Steve and Sam suited up and Tony stayed behind to offer back up surveillance. Tony had got readings in the area of an underground structure, and cross-analyzing it with local building plans held no record of it. It was pinpointed as the place to start their search.
Steve was donning his original suit, the one he stole from the Smithsonian exhibit. It was an advanced suit in the 1940's, but not as far advanced to get all the bloodstains out. Sam could barely stomach looking at Steve with the faded and reddish-brown colored stains; the one on the abdomen area was enough to bring black flashbacks of his tours overseas. With Sam on good terms with Tony, he hinted that Captain America should have a clean suit, because something about a tarnished American-flag styled ensemble didn't sit well with him. Tony said he'd call in a few favors if Steve would stop acting so… so… pretentious about the whole thing.
When Steve and Sam reached the end of the meadow they were in Tony was scanning the immediate area for ground anomalies that would give out the location of an underground depression. As Steve searched the brush, Sam flew high, not only acclimating himself to the new handles of the Falcon suit but to be on the watch-out. But they were walking (and flying) blindly into a trap.
Before Tony could alert them, the echoes of a large artillery weapon sounded. It was close enough to be in the vicinity of their search area, but not close enough to locate and dismantle before it did some real damage. As Steve turned, the shell rocketed forward emitting a stream of smoke from behind it. He lifted his shield up and tucked his whole body behind it, situating his feet wide to receive the forceful impact. Upon collision, a small explosion ignited the air, sending Steve sliding a few feet back in the grass. He could hear another explosion rip above him and he thought about Sam being blown from the sky.
Sam was fine though, Steve heard him over the communicator. Tony mockingly scolded him on damaging the Falcon wings.
"They're not even singed!" Sam said in a half-laugh kind of way somewhere overhead.
"In all seriousness, fall back until we can isolate where this fire is coming from," Tony added, nonchalantly.
But Steve paid no attention, as more of the large explosive shells were launched in their direction, he ran toward the smoke trails. Bases always kept these kinds of heavy artillery close by, so if he found them, he would also find the base.
"Hey Cap, now would be a good time to turn around," Tony's voice came over.
"Sorry, Stark. We wouldn't be being shot at right now if whoever shooting at us didn't want us to find out something," Steve said, slightly breathless as he was running in full sprint.
"I'll scout out above you," Sam interjected.
"You two aren't going to make this easy for me," Tony sighed.
Steve was getting closer and closer until the missiles stopped coming. The air was now thick with smoke and he could not pick out an individual smoke trail. He stopped and listened. There could be ground infantry somewhere nearby ready to prey on his disorientation.
"You've got people walking towards you, Cap," Sam said from his aerial view.
"Walking?" Steve replied.
"Yeah walking," he confirmed.
Steve kept his guard up and slowly continued on the direction he had been following. As the smoke cleared he could make out the silhouettes of a handful of people.
"Tony can you get an estimate on how many people there are?" he asked.
"I get about six, but Steve, I'm getting some crazy readings from them, there's something very abnormal about them," he responded.
Steve was used to abnormal at this point.
"Good morning, Captain America! Hope our little missile display gave you a good work out," a voice called out across the way, in accented English.
"Who are you?" Steve barked back, he was still unable to make out the faces.
"My name is Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, and I am happy you could join us this morning," came a reply.
Germans? Steve thought.
But they were in Russia, why would Germans be here.
"What do you want?" Steve called; he could just begin to make out details. Dark grey military suits, several pendants glinting as the light touched it.
"Clearly, I should be asking you, as you sought us out," Strucker said, they were still walking forward.
Sam landed next to Steve.
"We came to look for a friend, we thought she might be here," Sam interjected.
Now Steve could make them out in full form. A tall, man was in the middle, he wore a Hydra pin on his collar and an armband with the same insignia. To his left was tall, but skinny man with glasses and a lab coat. Flanking both of their sides' were two soldiers handling large weaponry with a recognizable blue glow to them. Behind all of them were two figures, both swathed in light colored clothing, still blending in with the clearing smoke. The larger of the two figures appeared constantly in motion. Steve took a few steps closer to shrink the gap. Sam stayed back in apprehension.
"Tony, can you pull up info on these guys," Steve was now whispering, hoping to be out of earshot of the group that was confronting him.
"I am not sure if you have any friends here, Captain. But I would like to introduce you to two of mine, my miracles. Wanda, Pietro come say hello to our little stars and stripes hero," Strucker said.
The man in the middle, now known as Strucker, stepped aside to allow the two figures trailing behind to come in front. Steve was taken aback by their appearance. They looked no older than their early twenties. The larger, fidgeting figure, which Steve safely assumed was Pietro, stared him straight in the eyes despite his uncontrollable shaking. The look he gave to Steve was menacing. The girl, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite; she carried the expression as someone with their head stuck in the clouds. She looked, almost in a sense, angelic, her eyes looking beyond what was in front of her.
"Now, don't be rude, Herr Captain! Step up and say hello," Strucker called from the sidelines.
It seemed to work as some kind of cue for the siblings standing in front of Steve. Without a second passing by, the girl snapped her head straight-forward, her hair rising from the sides of her face , defying gravity. The heels of her feet pulsed off the ground and her eyes suddenly became jaded over. Before being able to raise his shield, Steve was tackled to the ground by the guy. He hadn't even had a chance to react to his movement. As Steve clamored back up to his feet he was struck by a heavy fist. And another one.
"You should get out of there Steve!" Tony's voice distantly yelling in his earpiece.
Sam was back in the air by now and rushed to pick Steve off the ground, but as he struggled to climb altitude carrying Steve by his underarms, he realized there was a force keeping them paused in mid-air.
"Drop me, Sam, drop me now!" Steve called. Sam obeyed, and Steve plummeted to the ground with such an unnatural force.
Now on all fours, winded from the fall, Steve looked up to see the girl approaching, slowly. Her feet barely touched the ground and her hands were at her stomach, moving as if she was molding an imaginable ball of clay.
"Wanda, you know what to do to Herr Rogers!" Strucker called out exuberantly.