Zola was escorted to base camp a few hours agos. Almost everyone wanted nothing more then to crucify him, as a way to avenge Bucky. Steve as in much pain he was in was the one to srep in an say no, that moment would stay with Alex for a very long time. The respect an admiration for the man called captain America, was without limit. To read about someone inner strength compares to see it with one own eyes is completely different. That was truly someone he could never hope to replace, so he started to really understand Abraham hope in Steve. Give power not to the strong who are already strong but to give it to the little guys thoses that wouldn't abus it. All he could say was that Steve was a much better man then he was.

Every member of the howling commandos went an looked for the darkest bar they could fine. In principle the mission was a major breakthrough, they had finally caught a live hydra member and he didn't trie to kill himself, only the price for them was to high Bucky was gone. Alex an Steve after the capture of Zola had booth returned to the frozen river, they spent a few hours searching every corner they could. Steve even dive in the frozen river looking for Bucky Alex an James took each one side of the river hoping to find Bucky on either side of the banks. Everyone knew it was a very small possibility of finding Bucky in this weather, after a few hours they had no choices but to leave.

"Give me another one." Alex signalled the barman, as he keep going over and over his decision of not telling them the truth. Was he really s'oppose to just keep quiet about what he knows, or should he speek out an spill everything. 

"You seem to be drinking the same thing that Abraham drank last." Steve said as he sat down beside Alex, he also motion for a drink.

What the hell, in the story Peggy visits Steve to cheer him up what was he doing here? Alex turn to Steve blinking as he tried to understand how this was going to go.

"Why are you smiling at a time like this, if anything you should have the biggest sadness of us all?" Alex ask in confusion.

"Peggy came to see me." Steve said a smile lit up his face but his eyes still retain sadness from loosing his friend.

"So what did you two get it on or something." Alex said in a more monotone voice.

Steve blush he cough to get his bearing back looking away trying to act casual.

"Oh, my, God." Alex turn completely to Steve grabing his arm. "How, when, were?" 

Steve at this point just chuckled. "She found me a few hours ago, wallowing in self piety. Don't get me wrong it still hurt like hell, but I'm not going to give up, Bucky would have been the first to punch me an told me me to get back up."

"Yeah...Steve I want to...apo..." Alex started to say.

"No, you have nothing to blame yourself for. As Peggy reminded me we all knew the risk an what Bucky did is save my life. An as she said. It must mean something to him, so me closing myself off from the world when other need me is the last thing I should do." Steve took a deep breath as if this was another thing he would live buy. "The world isn't always fair, but it not its fault or responsibility, the power to change it is in are hands. So we can crumble under the pressure or rise above it, it are choices."

Alex just stared at Steve, this is a road that he could never walk on. This man had become larger than life by simply being around larger life events. "Thank you Steve. Not that I don't appreciate the pep talk but why are you here with me an not with Peggy?"

"She's actually the reason I'm here, after hum lets say cheered me up." Steve said in shy voice.

A snicker escape Alex." Yeah, sure, let go with cheered up." He lightly knock his elbos in Steve ribs and wink.

Another cough from Steve." Peggy said I wasn't only responsible for my own sadness, but my teams as well it was my job not to break down an let my team drift away. I had to be strong not just for me but for everyone else that depended on me. Don't ingnore the pain, learn from it, and use it to improve myself." 

"She very wise." Alex said he held himself back from telling him to hold on to her, since he knew what was to come. He felt happy that both got at the very least one night together, but incredibly sad that it would be the only one.

They both continued to talk an drink, sharing stories of Bucky and their time together. Until Alex past out drunk on the counter, Steve carried Alex out of the bar an brought him over to his bonk, to sleep it off. If you look around you would see every other member of the howling commandos past out drunk on their bonks. Well except James who last had been seen with his arms around a young red headed nurse, heading towards her room.

The next day, every membered of the howling commandos, the general, Peggy, Howard and a bouch of other intelligent agents where in the middle of trying to comme up with a way to stop Schmidt. Ever since they had hit his factorizes, Schmidt had been scrambling to find a place they didn't know about. He found it with Heinrich Zemo or AKA Baron Zemo. Zemo stayed in the ranks of Hitler, he pretended do be loyal to the natzi party, but he was really Schmidt inside man. He had help Schmidt escape not only from Hitler but from them as well, he had provides a castle in the Alps. This was the place where project valkyrie was going to be release. Zola had explain that valkyrie was never s'oppose to be use until much later in the plan, but Steve and the howling had change that. It became evident that Schmidt was desperate and well completely mad, he had lost and this was his last act, he wanted to burn down the world.

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he’s a God. He’s willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA." The general said as he slam a document on the table.

"Schmidt’s working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour." Howard said, he had a lost look in his eyes, he'd seen what that power could do and he still hadden found a way to counter it.

"How much time we got?" Gabe said anxiously.

"According to my new best friend, under twenty four hours." The general said a smirk slide across his face still proud of finally getting new intel from his new little mouse.

"Where is he now?" Dernier said as he eyed the document.

"Hydra’s last base is here." He open the document talking out a photo he points to the base. "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface." The general said as he past copies of it around.

"So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it’s not like we can just knock on the front door." Morita said in a sarcastic way, in the photos the base was a heavely fortified castles. 

"Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do." Steve said in a firm convince voice. They then spend the next hours planing one of the most daring assaults ever.