"Strike team, attack!"
Steve Rogers was still under mind control.
Even with Alexander Pierce taken down, it wasn't enough to snap him out of it.
Despite Tony Stark and Clint Barton holding the advantage in the office, the moment Captain America gave the order, a squad of heavily armed soldiers clad in Chitauri-tech gear began their assault.
The situation was far from optimistic.
To make matters worse, Barton was busy hacking into Hydra's systems, trying to locate the coordinates of the "Project Insight" Helicarriers so Rhode Island Industries' "Heaven's Hammer" railgun could obliterate them.
Based on intel, the new "Project Insight" Helicarriers weren't limited to the three in Washington. They were deployed worldwide—likely more than ten in total.
Outnumbered, it seemed Hydra still had the ability to crush the heroes who had infiltrated their headquarters.
However, Kagura had already anticipated this scenario.
The blade for the "decapitation strike" had long been prepared.
"Hey, buddy, I warned you! Don't move, or I can't guarantee you won't get hurt!"
Tony Stark raised his repulsor, aiming at Captain America, trying to make him stand down.
Steve Rogers, of course, ignored him. Raising his shield, he swung it straight at War Machine's armored head.
'THUD—!'
However, before the sharp edge could connect, it was intercepted midair.
The real-time cloaking effect of a "Type-2" holographic drone slowly deactivated, revealing a new figure in the room.
"What's wrong with you, pal?"
A black vibranium arm effortlessly caught Captain America's powerful strike. "The Steve Rogers I know isn't like this. But, hey, I get it—being brainwashed sucks."
"Bucky?!"
Steve Rogers was caught completely off guard.
How had Bucky Barnes gotten in here?
Why had he remained undetected while staying so close to the others?
What kind of sorcery was this?
"Surprised?" Kagura chuckled. "This is just the power of technology. What you see isn't always real. The number of people you count may not be accurate. In fact..."
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, explosions lit up the night sky.
More than thirty Iron Man suits had arrived, forming a defensive perimeter around the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
"Your so-called strike teams might not be getting here at all."
The silver-haired girl smiled and, without hesitation, activated her "consciousness infiltration" ability.
Instantly, Stark's Iron Legion turned their weapons on the Hydra operatives inside the building.
"Barton, focus on hacking the system. Stark, hold this entrance."
Kagura efficiently assigned tasks to her team. "Barnes, Captain America is yours."
"As for Director Fury…"
She paused for a moment. "Hmm, thanks for playing along. Not bad acting!"
"I am the king of spies. This was nothing," Nick Fury smirked. "That said… you have a point. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to be reborn from the ashes before it can truly follow the path I envisioned."
"We're not done yet. Save the deep thoughts for later."
Kagura crossed her arms and flashed a sweet smile. "First, we clean up Hydra."
"No, this isn't right!" Steve Rogers, still brainwashed, struggled against Bucky.
"Relax, buddy. I'll fix you up."
Bucky's words brought Steve back to reality. "I have some experience breaking brainwashing."
With that, Bucky shifted his grip, sidestepping Steve's shield before throwing a powerful punch. Steve reacted instantly, raising his shield at the perfect angle to block the blow.
'BANG—!'
Vibrations rippled outward from the impact, the vibranium shield absorbing and dispersing the kinetic energy.
"You know," Bucky said, pulling back, "there's actually a really simple way to break mind control."
Steve held his ground, angling his shield for another block.
But this time, Bucky wasn't planning to go head-to-head with that indestructible shield.
Anyone with common sense knew that Captain America's shield was nearly unbreakable. As long as he maintained his defense, he was virtually untouchable.
That's why Bucky changed tactics.
His metal arm shifted, splitting apart in two directions. In an instant, his hand transformed into a massive clamp, locking onto Steve's shield and trapping it in place.
Under normal MCU conditions, Bucky's enhanced physique from Soviet experiments put him on par with Captain America.
But now, with the cutting-edge technology from Rhode Island Industries, his new mechanical arm had boosted his combat capabilities even further.
Against an original Captain America, "White Wolf" Bucky Barnes had a clear advantage.
As Steve struggled to free himself, Bucky yanked the shield away, stepping in close and driving his fist straight into Steve's skull.
"It's called physical recalibration."
'BAM!'
One solid punch. Steve staggered, shaking his head in a daze.
Bucky's vibranium grip still locked his shield in place, preventing him from regaining his balance.
As Steve prepared to abandon the shield and fight back, Bucky yanked it downward, throwing him off balance once more.
"In other words… I just have to beat the mind control out of you!"
'BAM!'
Seizing the moment, Bucky landed another brutal punch directly to Steve's head.
"Ugh!"
Steve groaned and collapsed to his knees.
"Hmm, looks like it's working."
Bucky yanked the shield away and strapped it onto his own arm. Then, just to be sure, he raised it high… and slammed it down onto Steve's head.
'CLANG!'
"AARGH!"
Steve let out a startled cry before face-planting onto the ground, unconscious.
"Alright, recalibration complete. You'll be fine, Steve."
Bucky flexed his metal arm before glancing at the unconscious Captain America.
"Though, honestly… your suit is way too tight. No wonder they call you 'America's Ass.'"
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