STEVE ROGERS HAD his head down like the rest of his colleagues. They sat in the back of S.T.R.I.K.E team's truck heading towards their inevitable end.
"It was him." Steve abruptly said. "He looked right at me like he didn't even know me."
They knew he was talking about the Winter Soldier, who turned out to be a longtime friend of his from the early 20th century.
"How is that even possible? It was, like, 70 years ago." Sam asked.
"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43."
"So Zola experimented on him." Y/N chimed in, which was an idea he wouldn't put past Zola and HYDRA.
Steve sighed. "Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..."
"None of that's your fault, Steve." Natasha quietly muttered, but was loud enough for him to hear.
"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky."
Y/N noticed Natasha's weakened state, and was going to say something but Sam decided to.
"We need to get a doctor here." He said. "If we don't put pressure on that wound, she's gonna bleed out here in the truck."
One of the agents brandished their electrified baton and motioned Sam back, but to their surprise, the agent attacked their colleague sitting beside them and took them down.
They took off their helmet, revealing themselves to be Maria Hill.
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"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain." Hill breathed out as hair covered her face. She moved it away and looked at Sam, then at Steve.
"Who is this guy?"
• • •
THEY HAD ESCAPED through the floor of the truck during one of their stops and took a van to Hill's hideout, which was an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D dam facility.
Natasha was helped down the hallway by both Steve and Y/N as Maria called out to an incoming agent.
"GSW. She's lost at least a pint."
"Maybe two." Y/N added.
"Let me take her." The agent shouted back.
Maria shook her head. "She'll want to see him first."
They walked into another room and Maria pulled back the curtains. To their shock, they saw Nick Fury lying on a bed connected to machines, alive and breathing.
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