At the end of the Second World War, Hydra was thought to be destroyed through the sacrifice of Steve Rogers, Captain America. In secret, however, Hydra was recruiting constantly as they inserted themselves into positions of power, from low to high, in order to bring about their vision of a secure world. This story is about those in the lower areas of Hydra, why they joined, why they remain loyal or betray Hydra, from the assets to those assisting the assets in the field, to clerks, couriers and bureaucrats. Their choices affect them, and anyone they care about, if they can care about anyone. The reasons for joining Hydra, for remaining, are all individual, as it would be if such an organization actually existed. One, of course was not given a choice and he is seen exclusively through the eyes of others, until the very end. From 1945 to 1986, the formative years of Hydra, the support staff are the focus, long before the age of heroes, when anyone who could be a threat, or an asset, had the attention of Hydra whether they knew it or not.

The Winter Soldier is known as a brutal assassin, but he is also much more than that. Hydra had access to all of Bucky Barnes' talents, and they used them for their benefit. As an unwilling operative of Hydra, he was tasked with establishing an organization in Madripoor just in case Hydra decided they wanted a presence there. He was given complete control over what he built there, since they knew he would hand it over without protest if they ordered him to do so. He created an organization that ruled Madripoor, run by people who could do so in his absence, though all of them were loyal to him alone. After Bucky was freed from Hydra, with the failure of Project Insight, what he'd created in Madripoor ended up the perfect place for him to lay low, drawing elements of Hydra to him to eliminate them without drawing attention, and creating a trap for others who only want the Winter Soldier and all of his abilities. In Madripoor, he would be off the radar of people like Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, who have no knowledge of the city and he can try to understand who Bucky Barnes is and how he can be both the Winter Soldier and Bucky at the same time while safely away from those he still worries he could harm. This story looks at how the Winter Soldier could create something that takes on a life of its own in Madripoor while under the control of Hydra, what the Winter Soldier would want after the fall of Hydra and how that aligns with what Bucky would want. Memories come to him as he moves toward Madripoor and as he moves toward the completion of a mission he gave only to himself, in order for him to remain free of anyone's control. This fan fiction is set between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War.

Fanfiction from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that provides details of Bucky Barnes' past as the Winter Soldier, from the beginning when he fell from the train until he was finally freed from control by the words in Wakanda. This story details the history of the Winter Soldier including how Hydra first created him, involvement in assassination, intelligence operations and many different events for the seventy years of his existence. The final removal of the Winter Soldier programming in Wakanda and the steps taken to do so is intricately shown as his past his revealed in detail. This is for anyone who has been intrigued by Bucky's past as the Winter Soldier and how he was able finally be free of Hydra's control.