Chapter 38

"This is where Toni said the file came from," Harry commented as they pulled up to an abandoned military based.

"So did I," Steve said, distantly. He looked around the base where he'd trained, having finally been accepted into the army. It was where he became Captain America. Where he met Peggy and Howard. Where his life had changed forever. "This camp is where I was trained."

"Changed much?" Natasha asked him as they walked through the base.

"A little," he admitted as he walked through the ghost town. It was so strange to see the place so empty, abandoned, when it had been brimming with so much action a few decades prior. He could practically see himself running drills, struggling to keep up.

"This is a dead end," Natasha said looking down at her screen, "No heat signatures, waves, or radio. Whoever wrote this must have used a router to throw off the signal."

"Toni said it came from here," Harry shook his head, "If a router was used, she would have been able to have cracked it. Whatever it is, it's here."

He paused as he looked at a building. One that had not been there when he'd attended the camp.

It was new. And it was wrong.

"What is it?" Natasha asked, as she followed behind him.

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place," he told them both, as he used his shield to break open the lock on the door.

They went down the flight of stairs, before they reached the main room, with an old logo plastered on the back.

"This is SHIELD," Harry breathed, "Where it must have started."

They walked into an old records room, with three portraits on the wall.

"There's Stark's father," Natasha commented, as Steve nodded.

"Howard."

"Who's the girl?" she asked, gesturing to the lady beside her.

"Mom," Harry said, as he reached up and touched her picture. "She looks so young."

Steve swallowed, the memories of his life flooding him, and he took a step back, needing a break.

He kept walking, until he felt a draft coming from the bookcase. He frowned at it, as he took a closer look, "If you're already working in a secret office," he asked, pushing the shelf aside to reveal an elevator, "Why do you need to hide the elevator?"

The key pad on the elevator lit up, and Harry held up his device to crack the combination. He pressed the numbers on it as they appeared on his screen, and the door opened for them.

They took the elevator down in pure silence, until Harry broke it.

"Mom never talked about her work in SHIELD, not the details. She talked about the struggles she faced, and the legacy she wanted to leave behind. But there were days when she'd come home, with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she'd bury it. I don't think Dad even knew what she did half the time," Harry said, finally.

"She did what she had to in order to keep you safe," Natasha told him gently.

"But it doesn't change the fact that there's so much about her that I don't know," Harry said a bit bitterly, "So much I may never know now."

He didn't say anything, as the doors opened then. They stepped out into the room, cloaked by darkness, with nothing but the light of an old computer at the far end of the room. The lights flickered to life slowly as they moved through the room.

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient," Natasha said, as she looked down and noticed a flash drive port.

"Wait," Harry said, placing a hand on hers, before quickly pulling it away, "You don't know what it'll do."

"Do you have any better ideas?" she raised a brow, and when he didn't offer any, she stuck it in. The machines around them hummed to life, and the screen in front of them lit up?

"Initiate system?" the computer asked, both verbally and through text.

"YES," Natasha typed as she verbally said the same. "Shall we play a game? It's from a movie-"

"I know, Toni showed me," he cut off, not in the mood for jokes. Not when they were so close to having answers.

"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984. Carter-Sousa, Harold Michael. Born 1975," The computer said, in an accented voice as a face appeared on it, as a camera moved over them.

"It's some kind of a recording," the Natasha said in surprise.

"I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am," the computer laughed, filling with an image of Zola.

No.

He stopped breathing as he looked at the screen in horror.

It was impossible.

There was no way, was there?

"Do you know this thing?" Natasha asked, looking over at him.

"Zola," Harry breathed in shock.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years," Steve said in a cold voice.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain," the computer said creepily.

"How did you get here?" he questioned.

"Invited," the computer all but shrugged.

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic value," Harry said, in realization.

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own," the computer said gleefully.

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull," Steve said firmly.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," the computer responded.

"Prove it," he demanded.

"Accessing archive," the computer said, as the screen filled with an image of HYDRA, "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

Images throughout history flickered the on the screen, war, weapons, crisis after crisis. War after war.

"That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you," Harry insisted.

"Accidents will happen," Zola said, as the news article about Howard and Maria's car crash filled the screen. A copy of the autopsy as signed off by Peggy. Fury's death filled the screen. "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life; a zero sum."

He punched the screen in anger, but the computer kept talking.

"What's on this drive?" he cut it off.

"Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm," Zola told them.

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha questioned.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it," Zola laughed. The doors began to close then, and Steve threw his shield at it, trying to jam it, but he was too late.

"Steve, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops," Harry said, looking down at his phone.

"Who fired it?" he demanded.

"SHIELD," Natasha confirmed, she pulled the drive out of the port.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us, out of time," he laughed.

He noticed a small opening on the ground then, and he the grate aside, as he threw Harry and Natasha into the hole first, following after them. He held his shield up, protecting them from the blast as the missile hit the.

When the rubble set, Steve looked around and saw Natasha unconscious.

"I got her," Steve told Harry, as he lifted her up. "Can you walk?"

"Yes," Harry said, as they noticed choppers approaching. "We need to get out of here now."

Steve nodded, as they began to move quickly, trying to get to safety.


Toni paced back and forth as she looked down at the computer screen in front of her, unable to believe what she'd just found.

"Holy fuck," she swore to herself, unable to believe what was in front of her.

Because holy fuck indeed.

HYDRA was still active.

After all these years.

Because dear old Dad and Aunt Peggy had invited Armin Zola into their homes. Into SHIELD, and now the organization meant to fight the bad guys was reaming with them.

The drive's contents had taken several hours to crack, and she had spent the better part of the last twenty minutes going through it, only to find a list.

With her name right on the top.

Followed by Steve, Bruce, Thaddeus Freaking Ross.

And several other names she didn't recognize.

But there were also other names she did know, such as one Doctor Strange, a neurosurgeon in the city.

She frowned. What did any of them have in common enough to all be on a list together.

None of it made any sense.

But one thing was for sure. They were all targets for HYDRA.

Her phone rang then, and she picked it up instantly, knowing it was Steve on the other end.

"What happened?" she asked him, "Are you okay? First I hear that SHIELD issued a warrant, now there's some sort of manhunt out for you guys. Are you at least safe?"

"We're fine," Steve promised her over the call. She could see bruises on his face, and she wondered how long it had been since they happened. Even with his healing abilities, it still had to have hurt. "We're lying low at a friend's house. Sam Wilson."

"Your running friend," Toni said with a nod. "Do you trust him?"

"More than half of SHIELD at the moment," he said with a sigh. "He's giving us a place to lay low."

"Good," she said softly, "I'm about to fly over there, you hear me? Just stay safe until then."

"Toni," he tried to stop her, "It's not safe here. If you come, you're only putting yourself in more danger."

She laughed, "Steve my name is on the top of the list for Project Insight. I'm in danger where ever I am. Do you really think me hiding out in New York will make any difference? They're coming for all of us. So if you think that for even a second that I'd consider leaving you to face any of this alone, then you have another thing coming."

"Okay," he said after a moment. "I don't like it, but okay. Just, promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

"I'll try," she promised. "I'll see you soon, Sweetheart."

"See you soon," he said with a nod.

She hung up the phone as she held her arms out, beckoning her suit to her. It was time to kick some HYDRA ass.


Steve was in the car with Sitwell when they felt the man land on the car, punching a hole in the window and throwing Sitwell in front of a truck.

He began shooting through the roof, as Natasha crawled out of the line of fire and into Harry's lap.

Steve pulled the hand break then, and the man flew off the car and onto the highway in front of them.

It was him. The man with the metal arm.

He scratched the ground with his metal palm, slowing himself, as he stood and faced them. Natasha lifted her gun to shoot, only to drop it as they were rear ended by another car, pushing them straight towards the man.

The metal armed man jumped on top of the car as Sam Wilson attempted to drive, as the assassin punched a hole through the windshield and pulled the steering wheel through it.

"Shit!" Sam swore, as Natasha and Harry began shooting at him. The man jumped on the car behind them, and as their car was pushed into the rail.

"Hang on!" Steve screamed as he held onto them and the crashed out of the car and onto his shield.

The assassin shot at them, and Steve pushed Harry aside as he took the full blast with his shield, throwing him backwards.

He scampered back onto his feet, using the cars to jump back onto the overpass where the attack was taking place.

A man began firing at him, and he jumped on top of the car, charging at him with his shield as he rammed straight into him, and threw him backwards. He could see Sam taking care of the agents shooting at him, as the man called out to him.

"Go! I got this!" Sam yelled, and he took off running.

He approached and saw the assassin pointing the gun straight at Harry and Natasha and he charged at him. The man moved to punch him, and he blocked it with his shield, only to be kicked backwards instead.

The assassin began shooting at him once more, and he ducked, running behind a car, as the man ran out of ammunition. He took the chance then to jump over the car and kick the gun away, going in for a punch as the man pulled out another gun instead.

The soldier punched him straight in the face, as he staggered backwards, using his shield to hit the assassin. The man grabbed onto it, spinning Steve, and he used the momentum to go in for a kangaroo kick.

The assassin took his shield from him then, throwing him backwards.

Steve charged at him, as the man threw the shield at him. He ducked, watching it total the car behind him. The soldier pulled out a set of knives, and he maneuvered to block it, as he landed a punch and a roundhouse kick on the man, sending him flying.

He threw the man over his shoulder and onto the ground, only for him to stand up and start choking him.

The man tossed Steve backwards, as he moved to punch Steve in the face, missing only to crumble the ground beside him with the force of the punch.

Steve struggled to stand, grabbing his shield from the car, as he used it to cut into the man's arm, grabbing his mask and throwing the assassin to the ground.

The assassin stood, and for the first time, Steve clearly saw his face.

He froze, unable to process what it was that he was seeing.

Because there was no way.

It wasn't possible,

And yet the man stood in front of him, as clear as day, and he was unable to deny the truth of it.

His childhood best friend was standing in front of him. His childhood best friend was trying to kill him.

His brother.

His family.

The man who'd fallen off the train.

Who he'd been unable to save all those years ago. Who's death he'd blamed himself over for years.

But there was no denying it. Even with the long hair and lost eyes, it was him.

"Bucky?" Steve asked in disbelief, unable to fully process what was happening. Because how was this even happening?

"Who the hell is Bucky?" The man asked gruffly, with a confused expression.

He raised his arm to shoot then, as Sam flew in with his wings, knocking him over, as Harry and Natasha came in, guns raised.

Natasha shot behind him with the grenade launcher Bucky had used earlier, and when the smoke cleared, the man was gone, leaving nothing but sirens in his wake. They were surrounded then, as SHIELD agents filled around them from all sides.

And just like that, Steve was left with far more questions than he had any answers for. Just like that, his childhood best friend was once again gone. Leaving him with nothing but emptiness.

"Drop the shield, Cap! On your knees! Get on your knees! Now! Get down! Get down!" Rumlow said, as he pointed a gun at him. He raised his hands as Rumlow kicked down his leg, "Get on your knees! Down! Don't move."

It was over.

A helicopter approached from overhead, and Steve wondered for a moment if this was how it would end. Shot in an empty street, with Toni hundreds of miles away, and a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, some part of him from before he went into the ice had survived.

Rollins pointed a gun at him, but Rumlow shook his head "Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!"

They were loaded up into the truck then, and Steve knew one thing for sure. If they didn't escape before they reached their destination, there would be no coming back.


She landed at the base coordinates that Steve had sent her, having barely escaped capture. It had terrified her, learning that SHIELD had taken them hostage and she had been ready to go in guns blazing, plotting a rescue, until Steve had messaged her on an encrypted line saying they were free.

A part of her didn't believe it was him; what if it was a trap and they were trying to bait her into coming to them willingly.

Then Harry had taken over and texted her the key phrase Aunt Peggy had set for them as children. One no one else knew about and one that only they would know.

We'll go to Coney Island on Thursday.

A phrase so obscure that it wouldn't be guessed, but one she'd recognize anywhere.

"Fancy seeing you lot here," she said as Maria ushered her inside.

Only for her to come face to face with a supposedly dead Fury.

"I guess no one who dies at SHIELD stays dead, do they?" she asked him, raising a brow.

"Good to see that you weren't heartbroken over my demise," Fury deadpanned.

She shot him a smile as Steve entered the room then, followed by Harry, Natasha, and a fourth person whom she did not know.

"Steve," she breathed as she pulled him into a tight hug. His face was bruised and battered, and he winced slightly upon the contact. But he did not hesitate to hold her tightly, as if he were afraid of losing her.

"I missed you," he whispered, and she pulled away enough to cup his face.

"I'm here now," she told him, looking into his eyes. She could see Natasha with a bandage wrapped around her shoulder and Harry was leaning heavily on his right leg.

"Well don't you all look worse for the wear," she commented lightly, as her eyes landed on the unknown man. "And you must be Sam Wilson, Steve's new friend."

"Miss Stark," the man nodded, "Pleasure to finally meet you. Steve's told me a lot about you. Won't shut up, really."

Steve punched the man lightly and Wilson simply laughed.

"Get her up to speed, Captain," Fury said, as he looked at the two of them, "We have a lot of work to do."

Harry nodded, lingering as the others left the room. Steve nodded at him, and she looked at the two of them, slightly confused, wondering what it was that they were keeping between the two of them.

"How are you doing?" she asked him, as he led her over to a set of chairs in the room. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine," he told her softly, "A few bruises, but nothing that won't heal in a few hours."

"What happened?" she asked, unable to hold herself back any longer. She knew something must have, or he wouldn't look as sullen as he did.

"HYDRA is still active," he said, and she nodded along, knowing that much from cracking the drive. "I went into the ice, trying to bring them down, but all this time, they were active, hiding in the shadows. It's like nothing I did even made a difference, not in the end. Because they survived. They infiltrated SHIELD and controlled the world from the shadows. My entire attempt to bring them down meant nothing in the end."

"You still forced them into hiding," she told him gently, "Imagine how much chaos they would have wreaked if they were allowed to run wild. You put a stop to them. You slowed them down. Even if you didn't stop them for good, you still crippled them Steve."

"That's not all," He said softly, as he looked at her gently, "They implied something, Toni. And part of me doesn't want to tell you, because it's going to hurt you. But I can't keep this from you. Not when I know the truth. You deserve to know."

"What is it?" she asked, a sense of dread filling her. Whatever it was had to be bad because with the way Steve was looking at her, it couldn't be anything else.

"They implied that they did whatever it took to stay hidden, including causing accidents. That SHIELD couldn't stop them because they always got to them first. That your father was nearly onto them."

Her world began to spin as the words Steve was saying started to blur.

Because it wasn't possible.

It couldn't be.

"HYDRA caused your parents accident," Steve said carefully, looking over at her to see how she would react to it.

"No," she trembled. "My father was drinking that day. He caused the accident because he had too much whiskey."

"It was HYDRA," Steve told her gently.

It wasn't possible. She would have known. All this time had passed, and she'd blamed her father for the entire thing. If HYDRA was responsible for the death of her parents, wouldn't she have known?

Because the coroner's report had ruled it as an accident.

And she'd never pushed past that.

It had been Obadiah and Peggy who had identified the body. She'd been too much of a mess. What with trying to take over the company and keep herself steady. With the drinking and the scandals.

Wouldn't Peggy have known if it wasn't an accident?

If the car was tampered with, it would have been in the reports. If their bodies didn't have injuries consistent with a car crash, it would have been in the reports.

Reports she'd never bothered to read, because what point was there? Her parents were dead. Her father had killed her mother.

What else was there to it?

But she knew there was more to it than that. That something was wrong. Something had always been wrong. But she hadn't pushed, not when she didn't want to know. Couldn't know. She knew that deep down in her gut that it was true. That what Steve said made sense, even if it tore through every fiber of her beliefs apart.

"They killed my mother," she let out a sob, and Steve wrapped his arms around her. "She was innocent in all of this. She didn't know anything about SHIELD. Dad kept her out of the loop. But they killed her anyways."

"We'll find out what happened," Steve promised her, "We'll stop HYDRA. I promise you, Toni. They won't get away with this. They won't get away with any of this. Not if I can help it. We will find the people responsible."

She let out a sob, as she held onto him tightly. HYDRA was going to regret going after for her family.

Someone had been responsible for the death of her parents, and she intended to find out the truth.

And nothing would be able to stop her.