"Jas Buchanan Barnes? Bucky? Are you sure you’re talking about my friend Bucky?"
The shock Steve felt from this answer was far greater than when he learned of Howard’s death.
That man might have been an old friend, but they hadn’t spent much ti together. Bucky, on the other hand, had been with him since childhood.
"Yes, Captain. After the assault on Howard Stark in 1991, Tony Stark had a falling out with him. Ignoring his father’s objections, he went to Gotham to question soone directly involved in the incident, Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family’s butler. With Alfred’s help, he obtained intelligence confirming that Bucky Barnes had undergone special modifications, and is still active sowhere in the world."
As the voice explained, the full report was transmitted to Steve’s computer.
Looking through the information, he had to admit that it was most likely true. Bucky was still alive. And worse, he’d beco a Hydra assassin, the Winter Soldier.
"Book a flight to Gotham. I need to speak to Alfred myself."
Out of caution, Steve decided to investigate this personally.
"Understood. I’ve scheduled a flight for you in two hours from New York to Gotham. Once you arrive there, I recomnd contacting the Gotham Police Departnt and using the Bat-Signal on the rooftop to request assistance from the local superhero, Batman."
"Got it."
With that, Steve cut the call.
Although he had two hours to prepare, he didn’t want to waste a second. He glanced at the brand-new shield Tony had given him on the table, then carefully placed it into the safe.
"Howard, after what Bucky’s done, I don’t deserve to use this shield. But I swear, I’ll uncover the truth and personally bring Bucky to your grave."
Steve’s mind was a storm of emotions. What Bucky had done filled him with guilt toward Howard. But his deep bond with the man kept making him search for reasons to forgive him without even realizing it.
If he had found Bucky first, before learning about what he’d done, maybe he would’ve defended him. But this ti, Tony had co to him first. Only after learning the truth about Howard’s death did he find out what happened to Bucky.
Just that difference in timing had completely shifted Steve’s judgnt.
He wanted to speak up for his friend, but the words wouldn’t co. The only thing he could do was move forward, hoping his actions would mask the conflict twisting inside him.
And so, Steve boarded the flight to Gotham. But in addition to the intelligence departnt of Vought, there were other people who were always keeping an eye on his movents.
* * *
"Confird. Captain Arica is on the plane to Gotham."
Outside the apartnt, Coulson was leading a team following Steve from a distance. Once the man had boarded the flight, he quickly reported back to headquarters in Los Angeles.
Everything was going according to plan.
Tony’s visit to Steve had a clear purpose. He wanted to use the man’s strength to help take down Hydra. But behind that, there was also a plan from S.H.I.E.L.D.
As long as Steve continued his hero work under Vought’s managent, they would never get close to him. But once he learned the truth about Howard’s death and the information about Bucky, his actions would begin to slip out of the company’s control. That would give them the opening they needed to establish contact with him.
* * *
anwhile, in Gotham.
"Alright. Coulson, stay in New York and keep watching Vought. Focus especially on the Fantastic Four. If they make any unusual move, inform imdiately."
Fury, already stationed, gave Coulson his next set of orders. As for himself, he would remain in the city and look for the right ti to talk with Steve.
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operation was progressing smoothly. However, they weren’t the only ones watching Steve.
* * *
’Captain Arica, huh?’
At the S.H.I.E.L.D. base in Los Angeles, as the cosmic energy research neared completion, Reed, who felt the project increasingly slipping from his control, had started to form his own thoughts. He looked around at the researchers who no longer obeyed his orders, and made his decision.
He had no clue where these people had co from. Were they sent by so foreign governnt? By Nick Fury? Or were they spies from so unknown organization? Reed couldn’t tell. But he knew one thing for certain. The cosmic energy capable of granting superpowers must never fall into the hands of such a chaotic, disorganized, and deeply compromised group.
Even if that energy could only give powers to one person, it was still too dangerous. Being a scientist, Reed’s sense of responsibility wouldn’t allow him to let that happen.
With that thought in mind, he began to carry out a plan he had prepared long ago.
"Everyone, how’s the data recording going?" Reed calmly asked, as if everything was normal.
The researchers—mostly from Hydra, though so belonged to other forces—glanced at each other. They didn’t quite understand what the man was trying to do, but they still answered.
"The complete experint data has been fully recorded, without a single error."
"Is that so? Good. Just now, I had a thought. If we slightly adjust the paraters, we might be able to maximize the use of the cosmic energy. Maybe, just maybe, we could even create two superpowered individuals."
These researchers all held important positions within their own organizations. They were fully aware that the main goal of this project was to create and seize control of superpowered assets for their side.
So, when Reed ntioned the possibility of producing one more, it instantly ant their chances in the upcoming competition would improve. There was no reason for them to say no.
"Please go ahead and try, Dr. Richards. This could be a major breakthrough for the project."
"Ok."
At this point, Reed, the lead researcher, was treated like a tool. But he didn’t care anymore. What he wanted was a single opportunity to make contact with the cosmic energy device.
Reed was a true genius. And in the Marvel world, he was considered one of the most intelligent minds. Even though his current lack of powers limited him, when it ca to subtle tricks and careful planning, these naless researchers around him stood no chance of figuring anything out.
As such, he finally got one last chance to access the cosmic energy device.
Over the past days, through thousands of almost imperceptible tweaks, he had created a hidden chanism within the machine.
If he pressed the analysis button, the energy recovery button, and the energy split button in a specific tid sequence, then the cosmic energy would—
The mont Reed completed the sequence, a surge of energy flowed through a concealed circuit that no one noticed. It rushed directly into the console and made contact with him.
By the ti the other researchers realized sothing had gone wrong, it was already too late.
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