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When we walked further into the building I saw portraits of 3 people. "There's Stark's father," Natasha says
"Howard," Steve says I scanned the pictures
"Who's the girl," She asks I look at Steve who was stone-faced as he turned away. He stopped at some empty shelves and I narrowed my eyes.
"If you're already working in a secret office..." He grabs the side pulling it to reveal an elevator. I tilt my head look at Natasha who mirrored my looks. "Why do you need to hide the elevator?"
"Let's find out," I say as we enter the elevator and it brings us down to a room. When we were let out we were in a room it was filled with computers, ancient computers.
"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient," Natasha says the computer speaks.
"Initiate system?"
"Y-E-S spells yes," She looks around before spotting a drive on the table putting the flash drive into the computer. "Shall we play again," Natasha says smirking looking back at Steve "It's from a movie," She says looking at Steve
"Yeah, I saw it," Steve says
"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984. Montieth, Alya. Born 1906," Both Steve and Natasha looked at me with widened eyes
"What?" I ask looking at them they look back at the computer and I notice the camera and it seems they noticed it too.
"It's some kind of a recording," Natasha tries to justify.
"I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am," An old photo shows on the screen of a man. I look at the photo before looking at Steve. Natasha asked the question on my tongue.
"Do you know this thing?" She asks looking at the blonde man who seemed to come to a realization.
"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years," Steve says
"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain," Zola says. I scrunch up my nose looking down at my feet.
"How did you get here?" I ask the camera moves to look at me
"Invited," Zola says almost smug. I look between Steve and Natasha before Natasha starts speaking.
"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic value," Natasha says
"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own," Zola says I look at Steve with my eyebrows furrowed
"HYDRA died with the Red Skull," He says his voice thick with hatred. HYDRA, I remember them from 1947.
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Zola says
"Prove it," Steve says the computer starts whirling
"Accessing archive," The computer continues to whirl as it shows pictures and Zola speaks "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed,"
"That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you," Natasha says her eyes darting back and forth on the screen.
"Accidents will happen," the computer picture switches to a picture of a car. "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life; a zero-sum," Steve in a bout of anger smashed the computer screen. The system goes quiet for a second before it speaks again "As I was saying..."
"What's on this computer," I mumble before speaking again. Something wasn't right.
"Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm," I tilt my head at how cryptic he was being.
"What kind of algorithm?" I ask
"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it," I frown watching Steve throw his shield at the door but missing it.
"Guys, we got a bogey. Short-range ballistic. 30 seconds tops," Natasha says
"Who fired it?" Both Steve and I echoed
"SHIELD," she answers
"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us...out of time," Zola days running a shiver down my spine. I disregarded what was said.
"Go! I can take it, hide," I yell at them Steve looks like he wants to argue but does what he was told. When the missile breaks the trough I wrapping my hands around the nose of it. I scream out as I use my weight to minimize the effects. The missile explodes leaving me standing there my clothing burning to reveal my suit. I sigh out in exhaustion before yelling "Come on!"
