The Senator
"Captain America saves the day!" the newsboy shouted at the top of his lungs.
Senator Brandt missed a step when the bellow sounded just behind him. "Did Cap have a new movie coming out?" the senator wondered. But why in the world would that be front page news?
Brandt flipped the boy a quarter — five times the price — and took the paper.
Sure enough, the headline read, "Captain America rescues POWs."
Brandt's morale-boosting, bond-selling showman had broken hundreds of captive GIs out of a prisoner of war camp — a torture camp run by Hydra, the Nazi's science division, the rest of the story explained.
"So, Rogers finally got his chance to prove himself," Brandt said to himself. "Guess the USO won't be getting him back."
Now Brandt had to reevaluate his entire propaganda program to take this development into account. He needed a drink. But since it was 7 a.m., he'd settle for a coffee and a cheese Danish.
Instead of continuing to his D.C. office, he detoured to his favorite café.
"The usual, senator?" the waitress asked.
"Yes, Maddie. Thank you."
Brandt went to his usual table at the far corner of the outdoor dining area, which was separated from the sidewalk by a waist-high, wrought iron railing. He liked it because the table was almost always empty, partly because it was so far from the entrance and partly because a one-legged beggar regularly stationed himself just the other side of the fence.
Brandt stuffed an entire dollar into the bean can that was the beggar's collection cup. "Morning, Sal."
"Senator."
Brandt politely offered the beggar the newspaper, which was entertainment and a blanket all in one. Sal took it with thanks, and tucked it under his truncated leg with, Brandt saw, a second copy of the paper.
"Big doings in Italy," Sal commented, as the girl brought Brandt his coffee and Danish.
"Good for the war effort," Brandy agreed. "But it throws my propaganda program into disarray."
"Captain America, he's so brave," Maddie sighed. "My kid brother said he was just a movie fake. I guess this shows him!"
"It certainly does," Brandt said agreeably. "It shows the world." He paid his bill and added a big tip and saying he wouldn't need a refill on the coffee. "I need to think."
"I'll leave you alone then," Maddie said, flashing a smile.
The girl left and the senator and the beggar were alone in the corner of the patio.
"I thought you were keeping 'Captain America' under control," Sal growled, sneering the "Captain America." He sounded in a dangerous mood, but the senator was unmoved.
"I kept him under control for two years," Brandt reminded Sal.
"You were supposed to keep Erskine's guinea pig out of combat!"
"I have followed all my orders," Brandt said coldly. "I could have had Erskine assassinated before the experiment, by our superiors wanted to see if the serum worked. They wanted to steal the serum if it worked, but their man fucked that up.
"I could have had Rogers killed before he ever got to Europe, but 'that wasn't my call to make'," Brandt quoted scornfully.
"I did keep Rogers out of the hands of the SSR scientists, so they had no chance to duplicate the serum. I gave him a silly name and a ridiculous costume to destroy his spirit and make him a laughing stock, but he dedicated himself to the propaganda effort, even though it wasn't what he wanted. Morale and bond sales went through the roof, thanks to Captain America. Not what I expected," he admitted.
"Made you look good," Sal said.
Brandt shrugged. "It kept Rogers out of the war," Brandt pointed out. "It was a mistake to send him overseas," he admitted. "I knew the real soldiers would laugh at him. I thought it would break his spirit. Instead …" He shrugged again, then grinned slyly. "How's the old redhead taking it?"
"Ranting and raving as usual," Sal said scornfully. "And Zola is in a dither. His most promising subject was stolen right from his operating table. Turns out he was Rogers' best friend."
"Barnes?" Brandt was honestly surprised, and then he wasn't. He'd gotten to know Steve Rogers pretty well. He knew about Steve's best friend in the 107th.
"Must be something in the water in Brooklyn. We should get our scientists to look into it," the senator said flippantly, recovering his aplomb.
More seriously, Brandt said, "I think our leaders made a mistake hitching their wagon to Hitler and Schmidt."
"We hadn't tried a fanatic before," Sal pointed out. "Hitler has done surprisingly well, so we thought we'd give the enhanced lunatic a try. Now he thinks he's in charge."
Brandt rolled his eyes. "He really has no idea. Hydra is so much bigger than he knows."
"Schmidt wasn't so bad before he took the serum," Sal said. "Before he was a fanatic. Now he's a madman. He and Zola are making super weapons. He's bragging about wiping the entire East Coast off the map."
"Maybe I'd better find an excuse to stay in Hollywood," Brandt quipped.
Sal snorted agreement.
"Captain America is out of my hands now," Brandt warned. "Now that Phillips has seen what he can do, he won't let Rogers go back to the USO."
Sal sighed, seeming to accept that this debacle wasn't Brandt's fault. "This whole thing was a mess. I don't see how it furthers our ends. We want order, not chaos."
"Chaos leads to order," Brandt said. "When the right people take control."
"And that will be Hydra," Sal said firmly.
"Whichever side wins this war, Hydra will profit," Brandt agreed. He popped the last bite of his Danish into his mouth and washed it down with his last slurp of coffee. Always nice talking to you, Sal."
"Likewise," the beggar said. "Hail Hydra," he added in a quiet voice.
"Hail Hydra," Senator Brandt said.
Two years later, Brandt entered the Hollywood studio where they were planning a Captain America propaganda film. The usual bustle was subdued. People were standing in groups, talking in low voices and studying newspaper headlines.
The film's ingénue sat on a barrel weeping piteously. This was not unheard of — there was a war on after all — but what could have impacted the whole studio.
"Carol, what's wrong?" Brandt asked sympathetically.
"He's dead," she said, as if she couldn't believe it.
"Ah, who's dead?"
"Steve. Captain America."
Brandt remembered he had plucked Carol from the Cappettes chorus line, so she actually knew Steve Rogers.
"Steve's dead," Carol sobbed. She held out the newspaper.
The headline reported that Captain America was believed dead after ditching a plane in the arctic. He had saved the East Coast from "the Red Skull's superbombs." Schmidt and Rogers were both dead. Might be the best outcome for Hydra, Brandt thought. Super soldiers were too damned unpredictable.
Brandt didn't mourn for Schmidt. After generations lurking comfortably in the shadows, Hydra had become a household name thanks to Schmidt. Though, on the plus side, he'd made it seem that Hydra was a personal cult grown out of the Nazi movement. Its true purpose remained secret. Schmidt's Hydra would die with him. The true Hydra would live on.
Brandt considered the future. The Allies had the upper hand now. It was just a matter of time before they won the war.
"I'm sorry, senator." Carol's voice broke into his thoughts. She reached out a sympathetic hand. "I wasn't thinking. You knew Steve, too."
Brandt put on a sad face. It wasn't altogether false. Rogers had been a courteous young man who had done everything that the senator had asked.
"Yes, yes I did," Brandt answered Carol. "He was a fine young man. A credit to the country."
"And he was nice," Carol said. "You're an important man, senator. Will you do something nice for him? He deserves it. He was a hero."
Brandt nodded. "He won't be forgotten," he promised the girl. "We will have a state funeral for Steve Rogers that shows the world what a great man he was."
"Thank you." Carol was tearfully grateful.
The Hydra agent continued to the producer's office, already planning a lavish memorial service for Captain America. If Rogers had saved America from Schmidt, he also had saved Hydra from Schmidt. Captain America deserved a nice funeral. It was the least Brandt could do.
"Hail Hydra," Brandt murmured to himself.
A/N: This is partially based on "Agents of SHIELD" Season 3 where Hydra is revealed to be an ancient organization with arcane intentions. And Brandt was the one who brought Erskine's killer into Operation Rebirth.
Next week, a story set between the end of "Captain America: First Avenger" and the beginning of "Marvel's The Avengers." Look for it in the Avengers archive.