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

35

Rumlow became alarmingly limp once he was finally laid down. Romanov and Wilson both hovered near him as a of the medic who had come from Madripoor on the Quinjet worked to save Rumlow's life. Sam also needed medical attention, but his injuries weren't life threatening. He had begun to tend to the wounds as best he could but kept his eyes on Rumlow. Bucky also watched Rumlow, hoping he would live before turning to Steve, who was groggy, sitting near Rumlow, his expression more confused than hostile. The Winter Soldier's analysis was that Steve needed more help than they had first thought; he was not sure of reality, or anyone around him. If he became aggressive it would take a lot to bring him down. The fact that it hadn't taken much effort for the Winter Soldier to knock him down and drag him into the Quinjet was proof that he was under some form of influence from Hydra, possibly increasing his passivity. Bucky felt despondent to see his friend looking so lost, but there was also the anger, crystalized and hard, at what Hydra had done. Steve wasn't as bad as he'd feared, but the situation wasn't as good as he'd hoped.

A voice sounded in his ear that he recognized as Blevin, the lead on the Chinese military project. He knew they had been ready for some time but the task on his end, getting Steve free physically from Hydra, had taken longer. She told him the targets were locked; they could fire at his command. He did not hesitate, pausing only to check the position of the Quinjet relative to the facility they'd just left, waiting until they were the correct distance away, out of the line of fire from the missiles. Natasha and Wilson looked up at him from Rumlow's side, both grim, worried, but neither said a word.

"We are not targeting the Triskelion itself, but there will potentially be casualties," he told them. Steve reacted to his words as well, looking up sharply, but he didn't say anything. "Are there objections before it's done?"

Both Romanov and Sam seemed like they wanted to say something, but after hesitating, they finally shook their heads. "Level the place we just left," Sam said harshly. "As for the Triskelion... Hopefully there won't be too much collateral damage."
"How precise will this be? And how successful?" Natasha asked.

"It will be very precise; the technology is the same as what the U.S. has. As for success, that will be known once it's over," Bucky replied. He felt a strange pull, one that told him it was simply Bucky and had nothing to do with the Winter Soldier. It was the pull of something he hadn't thought he could feel: conscience. It was weak, barely formed, but it told him what would soon be done was not something he would have chosen to do before he'd been the Winter Soldier. Bucky could also accept that in the fight against Hydra, he would do whatever it took, no matter the consequences, even if those consequences included alienating those he considered friends, especially Steve. He could not take the chance that Hydra could still succeed.
"Begin the countdown, Blevin. Once the targets are destroyed, send satellite images to me as soon as you have them. Make sure to show SHIELD, Hydra, all of them, exactly what's happening."

Everyone in the Quinjet, with the exception of Rumlow who was unconscious and Steve who did not know the plan, was quiet, waiting. Steve made a small movement, pulling the shield closer to him, not defensively, simply holding it.

                                                                                            ***

The Triskelion was still dark, lit only by the regular but insufficient emergency lights. Pierce had been told, quietly, that Zola had indeed been destroyed, by SHIELD's own missiles, slightly earlier than what had been shown on the screen. He was seething, his rage barely contained. If it wasn't for his years of experience in politics and diplomacy, as well as the years he'd lived a double life for Hydra, he would have lashed out at anyone and everyone. He understood intellectually that the people in the Triskelion, Hydra or just plain SHIELD, were doing everything they could to restore power and access to their systems. He would have launched Project Insight immediately if he could have, destroying Madripoor so completely it could never be inhabited again. He was being stymied on every front, and what was worse it was because of one man. Not even the Winter Soldier should have been able to do that. No one should have been able to do the things he'd done to Hydra with such evil precision.