33. Arnim Zola

When Steve pulled the car up to where Natasha had said the coordinates led them too, he couldn't believe where he was. He was back at his old training camp. Where Mary grew into her own as a nurse under Erskine's care. Camp Lehigh.

"This is it." Steve says as he holds tight onto the straps of his shield. The three walk up to the gate where the sign reads , Camp Lehigh.

"This is where the file came from." Becca says as Natasha hands her a device to track where the program came from.

"So did I." Her uncle says quietly, making Becca look over the place again.

"You were here once Uncle Stevie?" Becca asks, her uncle nods.

"Your Mama too. This was where she became a nurse." he answers as he breaks the lock to the gate with his shield, Natasha pushes the gate open and the three scan the area.

"Changed much?" Natasha asks.

"A little." He replies, looking around as he hears Sergeant Duffy in the back of his mind, he looks over at his niece as she scans the area with Natasha.

"This is a dead end." Becca says, reading the device.

Natasha nods in agreement, "Zero heat signatures, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file."

Becca speaks up, "Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off." she suggests, then walks next to her uncle, seeing him eye a building carefully. "What is it?" She asks

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place." He explains. The three walk up to the entrance, Steve breaks the lock with his shield and they enter the building.

Natasha looks around, seeing Shield's logo on the wall, "This is Shield." She murmurs.

"Maybe where it started." Steve suggests, then looks over at a wall with three photographs hanging, his heart hurts when he sees Peggy, Howard and Mary.

"That's Mama, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Howie!" Becca exclaims, walking up to the photographs, "They look just how I remember them." She murmur, her mind came to terms with that she was not in the time she remembers, she knows that if her aunt and uncles are still alive, they'd be older, she doesn't know how her Uncle Stevie is still young though, she planned to ask him later.

"Stark's father." Natasha comments, smiling at Becca a little.

"Howard." Steve states, he looks up at the photos, smiling at Peggy's and Mary's.

The three walk further into the room with old bookshelves lining the walls, cobwebs littered the shelves along with a thick coat of dust. Steve looks down at one bookshelf, seeing wind blow through it. "If you're already working in a secret office.." He says as he steadies himself to push open the bookshelf, Becca hurries to help him, her above average strength being what they needed to get it open, once it's open the three see an old elevator, "Why do you need to hide the elevator."

Natasha hovers her phone over the keypad to get the passcode, once she punches in the code, they travel downwards, below the old offices. When the doors open, they are standing in a room with very old computers surrounding them.

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient." Natasha states, but then Becca notices a place to put the flash drive, she takes it out of her pocket and sticks it in, watching it light up blue, the teenager backs up, seeing the computer screen next to it turn on.

"Initiate System?" The computer asks roughly

Natasha steps forward, typing yes, "Y-E-S, spells yes." She whispers, smirking, "Shall we play a game?" She teases, turning to Steve, "It's from a movie that-"

"Yeah, I know, I saw it." Steve cuts her off and the computers and systems roar to life, an accented voice begins to speak.

"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918. Barnes, Rebecca. Born 1945. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984." The accented voice says. Becca looks up and notices a camera watching them.

"It's some kind of recording.." Natasha trails off.

"I am not a recording, Fraulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am." The voice says as a computer screen shows a picture of Arnim Zola. Becca gasps, she remembers this man coming to visit the Red Room. He experimented on the girls, on her friends. But never her.

"Do you know this thing?" Natasha asks Steve.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve answers, he's fuming inside, seeing the man that he had captured only to lose his best friend and brother.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you, I have never been more alive." Zola states to the three, "In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain."

Steve has never felt this much hatred in his whole existence for one man, but he felt it today when he saw the fear in his niece's eyes, he saw the pure, unwavering terror in her eyes and her body. "How did you get here?" Steve demands. He moves to stand closer to his niece, to protect her.

"Invited." Zola states, is he was alive, he'd be smirking, "Though your little sister did not agree with it, she fought hard, but Stark and Carter overruled her."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. Shield recruited German scientists for strategic value." Natasha informs Steve cautiously.

"They thought I could help their cause, I also helped my own."

"Hydra died with the Red Skull." Steve states firmly, but Becca shakes her head.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place." Zola says, showing the Hydra emblem as he talks.

"Prove it." Steve asks quietly, not fully believing it until Zola pulls up on numerous screens, newspaper clippings, file documents, everything he has on Hydra. A picture of Schmidt.

"Accessing Archive." Zola says, "Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with it's own freedom." He explains as he plays an old video of Hydra agents shouting 'Hail Hydra', "What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist." Zola continues, showing video footage of Captain America and The Howling Commandos taking down Hydra bases.

"The War taught us much, humanity needed to surrender it's freedom willingly. After the War, Shield was founded, and I was recruited." He states, showing pictures of the SSR and Shield. Pictures of Peggy, Howard and Mary show up on the screens, "The new Hydra grew, a beautiful parasite inside Shield." Zola continues, "For seventy years, Hydra has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war." He says. "And when history did not cooperate? History was changed." Zola states, showing a fuzzy picture of The Winter Soldier, Becca's Papa.

"Papa.." Becca murmurs under her breath, not wanting her Uncle to hear.

"That's impossible, Shield would've stopped you." Natasha says, stepping towards Zola's screen.

"Accidents-" Zola says as he pulls up a newspaper clipping of Howard Stark's death, "-will happen." he says as he pulls up the file records of Fury and Mary with deceased over their pictures.

Becca muffles a scream into her hand, leaning into her Uncle. Steve holds her tightly as he fights his own anger. Hydra, who he thought was long dead, was alive all this time, under their noses, and killed his friend and sister to cover their tracks.

"Hydra created a world so chaotic, that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice it's freedom, to gain it's security." Zola continues, showing images of Project Insight, "Once the purification process is complete, Hydra's new world order will arise." Becca notices her uncle's jaw clench, "We won, Captain. Your death amounts up to the same as your life. A zero sum." Zola says and Steve cant take it any longer, he forces his shield into the screen Zola has been using, only for the monster to pop up on another screen, "As I was saying."

"What's on this drive?" Steve snaps.

"Project Insight requires insight, so I wrote an algorithm." Zola answers.

"What kind of algorithm, what does it do?" Natasha demands.

"The answer to your question is fascinating, unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it." Zola says as the doors to the elevator close, Steve attempts to stop them with his shield by throwing it, but it only bounces off the closed doors and back to its owner.

Natasha's phone beeps and she pulls it out, "Steve, Becca, we got a bogey." She murmurs, reading it as Becca quickly rushes to her Uncle, "Short range ballistic, thirty seconds tops."

"Who fired it?" Becca asks.

"Shield." Natasha answers.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain." Zola sates as Natasha grabs the flash drive and they turn to walk down the small stairs to try and get out, "Admit it, it's better this way. We are both, out of time. It was wonderful to see you again, dear Rebecca."

Steve ignores Zola, ripping open a grate and ushering Natasha and Becca inside of it as the missile hits. Steve grips onto his niece and friend, holding his shield above the three of them to protect them from the blast, Becca screams in terror as the missile fire engulfs everything around her, she holds onto her uncle tightly, her hands shaking. The building starts to collapse on top of the three, Steve yells in frustration to keep holding his shield up to protect him and the girls.

It's pitch black in the small hole the three are in, Steve forces the debris off of them, groaning as he pushes the boulders off, the three climb out, panting and shaking from what just happened. Becca was knocked out from debris hitting her head, so Steve picked her up carefully as he and Natasha walk out of the now destroyed compound, fire is everywhere and there is a Shield aircraft hovering over the rubble.

Becca wakes up to find it morning, she looks around the area, her head is splitting in pain, she sees that her Uncle is carrying her, "Uncle Stevie?" She whispers.

Steve looks down at her as the reach Sam Wilson's home, Natasha knocks on the door, "Thank God you're okay." Steve mutters back, kissing her forehead carefully as Sam opens the door, his eyes wide in shock.

"Hey man." Sam murmurs, taking in the sight of the three people outside his backdoor.

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve informs his friend.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha adds.

Sam thinks it over briefly, then opens his sliding back door open further, indicating that they should come in, "Not everyone."

The three walk into the house, Sam ushers them to the guest room, "Who's the girl? And is Mary okay?" Sam asks.

Steve hesitates as he sets Becca down on the bed, turning to look at Sam, "This is Becca." He states, "Mary's daughter."

Sam's eyes widen, "The daughter she was looking for?" He asks, "Does she know you have her?"

Steve nods, but then shakes his head, "Mary is dead." He states softly, tears welling in his eyes as he says it.

Sam staggers backwards, "No.. You're kidding, right? Mary said she couldn't die. She mentioned that if she was injured badly enough then possibly she could, but she didn't know."

Steve nods slowly, looking down at the ground, "She got shot.." he starts but Sam cuts him off.

Sam shakes his head, holding out his hand, "No, don't tell me, you shouldn't have to relive it for me." He states, his heart hurting as he remembers his talk with Mary at the cafe just days ago, "I'm going to go make breakfast for all of us, use the bathroom to clean yourselves up, okay?"

Steve nods his head in thanks, watching his friend walk off, he looks at Becca, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "You okay?" He asks her.

Becca shakes her head, "He remembered me." She murmurs, "He's been dead for years, but he remembered me."

Steve hesitates, putting the pieces together, Becca was talking about Zola. She must have met him when he was recruited within Shield. His blood boils thinking about what that psychopath could've done to his niece.

"It's alright, he can't hurt you anymore, not while i'm around." Steve replies to his niece, seeing her give him a small smile as she sit up.

"Can I use the bathroom?" She asks him, both Natasha and Steve nod and Becca walks into the bathroom, shutting the door.

She turns on the shower as she strips her clothing off, tears fall from her eyes. She grips the sink, hearing it crack slightly under the weight she placed on it with her super strength. Becca collapses onto the floor, burying her head into her hands as she screams out her frustration and sorrow, not caring who hears her. So much has happened since she left the Red Room. She found her Papa, lost him but found her Mama, lost her but found her Uncle Steve and a new friend, all in the span of four days. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. But she knew it wasn't a lot. The world was a cruel place, she just didn't know how cruel until Zola had come back from the dead to torment her even more than he already had.

After Becca finished washing herself, she found some new clothing laying on the closed toilet lid, smiling to herself a bit. The girl felt better after letting herself finally grieve properly, but her heart still hurt. She thought it would never heal after everything that's happened. Becca quickly changed and walked out of the bathroom, her long, brunette hair still dripping from the shower; her head had stopped hurting as well, only a dull ache remained. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Natasha went into the bathroom, shutting the door.

The teenager messed with the ends of her wet hair as her Uncle watched her, she knew he heard her in the bathroom, everyone in the house did probably. "Sorry.." Becca mumbles, but her eyes widen as her Uncle pulls her into a tight hug, holding her closely to his chest. She's stunned at first, not knowing how to respond, but quickly wraps her arms around him back, resting her head on his chest, hearing the steady pace of his heart, calming her down some.

"Never be sorry for grieving, Becca, never." He replies, kissing the top of her head.

By the time Steve walks out of the bathroom after cleaning himself up, Becca is sitting in front of Natasha on the floor while the redhead on the edge of the bed, French braiding the teenagers hair. Steve smiles at the sight, but sees the hurt in Natasha's eyes. And in Becca's.

"You okay?" he asks his friend as she finishes up Becca's hair. The teenager looks up at her Uncle, poking his bicep as she shows him her braids, "Nat did a good job, they're beautiful." he tells her, "Why don't you go introduce yourself to Sam. He was friends with your Mama." Steve suggests, Becca nods, standing up and walks out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Mr Sam?" Becca murmurs, drawing the African American's attention away from the food.

"Just Sam. You must be the famous Becca." He states, "Your mom talked fondly of you in the short time I knew her." He tells her, making Becca smile.

"Thank you for helping us." The teenager tells him, "Not many people help me, but you did, so thank you."

Sam waves his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it, I just want to make sure you're okay. I heard you let it all out earlier."

Becca's cheeks flush in embarrassment, "I'm sorry.. I think I broke your sink when that happened." She tells him.

Sam's mouth falls open, "You broke it? You another Super Solider?"

"I don't know what I am.. The bad men injected me with a blue liquid they called the serum, it turned my insides into fire for a while, then it went away. Next thing I knew I was stronger, faster, and all my senses had been dialed up to an eleven.."

Sam nods, "Sounds like the bad men had some of the serum that your Uncle got back in the '40's."

"Really?" She asks, watching the man nod. Then look at all the food, she had never seen such abundance of food before, not since she was taken. She looks to Sam, "Is all of this for us?" She asks.

Sam nods again, "Yep. Now let me tell your Uncle and the spy." He states, standing up and walking off to the bedroom. Becca soon has a plate full of food, eggs, bacon, pancakes and some toast. She didn't know how hungry she was until she started eating.

The four of them are sitting at the table as Becca eats. They're conversing over what to do now. "So the question is: Who in Shield could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha asks.

"Pierce." Steve says bluntly, Becca gasps, coughing as she inhales food too quickly, she swallows then looks at the three adults.

"That was the name the bad men in the Red Room always addressed the leader." Becca murmurs, "He visited every so often.." She trails off.

Natasha and the men hesitate, they're on to something, "Who just so happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." She states.

"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star." Steve says.

"So was Jasper Sitwell." Natasha says back, watching Becca eat more of the food, smiling at the girl.

"So the real question is: how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a Shield officer in broad daylight." Steve asks.

Sam drops a file onto the table, "The answer is: you don't."

Steve pulls the file towards himself, looking up at his friend, "What's this?"

"Call it a resume." Sam answers as Natasha picks up a photo of Sam and his para-rescue team.

"Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." She asks, looking at Steve, "You didn't say he was a para-rescue."

Steve looks over a picture of Sam and another man, "Is this Riley?" Steve asks and Sam nods.

"Yeah."

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?" Natasha asks.

Sam shakes his head, "No. These." He answers, handing Steve another file. Becca's uncle opens it and reads it over.

"I thought you said you were a pilot." Steve murmurs.

Sam chuckles, "I never said pilot." He states, "Mary knew what i did."

Steve hesitates, his heart clenches as he hears his sister's name. He shakes his head, setting the file on the table, "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

Sam shakes his head, smirking, "Dude. Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." He quips, making Becca laugh as she finishes her plate.

Steve nods, smiling at his friend and niece, "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" he asks.

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve inch steel wall." Sam replies, Steve looks at both Natasha and Becca, who shrug their shoulders.

"Sounds fun." Becca murmurs.

Steve turns back to his friend, "Shouldn't be a problem." He states as he sets the file down, Becca looks it over, reading the title of the military project for the wings is called Falcon.





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