Pierce entered the vault. He put up his hands to warn the soldiers to stand down. Despite hurling a scientist ten feet away, the Winter Soldier was barely breathing. He was somewhere else, lost in memory.
"Mission report," demanded Pierce. The Winter Soldier said nothing, barely acknowledging the presence of Pierce.
"I knew him. The man on the bridge," replied the soldier with a sad smile. His cloudy blue eyes remained far away. Pierce slapped the Winter Soldier. He didn't flinch.
A whistling sound split the air. The two guards behind the Winter Soldier, in unison, hands flew to their necks. Then, both collapsed with shrieks and pleas for mercy.
The guards on the floor began to writhe and foam at the mouth. Then the pair stopped moving, breathing shallow.
This course of events happened in about fifteen seconds. There was a sound coming from the door the guards were protecting. It was a humming sound, changing often in pitch and volume. Rumlow motioned for the other guards in the room to position themselves in front of it, their guns raised.
The scientists immediately began to observe the two immobilized guards, showing to Pierce a metal disk on the right side of the throat.