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Chapter 23
Cut one off
two more will grow back
in its place.
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Nick Fury stood in front of his own gravestone, wearing a maroon hoodie over his head underneath a leather jacket. Glasses shielded his eyes from view, instead of his usual eye patch.
Tessa was a little bummed the eye patch was gone - she thought it was cool.
Herself and Jungkook was standing with Steve and Sam at the graveyard, all dressed in casual clothing for a change.
"So, you've experienced this sort of things before?" Fury asked, looking at Steve who was believed to be dead by millions too, once upon a time.
"You get used to it." Steve smiled, reading Fury's gravestone.
'The path of a righteous man. Ezekiel 25:17.' It read.
"We've been data-mining HYDRA's files. Looks Like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship," he sighed. "I'm heading to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come." he glanced at the four standing with him.
Jungkook and Tessa glanced at one another, having a silent conversation with their eyes. As much as they'd love to go and help Fury, they had bigger problems here to deal with - they were Avengers now.
Tessa clicked her tongue and shoved her hands in her pockets, "Sorry, Fury, but I think I need some time off for now." She said,
giving him an apologetic smile.
"You?" He looked to Jungkook.
The boy shook his head and wrapped an arm around Tessa's shoulder, other hand in his jeans pocket. "Sorry, Fury," he apologised. "You know we come as a package deal. Without one, there isn't another."
Tessa laughed and pointed at him. "Isn't it crazy, three years ago he wanted nothing to do with me. He'd just brood in a cave somewhere all on his own."
Jungkook rolled his eyes. "That was in the past."
"Good." Tessa smiled up at him.
Fury sighed, but nodded his head in understanding at the two, before his focus turned to Steve and Sam.
"There's something I gotta do first." Steve said, glancing at him. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Fury nodded at him, and turned to Sam. "How about you, Wilson? I could use a man with your abilities."
"I'm more of a soldier than a spy." Sam said, glancing between Steve and Fury.
"Alright then," Fury began, going around to shake everyone's hand. They all returned it gladly. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." He nodded his head at his own gravestone.
Before he could leave, Fury was taken by surprise when Tessa hugged him. She buried her face into his chest, "I'm going to miss you, Fury."
The three boys all watched on, a little amused when Fury glared at them. But, he ignored them and hugged Tessa back. "I might miss you too, Brookes... you can let go now." He said before they pulled away.
Tessa nodded at him, hitting his shoulder once before he walked away.
"You should be honored, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you." Natasha said, walking down the hillside towards them, a smirk on her full lips.
Steve turned to look at her as she joined thrn, with a file in her hand. She looked at Tessa, "I'm surprised he didn't threaten to chop off your hands."
Tessa smiled at her, shrugging her shoulders, "I grew on him. It's a talent of mine." Her smile turned in to a smirk.
"Not going with him?" Steve asked Natasha, curious.
"No," She said with a smile, shaking her head.
"But you're not staying here." Steve already knew what she was planning. Tessa's smile fell.
Natasha pursed her lips together. "I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one." She said.
"That might take a while." Jungkook said.
"I'm counting on it." She smiled at him before handing Steve a file. "That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev. Will you do me a favor? Call that nurse."
"Who? Blondie?" Tessa laughed and Jungkook put his hand over her mouth to shut her up.
"She's not a nurse." Steve said, taking the file in his hands. He looked at it then back at Natasha.
She smiled. "And you're not a SHIELD agent."
"What was her name again?" Steve asked.
"Sharon," Natasha said. "She's nice."
Steve chuckled at her determination to set him up, even though his blue eyes were focused on one girl and one girl only. He looked down at the file in his hands and sighed.
Natasha walked up to him, gently held onto his arm to pull him closer and placed a kiss on his cheek before pulling away. Tessa removed Jungkook's hand from her mouth and looked up at him, wiggling her eyebrows. Jungkook chuckled on behalf of her behaviour.
Tessa and Jungkook yelled out a goodbye making Natasha smile back at them, as she walked away. The three of them knew they'd catch up again very soon.
The redhead turned back around slightly as she walked, "Be careful, Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread. And Tessa, don't get into too much trouble."
"No promises!" The younger female shouts.
"You keep her in line, Jeon." She points at him and again, he wraps his strong arm around Tessa's shoulder and with his other hand, salutes.
"Yes, sir." He mocks.
Natasha laughs and finally turns her back on them. With her now gone, Steve started to read the file she gave him. There he was, Sergeant James Buchanan, 'Bucky Barnes', trapped in ice. His black and white photograph was attached to the edge of the page. He looked so... normal in his uniform.
'You're going after him?" Sam asked.
"You don't have to come with me," Steve said and his gaze settled on Jungkook and Tessa. "Especially you two, I know you have a troubled history with Hydra and The Winter Soldier."
"Like Jungkook said, it's all in the past." said Tessa.
Jungkook and Sam nodded.
"When do we start?"
Sokovia,
Time unknown,
Hydra Base.
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker was one of the leaders of Hydra, and fortunately, one of the last.
After the battle of New York, himself and his team secretly took possession of Loki's Scepter which was confiscated by Hydra, in disguise, thanks to the help of Alexander Pierce. Over the next two years, von Strucker and Doctor List used the Scepter's powers to experiment on many human volunteers, some even against their will, in a secret Hydra Research Base, aiming to create an army of enhanced people who would serve Hydra.
Strucker's scientists began to power weapons using the Scepter. Although List, one of Strucker's top scientists, considered the weapon's results to be remarkable, they were not to Strucker's satisfaction; he ordered List to recruit human volunteers, and if not volunteers - take them. Many of the volunteers and victims died in the experiments, although there were some who survived and gained extraordinary powers as a result.
However, all their hard work would need to remain a secret for now, if possible.
"It's over. Fury has released everything to the public." Doctor List, a man, maybe in his late forties with greying hair, told Strucker.
"Everything he knows about," Strucker replies.
"Yes, but Strucker, if they get word of our work here, if they find out we serve Hydra-"
Strucker interupts him, "Hydra. Shield. Two sides of a coin that's no longer currency," he walks towards where a glowing, alien sceptre was displayed on a table. "What we have is worth more than any of them ever knew... and we've only scratched the surface."
The bald man stared down at the sceptre, almost entranced before he makes his way through the dark and dusty lab.
Strucker began to talk again as he led Doctor List somewhere familiar to them both. "There are other facilities doing Hydra's good work around the world. We've hid them from Captain America and his colourful friends, to keep them off our scent."
"And what about the volunteers?" List asked as he walked beside him.
"The dead will be buried so deep, their own ghosts won't be able to find them." He said.
"And the survivors?"
The two men came to a stop before a row of cells. Cells in which, they believed, contained the next generation. Future warriors of Hydra. Something not even the Avengers could stop - because they were too powerful. A success in their eyes.
"The twins." Strucker smiled.
Locked in four cells, was four young adults. All with unique powers. They weren't Hydra's prodigies, they were Struckers prodigies.
One, was a young female with brown hair and fair skin. Her eyes glowed red and a red energy flowed around her hands as she levitated toy blocks in the air, by using only her mind.
Another, was a young male with shaggy brown hair, similar features to the brunette just mentioned. He cradled his head in his hands, clearly still adapting to his new powers. One second he was in one corner of the room, and before you even have time to blink, he was in another corner. He was fast. Too fast.
The third, was a female with blonde, almost white hair, the tips dyed a soft blue. She was of Asian descent, unlike the other two. Strangely, her cell was covered in frost, no doubt freezing inside, but the girl didn't seem to mind. She sat, with her back to the wall and knees to her chest, as her crystal blue eyes watched her hands, almost as if she was amazed by what they could now do.
Finally, it was another young male. Again, he was Asian, but he had striking orange hair and handsome features. In his cell, a sword made out of fire and fire alone was in his hands and he trained and he trained, sweat pouring from his body, swinging it around like his life depended on it - maybe it did.
"It's not a world of spies anymore, not even a world of heroes," said Strucker. "This is the age of miracles...
there is nothing more horrifying than a miracle."
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authors note:
and that is the end of
Captain America: The
Winter soldier! I hope
you all enjoyed it as I
did enjoy writing it,
however I'm more
excited to write the
next part of the series
which will be age of
ultron hehe and some
new faces will pop up ;)
If you are still reading,
thankyou guys so much
for sticking with me on
this long journey and
I hope you stay for the
rest! I appreciate you all,
especially those who vote
and comment <3