Thank you all so much for the favorites! They fuel me! I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

Rumlow sighed as he was alone in his own room that contained one bed and a small dresser for the few clothing that he owned; days and days had past and yet they still hadn't broken the Soldier down. The Avengers were close to finding them and yet if they moved the odds were they found be discovered and if they stayed the odds were that they'd be discovered. Rumlow silently cursed as he thought this through.

As the new leader for Hydra, Rumlow made the choice to stay. When the others had their newest based set and with the cryo-chamber set, then they would go. He didn't expect it to be easy, but at the same time he had hoped that Barnes wasn't too far gone to believe he could have a life outside of Hydra. Pain was the only answer to show him the truth. Rumlow could hear the screams from Barnes as Rumlow's soldiers were attempting to work the mind wipe on Barnes. It caused more pain than anything else though, so Rumlow counted that as a win.

Resting his face in his hands, Rumlow let out an exhausted sigh, ignoring the yells from the other room. The sooner the Asset was convinced that Steve, his only reason for living, was dead, the sooner they could have their Soldier back. Soon Barnes would see that Hydra was the only hope the world had. The Avengers? The government? Just a Band-Aid used for a bullet wound. Yes, there would be deaths of guilty and innocent alike when Hydra inevitably gained control, but it was the only way to make things better for the future.

Hydra was the only answer….

"Hydra is the only answer."

Sargent Brock Rumlow of the 107th stared at this man with disgust. They'd been captured by Hydra for weeks now and he had no hope for the others to still be alive. Rumlow couldn't hide his eye roll as this small man with glasses continued his work on Rumlow, bragging about the organization. Brock was no stranger to men like Zola; seeking power by any means necessary. Having used to be a part of a gang on New York's lower east side, Rumlow knew how to tolerate pain and disorder, but this was unlike anything he had faced before.

The blue serum that this man (Zola, he thought he heard one other man call him), had left Rumlow weak and delirious. When he regained his senses, all he could understand was pain. The serum always left him horse from screaming as the vial's left him feeling like his veins were on fire. The worst part was knowing that no help was coming for any of them. The army never was one to go out of their way for "expendable" soldiers.

Still strapped to a table as he was the first and so far only one of the men they had taken who had survived the experiment, Rumlow listens to Zola mainly out of boredom when he hears a scream from another room close by. It's not the first time Rumlow hears that scream but his heart twists nervously as he knows that soon he may be in the situation soon enough.

The truth was…Rumlow cared very little for his country. Unlike the others in the 107th, he joined less out of patriotism and more out of just getting a place where he would have food and shelter, unlike his situation at that time. Having no family, no friends, and no future that didn't end with starving to death, the eighteen year old signed up for the army. If he knew that his first mission would have ended like this, he may have stayed with the starving to death option.

The screams grew louder and Zola set down a needle and looked up as the door opened. "What's wrong with Barnes?" Zola asked in his strong accent, glancing up from his work to glare angrily at one of his assistants.

Rumlow frowned slightly. Barnes? He remembered a man by that name in his group. Were they giving up on Brock and using Barnes now? The thought of being expendable had Rumlow twist anxiously against his bonds.

"He's resisting the newest serum." The assistant responded timidly. "I-I'm not sure if he can survive much more."

Sighing in frustration, Zola glanced down to Rumlow with a thoughtful expression. Rumlow glared back defiantly, unsure what Zola was thinking but knowing from past experience that it was going to be something Rumlow wouldn't enjoy.

"Prepare the cryo-chamber." Zola said, a small smile forming on his lips. "This one is will be backup in case Barnes fails to survive."

Rumlow was right. He did not enjoy this.

Shaking his head out of the memory, Brock stood up rapidly and made his way back to Barnes, grabbing a piece of paper that he knew would assist them in turning Barnes. Under normal circumstances, Barnes would not believe this, but with the mental and physical turmoil he was going through, Brock had hope.

Yes, at first Hydra caused Rumlow nothing but pain, but he survived and came out stronger than ever. The same will happen to Barnes. He just didn't understand it as fast as Rumlow did.

When Zola and Red Skull set the place ablaze back when Rogers first saved Barnes, No one could have known that Rumlow was there too, asleep and frozen for decades until he was dug up by Hydra in the late 1980s, still just a teen. He was thought to have died in the fiery explosion according to Zola's notes in the aftermath, yet no one could have known that the reality was that he smothered under rocks and debris, carefully preserved thanks to the chamber.

Brock aged normally through the decades yet his skills and strength were above average. Not closed to Barnes or Rogers levels of superhuman but his were high enough to have helped him live past a building fall on top of him, even though the end result was the scars across is form. And even then, when there was little hope for him to have survived, Hydra found him and brought him back to the latest base and he became the newest leader.

Rumlow owed Hydra everything. And he wouldn't let them down.

MARVELMARVELMARVEL

Bucky let out another roar of anger as his flesh felt like it was going to melt off his bones, the electricity coursing throughout his body. It was not an exact replica of the Chair that he had been forced to go through before, but the pain was similar enough, even if his memories stay intact. He didn't know what drugs they had given him, but it was enough to fog up his body and leave it with barely any energy.

He clamped his mouth shut, not willing to let them gain the satisfaction of his screams. The pain stopped suddenly and Bucky let out a gasp, still woozy from pain. The solider moved the device away from Bucky's face which allowed him to see that Rumlow had returned.

"Untie him." Rumlow eye's stayed on the Hydra soldier and quickly the man complied, unlocking Bucky from the chair and letting Bucky fall to his knees with nothing supporting him. This would be the perfect time for Bucky to fight, to rip these men limb from limb and make it back to Steve, to his home…but his body wouldn't cooperate with his mind. He was too weak, too tired and he hated himself for it.

Brock looked at Bucky emotionlessly and Bucky's eyes traveled down to see the other man gripping something in his hands. Setting it down on the ground by Bucky's knees, Rumlow turned back towards the door and the younger soldier followed suit, locking the metal door with a slam and sliding the bar back in place, leaving a weak and drugged superhuman unable to break it open.

Bucky's chest heaved up and down from the events that occurred only a few moments ago. He wanted to get up and run but nothing happened. He growled at himself and pushed his hands on the floor to support his shaking legs, able to take one step before falling back down again on the concrete floor, his nerves screaming in agony at the movement.

The newspaper was still on the ground, within arm's reach. Bucky cocked his head to the side, glancing at the paper with growing curiosity. Rumlow hadn't said anything about what it was, yet Bucky felt himself reach out weakly, slowly sliding the paper inch by inch until it was close enough or his eyes to settle on the headline.

Bucky would swear that his heart stopped.

America's Hero Steve Rogers Slain. It was dated months ago, back when they had first fought on that highway. The front picture showed a cracked shield and a body that was covered by a sheet as the ambulance were in position to carry the body up.

Steve…

He was dead…

And Bucky had let him die.

His body remained rigid as he processed it, the urge to deny it stronger than anything else in that moment. "No…" He began but his voice cracked. The tears slipped down his cheeks and over his numb face. He didn't even realize he was shaking his head until the wetness of his eyes started. A wordless, soundless scream emerged and he doubled over, throwing the paper as far as his weak body could muster. His forehead came into contact with the ground and he couldn't just stop shaking.

Steve was gone because of him.

A loud scream exploded from him as he was curled up, broken in every way possible. It was an inconsolable scream that only arose from the truly heartbroken, from the ones that had nothing left.

Bucky's reason for living stopped and he had nothing left.

MARVELMARVELMARVEL

It was impossible for anyone to have missed the broken sound coming from Barnes. Rumlow leaned against the outside of the door where Bucky was kept. A small smiled grew on his face at the further sounds of Barnes's sobs. It was almost amusing how much this asset cared for Rogers. The assurance that Steve was gone was enough to bring back their Winter Soldier. It may take some time but Rumlow had faith that by the time their new base was set, they would have the asset fully functioning.

Rumlow moved away from the wall and walked away back to his room, eagerly awaiting for Hydra's rise to power.

Brock Rumlow was part of the Savage Crimes gang on New York's lower east side but he wasn't frozen nor did he ever fight in WWII, I just had this idea months ago and I really wanted to add it in here somewhere. I hope it's not too out of place, I was thinking of the reasons why Rumlow could still be so loyal to Hydra.