The days in Wakanda stretched on endlessly. With Bucky in cryostasis and no relief from the Accords Steve began to fear that he would never see his friend again. He keeps thinking that there must be something he could do. Bucky deserves to live his life. He goes to bed wondering if tomorrow will be any different than today; get up, go running, eat breakfast and visit the lab and talk to Bucky. His last conscious wish is for something to change.
Steve comes back from his morning run to find that his quarters are no longer secure. There sitting at the table was a women dressed in a gray business suit calmly drinking a cup of coffee, as if breaking into the royal palace of Wakanda was a normal everyday occurrence. She looked up, “Ah, good morning Captain Rogers, I have been waiting for you.”
Steve began to sound an alarm. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you Captain, you don’t want the others to hear”. She pulls a briefcase with the Hydra logo up on top of the table. “Hydra would like to make you an offer”
“What makes you think I want to listen to you. Hydra has nothing to offer me. “ Steve starts to reach for his nonexistent shield.
“Not even to get James Barnes mind back intact? Steve stops and stares at her.
“Yes, we can remove all the programming, we can even reset most of his memories so that the Winter Soldier programming is gone. He can be back at the moment when he fell from the train. You’ll never get a better offer.” She smiles at Steve encouragingly.
Steve hates himself for asking but he can’t seem to stop himself. “Why would Hydra do this, what do you want?”
She smiles again, “A replacement, of course. Hydra needs a new soldier. Barnes is of no use to us any longer. Give us a replacement and I’ll give you the information you need”.
Steve reels, a replacement? Give them a replacement. What, who could she mean...
“Oh captain, you have many to choose from in your little group. Just pick one, help us to get them alone and Hydra will do the rest. Think about it, your James, with you again. The others need never know the price.
The woman pulled a group of photos from her briefcase. They were candid shots of Steve's team , some taken in Wakanda. There was even one of Bucky in cryostasis. Steve began to panic. Hydra knew where they were. Hydra knew where Bucky was.
She spoke again. “Calm yourself Captain, we no longer want Barnes. As I said we want a replacement."
Pointing to a photo she said "What do you know about Scott Lang, did you even know his name at the airport. He’s some just some ex-convict that Sam Wilson called to the fight. How does that look, Captain America working with a felon? And really, how much help will he be when he can no longer power his suit. Hank Pym considers the suit to be stolen, he’s probably looking for ways to actively track it. If he does, what happens to Mr. Barnes sanctuary in Wakanda? The explanation would be simple. He used the suit, abandoned you in the night, just like the thief he is. "
The next photo was of Natasha smiling seductively at one of her marks. “Do you even know what game Romanoff is playing, why she suddenly switched sides? The Widow protects herself first. What's to say that she won’t trade information on the team to the authorities to save herself? That's what she does after all. She betrays. What's to say you aren't next. Barton is used to her coming and going, he won't question it and neither will the others. She leaves and never returns.”
Next came a photo of Wanda, red mist swirling about her hands in Sokovia. “Miss Maximoff was loyal to Hydra once, who knows deep down maybe she still is. Her control over her powers is non-existent, what if she uses them to hurt Bucky? And how do you think Mr. Barnes will react to the fact that you sheltered Hydra, the people who created the Winter Soldier? It would be simple, an accident with her powers, no body to be found."
She turns to a photo of Clint, smiling at the camera. Something he didn’t do now “Of course Barton would not be our first choice, his usefulness is limited. But think how much calmer things would be without the bitterness about leaving his family behind poisoning every conversation. You want Bucky to have peace, don’t you. Make him angry, he storms off into the jungle, who knows what could happen to him there. ”
And then a picture of Sam and Steve with Sam’s arm around Steve’s shoulder leading him away from the lab. “Sam Wilson, yes, he’s been a loyal friend. But Captain, don’t you resent him thinking that he can take Bucky’s place at your side? How he keeps trying to get you away from the lab, away from Bucky. How he says he’s doing it for your own good?” she questions. "Mr. Wilson often goes for walks, one day he just never comes back."
The final photo was of Steve and Bucky along with the rest of the commandoes. It must have been taken only a few days before their last mission. Bucky smiling at the camera. Steve can't help comparing it to the photo of Bucky in the cryopod.
Steve looks up from the pictures and bangs his fists on the table. “Stop it, why are you doing this, what do you want from me?”.
She raised her hand, calmly pointed to the photos again and said, “It’s very simple Captain Rogers, Hydra wants you to choose”