapped sharply.
“I have what confirms it, sir.” Carl pointed out before he continued. "The two guards of Holdstein’s office confirmed that Von Darke was alive after the spies’ escape and asked to meet the General and spent some time with him before they heard the muted sound of a bullet and they didn’t see the Colonel since then.”
Himmler furrowed his eyebrows anxiously. “This is not enough.”
Carl pushed his hand inside his pocket then pulled out a bullet from inside. “What about this?”
“What’s this?” Himmler asked carefully.
“The bullet that killed Colonel Von Darke. The autopsy doctor got it out for me. Look at it carefully, sir. It is not a normal bullet. It is from a special gun preserved for the leaders only. From Holdstein’s gun.”
Himmler was silent this time for a whole minute. A minute that lasted forever for Carl, before Himmler straightened up and addressed him firmly. “Send in the communication officer. I need to talk to the Führer himself. Alone.”
“As you wish, sir.” Carl called out with a huge smile on his face.
***
Holdstein’s eyes let up as he stared at the silver ball in Tony’s hand.
“Dammit, Tony!” Sydney exclaimed bitterly.
Tony lowered his eyes without commenting.
“He didn’t have much of a choice.” Holdstein commented with a mocking smirk. Then, he reached out until his hand preached the cylinder while his other hand was clutching his belt.
Suddenly, Tony darted forward.
Dean’s eyes widened as he watched Tony grab Holdstein’s arm and used it to pull himself out of the cylinder like it was never there and punched Holdstein who was caught off guard and stumbled backwards.
“You little shit!” Holdstein straightened up and reached to his belt again, but Tony gripped his wrest hard before he touched it.
“Don’t try.” Tony stated firmly. “We know that all your controllers are in your belt. We watched your every move.”
“You actually think you can face me?” Holdstein mocked and punched Tony hard.
The punch was strong enough to make Tony stumble backward but he never let go of Holdstein’s wrest.
“I have no other choice.” Tony exclaimed and punched the General in the stomach. “Whatever the results.”
Holdstein gripped Tony from his shirt and pulled him forward.
“Fine, genius! Endure the results!” he screamed into his face in anger.
Tony smirked as his hands moved fast. “You will endure it too.”
Anger raged inside Holdstein when he saw his belt in Tony’s hand. “Fuck!”
He raised Tony from the ground and threw him at the wall violently.
“Dammit!” Dean shouted in anger when he saw Tony hit the wall hard and then fall to the ground. “Come on, Tony! You are doing great, don’t give up.” Then he growled in frustration. “We need to get out of this thing! We can’t leave Tony face him alone.”
Sydney bit her lower lip in panic and trailed her eyes towards Steve, who seemed to forget his situation and his darkening face and haggard breaths for air, too busy staring with wide, fear filled eyes at Tony.
Tony then got back to his feet and faced Holdstein again, who darted towards him like an angry bull.
“You are going to die here! you hear me? You are going to die!” Holdstein screamed.
Tony leaned away lightly, dodging Holdstein’s punch then leaned sideways to avoid a kick. He gripped the heavy belt with both his hands and slammed it into Holdstein’s face with all his strength, shouting: “Just shut up already!”
The hit was so hard, that Holdstein let out a strangled gasp as he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor motionless.
At the same moment, the cylinder vanished from around Sydney and Dean, immediately they rushed to him.
“Are you okay?” Dean asked in concern, looking Tony over for injuries.
Meanwhile, Sydney leaned down to check on Holdstein then straightened up and looked at them in confusion. “He’s dead.”
“Dead?!” Dean stared at her in surprise. “But the hit wasn’t that hard to kill a bull like him.”
Tony ignored all that and announced in panic: “The energy cylinder is still surrounding, Steve!”
Steve collapsed completely in the bottom of the cylinder, his face was a scary blue, his chest was rising and falling with effort and his eyes were half closed, like he was breathing his last breaths.
“God! He’s dying!” Dean exclaimed in panic.
Tony checked Holdstein’s belt fast with shaking hands. “All his controllers are in here. I am sure of it. I watched him press a button to trap us. But which one?!”
Dean looked around nervously, looking for anything that could break the energy wall.
“Wait, this cylinder starts from the ceiling of the room to the floor.” Sydney said hastily, staring at the cylinder. “We could try make a barrier between it and the ceiling or the floor, maybe it could-“
“There is no time to try, Syd! He’s dying!” Tony cut her off, panicking. He went back to checking the belt. “The button is here. If we pressed it the cylinder will vanish.”
“It won’t hurt if we tried.” Dean announced as he snatched a heavy chair and hit the cylinder with it as hard as he could.
A loud crack sounded in the room and glowed in blue light. Dean felt like lightening hit his body and threw him across the room and hit the wall violently then fell on his face.
“Fuck! That hurts!” he exclaimed in pain. He tried to get up but every cell in his body was protesting in pain which made him hit the floor again. “Ow.”
“You used a metal chair to hit an energy wall. Of course this will happen.” Sydney yelled in frustration.
Dean just pierced his lips and didn’t try to get up again.
“We need to do something!” Tony shouted in fear. “I can’t let him die right in front of my eyes like that!”
Dean bit his lower lip bitterly. “Fuck! Fuck, it didn’t disa-“ he cut himself off and just stared at Holdstein’s body in shock.
He saw the general’s fingers twitch.
He have no doubt about that.
But that was impossible.
Holdstein died. That what Sydney said.
He opened his mouth to warn Tony and Sydney but the latter cut him off.
“Wait, Tony! The cylinder around us vanished when you slammed the belt into Holdstein’s face.” Sydney pointed out excitedly.
“You’re right!” Tony exclaimed with wide eyes. He raised the belt and turned to the energy wall. “Maybe this is the way.”
Dean saw him slam the belt against the wall with all his strength.
“No! Not like that!” Dean shouted but it was too late.
The crack that sounded in the room this time was more loud and violent.
It was more an explosion that threw Tony and Sydney violently back to fall on the floor hard while the whole room let up in blinding light.
Then, suddenly, everything went quiet.
All the bodies were scattered around the room motionless.
For a few seconds nothing moved.
Then one of the bodies flinched sharply, before they stood up slowly and looked around at the others’ bodies.
The one who woke up was the last one that should be awake in that critical situation.
Because it was General Holdstein himself.