What If...? Rumlow Turned Against Hydra: Book One

22

The headquarters of the Winter Soldier's organization in Madripoor was in Lowtown. That part of the city was where the famed lawlessness was on display on every street, where people would walk around armed no matter what. It was seen by the inhabitants of Hightown as the worst place to ever go, a section of the city next to and also partially underneath Hightown, literally the lowest of the low. Anything could happen in Lowtown, from drug deals in the open, to prostitution, murder, assault, theft, anything and everything as the people who had to or chose to live there did whatever they could to survive. Hightown was also, essentially, lawless, in spite of the show the police force would make on occasion to encourage wealthy tourism. Yet, Hightown was where the lawlessness was hidden under a veneer of lavish parties, expensive restaurants, towering luxury residences, lavish hotels and exclusive clubs. Those in Hightown had no interest in going to Lowtown, and the people in Lowtown often, but not always, preferred to avoid Hightown, remaining where they could move openly, without the false veneer of respectability required in Hightown.

The building simply known as headquarters in an organization that had no name was not noticeable. It was behind a restaurant and club that catered to people of greater means, those brave tourists who wanted to sample the pleasures of Lowtown along with those in Lowtown who had the ability to choose better places to go to spend their time and money. The food there was good, the surroundings clean and well kept, the club always providing any type of good time anyone could ask for, either on the dance floors or in the private rooms and shadowed corners. It was common knowledge that the Winter Soldier's people came and went from the restaurant and club as they pleased, though few knew that those going through the restaurant to the back door and into the courtyard beyond were going to the headquarters. None questioned this, none had ever made any attempt to try and get inside, unless they were an employee. The organization held the power in Madripoor, but no one was attempting to wrest it from the Winter Soldier, who had taken it by insurmountable force in the early 1990's. The organization remained unchallenged; most people either got out of the way of the Winter Soldier and those who worked for him, or they did everything they could to get hired themselves. Only employment with the organization was seen as a sure way out of poverty in Lowtown, but the organization was selective, even as recruitment was never-ending.

The courtyard was empty, with no obvious door leading to the building on the other side from the restaurant. With the high stone walls noise was blocked from the surrounding city, making the area strangely peaceful. The tangle of electrical wires above the courtyard discouraged any unauthorized entry from above, while the walls themselves were topped with broken glass and razor wire, strung low enough to not be obvious. No one who didn't know what they were looking for would see the hidden door that would lead to the headquarters.

Once inside, visitors or new employees were often struck dumb with surprise at what they were seeing. The interior of the building was not what one would expect in Lowtown. It was a fully modern office building, one that could have been in any major city in the world. Five stories high above the street with many basement sublevels, it was astringently clean, boasting wood and metal touches that breathed wealth, influence and a sense of greater purpose. Offices and conference rooms were placed on every floor, some enclosed for privacy, some with glass walls to encourage a sense of greater cooperation. Cubicles filled some floors, two of which were highly classified, with protocols in place that any government agency would recognize, including tight controls on who would enter and exit as well as strict rules as to what devices were allowed inside.

Headquarters was never quiet, never empty. There were rarely any set shifts for the employees, people came and went when they could work at their best. It wasn't unusual for the office to be fully staffed in the middle of the night, while during the day it would seem like any other office building, filled with the hum of voices, the sounds of alert tones on computers and phones plus a constant feeling of intense focus. There was never any problem getting anyone to be on the job, most worked incredibly long hours, dedicating the bulk of their lives to the organization willingly. Many of those who worked there had never had any sense of purpose or place ever in their lives until they began to work for the organization, thus preferring to be on the job no matter what their job was. The shared purpose was made possible by the loyalty all of them had for the organization itself and specifically the Winter Soldier.