Maria Hill had taken the four to a secret facility, they got out of a black van and once they were inside, a man ran towards them.
"GSW. She's lost at least a pint." Hill said, referring to Natasha's wound.
"Maybe two." Sam added.
"Let me take her." the man said.
"She'll want to see him first." Hill said as the four looked at her, confused.
She took them in a room where there was Fury who was alive and lying in bed, the four looked at him in shock.
"About damn time." Nick said.
"Nick..." Nova said in a subtle voice.
The group listened to Fury speaking as the doctor treated Natasha's wound.
"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache." Nick said.
"Don't forget your collapsed lung." the doctor added.
"Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good."
"I wouldn't say that, Nick." Nova added.
Fury turned to the Rogers girl, "What about you, Nova? You look fine, like they haven't tried to kill you several times."
"The advantage of being a HYDRA experiment. I've discovered over the years that I can heal or regenerate through the elements." Nova Sadie replied.
"Ah, good to know."
Natasha intervened, "They cut you open, your heart stopped."
"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it." Nick replied.
"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asked.
"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful." Hill replied.
"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust."
⍟ⴵ
Inside a bank vault, the HYDRA agents fixed Bucky's metal arm and as they did so, he had a brief flashback to his old life after he was recovered by Zola and the HYDRA agents.
"Sergeant Barnes..." Zola said.
He had another flashback to himself falling off the train at the edge of the mountain with Steve trying to save him.
"Bucky, no!" Steve shouted.
He then had flashback to after he was picked up by HYDRA agents.
"The procedure has already started." Zola affirmed.
Zola and the HYDRA agent amputating his left arm and replacing with the metal arm.
"You are to be the new fist of HYDRA. Put him on ice." Zola concluded.
Bucky was frozen, after which, he came back to the present and knocked over the HYDRA agent fixing his arm, Rollins pointed his gun at him to stop him attacking any further.
As Pierce entered the bank vault Bucky was being held in.
"Sir, he's... he's unstable. Erratic."
Pierce entered with Rumlow and some other HYDRA agents and went over to Bucky.
"Mission report." Pierce said.
Bucky; looking blank, didn't respond.
"Mission report, now."
Pierce moved closer to Bucky and suddenly stroke him hard in the face.
"The man on the bridge..." Bucky had the flashback to Steve calling him by his name, "Who was he?"
"You met him earlier this week on another assignment." Pierce replied.
"I knew him..."
Then he had several flashbacks of Nova during their time at HYDRA and of their previous fight, "That girl... I've seen her before."
"She's Black Mage. She's one of ours. You have to bring her to us."
Bucky stood still, assimilating the news he had just received.
Pierce sat in front of Bucky, "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century, and I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."
"But I knew him." Bucky affirmed with a sad smile.
Pierce sighed annoyed, got up from the chair and told an agent, "Prep him."
"He's been out of cryo-freeze too long."
"Then wipe him and start over."
The scientists strapped Bucky in his chair and then placed a teeth shield in his mouth as they began the process of wiping his brain with Bucky screaming in pain as Pierce, Rumlow and other HYDRA agents got out the room.
⍟ⴵ
Back to the secret facility, Fury was no longer lying in bed and was back in business again. Sitting at the table, with the others around him, while he was holding a picture of Pierce.
"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, "Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility." See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues." Nick declared.
"We have to stop the launch." Natasha added.
"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore."
Fury opened a briefcase with three server blades inside.
"What's that?" Sam asked.
"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized." Hill said.
"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own." Nick continued.
"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die." Hill added.
"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left..."
"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD." Steve affirmed.
"SHIELD had nothing to do with it."
"You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed." Steve affirmed.
"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed." Nick replied.
"And how many paid the price before you did?" Steve added.
"Look, I didn't know about Barnes."
"Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too? SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes."
"He's right." Hill replied.
He turned to Natasha and Nova Sadie who nodded.
"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower." Sam added.
"Well... Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."
Steve's thoughts of Bucky were interrupted as Sam and Nova joined him on the bridge.
"He's gonna be there, you know?" Sam said.
"I know." Steve replied.
"Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop."
"I don't know if I can do that."
"He might not give us a choice. He doesn't know us anymore, Dad." Nova said in a sad tone.
"He will. Gear up, it's time."
Steve turned and started to walk off.
"You gonna wear that?" Sam asked.
"No. If you're gonna fight a war, you gotta wear a uniform."
Later as a guard walked in the Smithsonian Museum when he looked over to the Captain America exhibit he noticed the Captain America WWII uniform on that was on the dummy had been stolen.
"Oh, man. I am so fired!"
⍟ⴵ
Steve, Nova, Sam and Maria reached the Project Insight headquarters, where there were several technicians.
"I've been parking there for two months." a tech said.
"But it's his spot." the other replied.
"So where's he been?"
"I think Afghanistan."
"Negative, DT-6. The pattern is full. Well, he could have said something."
Suddenly they heard a sharp noise through their earpiece.
"Ow! Must be the dish."
"I'll check it out."
As the tech went and opened the door he was faced with Steve, Sam, Nova and Maria on the other side of the door, Sam and Hill pointed their guns at him.
"Excuse us." Steve said.
The tech held his hands up and stepped aside to let them enter.
In the Council's room, Pierce was speaking, "I know the road hasn't exactly been smooth, and some of you would have gladly kicked me out of the car along the way. Finally we're here, and the world should be grateful."
As they started drinking to Pierce's toast suddenly they heard Steve over the SHIELD microphone that everyone in the building could heard.
"Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."
"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam added.
"Dad's always good with speeches." Nova replied.
After a few minutes, some HYDRA agents entered the Council's room.
"You smug son of a bitch."
"Arrest him."
The HYDRA agents pointed his gun at Singh.
"I guess I've got the floor." Pierce said.
Rumlow and his men broke into the control room, where Agent 13 also was, Rumlow walked over to one of the techs.
"Preempt the launch sequence. Send those ships up now." Rumlow ordered.
The tech hesitated visibly.
"Is there a problem?" Rumlow asked.
"I'm..."
"Is there a problem?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not gonna launch those ships. Captain's orders."
Rumlow pointed his gun at the tech's head.
"Move away from your station."
Agent 13 walked over to Rumlow pointing her gun at him, "Like he said! Captain's orders."
"You picked the wrong side, Agent."
"Depends on where you're standing."
Rumlow dropped his gun, but as he did, he grabbed his knife and cut Agent 13's arm, leading to the SHIELD agents firing their guns, amidst the bullets, Rumlow managed to release the Helicarriers and ran off.
"Close the bay door! Close the bay door now! Close the bay door!"
The HYDRA agents entered and started shooting and killing the crew and techs; at the headquarters Hill watched on the monitor as the Helicarriers were being initiated.
"They're initiating launch." Hill said.
⍟ⴵ
Steve, Nova Sadie and Sam made their way to the Helicarriers.
"Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam asked.
"If they're shooting at you, they're bad." Steve replied.
Sam, in his Falcon suit, flew off as Steve and Nova headed down.
The HYDRA agents starting shooting at them, Steve knocked some of them out as Nova Sadie created a gust of wind that made others of them fly away.
Sam flew around avoiding getting shot.
"Hey, Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about."
"You okay?"
"I'm not dead yet."
"Falcon, status?" Maria asked on the comm.
"Engaging." Sam replied.
He managed to fly down to the Helicarrier bay taking down the HYDRA jets that were chasing him.
"Alright, Cap, I'm in."
Just then another HYDRA jets headed his way and started shooting at him.
"Shit!"
Sam managed to fly off and avoid getting hit.
Meanwhile Steve and Nova were fighting off the HYDRA agents as he tried to get inside the Helicarrier.
"Eight minutes, Cap." Hill said.
"Working on it."
After knocking out a couple of agents, Steve entered the Helicarrier while Nova remained to fight the others. They reached the Rogers girl, shooting at her, she created an ice shield and deflected the shots, then she raised her hand and, using the force of the wind, threw containers at them.
While other HYDRA agents were running towards her, another HYDRA jet appeared behind her and began firing. She turned, her eyes turned black, the glass of the jet shattered and then started swinging violently.
She lifted with the wind a container and threw violently at the jet that exploded. Pieces of the aircraft plummeted violently, hitting anything even enemies.
"Alpha locked." Steve declared.
"Falcon, where are you now?" Maria asked.
"I had to take a detour!"
Sam was flying towards one of the Helicarriers when heat-seeking missiles were shot at him by HYDRA, so he flew back towards the Helicarrier and managed to get the missiles that were aimed at him to hit the Helicarrier giving him entrance.
"Oh, yeah!"
Sam flew into the Helicarrier.
"I'm in. Bravo locked."
Sam flew out of the carrier.
"Two down, one to go." Hill concluded.