SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

33: Champion

33: Champion

With his decision made and a clear objective, John began preparing to return to the SWORD base in Europe, which was located in northern Italy and was actually part of the Allied army base. The place, of course, wasn't a real base but rather a provisional front so that John and his team, as well as the scientific team led by Howard and the soldiers and agents under Peggy's command, could be near the warfront and carry out their mission against Hydra as needed.

John had planned for the true headquarters of SWORD to be built at a future time, once the war was over, preferably in some land or place that wasn't directly governed by any nation. Of course, there would be headquarters on every continent or in countries deemed important, but if he really wanted to be somewhat "independent" from world governments, SWORD needed to be in a remote location where it could clearly show that the agency had no preference for any nation or government.

Which wouldn't be easy, since there weren't many such places to begin with.

"Hey, do we really have to stay?" The whining voice pulled him out of his thoughts, making him refocus on the meeting room where he had been discussing a few things with his team.

After the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a few more days passed until all the prisoners could be escorted to the outskirts of Warsaw, where the largest number of available Polish forces were concentrated. At the same time, some Allied forces that had arrived over time to provide help and reinforcements to the country were also present.

Thanks to this, many refugee centers were built for the liberated prisoners, something that was surely causing a major headache for the still-rebuilding government of the European country. John felt a bit sorry for them and silently thanked the fact that he wasn't the one dealing with such complex logistics.

Of course, not all civilians remained civilians. Many, filled with the resentment of losing loved ones and having been prisoners, joined under the command of the AK (Armia Krajowa), quickly swelling their ranks. They weren't the best soldiers, that much was clear; many could barely hold weapons properly, but the increased manpower helped lighten the load and make the resistance and reconstruction efforts more bearable. It would still take a few years before Poland could return to what it once was, but without a doubt, they would rise again, and stronger.

With that said, John and his team were currently in Warsaw, a place John had decided would be the most suitable for them to station until he returned.

"Yes, it's important that you stay here. Although our crusade for Poland has been quite successful, there are still many enemy bases and cities under German control. I don't know how many more of those monsters they can deploy, but I'd rather not leave this place unguarded," he said, looking at Cassandra, who had asked the question. The young woman frowned with clear disappointment but finally stayed quiet upon seeing the serious look on his face.

Even though the AK was now "stronger" than before, it was still far from being able to stand up on its own against the Third Reich and Hydra. Leaving completely without leaving some safeguard behind would be like giving their enemies an easy target to strike back. John hadn't put so much effort and time into liberating this place just to let something like that happen.

"You only need to hold the fort for a while. Think of it as a small break. You don't need to act unless something the AK can't handle comes up."

The thought of a break made Charles, who had been silent, sigh a little. These days had been hard for the boy—entering others' minds as he had been doing didn't come without consequences. At first, Charles had many nights of nightmares, which he was only able to endure because his mind was growing stronger day by day with the increasingly frequent use of his ability.