Kurt and Gruda were tied up back to back, naked as the day they were born.
"Karma," said Wonder Woman with a grin,"Turnabout is fair play."
"How did you break free from the manacles?" asked Gruda,"That's all I want to know."
"Your pathetic attempts to hold me were doomed to failure," replied Wonder Woman,"They were designed for humans, not Amazons, so I broke them easily," she was lying through her teeth.
"YOU SABOTAGED THEM!" cried Masterman,"But why? And how?"
"To answer the first, because I wanted them free to destroy the portal, which was a threat to my existence. Also because the Countess' plan would have succeeded, and that would mean I was no longer the perfect Aryan... that was unacceptable. The second - always remember this Herr Lohmer - is that I have people EVERYWHERE!"
The Red Skull chuckled slightly as he and Masterman made their way towards the road where a car would be waiting for them.
"Like I said," Captain America was saying to Gruda,"The offer of clemency still stands, you'll have to go into a POW camp till the war is over, but after that your co-operation will be remembered."
Wonder Woman was staring at the remains of the castle, she grinned slightly,"You know," she said,"The Countess claimed she was superior to everyone, but she surrounded herself with androids - she had them cook for her, clean for her, make love to her. The only people she really trusted ended up betraying her - Maria, Denizen, your pal Gruda here - and old Wilhelm and Hans betrayed her by dying I guess."
"I never betrayed her," whispered Kurt,"I loved her, I never betrayed her, I loved her, I never betrayed her, I loved her...."
He repeated the words over and over again, Captain America thought it was from the shock of discovering she was dead. He would never know that it had been Kurt who had rigged the manacles, commanded to by the Red Skull and told he would get the Countess for himself when she was defeated. No one else would ever know, because in two weeks time he would be found hanging from his own belt in a POW camp.
"I would rather stay here and take my chances with the Nazis," muttered Gruda,"But I don't really have a choice, do I?"
Cap only smiled, then lifted her up over his shoulder, seeing Wonder Woman do the same with Kurt he smiled and they walked away, heading for Nouviean.
Two Days Later.
"I came to see how her plans were proceeding," said Goebbels with a frown,"I gather she has reached a dead end?"
He and several SS men stood in front of the ruins of the castle, others in the battalion he had brought with him sifted through the rubble.
"Dead is the operative word," replied Herr Flick, the Gestapo man in Nouviean and Godson of Heinrich Himmler. He walked with a limp, wore a black coat and rimless spectacles, carrying a cane with him always. At his side was his assistant - Von Smallhausen, who also walked with a limp, wore a black coat and glasses and carried a cane. But whereas Otto Flick looked every inch the Gestapo stereotype, Von Smallhausen looked like a short, pathetic, middle aged man playing at soldiers.
"Very funny Herr Flick," chortled Von Smallhausen.
"Quiet Von Smallhausen," muttered Herr Flick,"You are a junior Gestapo man and as such will only speak when spoken to," then he bopped him on the head with his cane.
The SS men were sweating, it was a hot day and this was tough work, Goebbels - as a propaganda man - knew it was important to keep up the morale of his men, he wondered what he could do to inspire them.
"SIR!" yelled one,"I'VE FOUND SOMETHING."
Goebbels rushed across the wreckage to see, behind him Herr Flick and Von Smallhausen limped as fast as they could behind.
Reaching the panting SS man, Goebbels couldn't help but smile as he saw the Countess laying on the ground, unhurt apart from some bruises and scratches, squinting up into the sun.
"Herr Goebbels!" she cried when her eyes came into focus,"Thank the Fuhrer you are here!"
Goebbels just grinned down at her, he turned and looked at the tired SS men, who were watching him to see what was to happen.
"Am I to understand," asked Goebbels,"That you failed in your mission?"
"Ya," groaned the Countess,"This time I'm going to need...."
She started going on about what she wanted - although demanded was a better word - Goebbels couldn't get over how she could be so incredibly arrogant, well, things were about to change.
"I warned you," said Goebbels and she instantly shut up, staring up at him in half-surprise, half anger in being interrupted,"That there was a heavy price for failure."
"What are you talking about?"
"MEN!!!" he cried, gripping her by the arm and pulling her from the hole,"YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD, YOU NEED SOME REFRESHMENT!"
He saw realization dawn in her eyes, she stared around at the men, several of whom were very large.
"You can't," she gasped,"I am Countess Schatenger!"
"Who is going to stop me, you?" he asked, then pushed her forward so she stumbled into the arms of a grinning SS man.
"TROOPS, REFRESH YOURSELVES!"
And the men quickly complied, uncaring of the Countess' protests, after all, she was nothing but a whore.
"Listen very carefully, I shall say this... only once," Michelle was saying, Renee was - as usual - less than pleased to have wanted soldiers in his establishment,"The Resistance has a plane ready to take Captain America and Wonder Woman away, but they must leave now!"
"But that is impossible," cried Renee,"It's Friday night, the Germans are all over town - General Von Klinkerhauffen is in the inn right this minute!"
"I have a plan," said Michelle.
"Oh my God!" muttered Renee.
"You will go disguised as Frenchmen, Renee, you are close to Captain America's height, so remove your pants immediately."
"What?"
"And shall I give my clothes to Wonder Woman?" asked Edith.
"Why are you wasting my valuable time with silly jokes?" asked Michelle,"Yvette, you are to change clothes with Wonder Woman."
Yvette took Wonder Woman into another room and the heroine pulled the waitresses clothes on over her costume, when she came out Renee was standing in only his boxers, while Captain America pulls the frenchman's pants on over his own.
"We have no more time," yelled Michelle,"Let us go!"
The moved through the window into the back alley and made their escape.
"I shall go and get you some new pants," said Edith,"I will be back soon," she turned and rushed up the stairs. Moments later the door to the storage room opened and Yvette stepped out, now wearing only sexy lingerie.
"Oooh Renee, this is our chance! Come with me!"
Renee gulped at the sight of the beautiful brunette half-naked before him, she turned and stepped back into the storage room, closing the door behind her.
- This is an opportunity I cannot pass up! - Renee thought, and began to pull his boxers down, at that moment the door leading into the inn opened and Lt. Gruber stepped into it, he found himself staring at Renee's large buttocks and quickly stepped back through the door.
"What is wrong?" asked Mimi - the diminutive, blond waitress - of him,"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Oh my," said Gruber, his face a burning red,"Oh my, oh my... well, mother always said don't pass up an opportunity."
He opened the door and stepped through.
"Renee," he said with a grin.
- OH MY GOD! - cried the man known as Nighthawk as he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder, - NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! -
1944.
"You're positive?" he asked her.
"The Doctor did three tests at my request, he says that absolutely, 100% chance that yes, I am pregnant."
"How is this possible, we... you know... did it, nearly a year ago."
"My people can't have children," replied Wonder Woman,"Whatever Denizen did to my genetic structure, it took time to change I guess, and it must have retained your sperm and keep it alive long enough to impregnate me."
"I... I don't know what to say," Captain America said at last,"What are you going to do with the baby?"
"I don't know, I really don't know, I wish you didn't have to go on this mission."
Cap smiled,"I'll tell you what, this mission may be the last, the war is crumbling - the Germans are on the run," he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her,"I'll make you a promise, once I get back from this mission, we'll be married!"
She stared at him in shock for a few seconds, then she smiled and kissed him, saying afterwards,"I was hoping you'd say that!"
Cap grinned, then stood up, straightening his costume and checking his Shield.
"I'll be back soon, start planning the wedding!"
1945.
"We'll love him as if he were our own," said the woman, taking the baby from the Nurse's arms.
"If you don't mind me asking," said the man,"Why did the mother give such a gorgeous child up? I mean, the war is over, there's never been a better time to have a child."
The nurse looked around, then leaned forward and whispered.
"Her husband was involved in espionage in the war, he never came back after his last mission, and they were to be married. Apparently the poor thing can barely look after herself now, she's in so much grief."
"Oh the poor dear," whispered Mrs Asher,"Axel, doesn't it make you so sad?"
Axel Asher nodded, almost as sad as the fact that he was infertile he thought, he who loved children so much. Ever since he could remember, his own father had told him of the proud lineage of the Ashers, and all had had the name Axel, either as a first or a second name. His wife had insisted that they call him something else, but agreed that Axel would be his second name, and who knew... perhaps one day he would have a Grandson named Axel Asher?
Stranger things had happened.
The End.
And the story is finished! (If you have any questions, see the paragraph about thirteen, fourteen lines down)
If you missed any chapters, you can pick them up by either writing e-mail to :
And hey, it won't hurt to drop me a line to the above e-mail to tell me if you liked it, hated it or whatever. I'm always interested in compliments or constructive criticism.
A couple of last points folks :
FYI - The mission Captain America never came back from was the mission to stop the Red Skull from launching a nuclear missile on America. On that mission he managed to redirect the missile but fell into the icy waters and was frozen, not to be thawed out until nearly 40 years later when Namor The Submariner inadvertently released him. In this Amalgam Universe there was no Bucky (for which we should all be thankful!).
The reason why neither Wonder Woman or Captain America remember their romance or their child, is because shortly after the end of the war the Amalgam Universe was split and reformed back to the original Marvel And DC Universes. Wonder Woman and Captain America forgot their child because he was not supposed to exist.
Axel Asher is the name of Access, a human with the ability to step in and out of both the Marvel And DC Universe. The so called Alpha Child was his father, who despite his parents genetic makeup was an ordinary human - it would be his son who would be special.
Master Man ended up dying rather heroically trying to save a time lost mutant called Cable from being killed by agents of Sebastian Shaw, also known as the Black King. When the Amalgam split, his chosen mate - KriegerKrau - returned to life and no one had any memory of her death, supposedly at the hands of Captain America.
The Red Skull is still about, as evil as ever.
The Countess...? who cares, she was just a whore.