Chapter 14

(Bye, Bye) I don't want to be a Fool for You! Just Another Player in Your Game for Two! You may Hate Me, but it Ain't No Lie, Baby, Bye, Bye, Bye! (Bye, Bye) I don't really want to make it Tough! I just wanna tell You that I had Enough! It might sound Crazy, but it Ain't no lie, Baby, bye, bye, bye!

*Takes photo*

AAAAAHHHHH! WADE!

DP: Aww! You were practicing my dance?! *Gasp* And you even killed people like I did?! Aww, I'm so flattered!

ZS: First off, those were automated fakes, secondly, DELETE THAT PHOTO THIS INSTANT!

DP: *Gasp* I know! I'll show Cable! That will make up for him not being in my movie with Wolvie! See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!

ZS: WADE!...*sigh* Anyway, welcome back everyone to Welcome to the MCU Phase 2. After this, I have something important to do, so let's make this intro quick.

Firstly, as you are all aware, the MHA manga has officially ended, and, for those who kept track of my sister-story, MHA watches Death Battle, you will know my feelings on it. But for those who don't, and to clarify myself to those who do, I wasn't exactly a fan of it, mostly how it handled Izuku. As I was told multiple times, yes, I am aware that the 'ghosting for 8 years' was a mistranslation and that they weren't in touch as much given their busy jobs, but the actual part of my displeasure of what it implied is still there where the main protagonist of the story still felt left behind and forced to give up being a Hero to be a teacher. Yes, being a teacher is a respectable position in Japan, but then again, it's not like this story has had a good track record in depicting teachers, from a lazy, lying insomniac that expels people willy-nilly, a complete novice, and rampant negligence, from both U.A. and Aldera, so forgive me if the idea of Izuku of being a teacher isn't exactly a titillating prospect, much less the McDonald allegations that Izuku has been facing since then.

And while yes, Izuku is now a Hero again thanks to Support Items, this decision honestly felt more out of left field than One For All returning or surviving with him or gaining something new like All For One or New Order. To make my thoughts more understandable, imagine if in the Spider-Man movies, Peter becomes Spider-Man and does his whole thing, but then he loses his spider powers by the end and suddenly he decides to continue being a Hero by becoming a new Iron Man, or worse, Punisher, it feels completely random and not something that feels like would be the natural progression of Peter Parker's story. Peter Parker is The Spider-Man and has spider powers, and Izuku is Deku and has One For All, and to think of them with anything else feels weird. In short, I wanted Izuku to be the hero known as Deku, not some Iron Man clone. It doesn't feel like it would be the appropriate ending for him, it feels like something better given to someone like Melissa.

Speaking of, I am doing exactly that, and honestly, it's a shame that Melissa was introduced in a movie, or that Horikoshi didn't do what Demon Slayer did, and make the events of the Two Heroes movie a truly canonical part of the series like a mini-arc and then have Melissa be a more integral character in the story because the idea of a Quirkless Hero using Support Items sounds right up Melissa's alley, which is why I doing it in my stories. Hell, I would have better accepted Izuku helping to teach a Quirkless or non-combative Quirk kid to become a Support Item Hero and act as a mentor to the kid like All Might was to him.

Overall, don't expect me to follow this ending in any of my stories, at least in the same way. If you like it, then I'm glad for you and hope that my displeasure and criticisms don't come off as if I'm attacking your tastes, you are free to like what you wish, just I am to call out what I consider bad and explain my reasonings.

Anyway, moving on to the actual story, last time, we had the reveal of the Winter Soldier's identity to the audience, and oh boy, were they shell-shocked. We had happiness from Izuku and Eri that Shoto's counterpart was alive, we had confusion and discomfort from Bakugou and what to make of the fact that this version of Todoroki killed his parents, even if brainwashed, we had horror and rage from the likes of Pony and Endeavor for how this version of Shoto was treated and turned into, and especially disgust and shame from Shoto on his counterpart's actions that he almost had a panic attack before Aizawa put a stop to that.

We also got Aizawa's counterpart confirmed to be alive, and Mineta, rightfully for once, called out the fake-outs for how repetitive they are. Falcon's wings arrive and the inventor girls and Hawks love them, Project Insight's true objective is revealed and Aizawa starts realizing how illogical and harmful his expulsion methods have been, and Izuku and Ochaco are racing toward a climatic discussion that may change their relationship forever. Hurry, Deku my boy, I'm not sure Melissa and Setsuna may hold out for long before they jump your bones.

And speaking of climaxes, we have now reached the end of the Winter Soldier, let us see how it goes for the group...and because this is becoming quite long thanks to my rant, I'm going to skip answering the reviews for now, and jump straight into it. But first, the Index:

"Zayden," -Normal Dialogue

'Zayden,' -Mental or Internal Dialogue

"Zayden," -Flashback and Mental Flashback Dialogue

"Zayden," -Dark Shadow, Buff Might, and Movie Dialogue

"Zayden," -Comms, PA, and TV Dialogue

"Zayden," -F.R.I.D.A.Y. Dialogue

"Zayden," -Jarvis & A.I. Dialogue

"Zayden," -Movie Narration Dialogue

"[Zayden}," -Movie French & Russian Dialogue

And finally, I do not own My Hero Academia, the manga or the anime, as they belong to Horikoshi and is being adapted by Bones Studios. I also do not own the MCU, or the movies consisting of it, nor do I take credit for the work, they belong as a property, respectively, of Disney, Marvel, and Sony, and all the work and credit belongs to the actors, actresses, director, studios, and everyone who worked on it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to hunt down a red and black eye and ear sore with admittingly good dance moves!

*Sharpens blade* Maximum effort!


Captain America: The Winer Soldier

Part 4: End of the Line

Third POV

"We are in final launch sequence," A PA announcer revealed, as workers bustled around the three looming Insight Helicarriers.

"There they are," Mei muttered, looking forlornly at the Helicarriers. "To think, such amazing, useful babies, perverted into instruments of war."

Ibara's eyes drifted down as the words of Maya Hansen repeated in her mind, how such good-intentioned aims and pursuits of science would be tainted by ego and desire into something unrecognizable.

"It doesn't matter what they were supposed to be, they are a threat to millions and need to go down, now," Bakugou grumbled, glaring at the Helicarriers, particularly the engines that housed his counterpart's repulsor technology.

"We are go on guidance," A shaggy-haired guy checked the systems while the launch countdown was around 2 hours and 10 minutes.

"Just how many people here are secretly HYDRA?" Mount Lady narrowed her eyes, darting from one person to the next.

"It's not just that," Izuku spoke up, frowning at Mount Lady's question, how narrow-minded it was in perspective. "It's also how many people good people are being tricked and manipulated by HYDRA's whims?"

All Might smiled at his protege. While the size-changing heroine was right and understandable in her concern about whom in the room, and the building itself, were HYDRA agents that were threats, the change in intent and purpose in Midoriya's view made all the difference. Izuku chose to see the good in people and aimed to help and save them above all rather than simply target the bad as his colleagues did. They meant well in their aims, but Izuku's wider view and perspective was why All Might was certain Deku would be the best of them all.

"All personnel to launch stations," Another PA announcer informed.

"And how was your flight?" Pierce asked, walking alongside the World Security Council members.

"Lovely," Hawley answered, honestly. "The ride from the airport, less so.

Hawks and Nezu narrowed their eyes at the woman who resembled the Safety Commission's president walking alongside Re-Destro's counterpart. Both knew that the Commission's president was not in league with the former leader of the MLA, but they were under no delusions that if that woman had it her way, their society's future would be no less undesirable.

'They are the looming cages over my future. A future where we Heroes have more time for ourselves, where the world would need us less,' Hawks thought. 'And very soon, even if it cost me my wings, I'll see those cages broken and my sky open and free. If not for me to fly-,' Hawks looked down to Tokoyami and the rest of the Hero Students. '-Then for them.'

'A vision of anarchy and unfiltered chaos, the other of order and fearful repression,' Nezu thought, as he looked down at the students that were his charges, the youth he and the teachers must nurture and help grow. 'We must leave the future to you. I know that it will be a freer, safer, more hopeful one than ours.'

"Sadly, S.H.I.E.L.D. can't control everything," Pierce replied.

"Yet," Shinsou muttered angrily. "But it's not S.H.I.E.L.D. he wants to give control."

"Technically, it will, if he has his way," Shoto replied. "It would be the same place just with a different name."

"Including Captain America," Rockwell pointed out.

Pierce pursed his lips and sent a mildly unamused stare at Rockwell but didn't say anything.

"Yeah, he didn't like that," Kaminari hissed. "What's the bet that he is on Insight's list?"

"Oh, most definitely," Mineta nodded, assured.

The group walked up to an agent handing out a case for Pierce. "This facility is biometrically controlled," Pierce explained, grabbing the case that held large pins with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on them. "And these will give you unrestrictive access." The council members took the items and pinned them on their person.

"I have a bad feeling about those badges," Power Loader rubbed his chin, grimly. "An I.D. card or nametag would do much the same with little inconvenience."

"You think it's some kind of trap?" David Shield asked.

"Maybe, don't know enough to be sure," Higari replied. "Let's just wait and see."

While a helicopter flew over the facility, it switched to a few techs arguing in a comms room. "I've been parking there for two months," One of the techs complained to his co-worker.

"But it's his spot," The second tech worker replied.

"So, where's he been?" The first tech questioned.

"I think Afghanistan," Tech 2 answered.

"Wait, so that dude's been parking in some other guy's spot while he's off in a different country?" Sero questioned. "So, what's the problem?"

"I think he came back and found the dude parked in his spot and threw a fit over it," Sen guessed. "Which I can see why."

"Don't you think throwing a fit over that is much?" Kosei asked. "It's just a parking space."

"I'd imagine he has to be of a higher rank or paid for that spot, so it's his, and he has the right to be confused and even a little angry over it," Sen argued.

"But the dude was away in a different country and wasn't using it," Kosei argued back. "The other dude didn't know when he would be coming back, and it wasn't inconveniencing anybody."

"It inconvenienced him now," Honenuki pointed out.

"Okay, but again, it's just a parking spot, not something to lose your head over," Kosei insisted.

"Is this really what he should be discussing amid a coup in progress?" Jurota raised an eyebrow at his classmates.

"Forget it, man," Awase rubbed his forehead. "No use arguing against idiocy. Why'd you think we just knock Monoma out all the time?"

"HEY!" Monoma barked, angrily.

"Negative DT six," The first guy replied to call in. "The pattern is full." The tech guy turned back over to his friend. "Well, he could've said something-"

Suddenly, high-pitched feedback caused them to exclaim in pain, the three techs taking off their headsets. "Must be the dish," The 2nd tech guy figured.

"I'll check it out," The 1st tech guy volunteered, getting up from his seat.

"Triskelion command request we clear the area for launch," a PA announced while the tech used his keycard to open the door.

What the tech guy found when he opened the door was Agent Kayama and Falcon aiming their guns at him, Captain America standing between them. "Excuse us," Cap apologized, the tech guy raising his arms in surrender and stepping aside for the three to enter.

"Nice to see that guy know to back off," Miruko smirked.

"Just as reasonable as it was for the captain not to harm potentially innocent men, recklessly," Ryukyu pointed out.

"Shouldn't they be going after the Helicarriers first?" Hagakure asked. "Why are they going there first?"

"It must be a control center for monitoring air traffic control and communications," Momo analyzed. "They could use the area to hack the Helicarriers from the ground, remotely, establish communications between them, and listen in on enemy deployment."

"Nicely observed, Yaoyorozu," Edgeshot nodded, impressed.

Yaoyorozu blushed and smiled in pride and anxious satisfaction at being praised by the Number 4 Hero.

"More convinced to take the girl on as an intern or sidekick?" Fat Gum asked with a grin.

"Perhaps," Edgeshot whispered. "Maybe after Majestic roughs out more of her edges."

"I know the road hasn't exactly been smooth, and some of you would have gladly kicked me out of the car along the way," Pierce spoke to the Council members in the room they convened remotely prior, a glass of champagne in each of their hands. Pierce turned toward the large glass monitor overseeing all the info on Insight's launch. "Finally, we're here. And the world should be grateful."

Aizawa glared hatefully at his counterpart's supposed friend. 'Grateful? What part of what you are about to do is grateful?' Aizawa thought, bitterly as those words could likewise apply to him. He always thought his expulsion tactic was something his former students should be grateful for, whether it be showing just how unfair this world was and to take their line of work seriously, or to make those unworthy of it get out before they get themselves and others killed.

And yet, now, as he looked back to the past, his reasoning and trauma laid bare in their faults, he found nothing grateful to be had in his actions. He only made those children's lives unnecessarily harder, more limited, and costly, and potentially ruined many lives, all because he pushed his issues and trauma from Shirakumo's death onto them. He gave them punishment and consequences before they had the chance to fully prove themselves, just like his counterpart wanted Insight to give safety and justice before the crime.

'It all seems more easily irrational in retrospect, doesn't it?' Aizawa bitterly thought.

As they raised their glasses to sip their drinks, they were interrupted by the PA. "Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Izuku Rogers," Rogers's voice came on the PA. Pierce and the council members froze, as well as many of the people in the control room and all around the facility, including Agent Melissa. "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down."

"But I think it's time you know the truth," Izuku spoke while Kayama took over the comms and Falcon stood guard.

'The truth,' Izuku looked at the people around him, the classmates he fought with, the friends who stood by him, the loves he found, and he took them for granted. They fought for and with him, supported and helped him improve, cared for, and loved him. They trusted him with their lives, and yet, Izuku didn't return that trust with his biggest secret

'All Might entrusted me with this secret, with this power to make it my own, and thus my responsibility,' Izuku stared at his scarred hand, felt the flow of One For All deep in his veins, the weight of his power, and the consequences of its knowledge. Izuku looked at Tsukauchi, Recovery Girl, Nezu, and Gran Torino, all those All Might entrusted his secret to. Then he looked at Bakugou and Melissa, the ones he told and entrusted his secret to. 'And it's now my responsibility, and my choice to choose who I entrust this to.'

Izuku looked at Shoto, Iida, and Mirio, his best friends and brothers in all but blood, he thought of his mother, the woman who raised and loved him with all her heart and never abandoned him, and he looked at the girls, those who chose to give their hearts willingly to him above all others, like Setsuna and Melissa. Izuku looked to Uraraka, the girl who helped change the hated name of Deku into something inspiring, who saved him in turn, who always was there to be his Hero above all others.

'I've seen what lies do,' Izuku thought, remembering what Pierce did to Shoto and Aizawa, what Aizawa and S.H.I.E.L.D. kept from Rogers, what All Might did to himself, and what Aldera and Bakugou did to him. 'No more.'

Izuku took a moment, steeling himself for the words he would say. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA," Rogers revealed. "Alexander Pierce is their leader."

Pierce paced while the council members stared at him, shocked. Meeting their gazes, Pierce just shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Busted," Hawks grinned, vindictively.

"Did he just nonchalantly admit it?" Ojiro pointed at Pierce.

"I'd imagine they are thinking that if Captain Freaking America says something as crazy and earth-shattering as that, there's no way they aren't believing him," Kirishima smirked. "And no point denying it."

"The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well," Rumlow and his agents marched and split up. "I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building." The officers in the control room looked around suspiciously at each other, unsure. "They could be standing right next to you."

"He is calling it as it is," Endeavor noted. "There is no use in placating their worries with any more lies. The truth must come out, as hard as it may be."

Nezu gazed subtly at Endeavor, pondering if the Number 1 Hero meant his dirty secrets, as well.

Pierce took out his phone and began typing a message. "They almost have what they want. Absolute control." The men outside also paused and looked around, unsure as they heard the captain's revelation.

"They shot Shouta Aizawa," Izuku revealed, Melissa pausing as she looked around.

Melissa stared hard at herself, hoping her thoughts and strength were heard and felt by her counterpart.

"And it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way." The shaggy-haired officer trembled and shivered in fear.

Aoyama flinched, subtly lowering his head in shame.

"Unless we stop them," A group of HYDRA's Insight crew marched over toward the entrance to the third Helicarrier, two guards realizing the truth of Cap's words. "I know I'm asking a lot." The two guards prepared to pull out their firearms, only for the lead man to pull his out and fire, killing the two guards swiftly. "The price of freedom is high. It always has been."

Tokoyami glared, his fists cracking as he gazed at those brave men who gave their very lives for the price of freedom. 'I, We, do not intend for their sacrifice to be in vain,' Tokoyami declared.

Hawks thought to the army of thousands of Villains that stood in the way of their society's future, the shady pricks in the shadows that pulled at their strings for dominance and control and stared forward, determinedly. 'The price is high, but so is the open sky,' Hawks thought. 'And I don't want to give it up. Ever.'

"And it's a price I'm willing to pay," Izuku Rogers declared. "And if I'm the only one, then so be it." Kayama stared at Rogers. "But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

'The price of freedom, of Hope, of a safe future filled with smiles,' Izuku thought to whoever may stand against that future. Pierce or his counterpart, Aldera, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Commission, HYDRA, The League of Villains, Shigaraki, or All For One, they all stood before his mind like a looming, mountainous shadow, and one he would be willing to charge at to face. 'I'll pay anything to see to make the future come true.'

And as he imagined him running at them all, he saw his friends running beside him into the fray, always. 'And I know I won't be alone.'

Finishing his speech, Kayama turned off the PA. Sam walked up, smirking. "Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Falcon asked, smirkingly.

Izuku blushed, a sudden weight of embarrassment crashing down on his confidence. "U-Um, maybe?" Izuku replied, questioning.

The chuckles and laughs from his friends and loved ones only made that embarrassment worse.

"Never change, Deku. Never change," Uraraka chuckled, wiping away a tear from her eye.

"Agreed," Toshinori muttered, proudly and fondly.

"You smug son of a bitch," Rockwell cursed Pierce, he and the rest of the Council staring at him in disgust and anger.

"Whelp, cat's out of the bag now," Tetsutetsu grinned.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid it is far from over just yet," Monoma pointed out.

Pierce stood there defiantly with his arms crossed, a few S.T.R.I.K.E. agents walking in. "Arrest him," Singh ordered them as if it was obvious what they should do. The S.T.R.I.K.E. agent instead pulled his gun out and aimed it at Singh, the Indian councilman shocked.

"I guess I've got the floor," Pierce retorted.

Pony glared hatefully at Pierce, wanting ever so much to wipe that smug smile off the man's face for everything he did, to Todoroki and their friends.

The girl then felt a hand take hers in theirs. Pony looked up to see it was Todoroki. While he continued gazing at the screen like nothing happened, a light cool air spread from his hand to her, cooling the fire that burned in her heart. And yet Pony's face burned right red at his care and comfort.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps, Melissa and the officers in the control room watched as Rumlow walked in, everyone staring at him.

Hawks stared at Sliden'Go's counterpart with all the contempt and disgust the winged Hero wanted to convey to the traitor every time he saw his face in the Gunga Mansion. He was glad that many began to stare at the man with the same rage, and likely imagine the so-called Hero with the suspicion he wanted for them to know.

"Preempt the launch sequence," Rumlow ordered the shaggy-haired officer. "Send those ships up now." The shaggy-haired man did his best not to shiver, his lips trembling in fear. He looked at Rumlow for a moment before looking back at the screen. "Is there a problem?" Rumlow questioned, threateningly.

"How dare he impose his will onto that poor worker like that," Iida huffed, his arms chopping angrily. "Nothing more than a remorseless brute."

'I can't believe I didn't realize just who he really was,' Izuku glared bitterly at Rumlow, the same man who saved him on the Lemurian Star one moment, and presumably had his back for other missions too, and then later tried to capture and kill him like that all meant nothing. 'Nothing personal, my ass,'

Setsuna squeezed her arms around him, sensing his distress. "It isn't your fault for his actions," Setsuna whispered, comfortingly. "You couldn't have known any better than we could now."

Izuku let out a calming sigh, leaning his head down and brushing his cheek affectionately at the top of Setsuna's head, feeling her mossy green hair on his cheek. "Thank you," Izuku whispered.

"Any time, my Green Bean," Setsuna whispered back.

"Um..." The officer froze, feeling everyone staring at him with a mix of uncertainty, expectation, and pressure.

"Is there a problem?!" Rumlow yelled at the man.

"I'm sorry, sir," The scared man apologized, fearfully.

Mineta flinched, momentarily. He saw that fear in that man's eyes, he felt it. In the USJ's Shipwreck zone, surrounded by all those Villains, in the Training Camp when the League attacked, and every time he faced danger and death, he felt that fear, the fear to hide away and run from that danger. And now, he saw how that man looked around in fear of the HYDRA members that may be around him. He likely wanted to follow Rumlow's orders just so he could live. It felt like looking in a shameful mirror.

'But then there was always that crazy-ass, suicidal Cassanova there to show me differently,' Mineta looked back on Midoriya's actions, how he leaped into the air and blasted the Shipwreck Zone Villains, faced everyone in the Sports Festival gunning for him and fought back against Todoroki, how he went after the Villains from trying to capture Tokoyami and Bakugou and venturing out to save the latter from the Villains. He recalled Midoriya steeling himself against the numerous foes they faced in the Licensing Exam, heard how he battled against Overhaul, faced down against Nine, stomached the world accusing him of being a Villain, went after, and defeated Flect Turn. In the face of overwhelming danger, the great chance of death, and the fear Mineta saw in his eyes at times, Izuku Midoriya always charged in, regardless of everything, and showed immense courage and bravery.

And inspired Mineta to do the same. To trap the Shipwreck Villains in his Pop Off balls, to do his best in the Sports Festival, even against Todoroki, to be able to face down and win against Midnight in the Final Exams, to stand his own against the Villains and the Licensing Examinees, to do his best in the Joint Training Exercise, and even to face the likes of Nine and his crew of powerful Villains. In all those times, when facing overwhelming fear, Izuku stood as one of the brightest lights of courage and bravery to help him be brave too.

'Please, my guy, don't listen to him, be brave,' Mineta cheered for the scared man. 'Do your best.'

Breathing heavily, visibly wrestling against his fear, the man straightened up. "I'm not gonna launch those ships. Captain's orders."

'Yes!' Mineta pumped his best, doing his best not to look more enthusiastic than everyone else.

Izuku, however, spotted it, and just like he smiled proudly at the man who stood against his fear, Izuku remembered and acknowledged when Minoru Mineta, a boy who always looked the most frightened among them, acted as one of the bravest. 'He may be a perv that I will knock into the dirt again and again to protect the girls, but he is still my friend and quite the Symbol of Courage if I do say so myself,' Izuku declared.

"Now that's a Real Man right there!" Kirishima yelled.

"Agreed!" Tetsutetsu clashed his metal fists in exclamation.

Rumlow pulled out his gun and aimed it at the back of the man's head. "Move away from your station," Rumlow ordered, the man shutting his eyes tightly in terror.

"Get away from him!" Izuku growled, his attention brought back to the movie.

"Like he said," Agent 13 walked up, aiming his gun at the side of Rumlow's head. Immediately, other officers and S.T.R.I.K.E. agents pulled out their guns aiming at each other, exclaiming demands to lower their weapons. "Captain's orders."

"You go, girl!" Mina cheered on Melissa's counterpart.

"Show him we Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aren't ones to boss around," Uraraka smirked at Melissa.

"Gladly," Melissa smirked back, her smile brightening as she felt Izuku's and Eri's hands grab and tighten around hers.

Setsuna smiled, glad to see all those agents standing up against HYDRA, and especially glad that this organization her counterpart helped to build, her legacy, was not all tainted.

"You picked the wrong side, Agent," Rumlow growled at her, pressing this gun onto the terrified, crying man's head, his hands raised in surrender.

"Depends on where you're standing," Melissa retorted.

'And I will always stand for what I feel is right, not what others think is right by me,' Melissa declared to herself, while her gaze drifted to the side, gazing subtly at the man she needed to talk to since last night.

The room was still as officers froze in chairs or raised their guns at S.T.R.I.K.E. who aimed at them, while Melissa and Rumlow stood at a standstill, her gun pressed on the side of his head. Realizing his predicament, Rumlow lowered his weapon and dropped it, the man he threatened gasping.

"Yeah, that's what I thought-" Death Arms tried saying smugly before the movie interrupted him.

Then, Rumlow pulled out a knife from his side, slashing at Melissa's arm, the agent groaning in pain and dropping her gun.

Eri squeaked and clasped a hand over her mouth to keep her from crying out 'Mama!'

People gasped as Rumlow quickly caught her gun and he and S.T.R.I.K.E. fired, the officers responding in kind, shooting and killing each other.

"Dammit!" Kamui Woods groaned, glaring as brave S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were dying left and right.

"You just had to jinx us, huh, Army?" Mount Lady said dryly.

"S-Sorry," Death Arms sweatdropped.

Rumlow aimed the gun at the man who refused him, only for Melissa to kick the man's seat, sending him flying off to the side and away from the bullet that was fired.

"Oh, phew!" Mineta sighed in relief. "Thank the heavens of the goddess that is Melissa Shield!"

"I'll...let this one slide," Melissa begrudgingly allowed for the compliment, or at least ignored the flirtation behind that praise.

The man she loved did not, with Izuku narrowing his eyes dangerously at Mineta, who squeaked and hid behind his bean bag. 'He may inspire me to be brave, but I'm not brave enough to face that!' Mineta shivered.

While S.T.R.I.K.E. cover fired and Melissa and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took cover, Rumlow typed in commands on the computer. His task done; he turned back to fire on the loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Melissa went after him, firing on him until Rumlow ran out of the room. On the monitor, the Insight Launch went to zero as the large words 'Override' took center stage.

"Dammit!" Melissa cursed, frustrated.

"You did your best, Melissa, and it was awesome," Mei patted her friend on the back. "That douche was just too slippery."

"Regardless, the Helicarriers are operational," Shinsou narrowed his eyes, his feet tapping rapidly.

Outside the Triskelion, the three connected sections of the river began to open up, revealing the storage area of the Insight Helicarriers.

"Huh, so that's where they were," Sato muttered.

"Where else did you think those giant ass Helicarriers were going to be underground? Directly under the building?" Kamakiri questioned sarcastically.

"Touche," Sato admitted.

"Close the bay doors!" A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent yelled as he ran over at a technician. "Close the bay doors, now! Close the bay doors!"

S.T.R.I.K.E. agents responded by firing and killing both the agent and the technicians. The remaining SHIELD agents entered into a shoot-off against the HYDRA loyalists.

Aizawa's knuckles cracked under their barely contained fury. 'Those are all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. My agents. And they're dying for my mistakes,' Aizawa growled to himself.

"Hey, they did what they chose to do," Aizawa perked up and looked over to Mic, who stared at him seriously over his shades. "Even outnumbered and outgunned, they chose to stand against HYDRA, to stand up for what's right even when it seemed hopeless. Give them some dignity in their sacrifices."

Aizawa realized it wasn't just those agents he was talking about, his thoughts returning to seeing one witty blonde agent bleeding out with a smirk before him. Aizawa was surprised at the level of maturity and seriousness his old friend was displaying. Mic, the jokester who didn't take anything seriously and always yelled his ear out, was acting more rational than him. What was the world coming to?

Aizawa smirked, impressed, and nodded. Yamada nodded back, both of them returning their attention to the movie.

The bay doors began to open fully, revealing the top of the Helicarriers filled with Quinjets, and a red-painted S.H.I.E.L.D. on the runway.

Setsuna glared at the red-painted eagle of S.H.I.E.L.D., the paint and the way it was facing them making it very clear what it looked like. 'HYDRA's damned red, tentacled skull,' The green-haired girl growled, still pissed off that her organization was infiltrated by such disgusting parasites and wondering if her counterpart failed to see it as it was happening.

As the bay doors opened fully, the repulsor engines came online, lighting up blue and firing off as they began their ascent.

Ibara clasped her hands onto Bakugou's, feeling the anger in his grip as they saw HYDRA using Stark's tech against the innocent. 'First, they murdered his parents using a brainwashed Barnes, and now they pervert Iron Man's works to murder millions,' Ibara growled to herself, swearing that if she ever found herself in that world and run into any HYDRA agent, she would show them her not-so-holy wrath.

"They're initiating launch," Kayama radioed to Cap and Falcon from the control room. The Insight Helicarriers rose off the bay and toward the sky.

"Looks like I'm running coms and the remote hacking," Midnight smirked. "Good. About time my lazy, sexy got to do something."

"Glad to see your saggy ass not sag so much," Mount Lady snarked, grinning mischievously.

Midnight narrowed her eyes at her rival, yet smirked. "I guess I'm glad I get to give some payback to the bastards who tried murdering my friend and boss," Kayama replied. "But call my ass saggy again and I'll whip some obedience into you."

"I'd like to see you try," Takeyama smirked back.

Outside, Captain America and Falcon ran out of the building and toward the Helicarriers. "Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Falcon inquired.

"If they're shooting at you, they're bad," Cap answered, simply.

"...Duly noted," Tokoyami tilted his head to silently say 'Fair point'.

"Whatever you say, Captain!" Dark Shadow cawed, saluting with his shadowy claw. "Let's Reach For the Skies!"

Izuku suppressed the chuckle that nearly broke out. He may have understood the reference, but he learned his lesson to not point it out like other him, again.

With that said, Falcon spread his arms out, his pack responding by spreading out his dark wings and the red light of the thrusters glowed upon activation. Falcon took to the skies while Cap jumped down to the rising Helicarrier, rolling safely upon landing.

"Fly, you glorious bastard! Fly!" Hawks cheered dramatically.

The laughs that ensued brought a cloud of embarrassment over both Tokoyami and Dark Shadow's heads. The only thing that made it feel any better was hearing a certain ghostly laugh among them.

"Honestly, if he didn't have that Super Soldier Serum, I would be wondering how his legs didn't shatter from that far a fall," Kyoka admitted.

Rogers ran down the Helicarrier's runway before raising his shield to block the incoming bullet fire. Seeing it was the S.T.R.I.K.E. agents, Cap ran for cover toward the strapped-together cases and structures of the carrier, hopping onto and rolling over the crates, before rushing over for further cover. As a S.T.R.I.K.E. agent came toward him, Izuku spun around and shoved aside the agent's gun, a strong jab breaking the man's goggles and stunning him, following up by grabbing and tossing him onto the side of some crates, and jabbing the shield onto his chest to knock him out.

"Good. Rather than test his luck and defenses trying to block all that gunfire with his shield, he took cover among the crates," Snipe nodded in approval.

"And performed a reactive and quick takedown when he was almost caught off-guard," Ectoplasm added.

While Toshinori nodded in agreement with their words, the former bearer of One For All wondered just how more impressive and quicker Midoriya's reaction time will be once he manifests Danger Sense, the 4th User's Quirk...and if it doesn't lead to any consequences like Toshinori found out when researching the enigmatic man.

As he fell, Cap grabbed a grenade from his belt and tossed it behind him, the grenade skipping over and exploding on four S.T.R.I.K.E. agents.

'They are the bad guys, and that's another me. They are the bad guys, and that's another me,' Izuku repeated like a mantra to brush away the guilt that came with most likely taking the lives of those men. Even if they were bad guys that left his counterpart no choice, and Midoriya knew from All Might's teachings and these videos that lethal force might be necessary, at times, Izuku wasn't a killer, and still pondered and worried about the day that he will have to be faced with such a decision himself.

'At the very least, I now know how it feels to explode people like Kacchan does,' Izuku chose to see the bright side of things...in a way.

Meanwhile, Falcon flew expertly toward another of the Helicarriers. As he neared it, explosions went off around him, Sam exclaimed as he was forced to evade while the turrets fired on him. "Hey, Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about," Falcon called in as he rose further up while the turrets continued firing.

Reiko wriggled her hands together, nervously, as she saw Tokoyami's counterpart so close to getting shot out of the sky like his partner.

"You okay?" Izuku responded, peeking out his cover for further hostiles.

Falcon swiftly dove, expertly avoiding further explosions and then ascended back into the sky. "I'm not dead yet."

"Damn, man, that was awesome! And so Manly!" Kirishima exclaimed while patting Tokoyami on the shoulder. A bit too roughly in the excitement, if Tokoyami's sudden exhale was any indication. "Man, I wish I could fly like that!"

"Y-Yes, well, hopefully, you may gain your chance if Hatsume and Shield can create for you a War Machine suit of your own," Tokoyami recovered and made no note of the force of Kirishima's pat.

"And we will show you who's the better flyer!" Dark Shadow challenged the hard-headed teen.

"You're on!" Kirishima grinned, excited at the prospect of such a challenge.

Pierce gazed as the Helicarriers fired on Captain America's flying partner, pensively. "Let me ask you a question," Pierce turned back to the captured council members, setting down his phone and picking up another glass of champagne. "What if Pakistan marched into Mumbai tomorrow and you knew that they were going to drag your daughters into a soccer stadium for execution," Pierce walked to Singh, directing his question at the Indian councilman, handing him the glass of champagne. "And you could just stop it, with a flick of the switch. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you all?"

"How dare he try to justify himself with such an excuse!" Hound Dog growled with barely contained rage.

"He believes it is justifiable because the very thing he proposes happened to him, in a way," Nezu explained. "He is making a subtle reference to when those terrorists took his daughter hostage."

"That must have been his motivation for joining HYDRA," Gran Torino pointed out. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was approached because of that incident and joined shortly afterward."

"In which case, it is still shameful to use his daughter's suffering and traumatic event as an excuse to act no better than those very terrorists that held a gun to her head," Recovery Girl admonished Pierce's hypocrisy.

"Not if it was your switch," Singh denied him, tossing away the glass, shattering on the floor while Singh stared defiantly at Pierce.

Hawks blinked, granting a nod of respect for Singh. He wondered if this was some sign of the universe, multiverse, or whatever, that there were good people in the Commission, much like Twice was at heart. His thoughts did turn to Mera, a high-ranking member of the Commission and possibly the only person he saw who was more tired and sleepy than Eraserhead. Hawks always did find that he was a good egg, even if his drowsiness made him blunt, and grouchy at times.

Pierce's eye twitched before he let out a chuckle. A S.T.R.I.K.E. agent pulled out a pistol and handed it to Pierce's awaiting hand. But before the HYDRA leader could shoot the man, Councilwoman Hawley struck, kicking Singh away from Pierce's aim.

"Huh?!" The group exclaimed. Nezu and Hawks blinked in absolute confusion at what they'd seen.

The woman threw a straight jab into Pierce's face, stunning him while tossing a shock disc into the neck of a S.T.R.I.K.E. agent and electrocuting him to unconsciousness.

Momo blinked as she saw the shock disc, eyes lighting up in realization, and smiled knowingly.

Hawley tossed the gun behind her, striking the main S.T.R.I.K.E. agent on the throat, causing him to gasp for breath. A palm strike to the face and a knee strike was followed by the woman onto a third agent before tossing him onto the floor. The gasping agent tried to recover but the councilwoman slammed his head into the table, the man slumping to the floor unconscious. The recently tossed-over agent got up and tried aiming for her, but she spun around him, elbowed him in the back of the head, and tossed him back onto the floor, for good this time.

"W-Woah!" Itsuka said, surprised and impressed. "Didn't expect for a lady of her age to kick some serious butt."

"That's because that isn't the councilwoman," Momo stated.

"W-What do you mean?" Kinoko questioned, her head tilted in confusion.

"Just watch," Momo directed toward the screen.

Pamela Hawley got up, aiming a pistol at Pierce, who raised his hands in surrender while nursing his face and the other councilmen stared at her in awe. Pamela raised her hand to the side of her face, holographic cell-like features suddenly on her face. "I'm sorry," The woman's voice was distorted between Hawley and another familiar voice, Pierce gazing in shock. The mystery woman removed her veil to reveal the face of Ochaco Romanoff, likewise removing the blonde wig to show her brownish-red hair. "Did I step on your moment?"

"IT WAS OCHACO?!" Mina and Hagakure exclaimed in unison.

"Wow, looks like your spy expertise goes farther than I thought, Ochaco," Asui croaked.

"T-Thanks, Tsu," Ochaco nodded, still surprised by how the councilwoman was really her in disguise.

Hawks and Nezu sighed, relieved that their world wasn't crashing in around them at seeing that selfish, authoritative, control-hungry Commission President as some kick-ass good person. They knew enough of the woman to know that the woman's heart was almost black as licorice.

"Oooh! What a baby!" Mei exclaimed as she began writing notes in her Izuku-given notebook. "It must be a type of lightweight, flexible material using a photostatic surface that bends the light to mimic the appearance of the user to another! Could it be using holographic technology? Audio recordings to mimic their voice? Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y., what's the baby called?"

"Well, it's often referred to as a Photostatic Veil or Nano Mask, but for Black Widow, it's referred to as the Widow's Veil," F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered.

"Huh, catchy," Melissa said as she wrote down some notes of her own. "I think I could use some of the tech I used for Izu's Full Gauntlet to make a veil that is flexible and thin enough to work around making one. What do you think, Uraraka? Want one of your own?"

"Thanks, but stealth isn't my thing," Ochaco waved away the offer. "Though, maybe Toru, Tsu, and Yaomomo can help with making one of those, too."

"Kero," Asui nodded. "My slime does have camouflaging properties that could help out."

"Same with my Quirk!" Toru exclaimed. "I'd be glad to help!"

"As am I, provided I can likewise be of help with your work on Vibranium and the Stark element," Momo proposed.

As the girls discussed, Izuku smiled warmly and proudly at all of them working together. Normally, he would see it as his friends all getting along and working to help each other, and that would be it. However, Izuku knew the truth about the one thing connecting them all, this Sisterhood they were all a part of, all for the sake of being with him.

When he first heard about this, and after getting used to the idea of such a thing being a possibility, Izuku wouldn't lie and not imagine that the girls' first response to their shared feelings for him would be jealousy and rage, but the fact that they joined together and came up with the decision to share him was shell-shocking. Still, Izuku found it a godsend that they were all such friends with each other and that no cattiness or bitterness would form from them...hopefully.

"Satellites in range at 3,000 feet," One of the Insight crew reported.

"Falcon, status?" Kayama radioed in.

"Engaging," Falcon reported, flying down toward one of the Helicarriers while rolling and evading turret fire. Doing a barrel roll into a straight dive, his wings brought back as he dived, Sam was faster than the responding gunfire, circling the ship's side. As he slowed onto the runway, he kept the wings out while he pulled his arm back, grabbing onto silver bricks on both ends of his belt. The bricks shifted and transformed into duo pistols. Falcon dove feet first and slammed his feet onto a S.T.R.I.K.E. agent sending him flying, before turning around and flying backward while firing on another, killing the HYDRA goon.

"So cool!" Kouta stared starry-eyed at Falcon's flying.

"Not that I want it to happen, but I'm surprised that he was able to evade all the fire so easily," Bondo said.

"The smaller and faster the target, the harder it is to hit," Shoda replied.

Falcon hovered on top of the runway. "Alright, Cap. I'm in," Sam reported.

"Interesting," Melissa hummed as she wrote in her notebook. "It appears that Falcon's wings have a fast flight mode and a hover mode, one capable of high-speed flight and maneuverability, and the other for stationary observation and to fire his guns. If we could replace the firearms with more non-lethal weaponry, it would be an amazing Support Item for a Hero."

Izuku's mind took him back to his time in Otheon, turning to the one person he felt would adore having this: Rody Soul. Izuku knew how skilled Rody could be with actual training having seen the boy in action with the skills he picked up on his own, both when they worked together and when Izuku was chasing after him at first. With Rody's reflexes and resourcefulness, along with his skills in operating and flying a plane, the auburn-haired boy could quickly pick up how to operate the Falcon wings, as well as perform the evasive and difficult maneuvers needed to survive gunfire.

'Rody did want to be a pilot and fly like Pino,' Izuku thought, smiling at the memory of his friend and his bird-for-a-Quirk. 'And he did hate that Heroes wouldn't bother to help people in the slums. Maybe with wings of his own, he could see that change, be able to fly like Pino, and make his siblings proud of their big brother who works so hard for them.'

Suddenly, Falcon turned toward the sound of engines roaring in the air, spotting a Quinjet taking off after him. "Oh, shit," Wilson cursed before flying off again, the Quinjet firing at the retreating flying man.

"Spoke too soon, huh?" Kaminari questioned teasingly.

Tokoyami's response was a gruff sound of reluctant acknowledgment, while Dark Shadow grew a tiny bit and growled.

Falcon flew low under the vacant Quinjets, the bullets striking at the jets rather than Sam. Unfortunately, one of the bullets struck the engine of the last jet, exploding in flames. The explosion blasted Wilson, groaning as his wings retracted and he rolled by the ledge.

"Oh no!" Eri cried out, whimpering in worry.

Reiko's grip on her knees tightened, while Hawks's relaxed face hardened into serious worry.

Getting up and seeing the approaching jet, brought out his guns and dove backward off the ledge while firing, the bullets cracking the glass and disorienting the pilots. Diving downward, Falcon brought out his wings again and U-turned around the front of the Helicarrier to fly along its bottom, the Quinjet still in hot pursuit.

Reiko and Hawks sighed in relief.

"That was nicely done," Snipe nodded. "Those bullets may not have been strong enough to pierce the window, but they did distract the pilots enough for Falcon to evade getting hit."

"And now the window will have those cracks that will prove harder to aim at him," Power Loader added.

On one of the other two, Cap battled against S.T.R.I.K.E. agents, blocking their bullets, punching, shield-smacking and striking, and kicking foes away with great force. Izuku kicked at another's side before a spinning backkick sent the enemy flying away. With two agents coming at him, Cap hopped off a forklift and hop-kicked the agent on the right while slamming his shield forward on the left, knocking them both down.

"Man, he's just tearing through them," Tetsutetsu muttered, impressed. "Manly."

"Now, imagine that but faster, stronger, and sparking with green lightning," Sen said.

Tetsutetsu and Sen did just that, imaging all of what they saw this version of Izuku do, and then applying it to their own Izuku, with his admittingly greater level of super strength, speed, and the additional power and skills of Black Whip and his Air Force Technique. Needless to say, both teens shivered, believing that if they fought such a combo in their mock battle against Yaoyorozu and him, they would be cooked.

"Eight minutes, Cap," Kayama called in, while Izuku hurled his shield onto a final goon, striking the man directly on the face before the Vibranium shield flew back into Izuku's hand.

"Working on it," Izuku radioed back, grabbing the shield and making his way inside the carrier.

"Yeah, eight minutes to plant one computer chip into three Helicarriers each," Sero muttered in a sarcastic tone. "Sure, easy enough."

"It doesn't fucking matter if the job is easy or not, Tape Arms, you're told the job and you get it done," Bakugou barked back. "If not, it's people's lives that are gonna suffer."

Izuku looked at his old childhood friend with contemplation. It wasn't too long ago that the main reason for Katsuki Bakugou to be a Hero and his motivation was to always win, that true Heroes never lose, like All Might. Back then, Kacchan had always scoffed at his desires to be a Hero, to save everyone, and found it the naive, intangible dream of a worthless loser without a Quirk.

Now, Kacchan seemed to be speaking his language with those words, and Izuku was left to wonder if this change came from All Might, Iron Man, or maybe even both. On the one hand, it seemed easy to think the change came from his counterpart's actions throughout the movies with him, from selflessly willing to sacrifice himself to defeat Obadiah Stane and direct a nuke through the alien portal over New York. Then there was the recent Iron Man 3 where he nearly failed to save Ibara's counterpart, perhaps seeing the need to save her so much made Bakugou see things from his perspective a bit more. However, All Might was likely possible for this change of view, from their fight after the Licensing Exam to recently when All Might talked to both of them after Rogers's and Stark's argument in Avengers.

'Then again, it's not like I'm not seeing things from his point of view more recently,' Izuku thought with some self-reflection at his recent events. His overwhelming desire to win and defeat every Villain that stood in his way was something that Bakugou would adhere to, but he always focused on that goal being a requirement to save the lives of others, such as Kouta from Muscular, Eri from Overhaul, Katsuma and Mahoro from Nine, and so on. Now, he's been feeling the drive to ensure absolute victory from his fights, like his and Momo's fight against Tetsutetsu and Kaibara, or his bet against Miruko. A part of that was the desire to match up to the legends that were All Might and now Captain America, but maybe Bakugou was starting to rub as much off of him as Izuku was on him.

Pierce, hands raised in surrender, looked at his phone, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia on it, while Councilman Chao aimed a gun at his back. The HYDRA leader looked to where Romanoff was typing commands on the pedestal, multiple systems deactivating on the monitor behind her.

"What are you doing?" Rockwell asked the Black Widow.

"She's disabling security protocols and dumping all the secrets onto the Internet," Pierce answered.

"Including HYDRA's," Romanoff confirmed.

"This must be their plan to fully destroy both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D.," Momo realized. "If everything about S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed to the public, not only would it expose every possible HYDRA agent, but also expose S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 'dirty laundry', as it were."

"Including their not-so-legal actions that could ensure they are shut down for good," Shoto nodded.

"And S.H.I.E.L.D.'s," Pierce pointed out. Ochaco's finger stopped. "If you do this, none of your past is gonna remain hidden." Ochaco's eyes became pensive. "Are you sure you're ready for the world to see you as you really are?"

"Does he mean Romanoff's ties to the KGB?" Nejire wondered, worried for Ochaco's counterpart.

"And the assassinations she committed before she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tamaki nodded, frowning. "S.H.I.E.L.D. may have spared her when she joined up with them, but if she reveals everything and brings down S.H.I.E.L.D., there will be nothing to cover her against the law."

Ochaco frowned, suddenly feeling the weight of this decision's consequences bearing down on her head. Her counterpart admitted as much to Loki that her past was bloody and filled with horrible actions and choices, and if she did once work for the KGB, she almost assuredly believed some of her tasks included things that would see the U.S. government wanting to put her butt in jail forever. 'I may have helped stop an alien invasion, but will that be enough to keep other me from getting hunted by the law?' Ochaco thought, worriedly.

The pink-cheeked girl then felt a rough hand on hers. Ochaco looked up to see Izuku smiling at her, confidently. Her gaze then shifted to see that Shinsou was also smirking at her, and Ochaco knew what they were both conveying silently. Ochaco's cheeks grew redder and her eyes wetter, but Ochaco smiled gratefully.

Romanoff stared back at Pierce and smirkingly, replied, "Are you?"

'Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. goes down, I have friends, family, willing to stand by me and for me,' Ochaco thought confidently. 'Are you sure HYDRA is going to be there for you when your ass gets locked up?'

On the lowest Helicarrier, inside the dome-like bottom, Cap raced down the pathway and toward his objective. When typing in the passcode on the keyboard, the targeting blades came out. Taking one out, Rogers grabbed out of his pocket one of his own, placing it onto the empty slot. "Alpha lock," Izuku reported.

"One down, two to go," Setsuna muttered.

"But if he's on the lowest Helicarrier, how's he supposed to get up to another one?" Hagakure pondered out loud.

"Probably Falcon will give him a lift," Kyoka answered with a shrug. "If he can carry him."

In the comms room, Kayama saw as the first of the three Helicarriers glowed green. "Falcon, where are you now?" Nemuri radioed.

"I had to take a detour," Falcon yelled through the wind as he was still chased by the Quinjet, continuously evading bullets from side to side.

One of the pilots saw how they finally locked onto Falcon and pressed a trigger, multiple missiles firing off the jet and after Tokoyami's counterpart.

"Shit!" Kirishima exclaimed. "Fly Faster! Go! Go! Go!"

"With all due respect, Kirishima, exclaiming toward from counterpart, who cannot even hear you, to fly faster won't translate effectively," Tokoyami replied.

"He means your barking isn't going to suddenly have other Fumikage suddenly take off like a supersonic jet, so pipe down!" Tokoyami translated more bluntly.

"S-Sorry," Kirishima apologized.

Falcon flew, turning around at a wide angle, attempting to throw off the missiles, but they still pursued. Turning back toward the Helicarrier, Sam flew close to its hull, diving down for two missiles to land and explode on the side of the ship and one of the turrets. Falcon continued evading and flying close to the ship, missiles crashing against the Helicarrier and exploding behind him. Sam spun into an aileron roll, the missiles striking at the two poles beside him.

"Niceness," Hawks grinned, immensely impressed. "If you can't shake them, use the environment to your advantage. Let the terrain be your ally and their headache."

"Understood, Sensei," Tokoyami nodded, diligently archiving Hawk's words as gospel in his heroic mind.

While Hawks rolled his eyes at Tokoyami's never-ending insistence on calling him 'Sensei', Reiko giggled.

"Oh, I heard that," Setsuna's disembodied, floating head smiled teasingly at the 1-B ghost girl. "Don't think I forgot about your need to defend our brooding bird of night. Has our ghostly Emily found her Edgar Allan Poe to make her scream 'Never-More'?!"

While Reiko's pale cheeks made her blush all the more apparent, Reiko steeled her gaze at Setsuna. "I will not hear any more drivel from your decadent-infested mind until you can attest the strength of your claims by first fully obtaining your parsley-haired dark knight."

Setsuna's grin only grew while her eyes narrowed, a fire ignited in her dark green eyes. 'Ohoho, challenge accepted, my little Emily,' Setsuna thought.

As he neared the dome, Sam tucked back in his wings and curled up into a ball, rolling down like a cannonball while the missiles crashed and exploded, opening a hole through the dome. "Woah!" Falcon exclaimed. "Oh, yeah!"

"He used the missiles to blow open an easy entrance and exit to the computer with the targeting blades," Edgeshot nodded. "Well done."

"*Sniff* They grow up so fast!" Hawks sniffled while crocodile tears dramatically fell from his eyes.

The students all laughed at the embarrassed brooding that Tokoyami was currently doing.

Turning back around, Falcon entered through the hole and entered the same kind of room as Cap did. "I'm in," Sam called in, likewise bringing down the targeting blades and replacing one with his own. "Bravo lock," Sam reported while flying out of the Helicarrier.

The second Helicarrier turned green on Kayama's screen. "Two down, one to go," Nemuri radioed.

Midnight's hand began to tap her kneecap more rapidly, unable to shake a sudden feeling that things were about to get worse and more complicated.

A group of pilots walked out of the Triskelion and toward the field of Quinjets. "All S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots, scramble," The lead pilot among them radioed. "We're the only air support Captain Rogers has got."

Izuku smiled at the pilots who answered his call, a sense of renewed hope and trust in people blooming where secrecy and mistrust brew, and not just from this movie alone. Ever since he started his journey to become a Hero, going to U.A., meeting all different kinds of people, and facing all sorts of Villains, the once naive view of the world he once had of Heroes and Villains was practically destroyed.

He wasn't that naive, his experience facing the cruelty of a world that viewed powerless people like him as worthless trash already made him see the dark sides of his Hero Society and the green and means people will go through to ensure their chance in the spotlight. Then one after another, something came to shine more of his society's misdeeds: learning about the parental and spousal abuse of a high-ranking, popular Hero like Endeavor, the bullying and mistreatment of Shinsou, the twisted morality and actions of Stain, the betrayal and desperation in David Shield and his assistant Sam when they orchestrated the I-Island Incident with Wolfram, the dark horrors that hid underneath everyone's notice such as the ones Eri had to endure from Overhaul, the tragic life and injustices that Gentle Criminal suffered through, and twisted, horrible, and selfish Villains like Nine and Shigaraki.

The worst of them all was the events of Otheon and Humarise. He went from an up-and-coming Hero hopeful who was recognized and cheered by people on a train to a suspected and hated criminal in the eyes of the public because of the words and corruption inside the system from Humarise and Izuku saw how people quickly turned on him and believed the lies so easily. Izuku managed to clear his name by the end of it and stop Flect Turn and Humarise's plans, but Izuku wouldn't lie and say he came out unscathed from the whole ordeal, and he didn't mean his injuries.

This movie, and some of the previous ones like Avengers, only served to sprinkle salt on a still-open wound. But seeing that his speech managed to reach out to so many people, from the young man who refused to launch the Helicarriers, to Melissa and the agents that fought against Rumlow and S.T.R.I.K.E., and now the pilots, it put a soft smile on Izuku's face.

However, just as one Quinjet was about to take off, a grenade shot out of nowhere and struck its engines, the jet crashing and exploding in a ball of fire. As the flames and smoke cleared, and the ominous music played, Shoto Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier had arrived, a grenade launcher in hand, his hair half white and half red.

That smile instantly died as Izuku looked on in horror.

This new look hit harder to many in the crowd, more than some expected it to. It was one thing to realize that behind the mask and hair dye, this metal-armed assassin was one of their own, brainwashed and scarred, but to see Shoto 'Bucky' Barnes without the mask, revealing his mismatched eyes and scar to the world, and his hair now more similar to his counterpart, it was a twist to the knife stabbing their hearts.

Aizawa kept a close eye on his student, ready to use his Quirk if another panic attack should sprout, yet all he saw from Shoto thus far had been guilt and shame. Aizawa couldn't blame him. Say what they all said time and again that the actions of their counterparts didn't define them, nor were they responsible for them, it was easier said than done when they saw people who bore the same faces and names as they commit acts they wouldn't be proud of.

The brainwashed Bucky fired more shots, blasting away more men and filling the area with smoke and flying pavement. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent ran out of the smoke, pulling the pin on a grenade, but Barnes shot the man in the throat. As the man slumped, the Winter Soldier grabbed the dropped grenade and tossed it into the closing doors of the Quinjet another pilot was about to man. The Quinjet and pilot were consumed in a burst of flames.

Bakugou felt the grip he had on his kneecap only greaten-he refused to do the same with the one gripping Ibara's hand. Again and again, Bakugou tried to remind himself that this Todoroki, or Barnes really, was doing his actions against his will, that the true culprit at fault was Pierce, Rumlow, Garaki, and all those bastards of HYDRA.

And yet, Bakugou can't help but remember that damned article. 'Masaru and Mitsuki Stark Die in Car Accident,' Bakugou remembered the headline, along with the vague image of his father's head slumped on the wheel. Knowing now that it implied that the Winter Soldier was the true cause of their deaths, Bakugou's mind began to conjure horrific image after image of what the man who wore his classmate's and rival's face did to them. Did he shoot them? Beat them to a bloody pulp? Strangle or choke them?

Each possible death only served to greaten his fury, and it roared desperately to find something to blast and vent his anger on. When that something became someone, and his thoughts captured the image of a skinny green-haired, freckled kid, that was the dump of cold water that doused his rage with shame and guilt, the mixture almost making him hurl.

Another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent fired at HYDRA's brainwashed assassin, who blocked the bullets with his metal arm, knocking him out with a right hook, following that by kicking his friend into the blades of another jet, the pilot instantly shredded to pieces and the engine exploding.

As much as he thought it might lighten the mood, morbidly even, Hawks kept his mouth shut and didn't bother to mention how a pilot being tossed into the engine of a plane was not anything new that they had seen.

Endeavor had to look away. He refused to watch another second of this, because anymore and he would start to cry, and he refused to cry in front of his colleagues and the children. Not simply for pride's sake, but because he felt he didn't deserve to show such regret. And what could he say to justify his sense of regret that he didn't already try in the mirror and found the words weak and pathetic?

Endeavor already felt he was in Hell seeing his late eldest son returned from the grave in Iron Man 3, then mocked cruelly by showing this version of his son humiliated and in pain before displaying what could have been in Touya was still alive, and finally tortured seeing this Touya Todoroki as a Villain, turning people into living test subjects, excusing their deaths as fictional acts of a terrorist, prop up a terrorist to the eyes of the people, and work to commit treason and start a war for profit. And if that wasn't bad enough, reality played a cruel mistress as it dangled the horrifying possibility that Touya was still alive but as the Villain Dabi, a Villain, a member of the League, and a murderer. He had already failed Touya enough when he thought he died, he thought he failed him again when he saw the worst of his traits translated towards another Touya, and now he feels he is still failing, and horribly at that, if Touya was Dabi and he was the reason for everything he did.

This time, it was Shoto's turn. Enji Todoroki already mourned when Shoto's counterpart died in the first Captain America video, another son taken from him and unable to do anything about it, only comforted by the solace that his Shoto was still there for him to embrace. Now, in this video, he found Shoto 'Bucky' Barnes survived but was brainwashed and transformed into a cold-blooded assassin in service of the very evil he fought so hard to defeat. He witnessed him seemingly murder Director Shouta Aizawa, implying that he murdered Stark's parents, and is still murdering people. But what was worse, was that this version of Shoto seemed more like his mother before, but now, as he gained the features that made him more like his Shoto, his son, they were because of HYDRA. A left eye like his, red hair like his, his left face scarred, and his left arm replaced by a metal one, indicative of the failures of his past, from Rei's madness, caused by him, burning their son's face to the hatred his son bore to his left side.

These past two days were the greatest cruelty the universe could have done to him. Relief turned to horror, sadness to grief, anger to guilt, regret to shame, his prodigal son thought dead returned a Villain, twice over, and another son returned from the grave, more like him, and thus more horrible and scarred. Nezu was right last night when he said that Endeavor was no true Hero, no Number 1 Hero, he didn't deserve the title for all he did, for all the hurt and trauma he perpetuated to his family, to his eldest and youngest son especially, and somehow still enacting onto those who bore the same faces and names.

'I am curse upon all their lives, in this universe and throughout,' Endeavor lowered his head in utter shame. 'For the danger that is to come, I may not be worthy of being the Number 1 Hero, but I shall gladly be our Number 1 Weapon. And when all is said and done, if amends must be made with me behind bars and my family as far from me as possible, then I'll humbly and willingly accept. If it can offer the tiniest amount of relief to their lives, if it can spare this Shoto's life somehow, I'll gladly pay that price.'

A S.H.I.E.L.D. had got into the seat of a Quinjet and started to ready the ship, but that was as far as he went before he heard a noise above him. He was met by the visage of Bucky Barnes before the latter shot him through the glass. Afterward, using his metal arm to rip one of the windows off, the Winter Soldier climbed inside and flew the jet off toward the Helicarriers.

"He's going after Captain America and Falcon!" Kouta exclaimed and pointed.

Shot felt sick to his stomach. He tried to repeat the words Aizawa said to him, that this wasn't his fault, none of what his counterpart did was on him, and even then, his counterpart was but a brainwashed pawn in HYDRA's games, it wasn't his fault. But then, he thought as much when he tried to reject his father so much that he rejected his left side. Back then, he felt like everything he did was justified if it meant sticking it to his father, how he humiliated Sero by freezing him in a glacier of ice, how he gunned after Midoriya so ruthlessly, and how he disgraced himself and everyone at U.A. for not giving it his all in the Sports Festival. It was alright because he was standing up to his horrible father, it's not his fault if he nearly caused his classmate to get hypothermia. It sounded pathetic, and he truly was pathetic back then.

So, how could he justify himself any less with what his counterpart was doing? How can he not feel guilt watching himself murder scores of innocent people, hearing that he robbed Bakugou of his parents in another world and nearly murdered the counterpart to his teacher, or try to kill his best friend in both worlds without a glimmer of recognition? In truth, Shoto couldn't. He couldn't and wouldn't deny the guilt and shame because he wasn't strong enough not to get himself into this predicament, not strong enough to withstand HYDRA's brainwashing, and not strong enough to break free and stop this madness he was committing.

Shoto realized that throughout this whole time, his hand had been on Pony's, trying to comfort and cool her rage with his ice. He felt unclean, that he was spoiling and dirtying Pony's innocent hands with his bloody ones, his selfish hands that valued denying his father over being a real Hero. He was unworthy to be in Pony's presence, let alone touch her hand.

Shot tried to let go, finding he couldn't; Pony wouldn't. Shoto met her wide yet determined eyes. Pony shook her head, silently refusing to let him go, and telling him to deal with it. And in Pony's eyes, he saw the same fire and stare that Camie would have too. He suddenly imagined what would happen if his girlfriend was here with him and found that she would do the same thing as Pony did, with the exception that she would call him a 'wack hoe' if he beat himself up about this. Shoto couldn't understand how these beautiful women could tolerate his filthy presence...but he couldn't deny them, and wouldn't.

Back in the council room, Chen still aimed his gun at Pierce. All of them witness Ochaco Romanoff end at one final encryption. "Disabling the encryption is an executive order," Pierce pointed out. "It takes two Alpha Level members."

"Don't worry," Romanoff replied. "Company's coming."

All five of them heard the sides of a chopper, looking outside to see a helicopter landing by the helipad outside. Pierce walked a few steps, his jaw dropping as he noticed who was flying the chopper. The man himself got out, his black boots and the end of his black trench coat visible from the bottom of the chopper. Entering the building, the five witnessed Director Shouta Aizawa, his arm still in a cast, stare at them, alive.

"The Director is in the house, little listeners!" Mic exclaimed.

Aizawa smirked. 'I'm having trouble recognizing how right Mic has been lately,' Aizawa admitted. 'But he's right about this. This is my house, and I'm taking it back. Even if I have to tear it down.'

Pierce and Aizawa stared at each other, one with a bitterly mirthful grin and nodding at the other who held a serious, angry glare. "Did you get my flowers?" Pierce asked.

Aizawa said nothing, just continuing to glare a hole through Alexander.

"Yep, that is the appropriate response I would have," Pixie Bob admitted.

"The appropriate response is smacking that bastard across the face and kicking him where the sun doesn't shine," Midnight glared at Pierce.

"That too," Ragdoll nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you're here, Shouta," Pierce admitted.

"Really?" Shouta inquired, walking straight up to his former friend. "Because I thought you had me killed."

"It's like he's saying the words out of my mouth," Kamui Woods said.

"Must be some kind of weird frenemies kind of deal," Mount Lady guessed with a shrug.

"You know how the game works," Pierce excused himself.

"So why make me Head of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Aizawa questioned.

"That is true," Tsukauchi pondered. "If Pierce had been HYDRA all along, or long enough to where he might have promoted Aizawa, why place someone who would be so vehemently opposed to his plans to be the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Because you were the best, and the most ruthless person I ever met," Pierce explained.

Aizawa flinched, his cold and ruthless actions toward his past, expelled students slapping him in the face.

"I did what I did to protect people," Aizawa defended himself.

'And that is what I thought I was doing too,' Eraserhead thought. He thought that his expulsion tactic was saving lives, either making his Hero Students more aware of the dangers and hard life of being a Hero or making those unfit to be Heroes leave before they get themselves killed. It only dawned on him recently that he was ruining lives just as much, if not more.

"Our enemies are your enemies, Shouta," Pierce tried reasoning with his old friend. "Disorder. War. It's just a matter of time before a dirty bomb goes off in Moscow, or an EMP fries Chicago."

"So much about 'a matter of time' or 'bound to happen', or 'what if's," Mina rolled her eyes distastefully at Pierce. "They all come off as excuses of a madman trying to justify his horrible actions."

"Human nature is not something to be controlled over or can ever be controlled over," Tokoyami said. "To believe you can justly without being tyrants yourselves is madness."

"Diplomacy? A holding action, Shouta. A band-aid," Pierce continued. "And You know where I learned that. Bogota."

Aizawa's glare at the screen only worsened, both at Pierce and himself. It stung at himself in shame that his counterpart's actions had seemingly convinced this man to turn HYDRA for order and security at the price of freedom, but more so it enraged him that Pierce could come off with believing that becoming the terrorists was somehow the solution to combating terrorism.

Aizawa's glare seemed to worsen. "You didn't ask. You just did what had to be done," Pierce recalled. "I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people by sacrificing 20 million."

"20 million that just so happen to be those who won't agree with your coup," Momo glared venomously at Pierce.

"To use the deaths of millions to justify such means," Iida shook his head. "Disgraceful."

"A bloody foundation is a slippery slope," Kuroiro sagely muttered. "It only takes the push of self-ambition and desire to push what they want to build to crumble around them."

"It's the next step, Shouta. If you have the courage to take it."

"No. I have the courage not to," Shouta refuted, grabbing Pierce's arm with his good on, pulling him over to the glass monitor.

"Yeah! You tell him, Grunkle Shouta!" Eri cheered.

The group didn't know what to do between cooing at Eri's adorableness or laughing at Aizawa's discomfort. Then they decided that it wasn't hard to do both.

Romanoff typed a few commands. "Retinal scanner active," The S.H.I.E.L.D. computer spoke.

Black Widow pointed a gun at Pierce to make him look into the scanner, but Pierce chuckled. "You don't think we've wiped your clearance from the system?" The HYDRA leader questioned S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director.

"I know you erased my password. Probably deleted my retinal scan," Aizawa nodded. "But if you want to stay ahead of me, Mr. Secretary," Aizawa lifted his eye patch, showing to Pierce, and the audience, the destroyed, slashed, greying eye. "You need to keep both eyes open."

Shivers ran up the students' spines at the Director's words, as well as the sight of their teacher with a destroyed eye underneath that eyepatch. Aizawa took the itchiness of his own eye to be simple happenstance at least and self-projection at worst

"It looks like his eye was slashed," Shinsou muttered, pondering what could have caused his mentor's counterpart to lose his eye "Perhaps from a knife fight or attempted assassination?"

"Hmm, looks like a claw mark," Yui pointed out. "Maybe from a wild animal, like a cat-"

"Absolutely not," Shinsou and Aizawa both said simultaneously.

"Aww, don't want to imagine someone as adorable as Sushi taking the eye of the big bad Eraserhead?" Midnight cooed teasingly at her friend.

Aizawa felt it appropriate to not dignify that teasing with a response, same with the laughter of the students and Eri.

Meanwhile, Shoto felt the tick to begin taking notes for his 'Dadzawa' theory between Aizawa and Shinsou, but the feeling of his counterpart's shame still weighed on his mind. And Pony's hand kept him from writing things down, physically.

Aizawa turned to his retinal scanner while Pierce looked at his, sending last, surprised gazes at Aizawa's eye. The computer scanned both Pierce's right eye and Aizawa's dead left. "Alpha level confirmed. Encryption code accepted," The computer verified. The two men stared back down at each other, while all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and HYDRA's files were released to the world. "Safeguards removed."

"And down crumbles what she built," Izuku muttered, the guilt of what he said starting to get to him, despite his counterpart's words.

"Did you forget what old me said already, Green Bean?" Izuku turned to Setsuna, smiling at him softly.

"That I'm always so dramatic?" Izuku jokingly guessed.

Setsuna let out a soft chuckle. "No, that all we can do is our best," Setsuna replied. "And sometimes the best that we can do is to start over."

Izuku pondered her words thoughtfully before smiling. He took Setsuna's hand in his. "Then I'll do my best, Set," Izuku said.

"You better, Greenie," Setsuna smiled, squeezing his hand lovingly.

"Charlie carrier is 45 degrees off the port bow," Kayama radioed to Cap and Falcon. Kayama noticed the live feed off of one of the cameras. Scooting her chair back, the agent pulled out her gun and fired on the two unsuspecting S.T.R.I.K.E. agents, slumping over dead. "Six minutes."

"Damn girl!" Miruko laughed. "Ruthless! I like it!"

"Those bastards tried to kill one of my best friends," Midnight replied, her dominatrix look displayed with added menace to it. "It's about time I administer some punishment."

'That is both so scary and so hot,' Mineta thought as his nose began to bleed.

"Hey, Sam," Cap radioed for his partner as he ran from S.T.R.I.K.E. agents firing at him, including one readying a rocket launcher. "Gonna need a ride."

"Roger," Falcon copied, flying toward Cap's Helicarrier. "Let me know when you're ready."

The S.T.R.I.K.E. agent fired the rocket just as Rogers jumped off the Helicarrier. "I just did!" Izuku yelled as he began falling.

"IZUKU!" Ochaco yelled, her eyes bulging from their sockets.

"DID HE JUST JUMP OUT OF THE FLYING SHIP?!" Hagakure's exclaim and wailing arms were the only visible indicators of her shock and wraith.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE THINKING?!" Kyoka shrieked utterly shocked.

"YOU RECKLESS, IRRESPONSIBLE IDIOT!" Momo almost pulled at her hair at the level of impulsiveness she saw from her love's counterpart.

Falcon dove after the free-falling Super Soldier. Just as they neared the Triskelion, Sam grabbed onto Izuku's arm. Falcon screamed in exertion as he stopped Cap's descent and rocketed up toward the last Helicarrier.

"OH, Thank God!" Mina tried to still her beating heart. "That was too close!"

"YOU UTTER MORON!" Setsuna began shaking Izuku around like a ragdoll. "WE JUST HAD THAT MOMENT AND THEN YOUR COUNTERPART HAD TO DO SOMETHING AS STUPID AS FALLING OUT OF SHIP AT NEARLY 3,000 FEET?!"

"YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM EVER DOING THAT, YOU HEAR ME?! NO MORE SUICIDAL ACTIONS FROM YOU!" Melissa joined in and shook Izuku around.

"I GET IT! I GET IT! I'M SORRY!" Izuku apologized over and over as he started to get dizzy from the shaking wraith of the girls.

'Ah, young love,' Recovery Girl sighed, her thoughts sounding like ones of a satisfied grandmother. 'I'm glad that when I eventually kick the bucket those girls can live on to give that boy a right smack on the noggin in case he does something stupid.'

The two eventually landed on the last Helicarrier. "You know, you're a lot heavier than you look," Sam mentioned.

"I had a big breakfast," Cap quipped.

"T-Thanks for the save, T-Tokoyami," Izuku, dizzy and his eyes replaced with swirls, said.

"You're welcome," Tokoyami sweatdropped.

"Just give us a better, earlier warning next time, Red-White-and-Blue-all-over," Dark Shadow cawed.

Out of nowhere, the Winter Soldier barreled into Rogers, smashing him through a railing and down the roof.

"NO!" The students and All Might all exclaimed.

Izuku and Shoto paled, drastically.

"Izuku!" Sam yelled, trying to dive after him. But as his wings came out, Bucky grabbed his left wing, holding Falcon back before tossing him backward.

"Dammit," Tokoyami growled, discomforting feelings held within him, unsure whether Rogers was okay and not welcome to the idea of fighting the brainwashed Barnes.

Wilson pulled out his dual pistols and fired at Barnes, the assassin expertly flipping out of the way like an Olympic gymnast, hiding behind a structure. Seeing no further point, Falcon ceased firing and attempted to take off after Cap. Shoto fired a grappling hook that attached itself to Falcon's right wing, ceasing the Falcon's flight and slamming him into the floor. With a powerful tug, Sam's right wing was pulled off his suit.

"Shit!" Dark Shadow cried out.

Reiko let out a startled gasp.

Hawks hissed, his wings shrugging violently as if they were the ones ripped away.

The Winter Soldier charged Sam as he got up and kicked him off the ledge.

"NO!" Reiko exclaimed with horror.

"HE'S GOING DOWN!" Mineta wailed. "AND HE LOST A WING!"

"No, no, no," Shoto muttered to himself, worried that he just might have murdered his classmate's counterpart.

Pony gave him reassuring squeezes from her hand.

Sam fell from the Helicarrier spiraling out of control with no wing to stabilize him. Finally, Sam clicked a button on his pack, the left-wing detaching from the suit. Getting closer to the Triskelion, Sam pulled out his parachute, yelling as he landed roughly, yet safely onto the building's roof.

"Oh, Thank Goodness!" Reiko gasped, incredibly relieved. "He survived!"

"Yeah, but I would be worried about those knees," Kosei muttered, rubbing his kneecaps. "That must have been Hell on them with that landing."

"I'm glad you're alright, Tokoyami," Izuku sighed in relief.

"My thanks, but it is your counterpart's condition that has yet to be seen," Tokoyami reminded.

"Cap! Cap, come in," Wilson radioed for the captain. "Are you okay?"

Just barely hanging onto the ledge by the engines, Izuku Rogers hung onto the Helicarrier. "Yeah, I'm here," Izuku called out, climbing back up. "I'm still on the Helicarrier. Where are you?"

"Phew! They're both okay!" Nejire sighed.

"Though without the wings, Wilson can't get back up to the Helicarrier," Asui pointed out. "Rogers is effectively on his own for this."

"And his metal-armed friend is still on board too," Mei added, to Shoto's flinching.

"I'm grounded," Falcon reported. "The suit's down. Sorry, Cap."

"Don't worry. I got it," Izuku eased and assured the man, heading off towards his target.

"You did the best you could and you put one of the chips in the Bravo Helicarrier," Izuku agreed with his counterpart, looking to Tokoyami. "Good job."

Tokoyami nodded. "Finish it."

"Glady," Izuku nodded back, determined fire in his eyes.

Watching him, the Winter Soldier walked away.

Izuku stared at where Bucky vanished. 'Even if I have to get through to you or through you.' Despite his mental declaration, Izuku's hand still shook.

S.H.I.E.L.D. officers, workers, and agents ran all over the Triskelion lobby as the alarms blared. "Emergency evacuation alert," A PA announcer informed the workers. "All personnel, proceed to designated safety zones."

"Good. The civilians and workers who can't fight are evacuating to safety," All Might nodded. "That should keep them away from any more of the crossfire."

"And hopefully round up any of them that are still HYDRA agents in hiding and keep them from running away," Gran Torino pointed out.

"All S.H.I.E.L.D. agents regroup at Rally Point Delta," Rumlow overheard an agent as he snuck around in the dark. Yelling, Rumlow leapt out of the dark, stabbing the first agent with his knife, before smacking away the second's gun and stabbing him. He dragged the dying body as his shield as he turned around, shooting two more agents before dropping the body.

"Damn, I forgot about that guy," Kamakiri growled.

"Sir, the Council's been breached," A S.T.R.I.K.E. agent dispatched Rumlow.

"Repeat, Dispatch," Rumlow said.

"Black Widow's up there," The dispatcher informed.

"Headed up," Rumlow called in, changing direction and heading toward the Council room.

"Curses," Jurota muttered. "As skilled as Black Widow is, Rumlow's arrival could escalate the situation dangerously, and Aizawa is unfit to fight, nor are the other councilmembers."

"What's worse is that he could grab Pierce and get him out," Ojiro added.

"Not on my watch," Ochaco said, determinedly.

"Falcon?" Kayama called the now-flightless Hero.

"Yeah?" Sam responded.

"Rumlow's headed for the Council," Kayama informed.

"I'm on it," Falcon replied, taking off his vest.

"If I cannot assist the captain any further, I shall continue to do my part and aid the Widow," Tokoyami nodded at Uraraka.

Uraraka nodded back, thankful.

Captain America walked down the pathway toward his object only to stop halfway. Standing at the end, and between him and his object, was Bucky.

"Dammit," Both Izuku and Shoto cursed, the two of them dreading this outcome happening, but their prayers appeared unanswered.

Izuku's body was seized upon by all angles, from Kouta gripping at the legs of his pants, Eri on his chest, Setsuna around his left side, Melissa taking his right hand in hers, and Ochaco taking his left. Todoroki meanwhile had Pony tighten the grip she had on his right hand while he felt Yaoyorozu's hand on his shoulder. The two students smiled briefly at the comfort they received from the ones they cared about, friends and lovers respectively, yet focused all their attention on the screen in front of them.

"People are gonna die, Buck," Rogers tried reasoning with his brainwashed friend. "I can't let that happen."

'You are still in there, Shoto. You know me,' Izuku insisted mentally toward the unhearing, unknowing Shoto.

Shoto Barnes was silent, gazing at Izuku with a near-mindless, one-track objective, a gun in his left metal hand.

'You know him. Remember and stop,' Todoroki pleaded with his counterpart, desperately wishing not to fight his friend.

"Please don't make me do this," Izuku begged.

All Might and Endeavor sat frigidly in their respective seats, the two feeling unbearable amounts of dread and worry as their sons stood face to face with the lives of millions at stake, one son brainwashed and willing to kill the other, and said other needing to do what is necessary to save lives.

The students of 1-A felt an eerie sense of Deja vu, their minds taking them back to the Sports Festival's find event, to the quarter-finals between Midoriya and Todoroki. Like back then, the students could feel the tension and stakes that this fight held, even if they never figured out fully why the match between their two classmates was so serious compared to everyone else's.

Momo, Iida, and Kaminari only had the tiniest grasp of why when they recalled Todoroki's insistence on not using his fire for the Calvary Battle, with the former two figuring out that Midoriya was trying to goad Todoroki into using his fire and Todoroki still trying not to despite the advantages and easy victory it would ensure. Neither knew why Todoroki still held such a desire not to use his fire, only that whatever resistance there was shattered with Midoriya's actions, and the cold teen, ironically, became warmer afterward and more open and friendly with the rest of their class. They could only hope that the same may apply here and that this poor brainwashed soldier can be brought back to the light by his friend.

The Winter Soldier remained silent, preparing for an attack.

Izuku heard Wilson's words in his mind once more, reminding him that his friend may not exist anymore and that he should be prepared to do what was necessary to win and save lives; and here it was. 'I'm sorry, Bucky, but people's lives are at stake, and you are standing in my way' Izuku's grip on his hands tightened and his gaze became serious. 'I'll save them and you, even if I have to knock some sense back into you.'

Todoroki's guilt and shame came to a climax with his next thoughts. 'Do whatever it takes to win, Izuku,' Shoto's gaze became pleading to Captain America. 'Even if my life is to be given to stop this madness, then I'll pay it, gladly. Just do your best.'

Finally, with no reasoning met, Cap hurled the shield at Bucky, the HYDRA assassin blocking with his metal arm. The shield returned to Izuku to block a bullet aimed at his head, and then block a low bullet to his legs. Rogers reached the assassin and batted away his metal arm but was forced to block another bullet to his center when Shoto spun and fired. The Winter Soldier blocked the shield with his metal arm as he transitioned the gun to his right hand, firing. The first bullet hit the shield, but a second one slipped through and left a gash in Rogers's side.

Eri and the girls yelped in fear, their grip on Izuku only tightening, with even Eri and Setsuna meeting hands over Izuku's side as if the gash would translate there in turn.

"As strong as the shield is, it can't cover every part of Rogers's body," Kamui Woods said. "The captain needs to rid Barnes of his projectile-based weapons first and foremost if he is to survive this fight."

"Yes, as well as any knives that the Winter Soldier may have in his possession," Edgeshot added. "But even if reduced solely to his fists, especially the metal one, the Winter Soldier-"

"Don't call him that," Endeavor growled out, a warning glare directed at his fellow pro.

Edgeshot stared at him unimpressed and knowingly, yet chose to adhere, if only to calm the elder Todoroki.

Izuku groaned in pain but pushed back the brainwashed assassin with a spin bash, knocking Shoto to the ground by the panel and dropping his gun. Bucky got up, pulling out a knife. Cap readied himself as the Winter Soldier rushed at him with his knife in a backward grip.

Momo's grip on Todoroki's shoulder greatened and she longed that she could display some physical form of comfort to Izuku from her place that wouldn't be her foot on his head or side, which would be uncivilized as much as it would not convey her comfort or care for her crush. Momo decided to do what she could by comforting her classmate, a friend if she will who she admitted was the first boy to catch her eye when she came to U.A.

Granted the attraction was purely superficial and only backed by Todoroki's status as a fellow Recommendations-approved student, which highlighted his skills and power, and his relation to Endeavor, which proposed that he was a worthy prospect for a mate as he came from money and influence too, something that her parents would approve, and they could bond over if anything. Over time, however, this attraction would fade and be usurped by her affections and later love for Midoriya, but Todoroki remained a skilled and competent classmate of hers, and a bonified friend in her books after he helped her overcome her insecurities enough to succeed against their teacher, Aizawa, in the Final Exams.

Shoto was her friend, and she hated to see his counterpart fight unwillingly against both his friend's counterpart and the counterpart of the boy she loved. 'Please, don't die on me. Either of you,' Momo pleaded.

Izuku batted a left jab, shield blocking a high right slash from Shoto. Another slash forced Izuku to spin and duck from a spinning slash from Bucky, and where Cap tried to kick Barnes away, the latter countered by kicking at the back of Cap's left knee, but as he threw a left hook at what was supposed to be a downed foe, Cap smashed his shield backward, the Vibranium shield bouncing off the metal fist and sending Bucky stumbling back a few steps.

"They're practically evenly matched," Kirishima muttered, worriedly. "No matter if one gets the upper hand, the other counters back."

"And he pretty much has the same powers as Cap, too," Tetsutetsu pointed out. "Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y., does Barnes have the same Super Soldier Serum as Rogers?"

"In a way," F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied. "Arnim Garaki used Shoto Barnes and his unit of the 105th to recreate his version of the Super Soldier Serum. Only Bucky survived."

Shoto frowned, another sense of guilt welling up in him.

"It's not your fault, Shoto," Pony squeezed Shoto's hand. "You shouldn't blame yourself for surviving. You were lucky and maybe survived because Captain America found you."

Shoto contemplated her words for a minute before returning a small smile and nod to her Pony, to her satisfaction. Shoto did likewise recognize Pony's use of his first name, probably wondering if it was a reflex being an American, but Shoto found that he had no problem with Pony calling him Shoto. In fact, he kind of liked it.

"But where could Garaki have gained the formula to make a successful version for Barnes?" Momo questioned. "From Schmidt? He was also a Super Soldier, albeit a horribly scarred one."

"Possibly," Iida nodded in agreement with this hypothesis. "The Red Skull could have given the doctor samples of his blood to try and recreate the serum after their spy couldn't steal one from Erskine."

"What about his metal arm?" Mei asked. "Is it also made of Vibranium, like Muscles-I mean-Rogers's shield?"

"No, it is made out of titanium, but its strength, resilience, and power are no less effective," F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered.

Whilst the assassin was stunned, Izuku ran up to the panel and quickly typed in the password.

"Good," Ryukyu nodded. "Rather than waste time and risk the mission by fighting a virtually, evenly matched foe, Rogers is trying to keep Barnes away long enough for him to insert the targeting blade and complete the mission."

Turning around to face the incoming assassin, the captain batted another left hook from Shoto, lifting the shield as Shoto attempted a backhanded slash, slashing uselessly at the shield but a smack at the end forced Izuku into a spinning recover, backing away from another slash. Rogers's kick was batted away, followed by Barnes's right backhanded stab grabbed by the wrist from Rogers's right hand, and Rogers's left shield strike was likewise blocked by the HYDRA assassin's metal arm. The two struggled against the other's strength, the Winter Soldier's metal arm bracing itself against the Super Soldier's strength.

For as horrible as the Winter Soldier's actions have been, Melissa and Mei did not dismiss the effectiveness and usefulness of the assassin's metal arm. Its ability to stand on even ground with a Super Soldier's strength and a Vibranium shield was outstanding and if the two could craft their own version as a prosthetic for an injured or mutilated Hero, it would be quite the effective Support Item.

'This kind of tech could also be useful in simple prosthetics, not just Support Items,' Melissa thought additionally, imagining how revolutionary it would be to advance prosthetics to the point that they could be seen as the same limb as a regular one, only metal. 'Probably not titanium and we would have to work around several issues, but it would be worth it for so many people.'

Captain America broke the struggle, swiftly plucking the Winter Soldier's knife from his grasp and crane-kicking the assassin back. Izuku rushed back to the targeting blades, removing one and attempting to pull out his own. Before he fully could, Izuku was forced to block a powerful, straight, metal punch, the resounding gong echoing in the dome.

"Come on, come on!" Kamakiri urged/whined. "How hard is it to stick a chip in there?"

"As hard as it would be if you had a metal-armed super-assassin interrupting you all the time," Shoda answered.

Cap pushed him away a few steps before Bucky disengaged, ducking back from a backward swipe from Cap's shield. Barnes ducked from a downright slash, which spun into another slash that Barnes's metal arm deflected. Shoto smacked Izuku back onto the railing, making to grab him but was sent back by a powerful right hook from the captain. The brainwashed assassin roared in fury, hurling himself at Izuku, sending the two falling down the railing and onto another level of the area, both Izuku's shield and the targeting blade falling out of his grasp, the former falling all the way down to the dome's glass surface and the latter sliding just behind where Bucky landed.

"Dammit!" Bakugou cursed.

"Great, now's he on a lower level, he's dropped the targeting chip, probably the last one he had, and every second he spends fighting his brainwashed buddy means those Helicarriers get closer to firing range," Sen whined.

The two clashed once more in a wrestling hold, Rogers sending a flying knee at Barnes's side, Barnes retaliating with a metal left punch to the gut. The second metal punch was punched but so was the captain's left hook. The two switched places, Cap landing a right hook but was backhanded by a metal arm, sending him onto the floor, sliding down the curved surface till he reached and grabbed the targeting blade. The Winter Soldier slid down after him.

"Oh, yeah, and he lost the shield," Sen whined further. "And against-"

"Hey, Screwbrain! We get it! Shit's looking bad! How about you stop whining about it and just let the movie play?!" Bakugou yelled.

Sen did shut up, only slightly irritated at being called out like that, and Izuku gave a grateful nod as he noticed the girls getting more worried with every concern Kaibara pointed out. Bakugou rolled his eyes and scoffed, but Izuku knew that was Bakugou for 'You're welcome, nerd'.

Captain America ducked a right hook and used both arms to block a left one, but the HYDRA assassin made to grab at his wrist, wrenching it back while the chip flew out of the Sentinel of Liberty's grasp, down to the glass dome. Rogers elbowed Bucky in the face, stunning the assassin and then kicked him off the platform while he jumped down for the chip.

In the Council room, Romanoff, Aizawa, Pierce, and the Councilmen looked at the monitor as the transfer was complete. "Done," Black Widow claimed, checking her phone. "And it's trending."

"That was fast," Itsuka blinked.

"It's the internet, honey," Mina chuckled. "And with something as big as the biggest dirtiest secrets of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, yeah, it would be trending fast."

Pierce, his phone back in hand, pressed a button. Suddenly, Singh, Rockwell, and Chen exclaimed in pain and fell to the ground, the pins on their bodies lighting up and burning into their sides.

"WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" Mineta exclaimed.

"The pins," Melissa gasped, horrified. "The ones Pierce gave them when they entered the Triskelion. Pierce intended to use them to either control the council members or kill them when Project Insight occurred."

Romanoff aimed her gun at him, but Pierce raised his phone, his finger an inch off the trigger. "Unless you want a two-inch hole in your sternum, I'd put that gun down," Pierce advised, threateningly. Widow and Aizawa still aimed their guns at Pierce. "That was armed the moment you pinned it on."

"Bastard," Izuku growled, the telltale signs of green lightning beginning to spark in his hands.

A squeeze of his left hand had Izuku look at the person holding it: Ochaco. The chestnut-haired girl stared stone cold at the screen, unwavering in her glare that it reminded Izuku back to when he first saw that kind of stare from her, back when was psyched about the Sports Festival. Just like then, the fire in her eyes, the conviction she held underneath was enthralling to see.

And yet, Izuku could feel a distinct shiver in her hand on his. She was doing everything she could to disguise it, but he could still feel it, the slight fear she held in this situation. She was trying to hold strong at this moment and not let any emotion show that would have everyone worry about her. 'Kind of like me,' Izuku chided himself, understanding that squeeze she was giving him. He hid his pain and feelings from everyone despite how they wished to help him, and this was the frustration that the girls felt for it.

Izuku squeezed back, silently informing her that he got the message, but giving his support and comfort regardless. Another squeeze Izuku could interpret as conveying her gratefulness.

Conflicted, defeated looks on their faces, the two lowered their guns.

Aizawa glared at the man who claimed to be his counterpart's friend. This man had hidden his true allegiances and helped corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. with HYDRA, he turned a project meant for the protection of others into a weapon of mass destruction, ordered his death despite their past friendship, and is now threatening Ochaco's life. Aizawa's knuckles cracked under his grip. 'The second I get the chance, you're history,' Aizawa thought.

Cap ran after the chip in front of him, only for his own shield to be flung and struck against his back, sending him to the floor. Returned, the Winter Soldier retrieved his gun and fired at the kneeling First Avenger, only for him to raise his shield and block the bullets. Ceasing fire, Bucky made after him, the captain tossing his shield, but the assassin smacked it away with his metal arm. Izuku ducked back from a right backhanded slash and stopped a downward stab with both hands, only for the Winter Soldier to bring out his metal arm and slam the knife down onto Izuku's shoulder. "Ahhh!"

"IZUKU!" The girls cried out.

Rogers headbutted Shoto twice, the red and white-haired assassin tossing him off him and onto the side of a support structure. Izuku ripped the knife out of his shoulder and dived after Barnes, the latter crawling to grab the chip.

"Shit! He has the chip!" Kosei cursed, panicking.

"At least, he didn't grab it with his metal arm," Honenuki pointed out. "He would crush it instantly if he did."

As he did, Izuku grabbed him, lifting the Winter Soldier by the neck growling for breath. Growling in return, the Super Soldier flipped the assassin down on his side, putting Bucky into a hold, his right arm grappled around Bucky's right arm, where its hand held the chip, Rogers's left hand pressing down on Bucky's face.

"Drop it!" Izuku demanded. The Winter Soldier denied, trying to punch with his left arm but failing to reach. "Drop it!" Cap twisted Bucky's arm, the latter screaming out in pain.

Izuku looked away, Shoto's painful screams torture to his ears. It was easy for him to break and damage his own arms, but doing it to others, especially his friend was unbearable.

'Listen to him, you stupid, brainwashed, other me! Drop it and stop fighting!' Shoto begged his other self.

But as the assassin still kept the chip in hand, Izuku was forced to put them on the ground, putting Shoto into a chokehold. Shoto's metal arm tried to wrench Izuku's left arm off him, only for Izuku to allow him and trap the arm with his left leg instead and his left arm resumed the chokehold. Shoto gasped for breath, Izuku gritting his teeth, the two of them struggling against the other, until finally, Shoto's resistance lessened, his eyes closing, and, eventually, his right hand slackened, the chip falling out of his hands. Disengaging, Izuku Rogers let Shot Barnes go, his body falling limp on the floor, the former grabbing the chip and racing to get back up to the top.

"It's okay, he's just unconscious," All Might quickly reassured those in the group who were starting to get worried.

'However, I don't think he's out of the fight quite yet,' Gran Torino thought but kept to himself. He knew for sure that the Winter Soldier might wake up and how that would be bad for Rogers. The old pro frowned as he found this worry translated to Midoriya as well. The kid may fight to Hell and back for the sake of other people's lives, yet Torino didn't know if the kid would be ready to take a life, and that would be a problem.

Torino remembered the Walking Disaster that he and Tsukauchi barely escaped from when they captured Kurogiri, a no doubt servant of All For One. He knew the League of Villains was still out there, from the creator of the Nomu, Garaki most likely, and Tomura Shigaraki, the grandson of his best friend, Shimura. Guilt sprung from his chest at the thought of having to resort to that option, but Gran Torino could not see an end to Tomura Shigaraki that wouldn't mean imprisonment or death, and if he were to unite with Garaki and that giant monster, who knows what kind of destruction he would bring, a destruction that would need to be put down, permanently.

But could Izuku Midoriya do what needs to be done and put down Tomura Shigaraki for good if it comes to it? Gran Torino knew the answer to that question, and he hoped these movies helped toughen the kid up, one way or another.

"I'm on 41, headed toward the southwest stairwell," Rumlow radioed, gun at the ready and entering a vacated office space.

Suddenly, Sam dove in from Rumlow's left, striking him across the face, backing the latter away, and dropping his gun. Wilson tried to follow it up with a knee strike, but Rumlow blocked the hit with both hands, before raising them up and around Sam's arms, pinning them and raising his head back for a headbutt and a shove, sending Falcon to the floor.

"Whelp, at least he got him to drop his gun. I'd say that sneak attack was a good 7 out of 10," Sero noted.

Tokoyami frowned, not sure that score was accurate since his counterpart was the one on the ground.

"He at least just needs to bide time and keep Rumlow from reaching the council room," Kirishima said, pumping his fists. "Come on, Tokoyami-Falcon-whatever, beat his unmanly ass!"

"This is gonna hurt," Rumlow warned, removing his vest, and revealing the x-shaped straps across his chest while Sam got up. "There are no prisoners with HYDRA. Just order. And order only comes through pain. You ready for yours?"

"Man, shut the hell up," Sam retorted.

"Heh, what he said," Bakugou grinned. "Less chatting more punching."

The two made at each other, rearing their right fists back to strike at each other.

As their fists connected, it switched over to Pierce back in control of the room, holding Romanoff hostage with his device. "Lieutenant, how much longer?" Pierce asked.

"65 seconds to satellite link," The Lieutenant on the final Helicarrier reported.

"Shit, just a minute left," Kaminari cursed as began biting his nails.

"Targeting grid engaged," The man next to the lieutenant reported, likewise. "Lowering weapons array now." Outside, the Helicarriers' gun turrets popped out.

"Come on, Izu," Melissa whispered encouragingly.

"One minute," Kayama warned.

Izuku backward vaulted back up the platform. As he ran up the platform, a gunshot was heard and Izuku groaned in pain and fell, the gunshot hitting the underside of his ass. Looking down, Bucky had woken up, the gun in his hands.

"Oh no," Toru whimpered in fear. "He's got the gun back!"

'I know he didn't just shoot my Muscles in his perfect ass!' Mei narrowed and zoomed her eyes at the Winter Soldier.

"And Cap doesn't have his shield with him. Why doesn't he have the shield?! Or at least take the gun away?!" Mina whined.

"Because Rogers doesn't have time to waste with just one minute left," Momo argued, though her hands fidgeted nervously.

Not stopping, Izuku jumped and began to climb. Barnes aimed and fired, the bullet striking Izuku's forearm, nearly making him slip off, but the captain hung on.

"Zuzu," Nejire whined, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Stop it," Todoroki pleaded with his counterpart to listen. "Stop it, please."

Pony squeezed his hand again, harder.

Toshinori's fists became bone white with how hard his grip was.

The Winter Soldier stumbled, obviously tired and wounded, and his wounded arm close to his side. Cap climbed and rolled back onto the platform. "30 seconds, Cap," Kayama warned further.

"Come on, come on, come on," Bakugou urged quietly, his foot tapping rapidly.

'Come on, kid,' Midnight urged in her thoughts. 'Keep going!'

Kouta's grip on Izuku's pants tightened, his mouth letting out tiny whimpers of worry.

Izuku stumbled and struggled back up to the chips. "Stand by," Izuku grunted, bringing out the chip. "Charlie-"

A third gunshot was shot, striking true.

"NO!" Uraraka, Setsuna, and Melissa all exclaimed.

Izuku Rogers gasped and fell, his back to the panel. The First Avenger gasped, closing his eyes as he struggled for breath, blood pooling around his waist.

"IZUKU!" The students exclaimed.

"PAPA!/DEKU!" Eri and Kouta cried, tearfully.

"No, no, no, no," Shoto shook his head, horrified.

Setsuna and Melissa plunged their heads into Izuku's shoulder, shaking their heads in rejection of what they feared they saw. Uraraka's other hand flew up to cover her mouth as tears began to roll down, the grip she had on Izuku's hand almost unbearable at this point.

Izuku paled drastically, a horrified, defeated look on his face. 'D-Did I fail?'

"We've reached 3,000 feet," The Charlie Helicarrier weapons tech reported as the Helicarriers reached the required altitude. "Sat link coming online now."

"Shit!" Hawks cursed, glaring at the screen while a drop of sweat rolled down his head.

"Deploy algorithm," The Lieutenant ordered.

"Algorithm deployed," The three Helicarriers connecting to the satellites and spanning their range across the Eastern Seaboard.

"We are go to target," Pierce's voice spoke over the radio as the Insight satellite was shown with its gaze down on America.

A camera zoomed away from Kayama's back as she was and hundreds around the D.C. area were targeted with red icons, the numerous names and photos of their targets shown off to the side.

Present Mic paled, mouth dropping in horror at all those people being targeted, including Kayama. Aizawa growled, his hair rising as if he was trying to use his Quirk to stop what he couldn't. Mount Lady rushed over to Midnight and clasped her hand in worry. Kayama barely noticed as she stared at the screen defiantly.

The turrets locked on while the number of targets acquired just passed 210,000 and steadily rose. The White House was targeted, starting with President Matthew Ellis and then the rest of the area, the Pentagon, and Washington D.C.

"No," Kirishima whispered, seeing how they were targeting the President, the very one that his and Bakugou's counterparts fought like hell to protect.

A baseball coach was even targeted before more and more targets were found around a residential area. Tony Stark was targeted from Avengers Towers before thousands more were targeted all over New York City.

Ibara's breath hitched and clasped Bakugou's hand with both of hers. Bakugou growled, furiously.

"Target saturation reached," The weapons tech reported as the whole Eastern Seaboard of targets was held, Kayama staring helplessly. "All targets assigned."

Nezu and Endeavor glared stone-cold at the screen, yet in their eyes they couldn't hold back the fear and panic.

"Fire when ready," The Lieutenant ordered.

"No," Toshinori shook his head, refusing to accept what was about to happen.

The turrets hummed in near activation. "Firing in..." The tech began the countdown.

'No, I refuse to allow this,' Izuku's horrified face broke away to glare defiantly at the screen. 'I refuse it! YOU HEAR ME, CAPTAIN AMERICA! GET! THE FUCK! UP!'

"Three," Izuku got back up.

Eyes widened and jaws dropped one by one throughout the audience, several even rising from their seats.

"Two," The tech counted down. Rogers grunted as he held himself up.

"Come on, Izu!" Melissa cried out.

"Win this, Izuku!" Setsuna yelled, her tears flying out of her eyes.

"GO DEKU! WIN!" Ochaco and Eri roared out with all their hope.

"One."

"GO BEYOND!" Izuku, Bakugou, Todoroki, and All Might roared out in unison.

Cap placed down the chip.

"YES!" A cheer rose from the audience, several students jumping out of their seats and raising their hands in victory.

Instantly, the targets vanished...Garaki's algorithm erased. "Charlie lock," Captain America gasped.

"Oh, thank god!" Kayama gasped out, all the strength she held in staying still used up in her relief.

"HE DID IT!" Kouta roared in victory.

"MANLY!" Kirishima and Tetsutetsu roared out.

Tokoyami nodded, grinning proudly. "Nicely done, Captain."

Izuku panted, sweat rolling down his brow, the adrenaline of the situation settling, and so too did the victory. "I-He did it?" Izuku gasped out.

"Yes, you did! Yes, you did! Yes, you did!" Ochaco jumped on him, smothering him in a hug, which was followed up and joined by an overjoyed Mina, Toru, and Nejire. Subsequently, they also dragged Melissa, Setsuna, and Eri into the hug.

"B-Breath...c-can't...breathe..." Izuku gasped out, his face turning blue.

Quickly, they broke the hug and allowed Izuku to gain his much-needed gasps of air.

"S-Sorry, Zuzu, we're just so happy that you did it!" Nejire wiped away her tears, smiling happily at him.

"I knew you could do it, Izuku," Asui croaked, smiling widely. "Never had a doubt."

"Hey, no fair, Tsu!" Mina whined. "Don't make us look bad with that! We knew he could do it, too! We just worry!"

"I didn't mean to insinuate that any of you doubted him," Asui tilted her head, confused. "I just don't like to worry Izuku with my own over his safety."

"And I appreciate it, Tsu," Izuku gasped out, smiling gratefully at the frog girl, who blushed.

"You did it, Papa! You did it! You did it!" Eri jumped into another hug with her Papa.

"Hey, guys, I don't mean to be the Debby Downer here, but it's not over yet, remember," Kyoka pointed her jacks to the screen.

"O-Oh, right, my bad," Toru rubbed the back of her invisible head.

"No worries, here, Miss Hagakure," Nezu waved away the girl's apology. "Childhood excitement and relief is excusable given the circumstances. Let us continue, shall we?"

The Lieutenant and the weapons tech blinked in confusion. "Where are the targets?" The Lieutenant questioned, panicked. "Where are the targets?"

"Up yours, you Nazi scumbags," Hawks flipped the guys the bird, grinning.

"Okay, Cap, get out of there," Kayama advised, swiping and typing on the commands for the Helicarriers to have new targets: All three of them, the target list reflecting that.

The Helicarriers raised and shifted, aiming their turrets, down and up, at themselves. The Lieutenant and the tech gaped in horror.

"Huh, would you look at that," Miruko smirked. "You called it, Chicken Wings."

"My clairvoyance is appreciated, Lola Bunny," Hawks joked back.

"Fire now," Cap ordered.

"Wait, what?!" Mei blinked in surprise.

"He's telling her to fire on the ships...while he's still on one of them," Momo gasped out, horrified.

"But, Izuku-" "Do it!" Izuku cut Kayama off. "Do it now!"

"Wait, wait, but he's still on it!" Toru whined.

"He knows," Izuku looked down, shadows covering his eyes. "But if they don't fire on the ships now, they could reset the satellites to find the targets again and all they worked for would be for nothing. She has to."

Kayama's shoulders slumped, her face dropping at the decision her counterpart was faced with. Putting herself in her shoes, Midnight felt mortified at the thought of having the ships fire on each other and potentially kill her student. But the captain and Midoriya were right, she had to do it.

"Papa?" Eri looked up at him, worryingly.

Izuku patted her head. "Hey, it's going to be-"

"No! Don't!" Setsuna gripped Izuku's chin and dragged his gaze over to her furious one. "No lying. No reassurances just to make us feel better. Not again." Izuku's eyes widened as he realized that this was just like what he did back in the First Avenger. Setsuna stared at him with her dark green eyes with 100% seriousness. "No words, just shut up, and stay here. Got me?"

Izuku stared at her stunned, in awe of her fire and love for him. Izuku's shocked eyes shifted to guilt and sadness, and later to acceptance and acknowledgment. "Okay," Izuku nodded. "Promise."

With a final look of reluctance, Kayama clicked the button.

The Helicarriers opened fire. Izuku got up on the railing as turret fire rained down and above, fire and explosions wreaking havoc across the entirety of the ships. Rogers stumbled as the explosions racked the ship and tossed him, more and more of the ships engulfed in their ceaseless automatic fire.

"Get out of there!" Kyoka exclaimed.

"How? Falcon's wings are out of commission, all the jets on those Helicarriers must be totaled by now, and it doesn't look like he has a parachute," Kaminari pointed out.

Jiro hated that she couldn't refute Kaminari's words. Even if she pointed out that he could just jump off and take his chances in the water, Jiro didn't know if even Captain America could survive the fall, much less fall safely and not get struck by a random turret.

Cap paused as he heard screaming from below. Looking down, he saw Shoto Barnes, Bucky, trapped against a beam, struggling to free himself.

"Shoto," Izuku breathed out. He could feel what his counterpart was feeling, he knew it. The drive to save him, even if he didn't want it, even if he would attack him afterward...he couldn't leave his best friend to die.

Pierce looked out at his plans coming to foil. "What a waste," he groaned, utterly disappointed.

"The only waste is the good that those Helicarriers could have been," Aizawa muttered.

"You still believe Project Insight would have been a good idea?" All Might questioned, raising an eyebrow at the teacher. "Even after everything?"

"Insight? No, the failures and risks are plain to see," Aizawa shook his head. "But those Helicarriers could have been repurposed to be the same as the one from the Avengers. We could be in more places than one if need be."

"That...is fair," All Might admitted. "But this is the only way to make sure that Project Insight doesn't get a second chance to continue. Sometimes, what is best is to start over."

"Agreed," Aizawa nodded, eyes closed but a smirk underneath his scarf.

"So, you still on the fence about Rogers's chances?" Romanoff taunted.

Ochaco smirked, feeling vindicated by Cap's victory and telling Pierce off.

"Time to go, Councilwoman," Pierce ordered, directing Ochaco to follow him. "This way. Come on. You're going to fly me out of here."

"You're going nowhere with her," Izuku protectively growled.

"Yeah, tell him, Papa!" Eri agreed. 'No one is taking away my Mamas and Papa!'

Aizawa watched the destruction unfold, silently. "You know, there was a time I would've taken a bullet for you," Aizawa admitted.

"You already did," Pierce pointed out. "You will again when it's useful-"

He was cut off as Black Widow activated one of her taser disks on herself, flooding her body with electricity. She slumped to the ground, Pierce looking on in surprise.

"D-Did she just shock herself?!" Nejire exclaimed.

"The pin!" Momo gasped, smiling. "She used her taser disc to short-circuit the pin to keep Pierce from activating it!"

A gun was picked up from a S.T.R.I.K.E. agent. Pierce looked at his phone as the system rebooted. Just as it was armed, a safety was clicked off. Pierce turned in time for Aizawa to fire. And again. Pierce stumbled back, crashing through the glass monitor and falling to the floor, blood pooling where his black heart lay.

"Looks like the score is settled," Present Mic smirked, smugly.

Aizawa nodded in agreement. 'You said that I took a bullet for you when you tried to have me killed,' Aizawa thought, as he looked at his counterpart's former friend. 'I'm glad to be able to give you it back.'

"Romanoff," Aizawa ran over to the fallen Black Widow. "Ochaco." She was silent, eyes closed. "Ochaco! Come on!"

Ochaco's brows furrowed, before opening. She shut them again and said, "Ow." Romanoff looked up to Aizawa. "Those really do sting."

"Tell me about it," Sen muttered, he and Tetsutetsu shivering as they remembered being on the receiving end of Yaoyorozu's brand of Taser Discs.

"Well done," Ryukyu smiled, proudly. "Though, I'd advised not to shock yourself too often, Uraraka."

Ochaco beamed with pride at her mentor's praise and then slumped down with comedic nervousness at her warning. "Y-Yes, Miss Ryukyu," Uraraka muttered.

The Helicarriers continued firing at one another, fire and smoke surrounding all three of them. Missiles, rockets, and turret fire rained down on each other as their repulsor thrusters began to fail. Eventually, Helicarrier Bravo crashed into Alpha, the two collapsing into pieces.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Kuroiro muttered. "Now, the heads consume themselves to ruin."

Kinoko shivered, blinking and blushing in surprise. 'W-What was that?' Kinoko pondered, confused as to why hearing Kuroiro's dark mutterings made her feel so delighted and...aroused?

Pierce could hear the destruction, but he could not move. "Hail...HYDRA..." So said the final words of Alexander Pierce.

Hawks smirked, making a finger gun at the screen. In his mind, Alexander Pierce was replaced by Re-Destro himself, with his long, vulture-like nose, patches of black from his Quirk littering his terrified face, and his prosthetic legs destroyed, leaving him crippled on the floor. 'Soon, you smug bastard,' Hawks made a quiet noise of a gun firing at Rikiya, smirking. 'Very soon, you'll wish that was you.'

The two Helicarriers crashed into the bay, destroying the hangar, the river flooding the rest.

Mei looked away. As much as the destruction of those Helicarriers was for the best and to ensure the safety of millions of lives, a part of her still ached for how those innocent babies were perverted into machines of war and terror by awful people, and now they, and all the good they could have done, needed to be sacrificed.

"Oof, sure, hope no one was around," Awase muttered, grimly.

"I'm sure the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel and the authorities evacuated the area of civilians," Itsuka replied. "At least, I hope so."

Alexander Pierce's body lay cold and lifeless as the Helicarrier Charlie began its slower descent.

Nezu stared at the corpse of Alexander Pierce and replaced it with that of Rikiya Yotsubashi, his counterpart in their world, and the man who Hawks confirmed as the former leader of the Meta Liberation Army. Now, he was a general in the Paranormal Liberation Front, serving Tomura Shigaraki who now evolved into a more destructive and terrifying threat, if the destruction of Daiko City was his doing. And yet, while Pierce's body lay lifeless in the council room with his victims, Re-Destro was still alive and kicking, and actively plotting for an uprising in a few months.

'Months we will need to train these students, my students, to be as prepared as they can be to face the hidden threat hiding within our own society,' Nezu grimly thought, seeing the smiling faces of his students, many who have already faced hardship and trauma far too early and soon. Nezu wondered how many of those smiles would fade away when the final piece on the board was played. How many faces will be lost to the horror and trauma of war, or the embrace of death? 'I must make sure none will come from the latter. All of us teachers and elders. For the sake of their future and freedom. Whatever it takes.'

Back on the final Helicarrier, Izuku Rogers stumbled onto the floor, Shoto Barnes looking at him before trying to lift the beam off him. Izuku, his shield in hand, stumbled onto the beam before being tossed back down onto the glass, Bucky looking at him confused.

"He's still trying to reach him, isn't he?" Jiro asked though she knew the answer already.

"No, get out of there, you idiot!" Shot whispered harshly. "Give up on me and-"

"No!" Izuku's sharp voice shut Todoroki up, the scarred teen looking at Izuku's determined emerald eyes. "Never."

The Helicarrier was falling, its slow descent aimed at the Triskelion.

"It's heading for the Triskelion!" Mineta pointed.

Meanwhile, inside, Rumlow blocked Sam's punch and punched him back in return before tossing him over the desk, smashing through the computer and onto the floor.

Reiko's hands wrung together, worried.

"Come on, Fumi! What kind of fighting is that?! Don't leave yourself so open! Strike at his junk, and keep your defenses up!" Dark Shadow barked orders.

Tokoyami rolled his eyes at his own Quirk, knowing he was just blowing steam to feign ignorance of his worries.

Rumlow hopped on top of the desk. "You're out of your depth, kid," Rumlow taunted Sam, the latter's eyes widening as he registered the impending Helicarrier.

"Oh, Shit!" Kaminari jumped in his bean bag seat. "Ship Incoming!"

"Get out of there, man!" Kirishima yelled.

Sam got up and ran, Rumlow turning around to see the shadow of the Helicarrier over him. The ship crashed onto the building's side. "Son of a bitch!" He cursed, hopping off and attempting to run before he was swallowed by the debris, screaming.

"So long, and good riddance," Reiko muttered darkly.

"Hey, watch yourself, Reiko," Itsuka warned in a quiet tone. I know that guy was hurting the counterpart to your crush, but we're still Heroes in Training. We don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary."

Reiko sputtered and blushed at Itsuka's accusation, before looking away in a huff. "Whatever," The ghost girl of Class 1-B muttered.

Itsuka rolled her eyes. 'Is this what Setsuna feels when she teases us?' Itsuka asked herself, realizing how amusing it actually was, and how annoying it can secretly be when we deny the obvious.

The orange-haired girl's eyes drifted over to Tetsutetsu, blushed, and likewise looked away, unaware that Tetsutetsu noticed her and looked questioningly at her.

Sam Wilson ran down the office space, fleeing certain building-collapsing doom as the Helicarrier continued crashing its way through the Triskelion. "Please tell me you got that chopper in the air!" Sam yelled through the radio.

"Sam, where are you?" Ochaco questioned as the building continued collapsing around the Falcon.

"41st floor!" Sam yelled sliding under a collapsing beam into another sprint. "Northwest corner!"

"We're on it!" Ochaco and Aizawa flew toward his location in the chopper. "Stay where you are!"

"Ummm..." Ojiro raised his finger, seeing the situation that Sam was in.

"Not An Option!" Sam yelled.

"Yep, took the words right out of my mouth," Ojiro muttered.

Aizawa and Ochaco gazed as the Helicarrier was crashing through the building. Reaching the end of the building, Sam held no choice but to crash through the window and fall. Spotting him, Aizawa tilted the chopper to the side. Sam fell right into the open door and with enough force to send the other side's doors off. Luckily, Ochaco caught him and helped pull him up.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Momo gasped in relief.

"What a time to be without wings, huh," Kyoka likewise gasped in relief of her classmate.

"41st floor! 41st!" Sam yelled at Aizawa.

"It's not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building," Aizawa snarked back.

"You know what, fair enough," Mirio nodded.

Noticing their missing companion, Aizawa looked back at the Helicarrier. "Kayama! Where's Izuku?" Ochaco called through the radio. "You got a location on Rogers?"

As their chopper flew by unaware, Izuku Rogers strained with all his might to lift the beam.

"No, no! He was right there!" Ochaco whined as they flew right past Izuku and Shoto.

"They had to potentially fly away at that moment to keep the crashing Helicarrier and crumbling building from falling onto the helicopter," Iida patted Ochaco's shoulder.

Bucky took the opportunity to crawl his way out. As soon as he did, Izuku dropped the heavy beam, Shoto stumbling back to his knees.

Tension rose among the group as the Winter Soldier was now free of his trappings, free to do any number of things toward the captain who rescued him.

The two stared at each other. "You know me," Izuku said.

"No, I don't!" Shoto roared, striking Izuku away with a metal arm punch.

'Yes, you do, you stupid, hard-headed, stubborn bastard!' Shoto mentally screamed at his counterpart. Shoto remembered the Sports Festival and his match against Midoriya, how his would-be friend fought like Hell to get him to recognize the entirety of his Quirk was his own, not his father's. He remembered how stubbornly he rejected it, even when he was beaten and battered by an opponent full of broken fingers. Izuku made the circumstance all the more humiliating by pointing out that all those injuries were self-inflicted, and he didn't truly land a single scratch on him.

It took all this and Midoriya screaming his lungs out, taunting and encouraging him, to make Shoto see through the fog he placed in his mind, to remember all his past, his mother's words, to finally accept himself and his whole Quirk. The scars on Midoriya's hands were a permanent reminder to him of what his stubbornness inflicted on himself and others. It was only more infuriating seeing even his brainwashed self stubbornly refusing to break through his programming.

The Helicarrier passed fully by what remained of the Triskelion and to the river. The two friends stood against each other, panting. "Bucky," Rogers called him, the man himself staring at him confused. "You've known me your whole life."

"Listen to him," Pony whimpered, begging for Shoto Barnes to listen and remember his best friend, to break free and be himself again. "Please."

Confusion marred Bucky's face before it was replaced by rage. With a yell, he backhanded Rogers away again, stumbling onto the beam, panting. The Helicarrier continued falling, heading towards the riverside.

"I can't watch this anymore!" Momo gasped out, covering her crying face, unable to handle seeing these two friends fight each other.

Kyoka brought her best friend into a comforting hug and glared at the screen. 'You survived whatever experiments that bastard doctor put you through, you survived falling off that train, you're resilient and strong,' Kyoka thought toward Barnes. 'You can break through that damn programming. Your best friend is right there in front of him. Listen to him and stop this!'

"Your name is Shoto Buchanan Barnes," Cap told Barnes his name.

'"Fight it, Young Todoroki," Toshinori whispered to his student's counterpart, desperate to end this heart-breaking scene between friends, one being the lookalike of his son. "Remember who you are."

"SHUT UP!" Shoto roared sending another punch that sent the Super Solder to the floor and himself on his knees, panting as his head throbbed in pain.

"Izu," Melissa muttered, tears rolling down her eyes seeing the lookalike of the man she loves putting his heart out, trying to save his best friend.

Endeavor's fists were clenched tighter than he ever had them, the skin underneath his gloves bone white and his flames getting hotter. Somehow, this felt even worse than what he saw with Touya. With Touya's counterpart, he was aware of his actions, evil as they were, and chose the path he went down. Shoto was brainwashed into this, experimented, and programmed to become this assassin against his will, his very freedom robbed from him. Endeavor could see his son's mind running havoc with his programming and his feelings and memory, yet that stubborn conviction of the Todoroki family was seemingly keeping him from breaking free. Guilt and hate burned shamefully in his chest, yet he ignored it, all his thoughts and prayers directed to have his son remember who he was.

Izuku got up, removing his helmet for Bucky to see him, their hair blowing in the wind and bloody cuts on their faces. "I'm not gonna fight you," Izuku shook his head. He dropped the shield, the Vibranium weapon falling down the shattered glass and into the water below.

"NO!" Mei wailed. "WHY?!"

"Is she mad that he dropped the shield because of how cool it is or because she doesn't want Rogers to leave him defenseless-"

"SHUT YOUR AIRHOLE, BLOWHARD!" Bakugou barked Tsuburaba to shut up, yet didn't bother to look at the guy, all his attention centered around Izuku Rogers and Shoto 'Bucky' Barnes.

"You're my friend," Rogers claimed.

'My best friend,' Izuku stared at the screen, tears escaping his eyes despite their best attempts to stay hard and determined. Memories of both Izuku's life flashed before his eyes. Izuku saw his conversation with Shoto where the latter revealed the truth behind his goals and his past, how they fought together with Iida against the Hero Killer, Shoto's aid against Wolfram and his gang on I-Island, their study and gaming sessions where Izuku taught him many of the video and card games that Shoto missed out on from his messed up childhood, joining together to fight off the League of Villains in the Training Camp and rescuing their friends, teaming up to save Bakugou from the Villains, working together as part of the special effects team for the School Festival to make Eri smile, fighting against Nine and his group, Todoroki inviting him and Bakugou to Endeavor's agency, teaming up to defeat Ending and rescue Shoto's brother, Shoto believing and adventuring with him to defeat Flect Turn and Humarise, all the comfort and friendship he showed throughout these videos, and Izuku clashing against Todoroki in their match till his broken fingers were purple and useless, screaming at him to see his Quirk as his own, not his father's.

He likewise remembered the First Avenger with Barnes saving Rogers from that bully in the alleyway, trying to set him up with a date, their hug before Bucky went off to war, finding and saving Bucky from the HYDRA camp and walking to their camp with all the men they rescued triumphantly, working together with the Howling Commandoes to dismantle HYDRA base after base, Bucky's sacrifice on the train, and Shoto Bucky Barnes's words to his counterpart after his mother's funeral.

Melissa's fingers drifted and brushed against the scars of his right hand, scars he earned for sacrificing them in snapping Todoroki out of his stupid, self-sabotaging goal. As ugly as they looked, Izuku never once regretted them. To Izuku, they were a small price to pay to not only strengthen his pursuit of using One For All safely but also the price he was willing to pay to save Shoto Todoroki from himself. Izuku would never regret what he did because he helped Shoto find his path again, helped push Shoto to see his mother again, and helped cement the path that would make Shoto Todoroki one of the best friends he ever had since Kacchan. A brother in all but blood.

'I never give up on my friends, and I doubly don't give up on family,' Izuku declared.

Bucky stared at him in silence, growling and panting. The brainwashed assassin roared, tackling Rogers to the ground. "You're my mission," The Winter Soldier growled. The Winter Soldier reared his metal arm back, sticking Izuku's face.

"DAMMIT ICY HOT! WAKE THE HELL UP AND REMEMBER THE GOODY TWO SHOES YOU WERE!" Bakugou roared at the screen, his eyes haunted as the scene playing before his eyes brought him back to all those bullying sessions and beat-ups that he and his lackeys did to Midoriya, how they left the green-haired boy full of bruises, bloody cuts, and spilled lunches.

The Winter Soldier struck Captain America again. And Again. "You're," Again. "My," Again. "Mission!" And Again.

"STOP IT!" Setsuna wailed.

Izuku had to use all his strength and Black Whip to keep multiple of the girls from rushing at the screen as if it would take them there. Izuku wrapped his arms around all he could from the wailing Eri, the teary Melissa, the whimpering Ochaco, and the crying Setsuna. He could hear Mei screaming in rage and tears, Momo full-blown weeping, Kyoka straining and thrashing against Black Whip as she cried, Nejire yelling out his name while tears flew from her eyes, Mina trying to burn her way through his black tendrils while howling his name, Hagakure struggling against her bonds as he sobbed, even Asui couldn't stay in her seat and croaked his name in tears while he kept her back.

Izuku knew the only reason he was holding them all back was Aizawa canceling all their Quirks. He silently thanked his sensei, forgiving him for all they bickered and fought before if it gave him the strength and chance to keep all the ones he loved from hurting themselves and close to him in their pain. Izuku did his best to whisper sweet nothings to the ears of those around him, while he cried rivers of tears for their pain and Shoto's behind him.

Aizawa tied down Shoto Todoroki and canceled his Quirk as the scarred teen tried to rush to the screen to stop the madness. Aizawa wished he could let the boy and all the girls go if there was a chance for them to stop this painful scene, watching one of his students beat the other mercilessly and bloody. But he knew there wasn't, and so he had to stop them before they harmed themselves and destroyed the device sent to help them. The insomniac teacher glanced to his side to see All Might doing everything he could to stay in his seat, despite the smoke that steamed from the gaunt man's body, the glow in his sunken eyes. Aizawa couldn't blame him, for he felt the same.

Ibara wrapped the haunted and shaking Bakugou with her arms and vines, preemptively keeping Katsuki from rushing at the screen. She could feel his shaking, his hurting heart, the grind of his teeth in rage, and could feel that he was in pain watching this. She didn't know why he felt such pain. Was it because Midoriya was his friend, one since before U.A.? Or was there something more to this pain? Was it guilt? But for what?

Shoto panted, gasping for breath, rearing his metal arm one more time. Izuku's face was bloodied and bruised, one of his eyes swollen shut.

"DEKU!" Kouta cried out.

"STOP IT!" Shoto Todoroki roared, tears flowing like rivers down his eyes. "PLEASE!"

"Then finish it," Izuku gasped out.

"NO!" The students all yelled.

"PAPA!" Eri wailed.

The Winter Soldier panted, rearing his back further.

Izuku opened his mouth.

"Because I'm with you to the end of the line."

That one sentence, said by both green-haired men, froze everyone in their tracks.

The girls stopped their thrashing and wailing, the rest of the students who had begun rising from their seats froze and stared slack-jawed at the screen. Aizawa, Endeavor, and All Might gaped, shell-shocked.

Shoto's whole being froze, his mismatched eyes wide as saucers, and his very breathing ceased for a moment. The scene with Rogers and Barnes from after the funeral replayed in his mind. He remembered when he and Izuku first promised that themselves. Shoto remembered when they fist-bumped and declared in their minds at each other as brothers.

Shoto Bucky Barnes paused, his fist lowering, eyes widening, the words ringing cords inside his fractured head. Realization and horror filled his mismatched eyes, his gasping mouth dropping, his red and white blowing matted across his scarred face.

"H-He remembers," Pony gasped.

"Uncle Shoto," Eri whimpered, hope blossoming in her sad eyes.

Izuku's shocked agape mouth began to curl upwards from the ends, a soft smile rising. Tears flowed back in his hopeful, happy tears. 'Brother,' Izuku gasped.

Cords snapped and the panel behind the two collapsed, crashing and collapsing the floor. The world moved slowly, time itself sluggish, Bucky Barnes hung on to the ship while Izuku Rogers's body fell toward the water below.

"NO!" The girls wailed again.

"IZUKU!" All Might and Bakugou yelled.

Music rang slowly; Rogers's body crashed into the water, metal and machinery all around him. His body sank further into the water. The sunlight shined down on the river; the sound of water sloshing echoed faintly in the distorted distance. Izuku's body began to obscure into the darkness of the depths.

"No," Shoto whispered, eyes hidden in shadow. "You're not going. I'm not losing another brother."

A metal hand reached out toward him.

"YES!" The group exclaimed, their voices roaring out their hope and joy.

Izuku smiled softly, a final tear rolling down his cheek.

The screen was black for a few, agonizing seconds. Color began to give way, and with it, Izuku Rogers's unconscious body was dragged out of the water, lifted by the metal arm of his friend and savior.

"He saved him," Setsuna gasped out, grateful tears rolling down her eyes. "After everything, he finally remembered." Setsuna looked to Izuku. "You never gave up on him."

Izuku smiled at her, lovingly, and then to Shoto's shocked stare. "To the end of the line," Izuku breathed out.

Todoroki smiled, a tear running down his scarred cheek, and nodded.

Reaching the shoreline, Bucky panted, more of his red hair giving way to his original white.

'He's broken free,' Ibara gasped out, eyes shining with faith. 'Like a man bathed in the holy water of baptism, the darkness and evil that entrapped him is being cleansed away.'

Bakugou looked silently at the screen, conflicted and torn. 'He never does give up on you, does he?' Bakugou thought to himself, recalling how no matter how much he pushed him away, how much he bullied and beat him down, Izuku Midoriya never stopped chasing after him; never gave up on who he could be.

Bakugou frowned, unsure what to feel or think anymore.

Endeavor gasped, panting with unbearable relief. 'My son has been saved. He's free,' Endeavor looked down at Midoriya who met his gaze with an expressionless look. Not hate for what he was, not judgment for what he did, just simply nothing, looking at him as if he were a blank slate. Endeavor did not feel he deserved that look, but he didn't care for what he felt about himself, only what the man called Izuku had done to save his son. Twice.

'Thank you,' Endeavor mouthed, vowing that he was forever indebted to Izuku Midoriya and Izuku Rogers for all they did for his son. Enji Todoroki knows it wasn't for him, he was likely the last person on the boy's mind, but the man thanked him anyway.

Izuku simply nodded, giving him the smallest smile he could give.

Shoto looked down on the man he remembers, I-Izuku, breathing.

"The ties of brotherhood are deep and strong," Tokoyami smiled, closing his eyes. "Strong enough to banish the darkest of fogs."

"Well said, man," Kirishima sniffled as he wiped away the snot and tears from his face. "Manly."

Momo wiped away a tear before dragging down to the ground and wrapping both Izuku's head and Shoto in a hug. "I'm so glad that you both are okay," Momo said. "Thank you for saving him."

Izuku and Shoto knew she meant those words for both of them, and they smiled. Shoto accepted the hug limply, allowing himself to feel the warm comfort of a friend he likewise comforted. Izuku sighed as he basked in the warm and loving hug of Momo Yaoyorozu, feeling the love she held for him, the love he felt in return. 'I'll tell her. I will,' Izuku promised himself, his gaze drifting to a certain chestnut-haired girl. 'But there's someone I have to tell first. Someone who's waited long enough.'

Exhausted and confused, Shoto Barnes turned and walked away, leaving behind Izuku Rogers as smoke filled the sky from the Triskelion afar.

"W-Wait, where's he going?" Hagakure asked as she sniffled the last of her tears and snot away.

"He's leaving, but why?" Mina asked too.

"For as commendable a job Rogers did to make Mr. Barnes remember who he was, it is likely he is still confused and unsure of who he is fully and where he is," Nezu answered, his mouth a thin neutral line. "He is likely leaving to recuperate on his own."

"B-But Zuzu-I mean-Rogers can help him," Nejire pointed out.

"Perhaps, but Barnes likely doesn't know that," Ryukyu answered, looking sympathetically at the retreating figure of the Winter Soldier.

Izuku frowned as Bucky left, like he got his best friend back only for him to leave him once more. But he understood what Nezu and Ryukyu said. He didn't like it, but he understood. 'Take your time, brother,' Izuku thought. 'I'll be there if you need me. Always.'

The screen turned black once more.

"Wait, no, no, please don't let that be the end, right?" Kaminari worriedly pleaded.

Gracefully, color and sound came back, revealing the inside of a hospital, soldiers patrolling and guarding a specific room while doctors and nurses walked past. Through the blinds, Izuku Rogers laid on a hospital bed, his vitals stable, Sam Wilson reading on the chair by his side. Inside the room, a phone played Trouble Man.

"Oh, thank god," Ochaco sighed in relief, hand over her heart. "He's alright."

"Heh, and Wilson's playing Trouble Man," Kyoka snickered.

Izuku shifted, his eyes opening groggily. He gazed around before finding Sam by his side. Smirking Izuku laid his head back to rest, eyes closed. "On your left," he grumbled out.

"Heh, oh Midobro, joking even in a hospital bed," Kirishima snickered and clapped. "Classic."

Recovery Girl sighed tiredly. 'It seems no matter what universe or version it is, Izuku Midoriya will always find himself in a hospital bed like he's attached to them,' The old nurse groaned.

Sam turned at his voice, his smirk rising and nodding.

Tokoyami closed his eyes, smiling likewise at the captain's sense of humor and that his friend was okay.

Trouble Man continued playing as trainees stood in a practice room, firing guns at the targets, their sounds silent from the music. Melissa fired at the target, hitting the bullseye every single time. Melissa lowered her arm, to show her black shit held the letters 'CIA' on her chest. Her instructor stared impressed while Agent 13 sighed.

"Melissa's working for the CIA now?" Mina questioned.

"Or she is attempting to be recruited by the CIA," Momo replied. "If S.H.I.E.L.D. did collapse as intended, then she would be looking for a new line of work."

"Huh, I guess the CIA is close enough compared to the world's foremost intelligence and spy agency," Melissa shrugged, smiling.

"They will gladly take you, Mel," Izuku squeezed her hand, supportively. "You spied/bodyguarded Captain America and stood with him against HYDRA. And you're a great shot, too."

Melissa whirled her gaze at Izuku, eyes wide in surprise. 'Mel?' Melissa repeated the nickname that Izuku gave her, her agape mouth rising into a smile with every repeat. 'I like it.' Melissa made sure she showed that appreciation with a bright-toothed smile and wrapped her arms around his.

Nemuri Kayama sat at an interview for Stark Industries Human Resources, taking a lie detector test and smiling.

"Huh, guess you're gonna be working under Stark, Kayama?" Mount Lady grinned teasingly. "Careful, I hear the guy has a thing for his secretaries."

Midnight's response was a flipped finger at her rival, yet a small smile on her lips.

The Senator that Sitwell talked with talked out of a hotel on a call only to be apprehended by the FBI, arresting the not-so-secret-anymore HYDRA loyalist.

"Busted!" Kosei yelled out, mockingly.

"Hey, now that I notice, isn't that Senator the same one that attempted to pressure Stark into handing over the specs to his Iron Man suits?" Shoji pointed out.

"Oh, yeah! Damn, I didn't catch that!" Tetsutetsu scoffed. "You don't think-"

"That he was attempting to gain the Iron Man technology for HYDRA rather than the US government?" Tokoyami finished Tetsutetsu's sentence. "Most definitely."

Bakugou grinned vindictively, seeing that asshole exposed for the piece of shit he is.

In the hospital, doctors and police wheeled over another critically injured man, but still breathing. They set the man on the gurney, the man's x-cross straps stained white from the rubble, giving the appearance of crossbones. Rumlow was treated, his entire body filled with scars and third-degree burns, the music becoming inaudible.

"Oh, that asshole's still alive?" Death Arms quirked an eyebrow, surprised. "He had a building and a Helicarrier dropped on him."

"Well, he didn't come out unscathed, at the very least," Kamui Woods pointed out the scarred skin. "And he will most assuredly be arrested and convicted for his crimes working for HYDRA."

Hawks likewise grinned at seeing SlidenGo's counterpart laid low, finding it karma for being a turn cloak in two different universes. However, Keigo couldn't help but frown and compare the man's now scarred flesh to a certain blue-flame-wielding, patchworked-looking member of the League.

Opening a van, one filled with cases, items, and files, Aizawa entered in slow motion, his long shaggy black hair cut and down to just above his shoulders.

"He cut his hair?" Vlad King questioned.

"Huh, never thought I'd see you with short hair there, Shouta," Mic teasingly poked his elbow on Aizawa's shoulder. "Brings me back to the good old days."

"Hmm, the good old days," Aizawa muttered, remembering when he was a U.A. student, with Yamada and Shirakumo by his side, Sushi on the latter's lap, and Kayama, their senpai, watching out over them. The good old days. 'Before everything went to shit.'

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Ochaco, meanwhile, found herself testifying on Capitol Hill, swearing on the Bible.

"Ochaco's testifying?" Hagakure questioned, suddenly concerned.

"Remember the leaked files on S.H.I.E.L.D.? They also included Black Widow's dark past," Asui croaked.

Ochaco tensed, the sudden danger of her counterpart's fate weighing down on her. Her hands curled tightly on her lap.

Aizawa used his fingerprint to open a case while Ochaco accepted, inside were various photos, passports, and other items.

"Why haven't we yet heard from Captain Rogers?" One of the committee members asked Romanoff.

"I don't know what there is left for him to say," Romanoff replied while cameras flashed in the background. "I think the wreck in the middle of the Potomac made his point fairly eloquently."

"Fair enough," Miruko snickered.

"Well, he could explain how this country is expected to maintain its national security now that he and you have laid waste to our intelligence apparatus," The committee member questioned her.

"They're blaming them for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s downfall," Setsuna glared at the committee member.

"Truthfully, the two were responsible for destroying S.H.I.E.L.D., yet their concern seems less on HYDRA's infiltration of it and more on the absence of an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D. itself," Cementoss analyzed. "And with HYDRA's defeat, they are looking for a scapegoat."

"HYDRA was selling you lies, not intelligence," Ochaco countered.

"Many of which you seemed to have had a personal hand in telling," The committee member pointed out.

Izuku, Iida, and Shinsou glared, their fists cracking under the protective anger for their friend.

'If they think they can turn her into a scapegoat for her past, they have another thing coming,' Shinsou thought, angrily.

"Agent, you should know that there are some on this committee who feel, given your service record, for this country and against it, that you belong in a penitentiary," Another committee member informed the Black Widow. "Not mouthing off on Capitol Hill."

Ochaco flinched at the man's words, pondering if this was what Izuku felt when Rogers was targeted by S.H.I.E.L.D. under HYDRA's control, or when Izuku was accused of being a terrorist back during the events of Humarise's activity in Otheon. 'Is this how it feels to be accused and betrayed by the ones you fought for?' Ochaco pondered, finding the tiny sting of betrayal horrible and bitter.

Romanoff's eyes hardened. "You're not going to put me in prison. You're not going to put any of us in a prison," Ochaco told them, bluntly. "You know why?"

"Do enlighten us," The man said.

"Because you need us," Ochaco Romanoff stated.

It didn't take a genius for many in the audience to realize who she meant by 'us'. Jurota remembered the excited words of the children his counterpart saved, how he went from a hated and feared monster on the run from the government into an icon and Hero for many. Shinsou too thought about the horrible deeds his counterpart committed under Loki's control, but then the good he did driving back the God of Mischief's invasion came to mind, the praise and respect given to his other self for defending the innocent.

'If it wasn't for us, if it wasn't for her, New York and the whole world would have been alien chow,' Shinsou smirked.

Aizawa looked in a mirror as he removed his eyepatch. "Yes, the world is a vulnerable place, and yes, we help make it that way." Ochaco continued while Aizawa set down his eyepatch on the table, picking up a pair of shades. "But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it."

Bakugou thought about all the craziness that seemed to sprout up in this world ever since his counterpart became Iron Man, all the pain he helped cause by selling his weapons to the highest bidder and the worst of them, how his tech was coopted by others like Obadiah, Hammer, Whiplash, and Touya Todoroki for their evil ends, but how his counterpart was the one to swoop in and clean up his own mess, redeem himself by saving the innocent and the ones he cared about, like Shiozaki, Kirishima, and Happy, and help make the world a better place creating cleaner, more sustainable energy and saving it from something as big as an alien invasion.

'Without Heroes like us, who's to say those threats wouldn't have existed already? Hell, that Red Skull bastard and the Tesseract were around before Iron Man,' Bakugou smirked smugly. 'You ungrateful fucks need us and we'll always be there to fight for the innocents, so whine all you want!'

Toshinori pondered back to Touya Todoroki's words, how subtly was lost ever since his hammer-wielding counterpart appeared on Earth, how Director Aizawa created the Phase 2 plan in response to Thor's arrival and the power of the Destroyer, the Symbol of Peace felt guilt hearing those words and he was sure his godly counterpart felt similarly at hearing the director's words. All Might too felt the rise in criminals after his retirement as his fault, the darkness and resentment that continued in the cracks he failed to notice in this society and that now flourish with his absence.

'But if it wasn't for Thor and the others, the world would be lost to the Chitauri and Loki, the universe consumed in darkness by Malekith and the Aether, and my country and the world would be left in ruin if I wasn't around to save it from All For One,' Toshinori recognized. 'And I will still work to help keep my home and the world safe, even if I have to be a side role this time, helping to teach the Heroes of the future, including the one who will succeed me in every way.'

"So, if you want to arrest me, arrest me," Black Widow dared them, a challenging fire in her eyes. "You'll know where to find me."

Izuku and Ochaco smirked at each other, imagining Black Widow joined by the heroic, yet intimidating presence of the Avengers, the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but, so too, a family, and family protects their own.

'We saved the world, the both of us, from HYDRA, but if you all want to take her from us, then we'll go against you too,' Izuku declared, staring defiantly at the committee members, paired in his mind with those of the HPSC and the counterparts to Pierce, Sitwell, and Rumlow.

The man blinked, his mouth dropped at Black Widow's stark, antagonistic candor. With reluctant but accepting looks from the committee members, Black Widow got up and walked out of the room, walking past and ignoring the questions from the media.

Ochaco raised her hand and gave Asui and Nejire a high five, smirking at herself proudly for standing up against those guys...and then that pride vanished into embarrassment as she had to cancel her Quirk's effect on the two.

Aizawa poured oil all over the van and the items inside. Pulling out a lighter, he ignited a spark, the flame reflecting off his dark shades, and dropped it, the flames spreading from the van's floor to all over, Aizawa gazed at the flames consuming his eyepatch and all the secrets he had yet to burn.

"My counterpart is believed to be dead and S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more. There is no need for Shouta Aizawa, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Aizawa declared. "But he has work yet to be done."

The students of Class 1-A, his students, stared up at him with smiles of different kinds, all looking at their teacher with pride and relief at his better mood. Among them, his gaze centered on Midoriya and Eri, the latter smiling innocently at him and Midoriya nodding with respect. In a blink of an eye, Aizawa could have sworn that Shirakumo, the boy he once was, knelt beside the two smiling proudly at him and nodding before vanishing. Aizawa nodded back.

'There is still one last thing of my past I need to bury once and for all,' Aizawa thought to the Villain in Tartaros he still needs to see and the doctor who was claimed to be the architect of his friend's suffering. 'Only then can I be the teacher my students need me to be.'

Shouta Aizawa walked to meet Izuku Rogers, fully recovered, and Sam Wilson standing in a cemetery over a gravestone. His gravestone. "So, you've experienced this sort of thing before," Aizawa compared the two.

"You get used to it," Rogers replied, the three gazing at the gravestone of one Colonel Shouta J. Aizawa, a quote from Ezekiel written below his name.

"The Path of the Righteous Man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of men," Ibara quoted the verse. "Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. A fitting saying for both men."

Ibara didn't have to specify who she referred to other than the Director, gazing up at Bakugou's homeroom teacher and giving him a nod of respect, the insomniac teacher nodding back, gratified.

"We've been data mining HYDRA's files," Aizawa brought up. "Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship."

Izuku let out a sigh from his nose. He wasn't surprised. Izuku knew that not all of HYDRA would go down nice and quiet after they exposed them or that all of HYDRA was there at the Triskelion or the Helicarriers. Evil was always out, always hiding, always waiting, eager for the next chance to spread and strike.

'And we Heroes will be there to drive them back. Always,' Izuku proclaimed. 'That's just what we do.'

"I'm headed to Europe tonight," Aizawa revealed. "Wanted to ask if you'd come."

"There's something I had to do first," Rogers replied, his face determined.

Shoto and Endeavor had a pretty clear idea of what the super soldier referred to.

"How about you, Wilson?" Aizawa turned to Rogers's companion. "Could use a man with your abilities."

"I'm more a soldier than a spy," Sam passed on the offer, too.

Hawks smiled softly. 'Good,' Hawks thought, relieved to hear that, hoping the same applied to Tokoyami. Hawks knew the life of a spy, he lived the life of one, all of its hardships, and all the ugliness. He didn't want his protege, or any of these kids, to live that.

"Alright, then," Aizawa accepted, raising his good hand, Sam and later Izuku shaking it. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me," Aizawa gestured to his tombstone. "Right here."

"Will do, sir," Izuku and Tokoyami both said, cheekily, to Aizawa's rolled eyes.

"You should be honored," Ochaco Romanoff said walking up to them as Aizawa walked away, a folder in her arms. "That's about as close as he gets to saying thank you."

"Pretty much / Accurate," Present Mic and Midnight both said, snickering at Aizawa's glare at them.

Izuku walked up to her. "Not going with him?" he asked her.

"No," Romanoff shook her head, smiling.

"Not staying here," Izuku figured further.

"Nah," Ochaco confirmed. "I blew all my covers. I got to go figure out a new one."

"That might take a while," Rogers warned.

"I'm counting on it," Ochaco smirked at him.

"Ooh, settle down you two, Wilson is right there," Setsuna snickered.

Izuku and Ochaco burned bright red.

"Setsuna," Melissa said, warningly

"Oh, come on, Mel," Setsuna leaned over to her, her teasing smile wider. "They are just so cute when they're embarrassed. You as well. You should see yourself in a mirror."

Setsuna pointed at Melissa's face which was also burning red after Setsuna used Izuku's new nickname for her. "Only Izu can call me that," Melissa pouted.

"Hey! What am I, chopped liver?!" Mei protested. "Why can't I call you Mel?"

"That's my best male friend's nickname for me," Melissa perked her head up proudly, eyes closed. She peeked one open to look at Mei. "If I did have a best female friend, I'm sure she can come up with one of hers on her own."

Mei lifted a finger and opened her mouth.

"One that does not refer to my boobs or ass," Melissa threw out.

Mei's finger deflated and her mouth snapped shut.

The spy held that smile for a few seconds before she let it drop, her attention back toward the file in her hands. "That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev," Ochaco said, giving him the file, its wording was in Russian. Izuku Rogers stared at the file with a serious frown, deep thoughts running through his head on what he might find on it.

"It is what I think it is, isn't it?" Nejire asked.

"It is what we all know it is," Asui corrected with a nod and a croak.

"Will you do me a favor? Call that nurse," Ochaco asked of him.

"Huh, she's still playing matchmaker," Hagakure scoffed. "I thought with all that happened with them, that they would...you know..."

"Either she doesn't see him that way, or she feels he's too good for her," Mina whispered to her best friend. "Although, we should be glad that isn't the case with our Ochaco."

"She's not a nurse," Cap smirked.

"And you're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," Romanoff rebuttal.

"What was her name again?" Izuku asked.

"Melissa," Ochaco answered, smiling sweetly. "She's nice.

Melissa looked over to Ochaco who stared back. If the both of them were to be told that they would be in this situation weeks ago, they would have called that person a liar and probably be glaring at each other cattily. Back then both wanted Izuku for themselves, each afraid of losing such a wonderful person, either to the other or someone else who was better than them. Now, they were working together, part of a Sisterhood to share the damn adorable cinnamon roll that stole their hearts, and practically calling themselves 'sisters'. Funny how life turns out.

Though neither girl would say it out loud or admit it to any of the Sisterhood or Izuku, both of them could tell there was something special about the other, something that took a special place in Izuku's heart. Something neither girl could see in themselves as worthy of him

'If we never did form the Sisterhood, and only one of us could have him, I would want her to have him,' Ochaco and Melissa, unknowingly, thought the same thing.

The two stared at each other fondly and sweetly. Eventually, Ochaco pulled Izuku in, planting a kiss on his cheek, just an inch away from his lips. With a smile, she began to walk away.

The burning red blush that was once on both Izuku's and Ochaco's cheeks returned with a vengeance, the former hiding his eyes in the shadow of his messy hair while shielding his face with his arms as he faked ruffling his hair. The latter hid her face between her brought-up knees. Neither could fully hide from the teasing stares of their friends as they only made themselves look all the more adorable, especially when Ochaco began floating into the air.

"Be careful, Izuku," Ochaco paused and warned at him, looking back, concerned. "You might not want to pull on that thread."

Izuku's blush subsided, his nervousness faded, and a serious and grim look took center stage in the boy's face, one that matched his counterpart.

As Ochaco Romanoff walked away, Izuku Rogers stared at the folder while Sam Wilson approached him. Opening the file, the First Avenger is met with the photo of the Winter Soldier in cryo-sleep next to an image of Shoto Bucky Barnes in his old military attire.

"It's all the info about Shoto and his time as the Winter Soldier, isn't it?" Momo asked knowingly.

Shoto narrowed his eyes. His counterpart may have remembered who he is, or at least partly enough to recognize Izuku, he's still out there, volatile, alone, and dangerous, and a volatile, metal-armed, super soldier assassin is incredibly dangerous.

Taking a glance, Sam turned away respectfully. "You're going after him," Sam guessed correctly.

Izuku nodded. "My friend is out there, alone and confused," Izuku answered. "I promised to make him remember me. I also promised to bring him back."

Izuku looked up toward Shoto, who smiled and nodded back.

"You don't have to come with me," Captain America claimed.

"I know," Falcon replied. "When do we start?"

With that the movie ends and the credits begin to roll, with stylized credits in black and white, with the occasional red.

A chorus of claps erupted from the group at the amazing movie they had witnessed, despite all the heartbreak and fear they held for one individual or another.

"Oh my god, it's finally over!" Kaminari slumped on the floor.

"I know!" Mineta sighed. "I mean, that movie was awesome, but I almost got several heart attacks too!"

'For once, I agree with the perv,' All the girls thought.

The style and music of the credits were comparable to that of spy films, with imagery of Captain America's silhouette, one shot of the captain raised alongside the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo while HYDRA grew down below him on the flipside alongside a man saluting.

"You know what, not gonna lie, I like this better than the Avengers," Setsuna said her hot take.

"Oh, fuck off!" Bakugou barked. "You're just saying that because the damn nerd was in it!"

"Nah, I can see why she liked this one better," Itsuka shook her head. "Remember, Tokage's a big fan of spies and spy movies. I'm not surprised that she would like a superhero spy movie."

"With Green Bean, too," Setsuna added, cheekily.

"I stand up and cover for her, and this is what happens," Itsuka muttered to herself, rolling her eyes and throwing her arms up exasperated.

"Honestly, compared to the first Captain America movie, I like this one better," Hagakure admitted. "The spy element and conspiracy mystery were cool, even if it was horrible. B-But don't think I didn't like your first movie, Midori! I still like it a lot!"

"No worries, Hagakure," Izuku chuckled embarrassingly. "I didn't take it like that. I'm just glad that you liked it. Hopefully, you've picked up some cool spy moves and stealth tactics to incorporate?"

"Sure did!" Hagakure exclaimed, cheered back up. "And what did I say, Midori? It's Toru to you!"

"I like this one too," Miruko commented. "Lots of action, martial arts, and Cap being a total badass." Miruko grinned down at Midoriya menacingly. 'Look out, Midoriya. You may be my protege now, but I won't stop until I make sure you are ever bit as super a Hero as that man!' Miruko licked her lips.

Izuku felt a cold shiver run down his spine and it wasn't from one of Shoto's ice attacks. 'I'm in danger,' Izuku realized, blankly.

As the main credits finished, it switched the sight of a man, his back turned to the audience with his hands clasped behind his back. A scientist walked up to the man and said "It's over. Aizawa has released everything to the public."

"More of HYDRA, right?" Kinoko asked.

"Everything he knows about," The man replied in a German accent, his face turned slightly to see his monocle.

"Oh, most definitely, and just because of his German accent," Setsuna replied. "That monocle just screams 'bad guy scientist'."

"Herr Strucker, if they get word of work here, if they find out we serve HYDRA..." The scientist began to warn his leader.

"HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D. Two sides of a coin that's no longer currency," Strucker walked with the scientist, the man walking past several computers and monitors toward his prize: Loki's Scepter. "What we have is worth more than any of them ever knew."

"No," Toshinori's eyes widened drastically. "Loki's Scepter."

"B-But how?!" Mount Lady exclaimed, incredibly confused. "How did they get their hands on it?"

"They must have confiscated it after the Battle of New York," Ryukyu replied. "My true question is if Thor knew about S.H.I.E.L.D. taking the scepter and let them keep it, or if they took it without his knowledge."

Izuku gazed at Loki's Scepter with wide eyes that grew with realization. Flipping through his notes, he reached the page newly titled: Infinity Stones. On it, he had drawings of the Tesseract, The Aether in its containment device, and finally, with a question mark next to it, Loki's Scepter and the scepter's gem.

'Director Aizawa said that the Scepter was similar to the Cube, it could interact and cancel the energy of the Tesseract, and it held a level of consciousness that affected all of us in the Helicarrier,' Izuku flinched at the memory of that particular incident. Regardless, it seemed to influence them all on its own and was potentially influencing Loki. With its relation to one of the Infinity Stones and sharing the same level of semi-consciousness that both the Tesseract and the Aether shared, the odds that this might be another of the Infinity Stones and that it was in the hands of HYDRA was an alarming revelation to an extreme degree.

Strucker gazed at the blue gem and the radiated light and energy encompassing the artifact. "We've only scratched the surface and already..." Strucker cut himself off, continuing to stare at the weapon in wanderlust.

"Could he be influenced by the gem, like the rest of us were in the Avengers?" Ochaco stared at the gem suspiciously.

"Possibly," Shinsou shrugged. "Whether or not he is, the fact they have the Scepter, and the gem is dangerous. In Loki's hands, he helped unleash an alien invasion and brainwash me and several other people. Who knows what damage HYDRA could do with it?"

"There are other facilities doing HYDRA's good work around the world," Strucker broke free from his hypnotic gaze at the gem, continuing his walk with the scientist across the hidden facility, passing by other members of HYDRA as they worked. "We'll feed them to Captain America and his colorful friends and keep them off our scent."

"He's willing to snitch out his comrades so they can keep experimenting on the Scepter?" Snipe questioned.

"I should not expect any less from cowards like them," Endeavor growled, a new fiery vendetta burning in his soul toward HYDRA after the actions they committed toward his son from another world.

"What about the volunteers?" The scientist asked, as they conveniently passed by some HYDRA members looking over a tarped-over corpse.

"If that is what they do to their volunteers, I'd hate to see what they do to their vict-Nevermind," Sato stopped whatever he was about to say when he glanced at Todoroki.

"The dead will be buried so deep their ghosts won't be able to find them," Strucker dismissed casually.

The two stopped. "And the survivors?" The HYDRA scientist gazed at what lay ahead of him.

"The twins," Strucker smiled.

Inside two holding cells behind thick glass, Strucker and the scientist gazed at the mentioned twins, one a blue-haired young man spastically moving around his room, wispy silver after-images trailing behind as done so with superhuman speed, and the other a raven-haired young woman, one large strand concealing most of her right side, her hands, glowing ruby red wisps circling her fingers, raised at levitating blocks that held the same wispy energy encompassing them, the woman raising and shifting them around with sickly wonder.

Eyes widened across the group like a wave, each displaying their own levels of shock and horror.

Iida's jaw dropped and his glasses sat crooked over his shocked face. "Brother?" Iida whispered, stunned.

"MULTIVERSAL COUNTERPARTS DETECTED! PIETRO MAXIMOFF!" F.R.I.D.A.Y. froze the screen on the man speeding around the room incredibly fast. "MULTIVERSAL COUNTERPART: TENSEI IIDA!"

Momo gasped, her hand pressed over her heart and her fingers twitching as she saw the ones on the screen covered in ruby-red energy. "It can't be," Momo muttered.

"WANDA MAXIMOFF! MULTIVERSAL COUNTERPART: MOMO YAOYOROZU!"

"Yaoyorozu? And Iida's brother?" Shoto repeated, eyes wide and full of shock. "They are also with HYDRA?"

"But as part of HYDRA, or as their guinea pigs?" Tokoyami pointed out. "From what this Strucker said, they are the only survivors of whatever experiments they have been doing with the Scepter."

"And they're twins?" Mina quirked an eyebrow as she looked at both Iida and Momo. "I know that's not the case here, but are you guys related in any way?"

"N-No, not as far as I'm aware of," Momo steadied herself. "While I knew of Iida's family, we never met in any official capacity until U.A."

"Agreed," Iida nodded, confirming Yaoyorozu's words. "I am unsure of the connection between my brother and Yaoyorozu to be siblings in this universe, but I can see that this Pietro has some degree of super speed, much like my brother and I have our Engine Quirks that give us our speed."

"That's true, but then what about Yaomomo and this Wanda person?" Jiro wondered, looking at her best friend. "I know you glow when you use your Quirk but I'm pretty sure it isn't red and that your Quirk doesn't give you some kind of telekinesis power, right?"

"Indeed," Momo nodded, analyzing whatever energy her newly revealed counterpart was using. "My Quirk only allows me to create any object I can think of as long as it isn't organic or living, I know of its atomic structure, and I have lipids in my body to use as a fuel source. This telekinesis is something different."

Izuku stared at the screen with wide eyes as his heart pounded rapidly in worry. To see Momo's counterpart appear was one thing, and seeing that she was just as beautiful, if not a little disheveled, as her counterpart, but the uncertainty whether or not she was part of HYDRA willingly or as a captured, experimented slave of theirs was incredibly worrying to him.

"Sooner or later, they will meet the twins," Strucker admitted. "It's not a world of spies anymore. Not even a world of Heroes." Strucker looked back at the scientist. "This is the Age of Miracles, Doctor." The two watched as some of the man's blue hair began to turn white. "They're nothing more horrifying than a miracle."

The woman gazed at the blocks with tired, wanderlust eyes, the red glow of her hands greatening as her fingers curled to a claw-like grip. With a clasp of her palms, the blocks crashed violently into each other.

Momo flinched as her counterpart did that. She was struck speechless at the look in her counterpart's eyes, not simply because of how crazed they looked but because the way she looked at those blocks was startlingly similar to how her parents said she looked when she created her first object: full of wanderlust.

"That Strucker intends to use the twins for whatever twisted goal or aim of his branch of HYDRA," Mandalay guessed.

"Like Hell we're going to let them use Yaomomo as their pawn!" Mina declared. "Or our Class Pres's big brother."

"T-Thank you, Mina," Momo smiled, gratefully. "That is nice of you to say."

"Indeed," Iida nodded, showing his gratitude as well.

However, the blue-haired teen was now thinking about his brother and how chilling it felt to have him as part of his branch of HYDRA's goals. The memory of his brother's bandaged, beaten-up body in the hospital was the shock that shook Iida out of his thoughts before he went any deeper and darker.

The end credits rolled down till the screen was black. Color was regained and found the audience once more in the Captain America exhibit in the Smithsonian, the visitors now only gazing at the dressed mannequins of the Howling Commandoes, the Captain American one put away with its uniform taken.

"Huh, it's the Captain America exhibit," Setsuna perked up. "Think that Stan has been fired yet because of the missing suit."

"Hopefully, not," Melissa answered. "It would be quite rude of you, Izu, if that poor old man lost his job because you stole your suit."

"W-W-Wait, I'm sure that other me wouldn't let that happen!" Izuku stuttered. "I-I mean, I know it was wrong but he needed a suit of some kind, and I'm sure he sent it back or told the museum that he borrowed it."

"Plus, would it really be stealing if the suit belonged to him anyway?" Ochaco proposed.

"Bah, it doesn't matter anyway," Bakugou scoffed. "That old man is just gonna show up in another movie as a bartender or a strip club announcer for all I know."

"'Suki!" Ibara swatted at his chest. "Don't mention such vulgar things!"

"Pfft, 'Suki! BAHAHAHAHA!" Kirishima and Kaminari burst out laughing, followed swiftly by everyone else.

"SCREW OFF, THE LOT OF YOU!" Bakugou roared out, eyes and face burning red.

Panning away to a specific man in a dark jacket, the man stopped at the memorial to Bucky Barnes. The screen panned over with familiar music, the man was shown wearing a cap, hiding most of his white and red hair. Shoto Bucky Barnes stared at his image, gazing inquisitively at his history.

Izuku's and Shoto's eyes widened.

"Shoto?!" Pony gasped. "He went to his exhibit?"

"He must be trying to find out all about his past, and he must have figured that the Captain America exhibit was the best place to start," Itsuka figured.

And with that, the screen turned black.

As the movie ended, sighs of relief and stress came out of many in their seats.

"Jeez, that was nerve-racking," Sero sighed. "And that freaky music at the end didn't help."

"Yeah, I thought he was suddenly going to go ballistic or something," Kaminari nodded.

"Well, seeing as this particular film has caused quite a bit of emotional stress and toll onto many of us," Nezu stared around the room, his gaze halting on certain few individuals. "I say that we take a much longer break. 30 minutes should suffice?"

With several nods received at the notion, the audience broke away from their seats to chat and converse among themselves. One such group included Aizawa, Mic, Midnight, and Nezu, with the rodent principal looking particularly serious about this upcoming conversation. Another group included Endeavor and his son. Pony had to be reassured by Shoto that he was alright, while Hawks frowned, dissatisfied that he couldn't talk with Endeavor like he planned to. With that avenue closed, Hawks decided to focus his efforts on talking with Tokoyami, and potentially tease him about how a certain ghostly girl seemed to find him fanciable.

Ochaco sighed as she stood conversing with Nejire and Asui until a finger tapped her shoulder. Ochaco turned and was surprised at the person who wanted her attention. "D-Deku?!" Ochaco yelped.

"H-Hey, Ura-Ochaco," Izuku corrected himself, his face red and scratching the back of his neck. "C-Can we talk outside for a moment? Just the two of us?"


AAAAAAAANNNNNDDDDD SCENE! And thus is the end of the Winter Soldier, and oh my god I had to wrestle with a particularly nasty case of writer's block at many points in this writing, which sucks because I wanted to do this ending justice, which I hope I did.

And yes, to start things off, let us talk about those last-minute counterparts. I debated revealing them already but given that Wanda and Pietro will look just like their counterparts, with the exception of Pietro's hair still being white, I figured I might as well reveal them. Firstly, Tensei Iida as Pietro, both speedsters with a sadly short time in the sun in their respective outings and both who suffer a grisly fate at the hands of a maniacal Villain, one crippled and the other killed as you all know. Tensei was chosen over Iida since Tensei's wittier and more light-hearted demeanor compares easier to Pietro's snarky attitude and Pietro is the older twin to Wanda in the MCU by at least 12 minutes, compared to other Marvel universes where the latter is the older twin, and this change in the dynamic for Age of Ultron also helped in my decision to make Tensei, elder not-twin brother of Iida, as the elder, protective Maximoff twin.

Then we have Momo Yaoyorozu as Wanda Maximoff. Both are beautiful, have red-colored hero suits, possess powers that give them terrifyingly deadly potential, as well as a spectacular degree of versatility and dexterity only limited by imagination, yet they are also sensitive and inexperienced in their powers and combat experience, like when Momo lost easily and quickly to Tokoyami and Wanda accidentally launching the exploding Rumlow into a building full of Wakandans, both incidents causing devastating consequences to their confidence and full of doubt, one full of self-doubt in her abilities and the other in doubt of her ability to control her powers and people looking at her with fear. Plus, to be perfectly frank, it's also quite the stroke of luck that both characters also have eye-catching and noticeable cleavage, at least comparatively.

Anyway, again, I hope I did the ending of this film justice, especially the 'End of the Line' moment that many of you were dying to see. I admit that I might have played it up a little more dramatically than I could have, but I honestly couldn't see myself writing it any differently. The tension, the beating, and the emotional heartstrings, which are even more apparent given the personal stakes and relation to the audience. I couldn't have that scene play out and not have Bakugou pale and think about how he did the same to Midoriya, or the girls go ballistic seeing Izuku getting pummeled to near death. Finally, it is well within Izuku's character to do exactly what Rogers did and never give up on Barnes or Shoto, and truly show how this version of Izuku and Shoto are like brothers to each other.

Another thing that you guys were eager to see I found was Cap's speech about the price of freedom and I hope I did that well too. I know many were asking for Mineta to be the guy that Rumlow nearly shot, and I did contemplate it, but I settled with simply having Mineta relate to the guy, not be his counterpart. For as much as I have Mineta be a punching bag for the girls and Izuku, Mineta is too big of a character to have his counterpart be some one-off tertiary character, but your comments did inspire me to have Mineta relate to the guy and contemplate how Midoriya also helped Mineta be braver, and even sprinkle in some references to the final fight with All For One and the characters saying 'Do Your Best'.

Lastly, we had the part where Izuku contemplates his secret of One For All and how despite the bonds he made with his friends, the only person he told was Bakugou, who figured it out himself, and Melissa just recently. Here I wanted Izuku to ponder why he has been keeping One For All secret, whether because he doesn't trust his friends fully or because he feels like he owes it to All Might, only to discover that it's the latter, and to realize that One For All is His Quirk and His secret to tell whom he wants and accept the responsibility and consequences of who he would tell.

I won't have Izuku tell all the students about One For All, especially 1-B who he hasn't made as many connections to the class, except Setsuna, and even in Class 1-A he isn't crazy enough to tell everyone the secret just yet, but it seems he is ready to tell a whole lot to Uraraka, more on that next chapter.

With all that said, I hope you guys liked the long-ass chapter and all that it showed, leave your thoughts and counterpart predictions in the reviews, and be chill and civil with each other. Also, check out my other stories here and on AO3 if you haven't already, and to that one guy who predicted that I would release a chapter for this story by September...well played.

This has been Zayden StormVoid and if you will excuse me, I'm about to binge a whole season's worth of demon-slaying, sword-breathing-style training in preparation for the end. Cue the dozens of YouTube shorts!

I LET THE WORLD BURN! LET THE WORLD BURN FOR YOU! THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS HAD TO END! IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU THEN NO ONE CAN! I'D LET IT BURN! I'D LET THE WORLD BURN! JUST TO HEAR YOU CALLING OUT MY NAME! WATCHING IT ALL GO DOWN IN FLAMES!