Hydra!Steve Rogers

“Hmm, might be something like that. Feeling… more sure of myself anyway. Why, you don’t like my hair?” In emphasis Steve reached up and ran a hand through his short locks, and through the small amount of stubble beginning to really show on his face.

There were things that Hydra let him remember, but nothing that allowed him to have much identity. As such, his memory of how or why he had the metal arm was spotty at best. This put him in an uncomfortable situation. Normally, when he couldn’t comply to something, he was punished. The machine he was strapped to was a common enough punishment, but beatings weren’t out of the picture either. Things like that he was allowed to remember.. Reinforced compliance.

As such, when it came time to answer, his entire body tensed up like iron, anxd his eyes began to dart around in panic. Already, the guards were tightening their hold on their guns, ready to use the butt of them to  beat him into compliance if they needed to.  The world started to spin, and panic set onto his features faster than he could control it. Heart rate and breathing increased significantly.

“L-Letf arm–” The asset stammered. “Details classified. Told it was lost during a mission. A fall. Superiors engineered a replacement.” In spite of the obvious anxiety, he didn’t make any attempt to escape. It was more like he was frantically trying to dig up information between the voids in his memory, but finding little to nothing. Only what Hydra let him remember.

Bucky's struggling drew a long and irritated look at Zola straight from Steve. He already didn't like the practices here the methods taken, didn't like what was going on. But for Bucky to be growing so uncomfortable trying to give information to somebody who was supposed to be a superior... That was already new, that he was struggling. It was only made worse that it was obviously making him miserable doing it.

"That's enough, soldier," Steve murmured as he crossed his arms, giving the brunet the briefest look before turning his attention back to Zola. "This isn't information I want withheld, doctor. I want a full report on my desk and what I can talk about with Bucky that isn't going to cause him to start panicking like this." Gaze turned back. "You can answer Bucky still, right? And tell me about the arm?"

Zola swallowed. Were artificial bodies supposed to get dry throat? Either way he thought he needed a cigarette, a cold shower, and a nap. 

“Yes, I know you fine. You don’t respect privacy, particularly of anyone that you look down upon.” Zola walked past him, head up. “Go on. Have your laughter. You would not be the first to laugh at Zola.”

@burdenoforder

It had been like a bad dream. Bucky had woken in his apartment to find his bed surrounded by men from HYDRA. They all had guns trained on him and he knew it would be stupid to try and take them all on, especially with the fact that every one of them was armed.

@burdenoforder

It was troubling exactly how easy it seemed for Hydra to avoid the Avengers and what was left of SHIELD. While a few cells here and there were found and raided, they were collectively worth near nothing. The information they contained, nearly all destroyed, the people they provided – useless. Romanoff’s patience was still there, it wasn’t as if she was stomping around the halls of the Avengers Facility, sulking and throwing a tantrum, but it wasn’t as if she was taking this lightly. 

There had to be a leak, otherwise there was no way to explain Hydra’s continuous advantage. She hadn’t actually left her dorm in hours, instead she sat in a chair, scanning her laptop’s display. She hadn’t uttered a word of what she suspected, it wasn’t in her nature to be so open about it. 

Maybe before she wouldn’t had suspected anything, but since the fall of the Triskelion and the revelation at just how insidious Hydra could be, her trust in people was shot. In a select few it was strengthened, Fury, Hill, and Rogers for example – but others, ordinary people, she didn’t know what to think of them anymore.

Her search had thus far turned up little, a few oddities she’s investigate. A defeated sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back in the chair, frowning at her computer. She wasn’t quite sure what she had been expecting, it wasn’t as if Hydra was going to make it easy, especially if there was some sort of mole.

Not giving up entirely, Natasha did opt to take a break. Shutting the laptop and making her way to the kitchen instead. Food might help, not that she ate much but a snack would tide her over. As she came around the corner though, she faltered only for a second to see Steve there. 

She smiled faintly, eyes narrowing in the slightest at his presence, a joking tone in her voice as she spoke.

“I thought you had a mission,” she began, approaching the coffee maker as she could smell the freshly brewed pot. “When you’d get back?”

Steve had been brooding over his assignment since he'd returned, hovering against the counter as he considered just what he was having to do. It had been an unexpected assignment when it had come, but no surprise to him in the end. They were going to question his loyalty eventually, and what better way to do it than this?

He only hoped this would be the extent of it. Steve had hurt enough people already doing what had to be done, and he knew there could be another way here. He prayed there could be another way here, because it could be the best for all of them. He just hoped his superiors could get their heads out of their asses about undoing him long enough to see it as clearly as he could.

In the meantime, his assignment was clear. And moving around, if he was hearing correctly. Steve looked up as Natasha made her way into the kitchen and found himself scowling lightly. He would never have been ready for this moment, but now that it was upon him he really wasn't ready for it.

Steve hummed dismissively over her question and gave a small wave with the fingers wrapped around the cup of coffee he'd prepared for himself. "I did have a mission," he confirmed. "Went in for the assignment and found out it had been changed. Haven't been back for very long." He took his time looking her over then, knowing this was the last time this would feel like this. Or look like this, even if it already felt wrong.

“Nope!” She replied, skipping around him, fingers brushing along his sides like he were a tree. “Threw a fit and was put in time-out room, and yelled at the Doctor. But I am good now.”