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Same Day: Bank Vault / Flashbacks

The STRIKE team, which are actually HYDRA agents, stands on guard along with Jack Rollins while HYDRA scientists and doctors fix Lars's metal arm, which was damaged by Pacifica's stun disk and Steven's shield (From Previous Chapter 21).

Lars sits shirtless as the scientists work on his arm. Another doctor examines Connie's hand. She's in a sports bra. Lars and Connie stare forward blankly and numb. Suddenly, they get a glimpse of a flashback of their past.

Connie's Flashback Memory

Dr. Ronaldo Fryman looked down at Connie with a small smile, "Sergeant Maheswaran."

Present Time: Bank Vault

Lars looks down, then looks to the side. Connie narrows her eyes a bit as she remembers.

Lars's Flashback Memory

(From Captain Universe: The First Avenger - Chapter 9) - In the snowy mountains, the HYDRA train moves along.

Steven leans out of the blasted hole in the side of the train cart and shouts, "Lars! Connie! No!" Steven is trying to reach out to them.

Lars and Connie fall down the mountain, screaming.

In Lars's Point Of View - Lars, very disoriented, looks up to see an HYDRA agent's back as he walks, then looks forward to seeing another HYDRA agent walking forward. He looks down to see his left forearm gone with a trail of blood from the open wound on the snow as he's on a stretcher, being carried by the two HYDRA agents. He looks to the left side and gets a glimpse of unconscious Connie being carried on a stretcher by another two HYDRA agents. Her right hand is bleeding, also leaving a trail of blood. He faintly sees half of her right hand missing, her four fingers and part of her palm gone, leaving just her thumb.

In Lars's Point Of View - Dr. Ronaldo Fryman's voice says, "The procedure has already started." At a HYDRA facility, in a procedure room, HYDRA doctors walk forward towards Lars, who's on an operating table as they hold syringes and other tools. Lars's body is covered in a white sheet with his left arm out, a HYDRA doctor using a tool to amputate his left arm. Lars looks to the side to see Connie on another operating table, her body covered in a white sheet, another HYDRA doctor using a tool to amputate her right hand.

Present Time: Bank Vault

With his head turned and as he leaned forward a bit, Lars turned his head to his right to Connie on the other side of the room, his eyes confused as he remembered. Connie's breathing picks up a bit as she remembers.

Lars's And Connie's Flashback Memory

In Lars's Point Of View - Lars wakes up, lifts his hands, and sees his left arm has been replaced with a metal one. Ronaldo's voice says, "You both are to be the new fist of HYDRA." A doctor beside him sees him awake and checks on him, but Lars chokes him with his metal hand. Two doctors rush towards them.

In Connie's Point Of View - Connie wakes up, looks around to see that she's in a room with HYDRA doctors, and looks to her right to see Lars on an operating table, just waking up by himself. Connie looks down and sees her right hand and wrist replaced with a metal one. She looks up to see a doctor coming towards her to check on her, and she attacks by grabbing him by the neck and choking him with her metal hand. Another two doctors rush towards them.

Both Lars and Connie's Point Of View - Two doctors each rush towards them, and one of each stabs them with a syringe to knock them out. Ronaldo smiles down at them, his voice saying to his men, "Put them on ice." Lars and Connie are in separate chambers. They both close their eyes as they're being frozen.

Present Time: Bank Vault

Lars returns to the present. He quickly hits and knocks over the HYDRA agent who is fixing his arm. He then flies back against the metal wall that's filled with the safety deposit boxes.

The action makes Connie come out of her trance, returning her to the present. She grips the handles of her seat, not doing anything besides watching cautiously as Rollins points his gun at Lars to stop him from attacking any further.

Lars holds his fists near his stomach, breathing heavily. Connie stares at him with a glimpse of worry in her eyes, but doesn't show much of it in front of the agents.

Minutes later, Nathan, followed by Jasper, enters the bank vault where Lars and Connie are being held. The two doctors and scientists look at Nathan with fear and worry in their eyes. One tells him, "Sir. He's... He's unstable. Erratic." Nathan ignores him, and an agent opens the gate. Nathan enters with Jasper and some other HYDRA agents. Nathan sees a row of agents pointing their guns at Lars and two agents pointing their guns at Connie, who's watching everyone with a hard blank.

Nathan removes his glasses and raises his hands, gesturing to the agents to lower their weapons. They obey, stepping back, still surrounding both Lars and Connie. Nathan goes over to Lars and stands a few feet from him.

Nathan puts his glasses in his inner coat pocket and demands Lars, "Mission report." Looking blank and looking forward at nothing, Lars doesn't respond to him, "Mission report now." Nathan casually moves closer to Lars, leans down a bit, and suddenly backhands Lars hard in the face. Connie, staring at them, quietly breathes harder in anger.

Not fazed by the hit, Lars turns his head back to Nathan, "The man on the bridge."

Flashback: Street

(Inaudible) Steven breathes heavily, looking forward in shock and confusion, saying 'Lars', (From Chapter 21).

Present Time: Bank Vault

Lars looks confused as he remembers. He asks Nathan, "Who was he?" Connie's eyes soften at the mention of Steven, also remembering.

Flashback: Street

(Inaudible) Steven panting, looking even more shocked and confused, saying 'Connie', (From Previous Chapter 22).

Present Time: Bank Vault

Nathan stands in front of Lars, leaning down to look Lars in the eyes. He thinks quickly as he glances at Connie before looking back at Lars, "You both met him earlier this week on another assignment."

Lars states, as he looks at Connie and then looks back forward, with confusion still in his eyes, "We knew him."

Nathan grabs the doctor/scientist-wheeled stool and sits down on it in front of Lars. He looks at both Lars and Connie and says calmly, trying to convince them, "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You both shaped this century. And I need you both to do it one more time." Lars and Connie almost glare at Nathan, "Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. And tomorrow morning, we're gonna give it a push." Jasper listens to Nathan as she stares down at both Lars and Connie to see their reaction, "But if you both don't do your part, I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

Lars states firmly, frustrated with himself, that he doesn't understand or remember, "But we knew him."

Nathan looks between Lars and Connie. He sighs and leans back, then stands up and turns to the scientists, demanding, "Prep them."

The same scientist who warned Nathan before says to him, "They've been out of cryo freeze too long."

Nathan looks between Lars and Connie, and both of their faces show a bit of fear as they hear Nathan's next demand, "Then wipe them and start over."

Connie's breathing picks up as two scientists each guide Lars and Connie to lean back in their chairs. One scientist each turns on the machine behind them, and the other places a mouth guard in Lars's and Connie's mouths to protect their teeth.

One of each scientist presses the button on the screen panel, and the chairs lean back more, strapping Lars and Connie's arms in their chairs. The two's breathing picks up more as the machine headsets move forward and attach to their heads, the headsets giving off electricity to their heads, frying parts of their brain as it wipes their brains with Lars and Connie screaming in pain.

Nathan and Jasper, with a few other agents, casually walk out of the room, not watching the horrible sight of two people's brains being wiped behind them.

Inside: Secret Facility

Rick looked better, sitting at a table, his left arm on a sling, his free hand holding and looking at a photo of Nathan, "This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement. It was a responsibility." He drops the photo on the table and leans forward. He gives everyone a look, "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues." Tambry sits beside him to his right on one end of the table while Marcy sits to his left with Pacifica on the other end of the table, Mordecai standing behind them, Steven and Mabel standing in front of the table, across from Rick.

Mabel states the obvious, her arms crossed over her chest, "We have to stop the launch."

Rick says nonchalantly, "I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." He opens a case beside him on the table. Inside, the case contains three chips.

Mordecai shifts in his spot, looking at the chips, asking, "What's that?"

Tambry vaguely states, "Once the Helicarriers reach 3,000 feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites, becoming fully weaponized." She turns her laptop towards everyone, showing the outward appearance of the satellites connecting with the Helicarriers.

Rick explains, "We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own." The laptop screen showing a zoom-in towards the targeting blades is held on the lower deck, at the bottom floor of the carriers.

Mabel shrugs as she asks Rick, "Can't I just hack my way in there and deactivate them?"

Rick answers Mabel as he gives her a look, "No. First of all, the project was programmed to be unhackable. Second, it will take way too long just to individually shut down one, let alone all three."

Mabel unfolds her arms, placing her hands in her jean pant-pockets as she tells Rick, "Underestimating me, Rick."

Tambry cuts in and continues to explain, "One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work because if even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die."

Rick tells them, "We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades. And maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left-"

Steven angrily cuts Rick off, saying, "We're not salvaging anything." Rick looks at Steven, surprised by the sudden outburst. The same goes for Mabel, "We're not just taking down the carriers, Rick. We're taking down SHIELD."

Rick argues, "SHIELD had nothing to do with this."

Steven tells Rick, "You gave me this mission. This is how it ends." Rick's eyes narrowed as he listened to Steven, "SHIELD's been compromised." Marcy and Pacifica looked down as they listened intently, "You said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose, and nobody noticed."

Rick gives Steven a look, "Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

Steven questions Rick, "How many paid the price before you did?"

Rick looks down and sighs, a bit guilty, "Look, I didn't know about Lars and Connie."

Mabel speaks up and surprises everyone with her hard tone, "Even if you have, would you have told him?"

Steven adds that, as he uses the word Rick told him a couple of days ago (From Chapter 5), "Or would you have compartmentalized that, too? SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes." Mabel nods, agreeing completely.

Tambry speaks up, "He's right." Rick looks at her in disbelief, and she nods, agreeing with Steven.