Chapter 32: Hijacking HYDRA Part 1
Steve Rogers sat in front of the massive supercomputer running Fury's underground Savage Land bunker. The others heroes in the bunker were either in the training rooms, on guard patrol in the jungle above, or getting whatever restless sleep they could. Not him. He was leading his team on one final mission before they struck, deep in the heart of HYDRA's empire they had renamed "Amerika."
Tony had cooked up something with the Wakandan girl, Shuri. Steve shook his head at the mere thought of the girl. Shuri was only eighteen, but she was already a highly skilled engineer and scientist, with expertise in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine, and computer programming. Much to the other Wakandans' amusement, she had continually shown up the best and brightest of the heroes in the bunker with her ingeniuity. She'd helped Tony upload a user interface program for his Iron Man suits into Fury's supercomputer network that powered his base, but also made her own modifications. Now, the Totally Awesome Decryption And System Hacking Interface, aka T.A.D.A.S.H.I., was nigh undetectable online, heavily encrypted and able to erase his own trail as he infiltrated networks, hacked systems, and mined data per Steve's request.
Steve had almost laughed out loud watching Tony's expression as he'd been completely shown up by the Wakandan teenager. She was brilliant, but not in an arrogantly overbearing way like Tony had been in his earlier days. She was a real gem, funny and never hesitating to speak her mind. She had taken to the other teenage heroes in the bunker right away. It was somewhat of a comfort to see the way the younger heroes had all formed their own community, in which the situation they faced wasn't quite so serious and their optimism levels were high.
Steve missed those days. The smiles he'd had when he was a young kid growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, running through the streets in the sunshine, staring out the window at the rain as it poured from cloudy foreboding skies. He missed the smiles they'd had, back when they were young. Life had been so much simpler back then. He'd give it all to feel joy, to feel innocence again.
Steve shook his head. He needed to focus. "T.A.D.A.S.H.I., get me a history of Amerika from the date of the invasion to present day," he said.
"Any specifics, Mr. Rogers?" T.A.D.A.S.H.I. asked in a slight Japanese accent, as computer windows began to appear all over the screen depicting news articles, broadcasts, and civilian videos recorded on their cell phones.
Steve grinned. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's 'Captain'."
"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Captain," T.A.D.A.S.H.I. quipped.
Steve shook his head at the AI's pun. Apparently Shuri had a sense of humor when she'd modified him. "Focus on the region formerly known as the United States," he said, sitting back and watching the display on the computer screen.
There was a moment of silence before T.A.D.A.S.H.I. began, as he compiled all of the collected data. "The United States was one of the last countries in the Americas to fall to HYDRA when they began their massive campaign to take over the Western Hemisphere of the globe, invading South America and moving northward." As he spoke, a map of the Americas appeared on screen, tracking HYDRA's movements up through Argentina and the southern tip of South America northward, quickly overtaking most of South and Central America in a matter of weeks before reaching the U.S. southern border. "The killing blow to the United States came when HYDRA forces landed in Tijuana, Mexico, and advanced forward to the American border, where they destroyed Los Angeles with an atomic bomb known as the "Parasit"."
"I know that weapon," Steve said, gritting his teeth. "A project of Red Skull's twisted mind. Suicide drone bombs. They were supposed to have enough power to decimate the capital when they were first made in '45."
"That's exactly what they did in L.A," T.A.D.A.S.H.I. said, as windows appeared showing images of what remained of Los Angeles. The place looked like a nightmarish landscape, with ash and dust still clouding the skies and coating whatever remained of buildings there. "Casualties were over 200,000, and much of the surrounding landscape has radiation levels as high as Chernobyl."
Another window popped up, depicting a news article with the headline: ELLIS SURRENDERS! alongside a C-SPAN recording of an aired presidential press release. "In an effort to ensure that no more damage would be done to the rest of the United States," continued T.A.D.A.S.H.I., "President Matthew Ellis announced a surrender of the United States to the invading HYDRA forces following the bombing." Another press briefing recording appeared on a window next to the other one, featuring none other than the one of HYDRA's most powerful leaders: Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, saying he applauded President Ellis's actions for preventing a land invasion of America. "Following the surrender, HYDRA troops and their tanks paraded in the streets of Washington D.C. before burning down the White House, the Pentagon, and the Capitol building in an event that is now remembered as 'HYDRA Day'."
Steve clenched his jaw watching recordings of the "HYDRA Day" celebrations; the Capitol building in flames, HYDRA troops filling the streets in military parade fashion, HYDRA banners being hung on the Empire State Building. It reminded him of why he'd first gone to fight against the Nazis, all those decades and decades ago. Families losing their freedom like this . . . it wasn't right.
T.A.D.A.S.H.I. had also recovered footage of a video broadcast that had aired mere hours after the burning of the White House, the Pentagon, and the Capitol building. The video had been broadcast to every device connected to the U.S. grid, whether it be a cell phone, a television, or just a monitor. The footage they were watching had been picked up by a tourist's camcorder from Times Square. The video depicted a figure in a winter coat, face covered by a purple ski mask with holes for his eyes, his image filling every single one of the Times Square screens. Steve didn't recognize him until he spoke. "People of Earth. HYDRA has defeated the Avengers. Now we are your new masters."
"Zemo," said Steve. Helmut Zemo was a terrorist mastermind obsessed with revenge against the Avengers after losing his family during the Battle of Sokovia. He had orchestrated the events leading to the temporary split in the Avengers before his capture, but he must have since escaped.
The scene changed to an image of the Hulk, restrained by some kind of electrical shock cuffs that were fitted to his size. He strained against them, roaring, his veins bulging and his eyes blazing with fury, but the cuffs held, pouring thousands of volts of electricity through his system. "As you can see, Hulk is the only Avenger left. A symbol of their failure."
"Banner's alive," Steve said, breathing a sigh. They hadn't heard from him since the Thing took him to infiltrate Loki's circles. It was a relief to see he was still alive.
"Your world will now make great leaps in progress. Crime will not be tolerated. War will not be tolerated. All will obey or be destroyed." No longer must you rely on the failed efforts of the Avengers for your protection," Zemo went on. "For that pathetic team is no more. We have neutralized all other so-called heroes. We, the Council of Hydra, are now Earth's mightiest heroes. And we lead with a firm hand. Under our rule, we offer the Earth complete protection, and expect absolute obedience in exchange for your safety." The video ended with the screams from terrified Americans realizing they were about to lose their freedom.
"HYDRA began its transformation of America as soon as they arrived in the country," said T.A.D.A.S.H.I. "HYDRA officials were dead-set on suppressing insurgent activity from the start. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files were ransacked, and known superheroes still in the U.S. were either tracked down by HYDRA or had bounties put on their heads. No one knows what HYDRA did with the ones they captured. American soldiers were ordered to stand down, and those that did were given work cards and directed to help build infrastructure in occupied America that would best suit HYDRA's interests. Any insurgencies were brutally suppressed by the new regime; mass executions of civilian populations were the country's punishment for every insurgent attack. Anyone who speaks out, or doesn't comply with HYDRA's ideology, is either abducted by the Death Squads without trial or exiled to massive ghettoes to endure systematic purge and genocide."
Steve hadn't been aware of any other insurgent groups. He'd been too busy trying to keep any heroes he could find alive in their little hideout in Central Park. The knowledge now that there were other groups out there, well . . . that was hopeful. Maybe they could coordinate something. Or provide useful intel.
"We know so much more than we understand, and yet we know so little."
The voice made Steve jump, and he turned around to see Nick Fury standing in the doorway. He let out a sigh. "You know, after all these years of you disappearing and reappearing at will, I'm having a hard time believing you don't have any superpowers yourself," he quipped.
Fury shrugged. "Surprised you didn't hear me come in, with how quiet this place is. That's what I hate the most. The damn unnerving quiet down here."
"What they've done to our country, it's . . . sickening," said Steve, as he gestured at the screen behind him. "Los Angeles is still an irradiated wasteland. Seattle and Boston were wiped off the face of the map. Most of New York City is a massive ghetto under Kingpin's control. They blew up Mount Rushmore, leveled Lady Liberty. Americans are in labor camps. The country is patrolled day and night by HYDRA soldiers, elite death squads, and tanks. A lot of the others wish we could just go in guns blazing and take back what's ours."
"We can't let Doom know we're alive, and that there are enough of us to pose him a serious threat," said Fury. "Whatever we do, has to be covert. Discreet. Black ops style. Everybody knows you're going back to the states, and they want in on the mission. I'll allow you five teammates max, Cap."
"Five's all I need," said Steve. "Vision, Natasha, Bucky, Scott, and Sam, if he's recovered enough from his time spent in HYDRA's clutches to help."
"I saw him popping targets full of holes at the shooting range," said Fury. "He's ready."
"Before we found out about your bunker, I'd been working on a plan to get one of ours captured by Loki and get us intel," Steve went on. "Banner volunteered. HYDRA's got him, and he's still alive. We can use the trackers you injected us with to find his exact location. Doctor Pym has managed to fashion a small recording device that can be shrunk. We'll sneak Lang in and plant the wire on Banner, and we'll know everything they do before they do it."
"An inside man," Fury said. "Why Lang? Why not the good doctor himself?"
"Pym's always been more of a lone gun, and not too good of a team player unless he's in charge," said Steve. "Which is why I think you should have him and Hope break into the Wakandan armory."
"Smart. But you haven't told me how you plan on bringing down the HYDRA Council," said Fury.
"Manipulation," Steve said, standing up. "You and I know of all people HYDRA is a master at deception. I think it's about time we gave the Council a taste of its own medicine."
"Speaking of the Council, bring your team to the conference room at 0500 tomorrow for a briefing," said Fury. "You all need to know who you're dealing with. Some familiar, but not very friendly faces."
Captain America walked into the conference room the next morning, dressed in his navy blue Kevlar-based stealth uniform that he'd worn coming here from New York. He'd been living in this uniform for so long it almost felt like a part of him now. His faithful shield was still strapped to his arm, well-worn but all in one piece.
At the circular table sat his teammates: Falcon, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Vision, and the Winter Soldier. All of them were in their suits, dressed and ready for action. "Good morning, Captain," Vision said politely as he entered.
"Morning, Vis," Cap replied, pulling one of the chairs around the conference table and sitting down.
"Now that you're all here," Fury said, stepping out from a shadowed doorway, "let's get down to business. The Council of HYDRA is the final obstacle in our way before we make our assault on Doom's forces in Wakanda. You'll all need to know exactly who you're dealing with before you head out. T.A.D.A.S.H.I., bring up the Council of HYDRA's official S.H.I.E.L.D. profiles."
"On it, Director," said T.A.D.A.S.H.I., and within moments six mugshot photos appeared on the screen. The first picture was an older man wearing glasses, with a hairline that had receded almost to the middle of his scalp. "Octavian Bloom," Fury said. "A powerful businessman who built his wealth through rental properties, and one of the current heads of HYDRA. As far as the rest of the HYDRA Councilmembers go, he's very low-risk. Pin them in a corner, and he'll most likely sell the rest of them out."
Bloom's picture zoomed in to take up most of the screen as Fury talked about him, and then shrunk back to its position as the next image replaced it. This one was a middle-aged man, with white hair and horn-rimmed spectacles. He looked very sophisticated, almost like a university professor. "Doctor Werner Reinhardt," said Fury. "A Nazi holdout from Cap's days."
They looked over at Steve, who nodded grimly. "Obergruppenführer Reinhardt. He worked in the special science division led by Red Skull. Anywhere the Skull thought there might be a mysterious artifact, Reinhardt went. He was obsessed with anything paranormal. The Holy Grail, witchcraft, Luciferianism, World Ice Theory, anti-gravity machines, astrology and pagan religions— you name it. The Red Skull was investigating aliens, but Reinhardt . . . he lived it."
"The honorable doctor was captured in 1945 by the SSR, granted medical parole by Alexander Pierce in 1989 and used some kind of de-aging process to turn back the clock and change his name to Daniel Whitehall," Fury went on. "He's the most influential of all the heads, since he's been around the longest."
The next image was an official S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel file on one of their agents, a man in his thirties with black hair and a neat beard.
"Grant Douglas Ward," Fury went on. "Ex-Level 7 operative in S.H.I.E.L.D.. Abused as a child by his family, tried to burn down their home as a teenager, and went to juvenile. Enter John Garrett, also a Level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent"
An image of Garrett's S.H.I.E.L.D. file appeared on screen as well.
"Garrett broke Ward out of juvie and trained him to become a cold-blooded killer before having him join S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. He ended up joining Coulson's personal team and worked with them on all their missions. During the HYDRA Uprising, Garrett broke cover and was arrested. Ward freed him, killing one of our agents in the process. He and Garrett both left S.H.I.E.L.D., restarting the HYDRA Super Soldier program. Coulson and I managed to take Garrett down during the Battle at Cybertek, and Ward was captured. He escaped transfer under FBI custody and it looks like he's since rejoined HYDRA under Whitehall."
Next was an image they all recognized instantly, of a meeker-looking man with piercing blue eyes.
"Zemo," said Bucky, going visibly stiff at the sight of the man on screen. "I thought the Joint Terrorism Task Force picked him up after the Siberia incident."
"They did," Fury said. "But JTTF is under CIA jurisdiction. When HYDRA took over the states, they took over everything. Zemo's a free man now, and somehow managed to land himself a spot on the Council of HYDRA."
The image of an older, sophisticated-looking businessman appeared on the screen. "Gideon Malick. Former member of the World Security Council until after the Battle of New York, when he became an advisor to President Ellis and orchestrated the formation of the ATCU."
"He must have pushed Ellis to surrender after Los Angeles so HYDRA could take over," Widow mused.
"Precisely," said Fury. "He's a cold-hearted pragmatist, and very influential in both world politics and HYDRA. Out of all the heads, he's the one you'll likely have to watch out for the most."
Next appeared an image familiar to all of them: a man with a shaven head and a monocle over his right eye. "I'm sure he needs no introduction," said Fury.
The team nodded. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker was one of the most powerful and notorious leaders of HYDRA, having infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s advanced weapons division and relocated many otherworldly artifacts of great power. After the Battle of New York, Strucker had taken possession of Loki's scepter and moved it to Sokovia, testing it on the small European country's population in attempts to create an army of enhanced human soldiers to serve HYDRA. The Avengers had launched an offensive against his compound and captured him.
"Now hang on," said Steve. "I thought Strucker was murdered in his cell by Ultron."
"That's what we thought, too," said Fury. "T.A.D.A.S.H.I., bring up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on Strucker's assassination."
"I need a Level 10 operative clearance," said T.A.D.A.S.H.I.
"Director override: Fury, Nicholas J.," Fury said. On screen appeared images of NATO's autopsy on Strucker. "Subject died from blunt force trauma to the back of the skull," said Vision, reading the report aloud. "Coroner's report states that at the time of the autopsy, there was an overabundance of metal and wires at the site of the injury, indicating Strucker may have been injected with something foreign by Ultron after his death. The autopsy went unfinished, as S.H.I.E.L.D. stepped in and declared custody over the body."
"We thought something was amiss," Fury said. "Turns out, it wasn't Strucker you boys captured over in Sokovia. It was a Life-Model Decoy. An android designed to replicate every feature of a living person. It was an old S.H.I.E.L.D. program, but we never managed to create a functioning android, so the project was eventually abandoned."
"So HYDRA had its fingers in another one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s projects," Natasha sighed. "What a surprise. Do we know how many LMDs are online and active?"
"That's a question for another time," Fury said. "And I'm hoping you can find some leads on that back in the states. Right now, though, your mission is simple. Infiltrate Amerika, take down the HYDRA Council heads, and figure out who or what is jamming our transmissions. We're going to need to be able to coordinate if we want to stand a chance of taking our planet back."
The team went back to their rooms to get any last minute items for the mission before meeting Nick Fury in the base's hangar next to a fueled and ready Quinjet. Wasp was waiting next to him.
Cap looked quizzically at Fury as he approached. "Thought you said I only had room for five, Director."
"I'm not going with," Wasp clarified.
"Neither am I," Bucky said. "Sorry, Steve."
"Bucky?" Cap asked.
Bucky shook his head. "Until Zemo forgets the trigger words, or loses that little red book, I'm never going near him again. Can't risk letting him take over."
Cap nodded grimly. Back when Bucky had been the Winter Soldier, he'd been brainwashed into obeying HYDRA's every order through a cruel conditioning process. Zemo knew the trigger words that would reactivate Barnes' Winter Soldier Program, written down in the Winter Soldier Book. "I understand." He turned to Falcon. "We would all understand if you wanted to back out, too, Sam."
Sam shook his head. "Are you kidding? Shuri spent all night upgrading my suit. It would be a waste of tech if I didn't come. Besides, I think I owe them a few punches."
"Then we'd better get going," said Cap, walking up the ramp into the Quinjet. The other heroes filed in after him, as Scott and Hope hugged one more time.
"See you soon, Scott," she said, smiling.
Scott smiled back and walked into the Quinjet. The jet engines roared as the aircraft took off down the landing strip and out the mouth of the hangar, into the morning sunrise.
Cap sat in the pilot's seat as the other Avengers made themselves comfortable in the seating areas. Widow glanced over at Falcon. "So, what kind of upgrades did you get from Shuri?" she asked.
Falcon readjusted his arm braces as he answered, "Miniature guided missiles in the backpack, enhanced spectra for my combat goggles, and Redwing got some improvements too."
"Lucky," Widow fake pouted. "Why didn't I get a drone?"
"Should have asked her," said Falcon. "She's been going to town on all our suits and gear ever since she got here, tinkering, improving, you name it."
There was a thunk from the overhead storage space, and the Avengers all glanced up in confusion. Vision stood and opened the compartment, and Casey Jones tumbled out, hitting the floor of the Quinjet hard. "Whuf!" he grunted.
"Casey?" asked Widow.
"What the hell?" asked Falcon.
Cap put the Quinjet on autopilot and turned around. "You better have a really good reason for stowing away, Jones."
"Uhh, I fell asleep?" Casey offered, grinning disarmingly. No one bought it. "Okay, okay. I wanted to come back to the US with you guys, and I knew you'd never pick me for the team, Captain, sir. So . . . I may have snuck on board."
Cap threw up his hands.
"But it's a good thing!" protested Casey. "I heard you guys talking outside, you're down a man for the mission. It worked out perfectly."
"What, you're Barnes' replacement?" Falcon asked, rolling his eyes.
"Sure!" Casey grinned broadly. "What's he got that I haven't?"
"Teeth?"
"Alright, enough," Cap said, intervening before Casey and Falcon went to blows.
"He is right, Captain," said Vision. "The boy, however inadequate his abilities may be compared to Barnes, is an extra man on the team."
"But will he be able to keep up with no experience?" asked Ant-Man. "No offense intended."
"None take, uh . . . Mr. Man," said Casey.
"Ant-Man is fine," Ant-Man said quickly.
"Look, Captain—I mean, with all due respect, I've been on one of these ops before," said Casey. "I went with Colonel Rhodes and the others to Siberia. And I can hold my own in a fight pretty well."
"That's the problem, kid," said Cap, getting down on Casey's level and looking into the boy's eyes. "We're not going to fight. We're going to tear them apart from the inside, without ever showing ourselves. It's too late to turn back and take you home, so you're in this whether or not you like it. You follow my every order to the letter. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," said Casey.
"Good." Cap turned to face the rest of them. "Listen up. Stealth is our M.O. HYDRA is a master at manipulation, and we're going to use that to our advantage by laying low for a while. Nobody strikes or makes a move out of line until I give the order, and when we do, we need to take out all the heads at once. We need them all gone so HYDRA is crippled by the ensuing power vacuum. If even one of the heads makes it out and reunites HYDRA under his command, we're in trouble.
"HYDRA imposes curfews for all citizens from 10 PM to 6 AM on all days of the week," Black Widow said. "Violators of this curfew are at risk of being considered enemy combatants."
"And every citizen is required to have identification papers at hand for public inspections," added Falcon.
"You've each got a civilian outfit in the backpacks on the hooks in the troop bay, as well as fake ID papers," Cap said, gesturing at the area. "DC is too locked down for us to air drop in, so we'll touch down near the North Landing Beach campground in Virginia. From there, we hitch rides to the capital. Travel in pairs. I'll keep an eye on our stowaway, Scott's with Vision, and Natasha's in charge of Sam."
"I think I can handle it," said Black Widow, smirking.
"Each of you has the address of Fury's DC safehouse, so we rendezvous there at 0400 tomorrow," Cap finished. "We'll go into the rest of the details from there."
Banner awoke from his unconscious state, his mind flitting on the verge of consciousness. The world around him was nothing more than a blurred red haze. Was it the sedatives HYDRA kept pumping into his system? Was it the multitude of injuries that he'd suffered at the hands of their soldiers? He didn't know.
His arms dangled weightlessly, and his legs were ready to collapse under him. He struggled to remain awake. He felt weak. Tired. Drained. That was why he tried to stay in his Hulk form as long as he could. They were draining his blood almost constantly, running tests on its gamma particle content, trying to weaponize it, clone it, create cures with it, do whatever they could with his blood. And they kept him just alive enough to do it.
He was inside an adamantium-reinforced glass cylinder, trapped inside some abandoned building in Washington, D.C. That much he knew. They'd moved him here after the Thing had turned him in in New York City. The Thing . . . the last he'd seen of the hero, HYDRA had turned their weapons on him. Was he okay? Banner had no idea.
But here he was in this federal savings bank that HYDRA had turned into a facility, trapped in an adamantium glass cage, suspended from Hulk-proof IVs and tubes that were draining his blood by the gallon. On the other side of the glass he could see the foggy images of the HYDRA technicians, staring at monitors, flipping gauges, measuring his blood content and bagging it as it pumped steadily out of the IV tubes into the containers.
The bank vault door slid open, and in walked Helmut Zemo, flanked by several HYDRA soldiers. If he could have moved, Banner would have stiffened.
Zemo walked right up to the cage and smiled. "Good evening, Doctor. I'm glad to see you have finally adjusted to your accommodations." He spoke softly, with a thick accent, as if he should be directing some foreign stock exchange, not a mass murderer terrorist mastermind.
Banner shook his head. "What do you want my blood for?" he asked. "If you're going to kill me, do it."
Zemo chuckled. "No, Doctor Banner. Our plans for you are much more vast. And your blood is the key to unlocking it all. Our Super Soldier Program failed once, but under my leadership we will soon have a new army of HYDRA soldiers to do our every bidding. And if those soldiers were also gamma-powered . . ." He stepped closer to the cage, his breath fogging up the glass. "We would be unstoppable. Besides, we cannot let you go now. The whole world saw the message. The mighty Hulk, bound and captive. Humanity has fallen in line now. And we will protect them."
"Absolute rule is not protection," Banner gasped. "It's tyranny."
Zemo smiled. "Words are all you have left to fight with, Doctor. But we have a weapon the Avengers were always too weak to use. Fear." He strode away from the glass. "It will keep people in line. It always does."
"You're wrong," said Banner. "When battles reach their lowest point, is when true heroes rise to their greatest heights."
"Then it's too bad there are no heroes left."
"But I'm still here."
"Yes—as a symbol of failure." Zemo turned to the head scientist in charge of the Banner Project, biologist Doctor Samuel Sterns. "Prep him for electric shocks. The beast produces more blood faster."
Banner screamed as electricity coursed through his body, stimulating the blood in his veins into an agitated state. As his own screams turned into the Hulk's roars right before he lost unconsciousness, he remembered Captain America and the others. Where were they? Were they still coming for him?
Or was he here, all alone? Was he really the last hero on the planet?
Cap grit his teeth in rage and helplessness. There was nothing they could do for Banner. They could all hear him though, sitting in Fury's old safehouse beneath the Washington Monument in D.C., thanks to the wire that Ant-Man had managed to place inside Zemo's wrist-com. They'd be able to hear everything the HYDRA Councilmember had to say, and be one step ahead of him the entire time.
Widow noticed Cap's reaction to the sound of Banner's screams, and reached over and turned off the signal. "I can't listen to that anymore," she said.
There was a moment of silence as they sat somberly in the safehouse. "Nice work placing that wire, Scott," said Vision.
"Thanks, Vis," Ant-Man said. "Good thing Zemo doesn't sweat the small stuff."
Casey pounded a fist into his palm. "I'm tired of playing games. I want action."
"Not yet, hotshot," said Falcon, placing a hand on Casey's shoulder. "As much as we all want to stick it to these HYDRA thugs, Cap came up with this plan and outmaneuvered Zemo to give us the upper hand. He's calling the shots."
Cap leaned against the wall of the safehouse, deep in thought. "HYDRA and the rest of the world thinks we're dead," he said, half to himself. "Now it's time for a campaign that's so out-of-the-box even Zemo won't see it coming."
"Let's show the Council they can never destroy hope," Widow said.
Falcon sat at a table in the outside seating area of the Pleasant Pops coffee house in uptown DC. He was dressed in his plainclothes outfit: an olive green v-neck t-shirt, a black leather jacket, a pair of sunglasses, jeans, and black loafers. Sitting at the table, he sipped on an apple pie chai tea as he performed recon on his surroundings. The drink was delicious. Good to see people still knew how to make a decent chai tea even after the world had ended.
Across the street from his position was the Marie Reed Elementary School, a public school in DC that had been forced to adopt HYDRA's new nation-wide "education programs" to continue to stay open and for the teachers to keep their jobs and their lives. The children were trying to make the best out of this new life they'd been thrown into, as they continued to behave like children should. Falcon watched a group of elementary age kids playing soccer at the field directly across the street.
As Falcon watched, one of the kids ran in for a goal and kicked the ball as hard as he could. The ball sailed over the goal and over the fence of the school, striking a passing HYDRA drone. These sleek black drones were all over the city, HYDRA's enforcers where actual HYDRA troops couldn't be. They were armed with a pair of dual-miniguns with green laser sights as well as concussive blasters that could produce shockwaves of force. Falcon had seen the concussive blasters first-hand yesterday, as an elderly woman who had been holding up a HYDRA tank patrol by crossing the road too slowly had been blasted across the road by one of the drones.
The drone immediately changed its course and flew over to the children, who were now quaking in fear. "Unacceptable act of aggression," the drone blared, as its alarm klaxons squealed out high-pitched sirens. "Disband or be eliminated." As the sirens went off, more drones appeared, ready to neutralize any threat. The children ran off in haste, their soccer game forgotten.
Falcon stood up, throwing away his empty cup as he left. Littering would turn the drones in his direction, which was exactly what he didn't want.
Black Widow sat at a bus stop on Potomac Avenue in midtown DC, directly across the street from the Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts. Dressed in a peach-colored blazer, black leggings, brown boots, and sunglasses, she looked just like one of the students' well-off mothers after dropping of her child.
All students were required to report to school by 8:00 am and were considered late by 8:15. If you were late, you were placed in detention hall for the entire first period block. HYDRA had really cracked down on its education, as it was now mandated even more heavily. HYDRA squads would round up children who played hookie and bring them to class late, subjecting them to public humiliation to discourage absences. A squad of HYDRA soldiers stood in front of the entrance to the school, shoulder-to-shoulder and forming two separate lines the students walked between to get into school. They rushed in silently, clutching books and backpacks and dressed in their uniforms. Drones hovered about, monitoring everything.
"Tardiness is forbidden," one of the drones announced, as the HYDRA soldiers snapped at the students to move along.
Being a school for journalism and media arts, HYDRA was very interested in educating the students in their new ways, bent on changing the opinions of the youth. This school, like many others, had been implemented with a wide-reaching set of aggressive propagandistic education materials and cultural implementations. The students were taught that the symbolism and norms of old America—things like democracy, freedom, and liberty— were degenerate and antithetical to the ideals of the new HYDRA government. American democratic ideas and human rights like freedom of speech were demonized on all fronts by the new education plans.
HYDRA had already been hard at work generating and distributing their propaganda through the media. They'd plagiarized versions of American dramas, comedies, games shows, and even talk shows and filmed and broadcast them to brainwash the American people and force their capitulation to the new order. Anything that citizens remembered of their life before HYDRA had been labeled "depraved filth."
Widow stood as the last of the students entered the school. It was time to report back to Cap.
A homeless man found himself trapped by four different HYDRA drones. The cardboard box collection he'd known as his home had been destroyed by the drones' miniguns, and now they closed in on him in the dead-end alley. The homeless man, an overweight fellow with a bushy dark brown beard and bags under his eyes, started mumbling gibberish in fear.
"Citizen, you are out of doors after curfew hours," one of the drones said. "Unacceptablllll . . ."
The drone was cut off as its outer shell began shimmering and crackling with electricity. It fell to the ground in a smoking, sparking heap, and the other three drones fell with it. The homeless man grabbed his cardboard sign reading "THE END IS NEAR" and ran for his life, screaming.
On the rooftop a street away, Cap watched the man go. Behind him, there was a shimmer, as an aura of greenish-yellow light became Vision as he landed on the rooftop. "Seamless work, Vision," Cap said, congratulating the android.
Vision had the ability to become incorporeal, increasing or decreasing his own density and weight at will. He could also phase through solid objects, as he had done with the drones, and destroy them from the inside. He smiled at Cap. "HYDRA's robot police are brilliantly designed," he noted. "Impossible to take out remotely. Unless you're an Avenger."
Casey scoffed. "You're blasting them with an EMP?" He flipped one of his hockey pucks between his fingers. "A couple of explosive hockey pucks would do the same trick."
"And prove we're still alive and in town," Cap told him. "Which is exactly what we don't want HYDRA to know." He activated his short-range comm, radioing Falcon. "Sam, eyes on target. Drone patrol, two blocks east of your position." He turned to the other two. "Wait here until the next patrol comes by. Make sure they find the destroyed drones. Then get back to the safehouse." He took off down the rooftop.
Casey watched him go. "Wait for the next patrol. Got it." He turned to face Vision. "For the record, I'm a huge fan of the way you can phase in and out of stuff."
"Indeed," Vision said. "Although, I've developed a habit of entering rooms through walls, and it is quite irritating to some of the other members on my team, Wanda in particular."
"Oh, you mean Scarlet Witch!" Casey said. "Way to score, dude!"
Vision wrinkled his brow. "Score . . . ?"
"Like, way to get the girl," Casey clarified.
"Oh no," Vision said quickly. "No, Wanda and I . . . we are friends, and nothing more."
"You suuuuure?" teased Casey, nudging Vision playfully.
"I am," Vision said. "I am unsure of how to describe myself." He turned to face the skyline. "I know I am neither like her nor like robots," he continued. "I am something different, in-between, unencumbered by self-serving ambition or self-destructive ego. I value the fragility of human life and its endeavors to become something better."
"Fragility?" Casey asked. "Have you seen these muscles?" He flexed his bicep.
"I am drawn to Wanda, though I must admit I am shy about expressing my feelings," Vision continued.
"Aw, that's natural, dude," Casey said, moving over towards Vision and taking a seat on the edge of the rooftop. "It's tough for guys to shoot their shot, especially with totally hot babes like Scarlet Witch. Well, there's nobody like your old pal Casey Jones for good relationship advice! What do you two have in common?"
Vision thought for a moment. "I feel a bond with her, in part because the Infinity Stone that gave me life also gave her her powers."
"There you go!" Casey said, nudging the android. "That's a start."
"It is . . . difficult for me to understand boundaries of personal space and privacy, however," Vision went on. "As I mentioned before, sometimes I will phase into her room out of habit, instead of using the door, and it bothers her."
"Whoah, yeah, don't do that," said Casey. "Women need their personal space."
The sound of marching footsteps in the street below caught their attention, as a passing patrol of HYDRA foot soldiers came up on the alleyway. One of the soldiers noticed something in the alley, and hailed his comrades. As the group approached the cluster of downed drones, Casey and Vision dashed across the DC rooftops, disappearing into the night.
"Your machines are a joke!" Grant Ward yelled, throwing one of the drones onto the floor of the HYDRA Council Chambers.
The Council of HYDRA was already in a bad mood. They'd been discussing the resistance to their regime growing faster with each passing day. Kingpin, the ruler of the New York City ghetto, was dealing with a particularly troublesome group of superhero resistance fighters known as the Defenders. He was currently in the process of recruiting supervillains for a team of "Dark Avengers" to help him keep control of his territories. A team of Western-costumed superheroes were causing unrest in Texas, and another on the West Coast. HYDRA's grip on the country was slowly crumbling. Only time would tell if these resistance movements could take down the might of HYDRA.
Ward had been late to the meeting as per usual, and now interrupted with this bit of theatrics. Zemo turned in his seat as the drone slid to the ground next to him. He picked it up and set it on the table before him, examining it on the conference table. "Someone is targeting them," he said. Soldiers had been reporting in drone patrols malfunctioning all over the city for almost a week.
Across the table, Baron Strucker sneered, crossing his arms. "It's always someone else's fault, isn't it?" He gestured at the drone, which Zemo was now poking at its exposed wiring. "Any fool can see this thing fried from the inside. Time to face facts. You aren't as infallible as you think."
Fuming, Zemo glared at Strucker. "A mechanical glitch makes me disloyal?"
"We were a team for one reason," Bloom spoke up, sitting two seats down from Strucker. "And now, with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers finally gone, maybe we don't have to do things your way anymore, Zemo."
"If we wanted to rule this country, we would never put faith in failed machinery," added Ward.
Zemo smiled, looking around the room. "Let's not forget who orchestrated the destruction of this country, Mr. Ward. You have all faced S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers before—and failed."
"You insult our history, Colonel," Daniel Whitehall said. He never said much, but when he did speak he immediately gained the attention of the room.
"And you forget about your own recent failings in Siberia, with the Winter Soldiers," added Malick.
Meanwhile, Cap and his team sat in their safehouse, listening in to the meeting. "Listen to them," Casey snickered. "The happy family's having a serious tiff."
"Just like Cap predicted," Falcon said.
Widow shushed him, as Zemo continued talking. "If we show our subjects the consequence of resistance, we won't need robots to keep them in line. I've located a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost in New Mexico where world diplomats are in hiding. Let us show them our brand of diplomacy."
"New Mexico?" asked Cap. "Which location is that?"
"Could be one of many," Widow answered. "Alamogordo, Roswell, Los Alamos."
"We need to find out which one the diplomats are at," Cap said.
"An impromptu rescue mission?" Casey asked. "Sweet!"
"No," said Cap. "You're staying here with Falcon and Widow."
"Aw!" Casey whined. "I'm tired of kicking tin cans around. I want action!"
"Not action with HYDRA's super soldiers, you don't," Falcon said.
"We need to get in and get the diplomats out," Cap ordered Ant-Man. "That's your area of expertise, Scott. Be on the next bus to New Mexico, and I'll be right behind you. Vision, you leave now and scope out the three locations. Let us know where they're at when we get there."
Vision nodded.
Roswell was a quiet town in Chaves County, New Mexico. Like many quiet towns in the remote deserts of the United States, Roswell was home to many military secrets. A secret S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost and airbase had been constructed in the desert, and like many of the S.H.I.E.L.D. outposts on file, HYDRA had taken over it, ransacked it, and then abandoned it.
The U.S. government was now a puppet government only, taking orders from the Council of HYDRA in exchange for their own lives. President Matthew Ellis had his hands full running a collaborationist government firmly under the nose of the Council of HDYRA. But unknown to the Council, he was also secretly aiding the American Resistance, a group of freedom fighters ranging from civilians to superheroes to ex-military personnel who were attempting to revolt HDYRA. Scattered across the US, they'd crashed every time, racking up many failed efforts in fighting the HYDRA regime.
In an attempt to enlist international cooperation and aid into the Resistance, President Ellis had put together an unofficial underground conference hosted at the S.H.I.E.L.D. airbase in Roswell, New Mexico. Small, secret, and only a few countries attending: Xiao Chen of Taiwan, Anton Petrov of Russia, Ellen King of Australia, Haruto Yakimura of Japan, and Nathi Zuma of South Africa. Each of them had information that Ellis needed and that HYDRA would love to get their hands on, so he would also be attending the meeting in person.
"Have a seat, please," Ellis said, sitting down at the head of the table in the airbase's conference room as the other delegates took their seats. "I'd like to start this off by thanking you all for gathering here."
"Thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this," said Anton Petrov. "I think we will all find it very valuable."
"As I'm sure you're all aware, the world's in chaos," continued Ellis. "Superpowered megalomaniacs have been hard at work tearing down all that we've built over the past century and rebuilding it in their image. Now, it's my hope that, by working together, we can help to build a larger-scale resistance movement to deal with the threat."
"Mr. President," Ellen King interrupted, "if Australia is going to contribute to the liberation of your country, we need some assurance that we will receive aid as well. Australia was nearly destroyed thanks to Octavius and his Octobot army, and the Sinister Six. The Parasits that forced your surrender were used on the Outback as well, irradiating the region and littering it with twisted metal and wreckage for kilometers around. Now it's a land of nothing but lawlessness and crime."
"Most of Russia lingered under the control of Loki's Frost Giants," Petrov said. "And our nuclear weapons with them. Until somehow, almost a month ago, the reserves were melted down. A lava pump malfunction. The Frost Giant leader died in the reserves meltdown, and the rest of them are losing their grip on the Russian populace. Given time, and weapons, we may be able to take our country back."
"Japan is under the control of the Foot Clan, our country's oldest and most feared ninja clan," said Haruto Yakimura. "Although now, they are more of a crime family and a domestic terrorist organization than a ninja clan. Their leader, the Shredder, rules Japan as its shogun with an iron fist. All who oppose him are eradicated by his army of Footbots." He learned forward. "With all due respect, Mr. President, why should we unite under your country to help you, when our own homes are in such dire need?"
"These crime lords and supervillains know how to work together," Ellis said. "HYDRA's Parasits wiped out Los Angeles and the Outback. Doom supplies Shredder and Octavius with robots and technology from his garrisons in Europe. Loki's army razed the planet, paving the way for these dictatorships to rise. Working together, they cannot fail. And it's only by working together that we have even a slight chance of taking back the country.
"I agree with the President," Nathi Zuma spoke up, gesturing expressively with his hands as he spoke. "Africa is large, although currently ruled by these abominations who call themselves the Dark Elves, with many resources. And much manpower. As long as you can arrange for transportation for our armed forces and weapons to the United States, Mr. President, you have our full support."
Suddenly they were interrupted by a voice coming from outside the base, but one that they all heard. "Attention, representatives of the world. There is no need for nations, now that HYDRA is here."
They moved to the windows of the airbase, looking out at the airfield. One of the HYDRA drones was hovering over the airstrip, projecting a fifty-foot hologram of Zemo wearing his mask. Hovering in the air next to this hologram was a figure that at first, many of the delegates mistook for Iron Man. He wore a suit of armor with a green-and-gold color scheme, and hovered in the air thanks to the repulsors on the suit's hands and feet. But then they saw the golden HYDRA seal in the middle of the man's armor, and their hearts sank. This was no hero. Just another agent of HYDRA. And they'd been found out.
"You shouldn't have tried hiding from us," said the man. His name was Tactical Force, and he was a member of the HYDRA Four, an elite team of HYDRA's super-soldiers. HYDRA had created its own version of the Avengers in an attempt to supply themselves with the tactical power to support their strategic aims. Each of the HYDRA Four super soldiers had had their genetics altered to give them the powers and abilities of one of the Avengers. They were the result of millions of dollars in weapons development, and years of research into HYDRA's enemies.
And this was their first official field mission, eliminating the world diplomats trying to go behind HYDRA's back.
"Hammer!" Tactical Force called down. On the ground below, Hammer, the HYDRA version of Thor, walked down the airfield. He wore a green bodysuit with the HYDRA emblem in the middle and a gold helmet and cape. He had long blond hair and a hammer resembling Mjolnir in his hand. On his left walked the HYDRA version of Captain America, known as Militant. Militant wore a green bodysuit and cowl with a HYDRA symbol in the middle, mocking Cap's own suit. He even carried his own version of Cap's shield, a titanium circular shield with a green-and-white color scheme and the HYDRA emblem in the middle. The last member of the HYDRA Four, Hawkeye's knockoff named Bowman, walked behind Hammer. He wore a green bodysuit with a gold HYDRA symbol as well, and a gold-colored cowl. He carried a gold-colored bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.
Hammer leaped into the air, coming down near the base and striking his hammer into the ground at full force. The blow sent a shockwave rippling through the ground, shaking the airbase on its foundations. Panicking, the delegates fled the conference room, looking for a back way out of the building, desperate to escape the coming wrath of HYDRA.
"This way! Hurry!" a voice called. The delegates moved down the hall quickly towards a figure crouched near a service hatch in the floor. As they got closer, they recognized the man. It was one of the heroes who'd been in the airport battle in Leipsig.
"Ant-Man?" murmured Petrov.
Ant-Man waved them over. "In here, quick!" he said, grabbing hold of Ellen King first and lifting her down into the service hatch. "We're getting you out of here."
Below, Vision grabbed her as Ant-Man passed her down and set her on the floor inside the network of tunnels below the S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost. Nathi Zuma was next, then Xiao Chen, and then President Ellis. "The Avengers!" Ellis realized, recognizing Vision. "You're . . . still alive!"
Captain America stepped forward from the shadows, saluting the President. "I can neither confirm nor deny that report, Mr. President," he said with a smile.
"It's a secret," Vision said, helping Anton Petrov down the hatch. "And we need to keep it that way for now."
Ellis nodded grimly. "Of course. After saving our lives, it's the least we can do."
Outside, Tactical Force received his orders. "Strucker to Tactical Force. Destroy the base and return to D.C."
"Roger," Tactical Force said, opening radio comms with the other HYDRA Four members. "Heads up, boys. Let's blow this thing and go home." He powered up his suit's unibeam attack, using the built-in HUD to locate the base's power generator. It was conveniently next to a fuel depot, which would only make the explosion even larger. Waiting until the other HYDRA Four members had steered clear of the area, he fired a high-intensity blast from his suit directly at the power generator, igniting it and the fuel depot to send the entire base up in a massive explosion.
Inside the base, Captain America leaped underneath the service hatch, holding his shield up to protect the delegates from the rubble and debris and flame that came crashing down on them through the hole. When the smoke had cleared, everyone looked around at each other. No one had been hurt.
Back in the HYDRA Council Chambers, the Council of HYDRA watched the footage from the body cameras of the HYDRA Four's suits. Strucker laughed. "That is how you send a message!" he roared. "Brute force! Much better than your mind games, Zemo."
Zemo stared straight ahead, hands folded under his chin, not looking at the screen. "I wouldn't congratulate yourself, Baron," he said softly. "According to my scan, there was no one in that building when the HYDRA Four blew it up."
Strucker's jubilant expression immediately soured. "What—?" He whirled back to the screens. "But how could—who here opened their mouth about our big plan?" he asked furiously.
"Clearly it was you, Bloom," Ward said accusingly, pointing at the businessman sitting on the other side of the conference table. "Your mouth runs even faster than you do from conflict."
"Me?" Bloom spluttered. "It was definitely Strucker. If his plans worked half as well as he bragged, we wouldn't even have any of these problems."
"I do not brag," Strucker said, crossing his arms. "I state facts. Maybe the good doctor was the leak. He's awfully quiet."
Whitehall looked up at Strucker from the table, his small smile never leaving his face. "I think before I speak. You may want to try it sometime, you ox."
Strucker clenched his fists in anger, but Zemo had had enough of the Council's constant bickering. "Enough!" he shouted, pounding an open palm on the table. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. The Avengers are gone. This country is ours. We can finally go our separate ways." He pressed a button on one of the remotes, and the view on the screen changed to show a map of North and South Americas. "We divide the spoils of this country."
Six territories had been outlined across the country, strips of land that stretched from the left side of the continent to the right side. Strucker stepped forward, pointing at Amerika. "I'll take that territory," he said.
This immediately sent the Council into another round of arguments about why Strucker got first pick, stopped only by Whitehall firing his pistol into the ceiling. "The decisions have been made," he said, his patience at an end. Names appeared on each of the territories. Zemo would be in control of Central America. South America had been divided into two different regions, with Grant Ward in command of the northern section and Baron von Strucker in charge of everything south of Brazil. Daniel Whitehall would lead Canada and the other territories north of Amerika's border. Bloom's territory was the smallest, encompassing the islands in the Caribbean. That left Gideon Malick to oversee Amerika.
"Fine," spat Zemo. "My presence has served its purpose. Now let me rule my land alone."
"The less I see the rest of you, the better," Ward added angrily.
In Fury's DC hideout, Widow, Falcon, and Casey all listened in to the conversation thanks to Zemo's wire. "It's happening!" Casey said. "They're splitting up."
"Impressive," Falcon said. "I bet even Zemo can't deny how well Cap played them right into our hands."
"Sam's right," said Widow. "With the Council separated, we can focus our attacks. When Cap gets back, he'll give us the orders."
"Let's go get our country back," said Casey.