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Chapter 48: Going on Vacation
🕑 Added 2024-11-28 15:25:28 +0000 UTCAfter assigning tasks related to the Blackwater Gang, Josh returned to his regular life.
The subsequent responsibilities were left to Dix, the newly appointed leader, and Lynden Schneider, the strategist, to handle. Josh’s only roles were to fund the operation and place a few accountants in the gang.
Of course, it would take months for the newly formed gang to develop combat capabilities. After all, even the U.S. Army requires at least three months of training before deployment.
But as the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.
While Josh wasn’t willing to wait ten years for revenge, he could certainly afford to wait a few months.
Aside from occasionally checking on the gang's progress, Josh shifted his focus to Europe.
With Captain America’s emergence and nationwide tour, Johann Schmidt, also known as Red Skull, leader of Hydra, had made progress in his research on the Tesseract. Declaring independence from Hitler, Schmidt established Hydra as a separate faction and launched indiscriminate attacks against both Allied and Axis forces.
With advanced energy weapons, Hydra quickly gained the upper hand.
Notably, the infamous tank battle at Prokhorovka turned into a stage for Hydra's energy-powered vehicles.
However, the Allies, oblivious to the true threat, misinterpreted Hydra’s attacks on Nazi forces as a sign of victory. They took advantage of the distraction to land in Sicily and push into mainland Italy.
By the time the Allies reached the Alps, having secured Italy, they halted their advance, waiting for Hydra and the Nazis to exhaust each other.
Thus, World War II began to diverge significantly from traditional history, aligning instead with the trajectory of the Marvel Universe.
For Josh, these developments were of little concern.
He had no intention of altering history. Interfering could risk derailing events to the point where Captain America might fail to defeat Red Skull, leaving the East Coast vulnerable to destruction—a scenario Josh could not afford.
Besides, even if he wanted to intervene, there was little he could do.
Was he supposed to take the fledgling Blackwater Gang to Europe and join the war?
....
Josh and Margaret were playing tennis in their backyard.
Although October had brought cooler weather to Chicago, the sunny skies and physical activity kept them lightly dressed.
Margaret, despite being a wealthy socialite, was no fragile flower. On the contrary, she was quite athletic. Her previous marriage to a tennis player had also honed her skills.
However, as a woman, she was at a disadvantage in terms of height and strength. Soon, she was out of breath, struggling to keep up.
Josh, while not initially skilled at tennis, had spent nearly a year in this world, playing regularly with Margaret. Over time, his technique had significantly improved.
Effortlessly serving, volleying, and smashing, he watched Margaret scramble across the court, amused by her determination and secretly admiring the "scenery."
“Enough! Don’t you know the concept of ladies first?” Margaret pouted in mock frustration after failing to return a decisive smash. She handed her racket to a maid and plopped down under the sunshade, sipping iced tea.
Speaking of iced tea, it might remind people in Asia of popular brands. However, iced tea was actually an American invention.
Initially, both Asians and Europeans drank tea hot. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that someone added ice and lemon to tea, making it an instant hit in America.
While some sources claim iced tea originated in 1904, others argue it was 1929.
Josh leaned toward the latter, considering the invention of the refrigerator in 1923 made ice more accessible to ordinary people.
“My apologies, darling. That was entirely my fault,” Josh said, sitting beside Margaret and cheekily reaching for her tea.
“Sir, you have a call,” interrupted a maid as Josh teased Margaret.
“Excuse me, dear. I’ll be right back,” Josh said apologetically.
“Go on, then. I need a shower anyway. Pity it’s too chilly for a swim,” Margaret sighed, shooing him away.
Josh smiled, said nothing, and went to answer the phone.
Margaret headed to the bathroom for a shower.
When she finished, she found Josh waiting in their bedroom.
“Margaret, you mentioned wanting to swim earlier?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes, why?” she replied, curious.
“How about a vacation in Florida?” he suggested, pulling her into his arms.
“Really? Can you afford the time?” Margaret asked, surprised.
Despite Josh’s daily leisure time with her, she knew he was busy managing factories and other ventures.
“Of course. My businesses are running smoothly; everything is on autopilot now,” Josh assured her.
In truth, his decision had another motive.
Chicago—and other cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City—were about to descend into chaos.
To ensure their safety and avoid suspicion, a vacation seemed like the perfect escape.
“Florida’s warm climate and palm-lined beaches are perfect this time of year,” Josh added.
“That’s wonderful! How will we travel—by cruise or plane?” Margaret asked excitedly.
“By plane. It’s faster. We can charter one and reach Florida in a few hours,” Josh replied.
The iconic Douglas DC-3 had been revolutionizing air travel since 1935, though tickets remained prohibitively expensive for most people.
For Josh and Margaret, however, cost was no concern.
In fact, buying the plane outright wouldn’t be an issue—it only cost about $20,000.
