The surrounding area is devoid of people as well as animals. Everyone have been evacuated thanks to s.h.i.+eld and its a.s.sociates.

Some reporters and freelancers attempt to ignore the warnings.

They have been dealt with appropriately.

s.h.i.+eld did not kill them since they have a much bigger problem to worry about, but those transgressors will be thinking very hard about their life choices for a long time in a dark jail cell somewhere.

They will be let out eventually.

It is very easy to slap several national security violations on them.

s.h.i.+eld do have some good friends in the FBI and the CIA as well as the military.

The military will be an overkill. Local policemen and s.h.i.+eld Security personnel is enough for now.

This is Hollywood. Having tanks roaming the streets will cause ma.s.s panic.

It is also difficult to explain to the United States government why s.h.i.+eld can order the military around with impunity. They will be questioning how much of their government have been compromised?

Even I don't know the answer to that.

This is what happen when I have some very capable people and machine intelligence working for me and the cause.

They did all the hard lifting so I don't have to.

Sitting at the head of a long table filled with people, I clench and open my palm experimentally, feeling the phantom pain.

Whatever hit me has enough firepower to vaporize my arm instantly. Anything less of a high intensity laser beam or a plasma blast shouldn't have done the job.

My durability is at inhuman level after all of these years. My biology should be in perfect sync with the nanomachines in my bloodstream.

Not superhuman yet, but it is getting there eventually.

I am not invincible. Sufficient firepower will take me down.

Weapons of the 31st century are deployed to kill things that are a lot more tougher than me.

Therefore, the question remains – how the f.u.c.k did the n.a.z.i gets their greedy hand on such a weapon?

Their gun is on par with a plasma shotgun. Even Hydra didn't have plasmbased weaponry yet.

I will have to release the technical information on that soon.

Hydra weapon research and development division will have answers once they finish dismantling the submachine gun.

It is the same gun that was used to destroy my arm before my brain even realize what had happened.

"How is our new friend?"

I question. I wasn't talking about the homeless person. I was talking about the n.a.z.i soldier.

A little bit of time reversal and Hydra will have a person to torture over and over again.

"His pain tolerance is impressive, but our interrogation methods does get the job done, Mr. Maxwell."

I narrow my eyes at the interrogator along with several Hydra Generals. The gesture means get to the d.a.m.n point already. We are wasting valuable time.

"Ahem. We cross check the information with our homeless buddy. The world on the other side of the rift is in the state of turmoil. The year is 1985 – about 5 years behind us. America and much of Europe have been utterly devastated in the Second World War, which begins at the end of 1945."

The man pauses for the information to sink in.

"We do not know exactly what happen, but n.a.z.i Germany postponed their plan to invade Poland for a few years unlike in our time. This might have something to do with a meteor strike that had impacted Berlin around 1935. Our n.a.z.i friend keeps mentioning that in his delirium so I thought it is important somewhat. So, the events that leads to the current state of the world are as follows..."

I listen to the debriefing. Like most of the people in the barrack, I could not hide my surprise.

Germany manages to successfully invade and occupy most of the Soviet Union after Poland. It is before deploying atomic weapons against the United States and the rest of Europe.

United States retaliates with its nuclear a.r.s.enals, but that is when the strangest thing happened.

Almost all nuclear strikes against n.a.z.i Germany impacts against a seemingly invincible energy s.h.i.+eld.

Some parts of Germany did turn into fiery h.e.l.l, but most of the country remains relatively intact thanks to their new defensive technology. This includes their military installations and production facilities to keep the war efforts going.

Once s.h.i.+eld technology is utilized on tanks, s.h.i.+ps and planes, the war is effectively over. No projectiles such as bullets or sh.e.l.ls is able to penetrate the s.h.i.+eld, giving the n.a.z.i a decisive victory.

This is not to mention their advancement in weaponry. Their gun can turn tanks into smouldering heap with just a few shots.

It is standard issue for infantry. Bigger guns on their land and naval units are deadlier.

With such overwhelming technology gap, n.a.z.i Germany basically steamrolled the world.

Once both United States and Europe falls into disarray, n.a.z.i Germany quickly turns its attention to its former allies.

Nuclear weapons are being used almost day and night across the world, destroying cities over and over again.

It is ma.s.s genocide.

"f.u.c.king n.a.z.is!"

One of the generals roars. He is p.i.s.sed like most of Hydra military leaders. On the opposite side of the table, the scientific leaders remain calmed and collected.

"We should do something about this! Destroy them! Wipe the sc.u.ms off the face of the Earth!"

"Must we? It is not really our world. Is it really our responsibility?"

"The f.u.c.k you mean by that?"

"Our responsibilities is to the human race. Hydra exists for that reason. These f.u.c.king n.a.z.is are killing millions each day. And from what I have heard, they are pillaging what remains of America! Our f.u.c.king America!"

"Not our America, but I see your point. I agree with General Thomas. We should do something about them."

"This is just one of many alternate realities. We don't have the strength to correct each one. We should only be concern about this reality."

"You f.u.c.king bookworms! Your inaction will doom millions!"

"What you mean will? The war has been over for a long time. This is just purely extermination."

"These bookworms are what equips you dogs! Without us, you wouldn't have your fancy toys!"

"Calm down. I suggest we think this through and through. We might not have sufficient strength to defeat n.a.z.i Germany in an all out war considering what we know of their technology. Should we send some infiltrators to learn about the landscape?"

"A fusion bomb up their a.s.s will get the job done. Let's see how their s.h.i.+eld defends against a gigaton warhead! If one doesn't work, how about a hundred?"

"Isn't that overkill? What about the fallout? We do not destroy the entire world just to save it."

"You G.o.dd.a.m.n moron. Not everyone in Germany is part of the n.a.z.i! In fact, most Germans don't even like the n.a.z.i. We just need to take out Hitler and the chain of command. An a.s.sault Team is enough. Someone call S.W.O.R.D!"

"No, call in S.P.E.A.R instead. They are more than sufficient. It will also demonstrate our technology is far more superior!"

The discussion eventually devolve into insults. There is a reason why science and military should never be mixed.

It only gives me headache.

Although I do understand some points put forth, I am still incline to simply close the temporal rift and move on. Like one the scientists have said a moment ago, it isn't really our responsibility.

Our reality is just one in the countless of realities that exist, so we cannot really depleting our forces and expending our resources on another's world problem.

I slam my hand on the table, forcing everyone to be silenced. I look at the man who just entered the barrack.

"Yes, Alex. What do you have for us?

I request.

"Supreme Commander. This d.a.m.n thing is breaking the law of physic!"

Alex drops the dismantled n.a.z.i weapon onto the table before everyone.

He also place a jar with glowing blue liquid onto the table.

"We extracted the power source. It is unlike anything we have ever seen before. The d.a.m.n thing alters the fundamental nature of the universe! What did the b.a.s.t.a.r.d n.a.z.i call it?"

Alex is looking at the interrogator.

The man coughs when all eyes are on him. He shouldn't have keep important information, but he still couldn't get his head around it.

"He calls it Liquid Mana."

The meeting becomes noisy once more.

This time the science side takes the lead.