Steve and I watched across from the round plastic table we were sitting at as the two men in front of us stepped out of their cells. There were twenty soldiers surrounding us, all dressed in heavy armor and carrying massive guns. All, sadly, were mostly useless if the people they were pointed at got serious, but thankfully they were also unnecessary.

Creel and Bucky had been getting deprogrammed for days, speaking to therapists, scientists, and getting checked by neurosurgeons. Now they were looking at us, looking tired, but somehow happy. If two grumps like them could be happy. They were wearing patient's uniforms, all blue outfits, and Bucky's mechanical arm had been removed for security reasons. They moved forward and took seats, both eyeing us.

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky said, smiling. “I heard about everything that happened. BRIDGE, huh? It's a good name.”

“Isn't that stuff top secret?” I asked.

Creel chuckled, and Bucky's smile became a little sour. “We've been playing a game, trying to see who could overhear the most from the guards.”

“He wins every time,” Creel admitted. “I was always an enforcer, not so much the assassin.”

Bucky seemed to falter slightly at that. Steve noticed that and chose then to take out the physical files he had printed, taking out two pieces of paper and passing them to Creel and Bucky.

“You'll be happy to know that we managed to speak to the President and those of the United Nations. Thanks to the information you both provided, many HYDRA personnel and cells have been apprehended.”

“The information-” Creel started to say before I coughed meaningfully.

To be truthful, all our focus had been on curing them. Any information provided had been with X and Jarvis' help. But people were not going to let even brainwashing be an excuse, not if they could pin things on the two of them. Politicians would find it more palatable if they were 'trading information' for leniency.

“I have been approved,” Steve continued. “To offer you both options. Now, it means a couple more days of being tested along with other standard background checks, just to make sure you can both are safe, but you have options.”

“50 years in prison?” Bucky said distastefully while reading the paper provided to him. “Not a great start.”

“I only have 25,” Creel said, though he still didn't sound pleased.

“Yeah well, Bucky has a longer list working against him,” I admitted. “And you both would get time off for good behavior. Well, the possibility.”

Creel grunted, and picked up that offer, tearing it in half. When the men around us pointed guns at him for the aggressive act, the four of us ignored them. “What else you got?”

Steve held out the next papers, and the pair took them.

“Working for the US military?” Bucky asked, sounding a bit interested. “What would that mean? Enlisting again?”

“Not exactly,” Steve said softly. I kept quiet as Bucky and Creel continued to read.

The papers were an offer, sure. But people in the US military wanted Bucky and Creel to act as their personal military death squad. To go into the middle east and other places and kill targets based on political leanings rather than actual need, to strike like a thunderbolt on America's enemies, most of them imagined. Granted, that wasn't what it actually said. The truth was hidden in the margins. Literally, we'd added little stuff in the margins. Mostly because Jarvis and X had included transcripts of the 'secret' meetings of the men who had come up with the idea, and what they wanted exactly. We'd be keeping an eye on them, but for now, Bucky and Creel knew the truth.

“So more of the same,” Creel said, disgusted. “We'd be killing innocent people.”

“We're going to look into those guys,” I mentioned. “But the US Military is an option. There are good men that could use you, places where you can do critical business... but there is a third option, one that allows you to do the same work. You'd still work with the US military at times, still take out terrorists, but your bosses would be very different.”

Bucky and Creel watched as Steve pushed forward another pair of papers. And Bucky laughed.

“Yeah, stop being dramatic Steve. We're in.”

Steve grinned. “You heard already?”

“Gonna need to train your men to be quieter,” Bucky confirmed. “So what, we getting the offer to be Avengers?”

“Reserve,” Steve said. “You'll be under Sam Wilson.”

“The guy with wings?” Creel asked. “Seriously?”

“The career soldier, with a good military record, a fresh face that has no ties with Tony Stark to cause any suspicions that Rhodey does, nor weird powers like mine to scare conservatives,” I said simply. “Sam will look damn good to the public. Sadly, image is apparently everything now, so that's important,” I scowled a bit at that. I mean, Sam was a damn good choice, but the guys who were now in charge of making sure that we all looked good were annoying. “Anyways, we're looking for more members. There's someone who's a little less... palatable, then you guys are.”

“More than us?” Creel asked, surprised.

“She had a choice,” Steve replied. “But she's not going to be treated with kid gloves either way.”

“We'll be working with a team of BRIDGE agents as well,” I said. “Along with the Avengers. Focused on stopping HYDRA across America in particular, though it may vary. It's not all you'll be doing of course, but it's part of the whole shebang.”

“...Avenger,” Creel tasted the word on his tongue, and seemed to find it odd, but worth it. “Yeah. I'm in.”

“Same for me,” Bucky looked down at where his robotic arm had once been. “But I might need a replacement.”

“Don't worry,” I said. “I've gained some experience with that. Keep in mind, there are some regulations in place, and daily checkups as well as tests. And we need to wait for Tony to capture Vasily Karpov.”

Bucky flinched at that name.

“But we'll be able to fight?” Creel asked, voice becoming harder. “Starting with HYDRA?”

“Starting with one name in particular,” I nodded towards Steve, who slid another piece of paper to Creel look at. He smiled.

“Yeah... Yeah, I want him.”

“First, let me check one last time?” I asked Creel. He nodded. “Take a deep breath. Calm your mind,” Creel eyed me, listening with a look of concentration. “You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be rewarded. Now, get out of your chair and uh... absorb the paper in your hand I guess.”

Creel didn't hesitate to chuckle. “Fuck that. Let's go beat his head in.”

------

Daniel Whitehall/Werner Reinhardt

January 17, 2014

Werner Reinhardt had been alive for over one hundred years. Despite his age, he had regained his youth some time ago, his skin as smooth as when he was a younger man, his pale white hair as thick. He'd seen and done many things in that lifetime, a fact he was quite proud of. But HYDRA falling, especially the way it had fallen, managed to surprise him, a fact he would have found interesting if hadn't disturbed him so much.

The only reason the man who had taken the name Whitehall had managed to survive was the painstaking work he had done to make sure that his own part of the organization had been left separate from those who were connected to SHIELD. It had been close, as far as he could tell. But he had been careful. Now he could work from the shadows.

So he had no idea what to think when, while perusing files on the hidden locations of several SHIELD agents safe houses, his computer suddenly began to display the image of the symbol of HYDRA. It was a simple picture, similar to the dozens painted on the walls in the skyscraper whose office he sat in. But as he watched, a green flash of light was followed by the logo shapeshifting. Tentacles became wings. The head of the octopus became the head of a bird. Soon, SHIELD's symbol appeared. Modified, with some strange white lines separating the wings to give it a new look. But one that sent a chill down Reinhardt's spine.

At that moment, an alarm began to sound. The door opened, and soldiers rushed into the room. “Sir!” One man said. Reinhardt relaxed when he realized this was one of his men. “SHIELD found us! We need to run.”

“I thought we were hidden,” the HYDRA leader spat out, rushing to rise up.

“General Hale turned on us,” the soldier said, sounding horrified. “That's what our people are saying anyway. When she heard about your plans...”

Reinhardt cursed, following his soldiers. With the chaos that had followed in the aftermath of Pierce's failure, Reinhardt, like his fellow HYDRA leaders, had reached for any resources they could. So, he had attempted to make Ruby Hale one of those resources, to bring her in. He'd told her mother to bring her in for experimentation. There were some... risky, things that could be done to give or improve a person with power, make them a true threat to even Avenger level individuals. Ruby could be severely injured by the experiments, but it would be worth it. Even her death could aid in the cause.

Reinhardt shook his head as he and his soldiers rushed through the halls of his home. Apparently, he had overestimated General Hale's ability to put aside her feelings for the greater good. A sad truth of women, that becoming mothers ruined their ability to think logically. Reinhardt sighed. Thankfully, he had contingencies in place for such a situation. HYDRA would rise once more.

Even as a smug smile rose on his face, the soldiers in front of the small group came to a stop. When Reinhardt looked up, and scowled at the sight before him.

Two men strode towards the group, standing out in the white halls. Both wore blue uniforms. One had a star on his chest, and blue helmet as he carried a very familiar shield. The other had a robotic arm colored black with green lines designed like circuitry across the surface, carrying a gun in his hands.

Captain America was horrific enough. But Reinhardt felt even his brilliant mind freeze at the sight of the Winter Soldier with him. The two super-soldiers walked with confident strides, their eyes calm.

Reinhardt reached for the words he'd heard only once, trying to reach for his Russian. “*Longin-!”

The Winter Soldier started shooting. Reinhardt's men started firing back, but Captain America raised his shield and blocked the hail of bullets. The sounds of bullets entering flesh, bouncing off vibranium, and hitting fluorescent lighting and drywall, filled the hallway. In an instant, the terrifying effectiveness of the super-soldiers plan became clear. Barnes would simply fire with his exceptional skill, and Rogers would block any attack that came their way. A brute tactic, but simple, one that led to five soldiers dying under the Winter Soldier's aim.

“Grenade!” One of Reinhardt's men yelled, tossing the frag.

“No, you fool!” Reinhardt cried, turning to sprint as fast as he could.

Rogers snatched the grenade out of the air and tossed it back with lightning speed. Reinhardt and those of his men who'd followed his retreat heard the explosion behind them.

“Down!” the lead soldier yelled as they ran into the stairwell. He halted, horrified at what he saw, and Reinhardt leaned over to see what had stopped him.

The stairs leading down had been blocked by giant green crystals.

“The monster...” Reinhardt said in horror.

Suddenly a loud sound came from behind them. They looked to see that two women had joined Barnes and Rogers. Both were tall, buxom, and dressed in military uniforms. One carried only a knife, which she had stabbed into a soldier. The other had a pair of batons in hand, which she was using to beat a man like a drum. The Winter Soldier lifted an overzealous soldier with his robotic arm and tossed him through a wall. Captain America tossed his shield, and the invulnerable object slammed off a soldier, into a wall, into another man, and back to Rogers.

“Up!” the lead soldier rushed upwards, Reinhardt and the last of his soldiers rushing to join him. They ran up two flights and exited a different door. The floor they were on now was dedicated to research, with every door leading to laboratories. As they ran a noise could be heard from within those labs. A noise Reinhardt had memorized, the sound of a repulsor beam. They ran faster.

“The Avengers,” Reinhardt spat. “SHIELD's pet superhumans, all in force for me.”

“Sir!” Down the hall, a man with dark skin waved at them, and Reinhardt felt his usual calm return at the sight of the man. “Over here!”

“Bakshi,” Reinhardt and his soldiers joined his trusted second-in-command.

“I'm glad to see you safe, sir,” Bakshi said with a tight smile.

“We'll escort you both to the rooftop,” the lead soldier said. Bakshi joined them, and everyone ran. “SHIELD came in from the lower floors, and they're letting their superhumans clear everyone out as their soldiers do clean-up.”

“I'll have to mention that to von Strucker,” Reinhardt mentioned. “Quite the effective tactic.”

“Will we rendezvous with him?” Bakshi asked.

“We will have to,” Reinhardt smirked as they entered an elevator together. “If von Strucker remembers the man who put him where he is, I believe we will be all right.”

Bakshi leaned against the wall of the elevator and smirked. “Well, I wouldn't count your chickens just yet.”

Reinhardt, who had been watching the doors close, had enough time to look at Bakshi, confused at his sudden casualness.

Then a hand grabbed the right door of the elevator. A hand that began to change color to match the elevator door, going from skin colored to steel. One of the soldiers slammed the butt of his rifle into the hand as it pulled the door, and received nothing for it. Another hand joined the first, and the doors were ripped out of their holdings, tossed aside. The soldiers fired on the figure in front of them.

Carl Creel smiled, bullets bouncing off his steel skin like Nerf darts. He stepped inside and picked up one of the soldiers, beginning to squeeze on his throat.

“Wait!” Reinhardt yelled.

The soldiers stopped shooting. Creel looked at Reinhardt who smiled smugly.

“Now Mr. Creel. Listen very closely. Take a deep breath. Calm your mind,” Reinhardt smiled when Creel dropped the soldier, staring at him. “You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be rewar-” Creel slapped Reinhardt in the face.

The HYDRA leader hit the wall behind him and turned back with a stinging cheek to stare at a grinning Creel. “What do you think, Barton? Should I comply?”

Bakshi shook his head. “Nah, I think you're good.”

Reinhardt had enough time to look at Bakshi before the man kicked a soldier in the knee, jab another in the throat, and drop a gun from his sleeve that he shot at another. Creel moved slightly slower, but lashed out as well throwing one man out of the elevator and kicking another.

Reinhardt sighed sadly as the last soldier fell to the ground. He stood up straight and faced Creel, then looked at Bakshi. Who removed his face to reveal that of Clint Barton, the Avenger known as Hawkeye.

“I suppose,” Reinhardt said smiling. “I am caught, yes?”

Creel and Barton shared a look.

“I will, of course, cooperate fully,” Reinhardt held out his hands. “I'm sure you all have many questions. I am happy to answer them,” he chuckled. “In a way, this will be good for both SHIELD and me. Our experiments will be most useful.”

“...Does he always talk like that?” Clint asked. “All creepy like? 'Eeeexperimantaaation.”

“For as long as I've known him,” Creel pulled a small pistol from behind his back and pointed it at Reinhardt.

“What are you-!?” the HYDRA leader stopped when he saw something. A smoky image of a man, unseen by Barton or Creel. A man with a shaved head, blue eyes with a monocle over his right eye, and a tall build. Reinhardt's eyes widened. “Struck-”

Creel shot Reinhardt in the chest with an ICER bullet, the tranquilizing effect of the weapon knocking Reinhardt out instantly.

“Let's get the mad scientist into a cell,” Clint said.

Both heroes collected their prisoner and BRIDGE agents joined them, the apparition shook his head. As he vanished, he said one word. “Useless.”

------

Wolfgang von Strucker

von Strucker opened his eyes and scowled. He was sitting in a meditative style on a stone floor, in a room of a castle in North America. The current leader of HYDRA was wearing a blue polo shirt and black pants and had removed his shoes to sit more comfortably. He cracked his back and shook his head, reaching a hand up to rub his eyelids.

“No luck?”

Wolfgang looked to his right. A man stood there, watching him. He had slicked back hair and was wearing a black turtleneck. The man had a smug look on his face.

“I'm guessing the Old Man wasn't willing to listen?”

“I did not have the chance to try,” von Strucker looked up at the man. “He was captured by SHIELD and the Avengers. Who have new members, one of whom is Creel.”

“Shit,” the man shook his head, stepping into the room to begin pacing. “That's a kick in the ass we didn't need.”

“Bluntly stated, but not untrue,” von Strucker lifted the device in his lap up. “We are not just desperate, Garrett. We are dying.”

“Yeesh, all of you legacies are always so dire,” John Garrett watched as his ally rose up. “Things are tough, but we can still get past it. You know, one head, yadda yadda.”

“When that is repeated as we lose, it fails to have any meaning.”

Garrett chuckled at the stone-faced von Strucker. “Now see, that's quitter talk.”

“No. I am acknowledging our desperation. It is the only reason I decided to release this... thing, from containment. And I am still not sure why I allowed you to convince me to do so.”

“Because it was the only choice we had,” Garrett shook his head. “The Avengers are coming. And so is SHIELD. They're going to find ways to counter us. So we need to use all the toys we've got.”

von Strucker sighed, nodding after a moment. “Yes,” he looked down at his hand, where a short staff ending in two blades that held a glowing blue orb between them. The hand was protected by a metallic glove, with a solid orange color to it. “Hail HYDRA... for better or for worse.”

“Till death do us part,” Garrett said with a smile.