Deep within the Hydra base, in a dim, foul-smelling prison, dozens of children huddled together, fearfully glancing around. Outside the cell, a cold, imposing man surveyed them with icy eyes. His right arm, a gleaming mechanical prosthetic, rested against his chin as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"Baron, these are the children selected for the next phase. Their physiques have passed all preliminary testing and meet the parameters for your experiments. I believe they'll be invaluable to our research."
The man speaking, a Hydra scientist in a white lab coat, respectfully addressed Baron Strucker, occasionally referencing the data on a clipboard. They'd been running these experiments for months, kidnapping new subjects as needed. These children were the latest victims.
"What about those two boys and that girl?" Baron Strucker asked, his gaze drifting toward a cell in the corner where a terrified pair of twins clung to one another.
"Baron," the scientist began, quickly flipping through his notes, "they're twins. Initially, we only apprehended the boy, but the girl intervened, so we brought her along. Surprisingly, according to our tests, both their physical profiles meet and even exceed our required metrics. They could be prime candidates for the experiment."
A cruel gleam flickered in Strucker's eyes. "Even better."
He made a mental note of the twins. Their unexpected potential could push his twisted research to a new level.
Just then, a violent tremor rocked the entire base, followed by a faint, rumbling quake.
"What's happening?" Strucker barked, fury lacing his voice as he demanded answers.
A Hydra soldier burst into the room. "Bad news, Commander! An intruder at the main gate — a man with a mechanical arm! He's destroyed the entrance and stormed inside!"
The guards had initially planned to handle the situation quietly. But they hadn't anticipated the sheer power of the attacker. He wasn't just any soldier.
Strucker's expression darkened. "A man with a mechanical arm… that's the Winter Soldier! Damn it, where are Pierce and Dr. Zola? Why would he be attacking us? Could something have happened to them?"
It made no sense. The Winter Soldier was supposed to be under the control of Alexander Pierce and Dr. Zola. Neither of them would send him here without cause. There was only one logical explanation — something outside had gone terribly wrong, and Pierce and Zola were no longer in control.
"Standard weapons are useless against him. Authorize the use of experimental arms. I want him captured alive — I need answers."
Baron Strucker's command left no room for argument. He refused to tolerate disruption in his base, not from anyone, not even the infamous Winter Soldier. However, he was still woefully unaware of how drastically the world outside had shifted.
Hydra's soldiers scrambled to their positions, quickly grabbing their stockpile of experimental weapons. These were highly unconventional arms, crude offshoots of the energy-based technology Dr. Zola had once designed for Red Skull during World War II. After Red Skull's disappearance, Strucker had quietly continued the research, producing weapons capable of abnormal and unpredictable effects.
The experimental weapons gave Hydra's men a fighting chance. Against conventional arms, Winter Soldier was nearly unstoppable, but these devices made the battle more even. The combat at the gate ground into a tense, bloody stalemate.
From a nearby hill, Kurogai watched, arms crossed, face unreadable. He hadn't intervened earlier because against ordinary soldiers, Winter Soldier was more than enough. But now that they'd brought out these unstable weapons, it was clear this would drag on longer than he cared for.
Kurogai's patience wore thin.
"Winter Soldier, get down!" Kurogai called out, magic swirling around his fingertips as a complex rune formed in his hand.
Without hesitation, Winter Soldier dropped flat to the ground.
In a split second, Kurogai released the condensed energy, unleashing a massive, crescent-shaped blade of compressed wind. The invisible cutting edge screamed through the air, racing toward the gate.
The instant it passed overhead, it was already too late for the Hydra soldiers.
Crack!
A sharp, deafening sound echoed as a deep fissure split across the wall of the Hydra base. The Hydra soldiers froze.
A heartbeat later, their upper bodies slid cleanly from their lower halves.
Blood sprayed the air.
It was over in a blink.
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