Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. I am the Watcher. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question, "What if?"
• • 1968 • •
IT WAS A COOL night in Los Angeles, California. It was the first time Y/N had ever been to the West Coast, having spent most of his life on the East Coast or overseas. But unlike most people who take a trip to the state, this wasn't a time for leisure.
He was on a rooftop sitting by the edge as he had a phone to his ear. The twenty-year-old was waiting for the right time to act while the decoy was making his way across the street and through the crowd.
"Is Sirhan going in?" Y/N's handler spoke through the phone.
"He's on his way now. I'm giving him sixty seconds."
Y/N checked his watch. It was 12:14 A.M.
"Do you know where the target will be?"
"His detail is going to move him away from the usual path, I made sure of it. He'll be right where I want him."
He grabbed his rifle and loaded the clip which only had one .22 Long caliber bullet. That's all he needed.
30 more seconds.
"Sirhan should be in position now...if he's quick." The young man chimed in.
"You must fire and the same time as him."
Y/N pulled back the lever. "That's why I'm giving him 20 seconds."
"Clear shot?"
He peeked out and looked through a window. In an adjoining room by the hallway in the hotel, he saw the metal plate that he placed earlier that day. Again, that's all he needed.
"Yup."
10 seconds.
Y/N took a breath. "Here we go."
...5.
...4.
...3.
...2.
...1.
He quickly peeked out and shot the metal plate.
From where he was, Y/N could hear another succession of gunshots, likely from Sirhan inside. At that moment, he knew the deed was done.
"Target is down." Y/N said.
His handler reported back. "Our mole inside confirms the hit. Sirhan is being apprehended. They suspect it was all him."
"Poor guy." He replied sarcastically. "He'd do anything in the name of HYDRA even if it means taking all the flak."
"Excellent work, Taskmaster. Report back to the rendezvous point and wait until the heat dies down. Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
Y/N hung up the call and put the device away. He took apart his rifle and placed it back inside his bag. He gave one last look across the street, seeing the crush of people clamoring at the sound of gunfire and wondering what had happened within the Ambassador Hotel. He walked away and began to leave the rooftop.
Outside the hotel, a man came out and was in a frantic state of mind. A colleague of his went up to him, questioning what had happened. They were waiting to greet the presidential candidate.
"Senator Kennedy has been shot! My God...they shot him!"
• • •
Y/N Carter was always destined to be someone special. Born from Captain Steven Rogers and Agent Margaret Carter, he inherited not only the effects of his father's super-soldier serum but the ability to imitate the reflexes of whoever he chooses.
Armin Zola saw potential in the infant. He waited for the right time to act, and when it came, recruited two HYDRA loyalists to abduct the toddler from Peggy Carter.
In your universe, those HYDRA loyalists defected. They changed their names, relocated, and raised the child as their own. Y/N L/N grew up and served in the Vietnam War, but after an encounter with the Winter Soldier, was recaptured by HYDRA and put in stasis.
Nothing came of it though, as Y/N was found decades later by Nick Fury and brought into S.H.I.E.L.D where he became a renowned agent named Freedom Fighter. He later became an Avenger, reunited with his father, fell in love with Natasha Romanoff, went through several accounts of loss and gain, and ultimately took up the mantle of Captain America. It was the best thing to have happened to him.
But in this world, those HYDRA loyalists never defected. They went through with their mission and handed the toddler over to their superiors. They raised him under the values of HYDRA, implemented Zola's protocol into his head, and trained him to be one of the organization's greatest assets to go along with the Winter Soldier.
At age twenty, they began to cryogenically freeze him until he was needed. After the successful assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, he was put in stasis again. It wasn't until two decades later that he was purchased by General Dreykov, where he'd use him for tasks of his as well as to assist in training his Widows in the Red Room.
He had helped train Madame B and Melina Vostokoff, among others, and would be in and out of cryostasis through the years. He was brought back almost a decade later to help train another group of Widows...a group that included one young lady that Dreykov found immense potential in...Natalia Romanoff.
• • 2002 • •
TASKMASTER WALKED INTO the training area. The young women within immediately stopped their movements and stood at attention. One of the supervisors, Madame B, turned to the young man. He was out of his suit and in breathable clothing consisting of a simple black shirt and pants.
"Солдат (Soldier)." She greeted. "Their conditioning has concluded and are prepared for your training."
He nodded and walked in front of the line of Widows, stopping and putting his hands behind his back.
"Last week was what? Guns? Can someone confirm?" He asked.
"Yes." One of them spoke. "It was long rifle training."
"What kind of rifle?"
"Bushmaster XM-15." Another one replied.
"Good to know you remembered, because I do. I remember everything." Y/N said. "But you already knew that."
They didn't respond and kept standing at attention, listening to their trainer as he continued.
"Now all that stuff about the guns I taught you last week...forget about it. Why? Because firearms can't be your only weapon. As you must know by now...your ultimate weapon is your mind. And with your mind...is your sight...and with your sight...is your reflexes. So that's what today's all about. Hand-to-hand and your cognitive abilities. So let's begin."
With that explanation, Y/N demonstrated numerous scenarios that involved close-quarters combat. Many of the young Widows were involved in the actions presented by the trainer, with some being overpowered by the soldier and a few actually succeeding because Y/N wanted to be nice.
As the training commenced, one Widow simply surveyed what was transpiring. Just like last week, she took in a lot of what her trainer explained and demonstrated, wanting to perfect it. Y/N helped one of the ladies up after a demonstration and looked at the redhead. He wasn't oblivious to how she just stood there and watched.
"You." The 23-year-old called out and motioned her to the front. "Don't think I didn't notice that same stare last week."
She walked up to Y/N and stood in front of him, hands behind her back but not looking at his eyes. The Widows were trained that way and can only do so if instructed.
"Name?" He asked.
"Romanoff."
"I assume that's your last name. First?" He replied, then used two fingers to motion her to look at him in the eyes. "Look at me."
The redhead did as told and look directly at the soldier. "Natalia."
Y/N nodded, looking back at the Widow. The 18-year-old's piercing emerald eyes seemed to have stopped his train of thought. He had never seen such a thing...and it made him feel some type of way. He didn't understand it.
"Well, Natalia." He said after clearing his throat. "I hope those stares worked in your favor because you're gonna have to show me that you understand."
"All right, sir."
Y/N didn't give her time to prepare and swung his arm, but the redhead ducked under his attack and used her foot to create separation. The man exhaled as the female stepped back and prepared for another attack.
He engaged her again and tried to land a roundhouse kick, which she dodged too but wasn't able to react fast enough to his next kick. She grunted as his foot hit the side of her torso. Y/N landed another kick to her chest and she landed on her back.
"I'm starting to think those stares were just for me." Y/N remarked as he dusted himself off.
Natalia got back up and looked directly at her trainer. She charged at him and landed hits and kicks, most of them being parried by Taskmaster. She tried to land another punch, but Y/N put her arm in a lock and held her in place.
They just stood there as Y/N had her in his clutches, and he yet again focused on her eyes. His breathing slowed along with Natalia's as he was seemingly lost in her green orbs. Again, he didn't understand why.
Unfortunately for the man, Natalia took his inaction as a chance to escape from his hold and kneed him in the abdomen. He doubled over and the redhead jumped up to wrap her thighs around his neck, putting him in a Widow-signature scissor-leg lock. Before he can try to get her off, she threw him to the floor.
The Widows watched with silent awe. They had never seen their trainer beaten and pinned down during a demonstration, at least not involuntarily.
"Our mind is our greatest weapon." Natalia told him. "And distractions is its greatest weakness."
Y/N got to his feet, looking directly at Natalia as she stood back at attention and placed her hands behind her back. He composed himself and crossed his arms.
"How was that, sir?" She asked.
Y/N nodded, trying to hide the smirk that formed on his face.
"You did very well, Natalia."
Weeks after that session, Y/N grew fond of Natalia. While Dreykov and other supervisors in the Red Room saw the potential for her to be one of their greatest weapons, Y/N didn't see that...he was seeing the woman beneath the cold exterior, the cold exterior brought upon her by years of indoctrination and training.
The redhead also found intrigue in the young man. They shared glances during training sessions, often sparred with one another during lessons, and she was often the receiver of most of his remarks when he was teaching...often flirtatious.
It built up from there. When they were alone, they'd share kisses. They wanted each other's touch as much as they could without other people in the Red Room knowing. Then one night when it was finally possible, Y/N joined Natalia in her quarters and finally made love to her. For both of them, it was their first time.
In the darkness of the room, Y/N lay in the bed with Natalia nestled on his side. She had her hand on his bare chest as he used his fingers to draw shapes on her back. It was moments like these that brought him out of the usual routine of waking up, training Widows, working with Dreykov, and sleeping.
"Thank you." Natalia abruptly said.
"For what?" He asked as he looked at the ceiling.
"For just being here. With me. I always feel alone."
"Me too. So...thank you."
Natalia gave a soft smile, but it returned to a straight one. "You feel alone too?"
After a moment of hesitation, he finally nodded. "I do. I feel like I'm nothing but a hand for the General. Before that...I was just an assassin. I did the job and then went back to sleep." He looked back at Natalia. "With you...I feel like I'm something more."
Natalia smiled yet again but immediately started to tear up. It led to a sob and Y/N tried to wipe the tears away.
"Talia? What's wrong?" He asked.
She sniffled and opened her eyes. "I want to be something more...but that's not the case for people like me."
"To me you're—"
"To them, I'm going to be a weapon. That's all I'm good for. My graduation is in a couple of days...and with that...they're going to make sure I only care about one thing. Their mission."
"Graduation?" Y/N asked. He never recalled such a thing...or maybe he did. Did he not remember? Has it ever come up when he trained Melina and Madame B?
"After that...I'm not going to be able to have children. Because that is the only thing that can get in the way of a Widow doing what they're supposed to do." She explained, tearing up even more.
"Talia..." He spoke softly and held her close. She cried into his shoulder and caressed her back, his thoughts racing after what she revealed.
At that moment...he knew what he had to do. He had to make sure the person who made him feel like he was somebody had the chance to live a better life. He had to at least try.
He kept rubbing her back. "...I got you."
The next day, an alarm sounded within the facility. Red Room guards stormed through the hallways to where the explosion happened. The armored soldiers entered the smoke-filled room, but two were quickly taken down by Taskmaster. The remaining guards looked around but were quickly dispatched by Natalia and three Widows.
Y/N's mission was to escape the Red Room with the redhead and other Widows who she convinced to leave with her. They ran through the hallways and engaged incoming guards, with Taskmaster rushing with his sword and the ladies using guns.
It was a task Y/N thought they could accomplish. He's been around the facility before and knew its layout. He knew where to go so they can leave the facility and escape. But the man's memory would ironically fail him...
They made it to the north end of the facility and kicked open a door. Y/N was immediately hit with a strong breeze and sunlight hit the group. He looked ahead, seeing the blue sky and clouds surrounding them.
The Red Room was in the sky.
The only way off was via aircraft that Dreykov had, but they wouldn't have time to figure such a fact out as Red Room guards came out and aimed their rifles at them. A whole line of gunmen stood in front of Taskmaster, Natalia, and the Widows.
"На земле! Сейчас же! (On the ground! Now!)"
One Widow rebelled and raised her weapon, but a barrage of bullets took her down in an instant. The two other women complied and dropped their weapons, with Natalia following suit.
"Солдат! Маска с и на чертовой земле! (Soldier! Mask off and on the fucking ground!)"
Y/N slowly did as told and removed his mask. He threw it on the floor and went on his knees. The guards went up to them, grabbing the Widows before apprehending Taskmaster.
Natalia resisted for a bit, but her struggle was quelled after a guard hit her across the face with his rifle. Y/N took notice, using his strength to break out of the two men's grasp and attack her assailant.
"Don't touch her you son of a bitch!" He exclaimed as he grabbed his neck.
Three other guards came up and pulled Y/N off of him. He writhed in their hold as they started to take the women away. Natalia looked back at Y/N one last time, her emerald eyes looking into his.
"Natalia!" He kept yelling. "Natalia! Na–"
They plunged a syringe into his neck and sedated the soldier, where he immediately went limp.
• • •
An irate Dreykov demanded an explanation as to why Y/N wasn't fully indoctrinated. He wasn't given one, but HYDRA was willing to buy him back from the General. They aimed to make the soldier better and more compliant to their cause.
For the next several years, they treated him similarly to the Winter Soldier, sending him on missions, routinely subjugating him to brainwashing, and even cryostasis. They even implemented code-words to activate him, which ultimately took away any freedom he had left. He was now just a tool for them...a weapon.
After several months of stasis, they finally needed Taskmaster again. He needed to assassinate a target...a nuclear engineer being transported out of Iran.
• • 2009 • •
HE WATCHED AS the vehicle made its way down the road. Y/N had been dispatched to Ukraine to deal with the target, and he expected them to cut through Odessa.
Taskmaster had them in his sights through the scope of his rifle. He waited for a moment before shooting at the front tire, then quickly pulled back the lever and shot out the back one.
The vehicle immediately lost control and drove off a cliff.
He strapped the sniper onto his back and made his way down from where he was perched. The assassin looked over the cliff, seeing the vehicle overturned and smoking from its engine. But then, he saw a redheaded agent crawl out of the driver's seat.
Taskmaster glared. If the driver was alive, there was a chance his target was too. He began to make his way down the cliff.
The agent pulled the engineer out from the wreckage. He coughed and held onto her arm.
"Thank you."
She nodded. "Let's get out of here before–"
The crunch of gravel was heard behind them and she quickly spun around and aimed her gun. She shot twice but Taskmaster held up an energy shield that came out of his arm, deflecting it. She looked on at the man.
A/N: Picture credit goes to Kevin Cross on ArtStation. Ignore the metal arm.
She expected him to shoot back, but he simply stood there and deactivated his shield, looking directly at her. The engineer stood behind the agent.
"Move aside." Taskmaster spoke.
His voice sounded familiar, one that she hadn't heard in years. She focused on his eyes through the holes of his mask...and it hit her. She couldn't believe it.
"Y/N?" Natalia, now going by Natasha, called out.
He stood there for a moment, and the redhead believed he was in the process of thinking of a response. Suddenly, the man took out his handgun and shot her in the abdomen.
The bullet went through her, missing any vital organs, and hit the engineer. The man's wound was fatal, and he fell to the ground along with Natasha, albeit bleeding more than her.
Taskmaster holstered his weapon and looked at the two. "I said move. I don't like to repeat myself."
With his task done, he fled the scene and left the engineer to bleed out. Natasha groaned as she pressed onto her wound and sat against the wrecked car. Before she can attempt to aid the engineer, he had taken his final breath and died. The agent dropped her head, distraught at her failed mission...and in awe at seeing Y/N again.
• • •
These lovers, now on different sides of good and evil, crossed paths once again. But this was only one time out of a multitude of others...as if fate had other plans for them.
• • 2014 • •
TASKMASTER AND THE Winter Soldier were assigned to deal with Director Nick Fury. After he escaped Barnes's attack in the city, it was up to Y/N to take care of it. He tracked him down to an apartment, waiting from across the street as he looked into the window of the room.
The already hobbled Fury was speaking to Steve Rogers. He got up and went up to the Captain, and it gave the chance for Y/N to shoot the Director in the back twice with his rifle.
With the deed done, he strapped the rifle to his back and was prepared to leave. Unbeknownst to the assassin, Steve Rogers spotted him through the window and was going to pursue the shooter.
Steve ran through the building, leaping off of walls and using his shield to break down doors. Taskmaster continued running on the roof as Rogers watched him through the skylight.
Y/N dropped down onto another rooftop and made his way to the edge. Steve crashed through the window and rolled onto the same rooftop. The Captain sprang up and threw his shield at the assassin, but Taskmaster spun around and swiftly grabbed the disc.
Without a word, Taskmaster tossed the shield back using his strength, causing Steve to get pushed back by the sheer force as he caught it. He looked back up, only to see that the shooter was gone.
With Fury's apparent demise, Natasha Romanoff learned about the Winter Soldier and Taskmaster's involvement. She explained to Steve her encounter with Taskmaster, but withheld the fact that she knew who he really was.
While on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D as fugitives, they found the location given to them in Fury's drive. It was a bunker in Camp Lehigh, where they encountered an A.I form of Armin Zola. There, he explained how HYDRA had been within S.H.I.E.L.D since the 40s and was involved in many historical events. To flaunt his victory in the Captain's face, Zola revealed that Taskmaster was Rogers's son...the lost child Peggy had told him about.
After the bunker was destroyed, they fled to Sam Wilson's residence. With the many revelations the two now know, Natasha explained her history with Y/N to Steve. How they cared for each other...how they loved each other. The super-soldier appreciated it, knowing how hard it must be for her to recall such events.
Now partnered with Sam, they were able gather information from Jasper Sitwell on Project Insight. They were going to use him to get into the Triskelion and shut it down. Unfortunately, HYDRA had other plans...
The Winter Soldier had killed Jasper and totaled the car the three were in. A launcher blast sent Rogers off the highway and onto the street below. Natasha rappelled down and helped get civilians away from the area, but the Winter Soldier kept shooting at her.
He spotted Steve coming out from the wrecked bus he was in. Before Barnes could jump down to the street, he spoke into the comms.
"Я поправлюсь с солдатом. Возьми девушку. (I'll handle the soldier. Get the girl)."
Natasha ran through the street, still shouting at the fleeing civilians.
"Get out of here! Now!"
Suddenly, a knife flew in her direction but she stopped just in time for the blade to stab into the side of the car she was near. Natasha looked to her right and saw Taskmaster.
"Y/N..."
"It ends now." He spoke and brought out another knife.
He swung his blade but the Widow was able to evade it. She dodged his next swipe but Y/N used his free hand to punch her across the face. She stumbled back as Y/N began to thrust his blade, but she grabbed his arm and propelled herself onto him.
She pulled the garrote wire from her wrist and tried to wrap it around his neck, but Taskmaster put his arm in between and kept it away as he tried to get Natasha off.
He hit her against the car and then threw her off, where she slammed against another and fell to the floor. Taskmaster pulled the knife out from the door behind him and engaged Natasha, but she threw a taser disc at his neck and electrocuted him.
Y/N writhed in pain as she ran off. He pulled it off and growled as he looked back up, looking for any sight of the redhead. She didn't run off though, as she took his disorientation as a chance to attack him from behind.
She wrapped her legs around his neck and brought him to the floor. Y/N kipped back up just as she did and combatted again. Natasha threw a punch but Y/N put her arm in a lock and held it. She looked directly into his eyes before he can act further, and he stopped. Those emerald orbs pierced into his soul...and it felt like it had done so before.
Suddenly, she was shot in the shoulder by an incoming Winter Soldier. She fell to the floor as Y/N just stood there, in shock at what he experienced and from the sudden gunfire. Before Barnes can finish the job his distracted colleague couldn't do, Steve ran in and engaged the metal-armed man.
Y/N looked back at the fighting super-soldiers then back at the downed Natasha. Out of instinct, he dragged her behind the car and leaned her against it. He was about to put his hand on her wound...but stopped. She looked at him again, but this time Y/N made sure not to look back. He shook his head and sprinted away.
After that, Y/N was in the wind. He didn't rendezvous with his handlers or contact Barnes again.
With the help of a revealed-to-be-alive Nick Fury and Maria Hill, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon shut down Project Insight and stopped the HYDRA uprising. Steve confronted Bucky while doing so and was almost killed, but something inside Barnes stopped him from dealing the fatal blow. Rogers fell into the Potomac, but Bucky pulled him out and saved him from drowning before fleeing the scene.
Days later, Rogers recovered and was out of the hospital. Natasha met with him and Sam at Fury's faux-gravestone after speaking at Capitol Hill, giving the Captain files on both Barnes and L/N that she acquired.
Steve was going to do all that he could in trying to find them, and Sam was willing to help. Despite the aftermath of S.H.I.E.L.D's fall and her covers being blown, Natasha promised to be of assistance as well. She believed both Y/N and Bucky could be brought back and redeemed, and she thought back at what she saw when she confronted Y/N under the highway.
Natasha saw the same look in his eyes from when they were together in the Red Room. They weren't the look of an assassin, a killer, an asset...they were of the man she loved.
• • 2015 • •
Y/N ROAMED THE streets of Cuanajo. It was a town within Michoacán, Mexico that the man had settled in for a few months now, it being the third country in the last year that he's been to.
He made his way to his house, which was a small building in the back of another resident's home. The owner was kind enough to let Y/N stay in it and simply asked that the strong man helped around his property.
Y/N walked into the backyard, expecting to see the owner. He would usually tend to his garden around that time.
"Rafa?" He called out in a pretty good Spanish accent. "Estás aquí? (Are you here?)"
He didn't pop out or come out of his house, so Y/N assumed he was in town or sleeping. He made his way to the small building and was about to open the door, but noticed it was slightly ajar. He knew it wasn't Rafa, since he respected his privacy and home.
Y/N slowly entered and looked around the room. He opened the drawer beside him and took out his switchblade, flinging it open. He prepared himself in case someone were to attack him, but instead heard a voice call out as he made it to the living room.
"You left the door unlocked."
He looked to his sofa and saw the redhead sitting down. Instead of her usual uniform, she wore casual attire appropriate for the current weather, consisting of a breathable t-shirt and compression pants. It looked as if she was prepped for a lazy Sunday.
Y/N recognized her, but only a little. He had been indoctrinated so much that only glimpses of his time with her were in his memory. He mostly just knew the woman from their encounter in D.C a year ago.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he tossed the knife on the table. "Come to arrest me?"
"Is that what you think should happen to you?"
"I honestly don't care anymore."
Natasha got up from the sofa, crossing her arms and looking at the man. She stood there for a bit before speaking again.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Y/N arched a brow. "What?"
"Back in D.C, after Barnes shot me. You could've finished the job but you didn't. Why didn't you?"
"I don't know." He replied with a shrug, then started turning around. "I forgot I have to buy fertilizer for Rafa so I'll—"
"Y/N." She called out and stopped him.
He exhaled and turned back around. Hearing his name being said by her felt familiar...and strangely reassuring.
Natasha got closer to him until they were a mere foot away. She looked directly at him while he stared at the floor, keeping his gaze away.
"Look at me." She spoke again.
He didn't listen.
She tried again more sternly. "Look at me."
The moment mirrored how Y/N, as a trainer, first interacted with Natasha back in the Red Room. Y/N finally obliged and did so, looking into her eyes.
Her emerald orbs were piercing into his soul yet again, and he just kept staring...as if looking into them was giving him a view into a life he thought he forgot.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For just being here. With me. I always feel alone."
"Me too. So...thank you."
As the man kept staring, Natasha gently placed a hand on his cheek. He shuddered at the touch, but eased his hand to the one on his cheek and held it. He kept looking into her eyes.
"You know why you did." Natasha said, bringing back the question of why he spared her. "You know."
Deep inside...he did know, it was just now becoming apparent. A part of him was finally being unearthed as each second went by. Feelings of relief...of comfort...of love...were coming back to him. Feelings he never remembered ever having once in his life...or that's what he was made to think.
"I do." Y/N finally was able to mutter, and then said the first word that popped into his head. "Natalia."
The redhead smiled, her eyes watering as she placed her free hand on his other cheek, framing his head between her hands. He was starting to remember.
"I'm here, Моя любовь (My love)." Natasha said.
It was Y/N who cried first. Tears rolled down his face and they embraced, the two kneeling on the floor as they did. He nestled his head into the crook of her neck. They parted only for Natasha to kiss him on the lips, a feeling that he never thought he'd have again.
She wiped away his tears with her thumbs and pressed her forehead against his. Natasha gave a soft smile.
"Nothing will ever drive us apart again."
Y/N sniffled and kissed her once more. He parted and continued to hug her, the two still kneeling on the floor as emotion overwhelmed him.
Back in the owner's house, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and James Rhodes were standing by with the Federales. They overheard their exchange, and a smile grew on Rogers's face knowing his son was okay and finally happy.
They decided to give them a few more moments. The Captain planned to bring the young man back to the States, get him the help he needed, and bring him into the fold.
Y/N was capable of redemption. All he needed was a second chance, and he was going to get it.
A/N: There will be a Part Two to this What If that goes through Civil War up until Endgame. So stay tuned for that!