I had barely processed Steve's words when Black Widow entered the room. Her presence was immediate, commanding—like she always was. There was no hesitation in her step, no small talk. She didn't waste time. "Nick needs to talk to you two," she said flatly, her tone all business.
Steve and I both turned towards her, exchanging a brief glance, before Steve nodded. We followed her down the sterile hallways of the SHIELD facility. My mind was still working through everything. The team, Steve's unwavering trust in me, Fury's sharp-eyed scrutiny. It felt like everything had shifted in the blink of an eye. I wasn't Bucky Barnes anymore—not really. I had the memories, the body, but the person inside was a stranger. And every moment I spent pretending, I was digging myself deeper.
The tension in the hallways was palpable, as if everyone knew something big was about to happen. As we approached Fury's office, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. But I couldn't dwell on that. Not now. Not when the Hydra threat was still looming over us.
The door to Fury's office was slightly ajar, and Natasha pushed it open. Fury was seated behind his desk, his one eye locked on the screen in front of him. The usual calm intensity was there, but there was something more—an edge. He wasn't just dealing with protocol. He was preparing for something far worse. And it didn't take long to figure out why.
Fury motioned for us to sit, his gaze never leaving the screen. "We've got a problem," he said, his voice low and cold. "More than half of all SHIELD personnel are Hydra agents."
The words hit me like a ton of bricks, and my chest tightened. I knew Hydra was dangerous, insidious, but this... this was on another level. They had infiltrated SHIELD to such an extent that the very organization meant to protect the world was compromised. The very people I had once thought of as allies, as friends, could be working for Hydra.
"How?" Steve asked, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a flicker of disbelief.
Fury didn't hesitate. He brought up a series of classified files on the screen, showing agent names, ranks, and covert missions. The sheer number of names, of faces I knew, left a sour taste in my mouth. These were agents I had worked alongside. Some of them, I'd trusted. And now, it turned out they had been working for Hydra all along.
"I've been tracking them for a while now. We've got a significant percentage of SHIELD compromised," Fury said, his voice harsh. "If we don't act fast, it's only going to get worse. Hydra has been playing the long game, and now they're in position to tear everything down."
Steve's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "So what's the plan?"
Fury looked directly at me. "I need you both to help me take Hydra down. They've infiltrated SHIELD, they've been pulling strings for years, and now they've got the power to destabilize the whole world. I need your skills, your knowledge, and most importantly, your cooperation."
I wasn't sure what I expected him to say, but this—this was a lot more than I had anticipated. Helping Nick Fury, fighting alongside the Avengers to take down Hydra once and for all—it was a massive ask. But I could see where he was coming from. Hydra wasn't just a shadow organization anymore; they were a disease, spreading through every system, every organization. And if we didn't act, they would finish what they started.
"You're asking me to trust you," I said, my voice low but edged with doubt. "Why should I?"
Fury's gaze never wavered. He wasn't backing down, not now. "Because I'm offering you a way to get rid of Hydra for good. I know you're not Bucky Barnes—not the man you once were. But we're on the same side now. And I'm offering you a chance to make sure Hydra doesn't come back to haunt you—or anyone else—ever again."
I paused. Fury's words hit harder than I expected. Part of me wanted to reject it outright. Hydra had taken so much from me. From Bucky—the real Bucky. But another part of me, the part that still had his memories, the part that was fighting just to survive, knew this was the only chance we had. If we didn't stop Hydra now, they'd spread further, infiltrate deeper. It wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about making sure this nightmare didn't swallow the world whole.
Steve turned to me, his expression serious, waiting for my answer. "Are you ready to face Hydra, Bucky?" he asked quietly, his voice full of concern. "It won't be easy. It never is."
I looked at him, the weight of his gaze pressing down on me. He didn't know. He couldn't possibly understand what I had been through, what I was still running from. But I knew one thing for sure—I couldn't do this alone. Not anymore.
"Never been more ready," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside of me.
Fury didn't smile, but there was a glimmer of something—satisfaction, maybe? He nodded. "Good. Because this fight is just beginning. And you two are going to be at the center of it."
I didn't know what would come next. But for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a purpose. Hydra had taken everything from me, from Bucky—but I would be damned if I let them keep winning. This was my chance to make things right, to stop them from tearing apart what was left of the world.
I wasn't sure how it was all going to play out, but one thing was certain: the battle against Hydra wasn't just for the world. It was personal.
And I wasn't going to stop until they were wiped off the face of the Earth.