Chapter 54
Dean’s eyes were huge as he rubbed his now free wrests and looked around in confusion.
He was free along with his three partners. Steve was looking around in equal confusion while holding gently a wide eyed Tony who was clutching his arc reactor with shaking hands, while Sydney was staring at Holdstein who was completely frozen along with the two guards with their last reactions. The General was still smirking in victory, the silver ball in his hand.
“What the hell happened?” Dean exclaimed nervously when he failed to understand what’s going on.
“Shush, dude!” Sydney shushed frantically. “Lower your voice or you will ruin everything.”
Dean looked around nervously again. “What happened to them? And how are we free?”
“That silver ball.” Tony answered this time, his voice husky and strangled a little as his hands were still covering his reactor in fear. “Was really a weapon. Maybe Sydney’s strongest weapon.”
“What kind of weapon is that?” Dean asked gesturing towards the frozen Holdstein.
“My father called it a Time freezer bomb.” Sydney answered with a proud smile. “It was activated when I pressed it before I handed it over to the Fucker. The moment he took it and ordered his men to kill us, it started its effect.”
“It’s effect?” Dean murmured in awe.
“Yup. It froze time for everyone in an area of twenty meters square. Everyone except me, of course, since I am immune from it.”
“But we are supposed to be affected too.” Dean said in frustration.
“Yeah. But I think Sydney untied us, after she released herself with her free hand.” Steve stated while rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down Tony’s back who seemed to be leaning towards his touch, seeking his comfort.
“How are we unfrozen then?” Dean muttered, still trying to absorb all of this while ignoring the loss he feels as he watched Tony and Steve. He needed his husband’s comfort too right now.
“Any outside stimulation will lead to that.” Sydney reported. “Loud voice. Bright light. Even a prick from a needle.” She looked down at her watch. “The ship will be ready to take off in twenty two minutes. We need to head over to it before things gets even more complicated.”
“What about Holdstein and his hideout in Berlin?” Tony asked anxiously.
Dean moved to snatch a gun from one of the guards’ pockets and pointed it at Holdstein’s head. “I have a solution for that.”
“No! Don’t!” Sydney exclaimed.
But Dean already pulled the trigger and the sound of the bullet filled the dungeon.
The two guards flinched violently and looked around in shock while Holdstein’s eyes widened and took a step back.
“Fuck. It’s a time freezer bomb!” he shouted before turning and ran away as fast as he could while the guards raised their guns towards them even with how shocked and confused they were.
Steve immediately punched the one, who was about to shoot Tony, in the nose then another one to his teeth and sent him unconscious on the floor while Sydney dealt with the other to send him to the floor next to his partner.
Steve looked down at his hands in surprise and turned back to Tony with his eyes wide.
“Looks like the drug is starting to leave your blood stream.” Tony smiled weakly at him, still rattled from what happened to him earlier.
“But I shot him right in the head!” Dean exclaimed in shock. “I swear I didn’t miss!”
“What you did is giving him the perfect stimulation to snap him out before we escaped.” Sydney yelled in frustration.
“And what happened to the bullet?!”
“His defense system.” She answered as she snatched one of the guards’ machine guns. “It surrounds his body with a protective shield when he sleeps or lose consciousness in any way.
“I think we should make our escape now.” Steve stated while snatching the second gun.
They all ran out of the dungeon to make their way through the small building Holdstein took them to.
It wasn’t as guarded as the headquarters, but the ten soldiers protecting it were fighting viciously, following Holdstein’s orders who was shouting at them with all the anger he was feeling inside him: “Kill them! Don’t let them escape no matter what!”
The two teams were taking positions to exchange fire for probably forever without either of them winning.
“We need to find a way out of here!” Steve exclaimed.
“What do you suggest?” Dean asked while shooting at the Germans.
“I saw two jeeps in the backyard. We can use one of them to escape.”
“It’s not that simple.” Tony commented grimly. “With their weapons, they will crush us before the car took a few feet away.”
“Yeah, they will shoot it the moment they lay eyes on it.” Sydney added with a shake of her head.
“Exactly.” Steve smirked a little then. “That’s why I have a plan for that.”
***
“General, the shooting stopped.”
One of the soldiers exclaimed.
“What do you mean?” Holdstein furrowed his brows. “They couldn’t have given up. Unless-“
Before he finished his sentence, a jeep suddenly, broke through the entrance of the building and drove away fast.
“Fire!” Holdstein snapped loudly.
The ten soldiers shot the jeep with all they have.
The bullets pierced the car’s four tires and its walls then set fire to its rear.
While all of this happened, another jeep drove through the destroyed entrance and Dean drove it expertly away from the first car while his partners threw grenades towards the entrance.
“Nice plan, dude!” Dean praised with a grin that Steve returns it after throwing another grenade.
Pure rage exploded inside Holdstein and jumped inside the closest car to him.
“After them! Don’t let them get away!”
Three cars chased after the jeep that Dean was driving fast and expertly.
“We only have seventeen minutes then the robot guardian will come to us.” Sydney announced.
“Only seventeen minutes?” Dean snorted in frustration. “The whole world could go upside down on us in these minutes.”
“Just drive, Dean.” Tony clapped him on the shoulder with a sigh.
Dean was doing his best as he drove the car like a pro.
***
“Fuck!” Holdstein exclaimed from inside one of the cars. “They’re heading outside the city. Towards the same spot where their ship was first spotted. They’re trying to escape. They must be stopped! They can’t leave this era. The time ship must not leave!” then he grabbed the radio’s horn. “The three spies are trying to escape. Surround all the entrances and exits of Paris especially from the east!”
***
The jeep got Holdstein’s message as well.
“He is trying to trap us in.” Steve stated anxiously.
“Let him try.” Dean said firmly. “We can’t go back now.”
The chase became even more vicious in the streets of Paris in a way that was never seen before that the people hid in their homes and just watched in fear. The minutes passed by slowly that everyone thought that years had passed.
“How much time left?” Dean asked frantically.
“Thirteen minutes.”
“Fucking hell!”
They were heading towards the eastern exit directly when suddenly, a tank came right in front of them.
“Watch out!” Tony exclaimed in alarm.
Dean turned with the car sharply to drive away but another two cars came in his way and more than ten soldiers came from inside them and pointed their guns at them.
“Fuck!” Dean grabbed his gun. “I will-“
Steve gripped his wrest fast. “No, stop. If you shot them, they will wipe us out in a second.”
Another tank appeared behind them and a firm voice called out: “There is no way to escape. Surrender or we will shoot.”
Tony looked around anxiously for a way out but Steve just took his hand and held it gently.
“Looks like we have no other choice.” Steve muttered with a sigh.
“Do we surrender that easily?” Dean objected in frustration.
“The robot guardian will come for us after eleven minutes. Which means surrendering is our only way to survive.” Sydney commented while looking down.
“Fine.” Dean sighed tiredly.
Sydney looked up at him for a second before she suddenly wrapped her arms around him, startling him.
“I’m sorry.” She muttered into his chest. “To all of you. For all of this. I’m really sorry.”
Dean sighed and wrapped his arms around her gently and exchanged a sad look with Tony.
“Come on, kid. It’s going to be fine.” Dean murmured gently. “We will get out of this. I promise.”
After they handed over their weapons and surrendered to the Nazis, Holdstein’s car stopped next to them and he jumped from it with a mocking smile.
“You fell into my hands again.” His smile widened even more.
“Maybe not for long.” Sydney stated calmly.
“Are you waiting for a special kind of help?” he just laughed.
“Who knows?” Tony just shrugged.
“Oh, I know! I know all the tricks your little descendant have.” He leaned towards Sydney with smirk. “You’re waiting for your robot guardian that your daddy and granddaddy made for you, aren’t you?”
A wave of nervousness passed through their bodies while Sydney just glared at him in anger.
“I know all about your ship and its defense system. I was preparing to face it from the start.” He looked down at his watch. “With one simple press to this button in my watch, an electromagnetic field will be released from the top of the Eiffel tower to cover the whole city and will hide you from the guardian.” He said as he pressed the button.
The four of them looked at each other hopelessly.
“I guess it is over, then.” Tony murmured sadly. He felt Steve taking his hand and wind their fingers together. He looked up and saw the sad smile Steve was giving him, he then looked to his right at Dean who looked absolutely alone in this moment from the defeat that was written all over his face. Tony reached over and took his hand making Dean look up at him in surprise while Sydney took Dean’s other hand in hers.
At least Tony will die surrounded by family.
“How sweet.” Holdstein mocked with a harsh smile. “Yeah, go ahead and comfort each other before you die. That is all what you’re good at anyway. After only five minutes, the ship will appear in plain sight and I have a way to pass its defense system and make it under my command and become my ticket home when I control history here.” he let a loud laugh before waving his fist. “I will have full control on the whole world!”
“This is exactly what I wanted to talk about, General Holdstein.” A firm voice said from behind him.
“Shit, this is Himmler himself.” Steve murmured with wide eyes.
Holdstein turned around fast to face Himmler and exclaimed in surprise: “Sir! What are- I mean what honor-“
“I have concerns about you, Holdstein.” Himmler cut him off sternly. “Very dangerous concerns. Especially if what you just said was added to it.”
“This is just a misunderstanding, sir!” Holdstein waved his hand nervously. “My loyalty is completely to you and-and to the Führer and Germany and-“
Himmler gestured with his hand before he was finished and six soldiers darted forward to surround Holdstein and pointed their guns at him while another two moved behind him to chain his wrests behind his back.
“No! No, don’t do this to me!” he screamed in panic. “I know a lot! A lot that will lead Germany to victory! I will tell you about the atomic bomb! I will stop the allies when they try to invade Normandy! I will make sure you will win in the soviet fronts!”
“Don’t believe him, General.” Carl appeared suddenly from behind Himmler. “You heard yourself what he said! He is a traitor. Look at his strange watch! The type of his paper. Thing we never saw before.”
“You son of a bitch!” Holdstein screamed. “You are just try to get me you little-“
Himmler gestured to the soldiers again, so two of them hit the back of Holdstein’s head with the heel of their guns. His eyes widened before he fell unconscious at Himmler’s feet.
“Looks like Holdstein’s part is done here.” Dean said with a mocking smirk.
“His life itself is over.” Tony muttered.
“Yeah. He will be executed for treason. He is done.” Steve nodded in confirmation.
“And his danger to the future is over with him.” Sydney sighed in relief.
The soldiers were carrying the unconscious Holdstein towards a car when Carl asked Himmler while pointing at them: “And them? What do we do with them?”
Himmler looked at them coldly before waving his hand carelessly. “Kill them.”
“Fucking fuck dammit! Why everyone wants to fucking kill us in this fucking era!” Dean yelled as the guns were raised yet again at their faces.