Inside HYDRA's Lair
Inside the private jet, Klaus, better known as Red Skull, sat in luxury. The aircraft featured a private bar, and he lounged comfortably while classical music played softly in the background. With a glass of red wine in hand, he savored the flight experience.
"I do enjoy this trip, wouldn't you agree, old friend?" he said, lifting his crimson mask just enough to reveal his mouth as he took a sip of wine.
Across from him sat one of his most trusted lieutenants, Crossbones, wearing tactical combat gear and a mask that concealed his features.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure about the music," Crossbones replied, lifting his mask slightly to take a swig of beer before lowering it again. "Wouldn't kill you to play some rock 'n' roll?"
Red Skull chuckled. "You should appreciate the classics, my friend," he said, glancing at the table between them, which was scattered with various photos of Zero. Examining the images closely, he continued, "Back to business: From what these photos show, Zero is approximately 178 cm tall and likely weighs around 56 kg."
"So? Why should we care about his height and weight? It won't mean anything when you put a bullet in his skull," Crossbones said as he grabbed a photo of Zero and forcefully stabbed his knife through it, leaving the blade embedded in the image.
Red Skull laughed. "True enough, but to defeat an opponent, you must know them—not just their battle strategies, but who they are, what their dreams are, what drives them." He closely studied the photos from the day Zero rescued Suzaku Kururugi, who had been framed for murder.
"Suzaku Kururugi was charged with the murder of my brother, but he didn't commit the crime. Zero admitted that he was the one who did it. I believe he killed my brother to gain followers, but I suspect there's another reason behind his actions." Red Skull stood and walked to the window, gazing at the ocean passing below. "Crossbones, do you have any reports on Kururugi?"
Crossbones nodded as he picked up a folder and read its contents. "Suzaku Kururugi, born July 10, 2000, son of Genbu Kururugi, the former Prime Minister of Japan. His father is deceased—ruled a suicide according to this file. Currently, Suzaku is an honorary Britannian serving in the military."
Hearing this, Red Skull recalled the name "Genbu Kururugi." "Yes, I've heard of him since I was a boy. He never struck me as a man who would take his own life simply because of a lost battle," he thought. He returned to his seat and fixed his gaze on Crossbones.
"I need you to investigate both Genbu and Suzaku Kururugi. I want every detail. I believe Zero rescued him not to prove himself a hero, but because they might be connected somehow."
"Why do you think that, boss?" Crossbones asked, confusion evident in his voice as he pondered how Zero could possibly be connected to Suzaku.
"He could have left him for dead, but he didn't. If he wanted the world to know it was him, there were other ways to do that. Instead, he chose to save Suzaku specifically. If Suzaku had died, it would have served Zero's propaganda just as well—he could have revealed the truth later. No, I believe those two have a past, and I want to know what it is."
"What if the kid does have history with Zero?" Crossbones asked as his boss fell silent for a moment.
"Then we can use him to our advantage. Perhaps he can even help with Operation Clean-Up," Red Skull replied. His friend smiled beneath his mask, anticipating the plan's execution. Both men raised their glasses in unison.
"Cheers!"
"Hail HYDRA!"
Capital Area 11
As Red Skull's cruiser landed, he and Crossbones disembarked, greeted by several HYDRA agents who stood at attention, saluting them. This brought a smirk to Red Skull's face beneath his crimson visage.
"I'm glad to see my troops are here," he remarked as he walked. Halfway through his stride, a Britannian officer rushed toward him.
"It's an honor to meet you, Prince," the officer began, but Red Skull quickly interrupted.
"It's Red Skull, not Prince. Get it right, soldier!" His stern tone made the officer nod fearfully.
Red Skull continued walking with Crossbones and the chastened Britannian officer. "I'm somewhat surprised my sisters aren't here. Do you know where they are?" he asked.
"Well, Princess Euphemia is attending to other matters, and Cornelia is dealing with rebellions in the ghetto region."
Red Skull stopped abruptly, his gaze hardening on the officer. "What did you just say?" he asked, voice filled with barely contained anger.
The officer realized he had made a grave mistake.
Saitama Ghetto
The battle in the ghetto was nearly over. The Britannian army had already caused numerous casualties among both rebels and civilians. As fighting continued, some soldiers continued to target innocent civilians. A group of Britannian troops cornered several innocents, including children.
"Aim, men!" one of the Britannian soldiers shouted as they pointed their weapons at the frightened group.
A mother covered her eyes and her son's, bracing for the inevitable.
"Fire!"
Gunshots rang out, making the mother flinch. Yet she felt nothing. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the Britannian soldiers lying dead on the ground. Standing before them was a group of HYDRA soldiers, both male and female.
One HYDRA agent with long blonde hair approached the mother. She closed her eyes again, clutching her children tightly, expecting death. When she opened them, the agent was offering a hand to help her up. As she accepted, the blonde HYDRA operative helped them to their feet.
"Don't worry, you're safe now," the agent said. The children looked at the HYDRA soldiers with awe.
"T-thank you... Who are you?" the mother asked.
"We are HYDRA."
Nearby, a small squad of Sutherlands was retreating under heavy fire—not from terrorists, but from HYDRA Knightmares. The HYDRA units' heavy artillery tore through the Britannian frames.
"What are you doing? We're on the same side—" one Sutherland pilot shouted before a round struck his cockpit, killing him instantly.
Britannian foot soldiers fell to precise gunfire while HYDRA troops advanced. When Britannians returned fire from a nearby building, HYDRA's superior weapons made short work of them—a small grenade launcher hit at their feet, the explosion leaving nothing behind.
Cornelia's HQ
Cornelia li Britannia, who had been leading the attack, initially wore a confident smirk, believing victory was certain. Her expression quickly shifted to shock as she witnessed her forces being systematically slaughtered. Only units in the ghetto were affected, but casualties had already reached hundreds and continued to rise.
"We just lost Delta 3, and Rino squad is KIA!" reported an officer in panic.
Another shouted, "My God! Reports indicate half our army is down!"
Cornelia had heard enough. She stood from her command throne. "That's it! I underestimated these terrorists. Prepare my Sutherland so I may—"
Before she could finish, a transmission cut through all channels:
"All Britannian soldiers, you are ordered to evacuate the area immediately. This is a direct order from Red Skull. Failure to comply will result in immediate execution!"
Now knowing who was attacking her troops, a frown of anger crossed her face. "Him," she muttered venomously. Turning to her staff, she ordered, "You heard him! Fall back! We're done for now."
She exited her headquarters with Gilbert G.P. Guilford and Andreas Darlton at her side. Outside waited a G-1 base identical to hers, but emblazoned with the symbol of HYDRA.
After a moment, the doors opened. Red Skull stepped out, accompanied by Crossbones. As they approached, Red Skull glanced at his sister, who immediately erupted.
"What do you think you're doing?! We were about to capture Zero, and you ruined everything by killing our—"
Cornelia's tirade ended abruptly as Red Skull slapped her across the face. She touched her cheek in shock, eyes blazing with fury. Gilbert and Andreas tensed, outraged at the treatment of their princess.
"I told you Zero was my target," Red Skull snarled, grabbing her collar and forcing her to face his crimson visage. "Thanks to your reckless slaughter, my job will be much harder now. The plan was to send undercover operatives to gather intelligence, but because of your actions, it will be nearly impossible to convince any Japanese person to help us!" He shoved her to the ground.
"How dare you treat the princess this way!" Gilbert shouted.
Crossbones laughed dismissively. "We wouldn't want blood on that nice little uniform of yours," he taunted.
Cornelia quickly regained her footing. "The plan is sound! We recreated the same incident that happened at Shinjuku to provoke Zero into attacking, drawing him out."
"Remember what happened to our brother for attacking this place?" she countered. "You know what happened, right?"
"You're threatening the princess; this is unacceptable!" Andreas interjected angrily.
Red Skull turned slowly. "I'm not threatening, sir. I'm trying to educate my sister." He glanced at Crossbones. "Crossbones, if he speaks to me again, kill him." His cold tone made Andreas fall silent. "That's a threat. See the difference?"
Red Skull turned back to Cornelia, hands clasped behind his back. "This is a war that cannot be won through destruction alone; it requires stealth and cunning to defeat this enemy. From what I've seen today, you possess neither. You may excel in battlefield strategy, but when it comes to espionage, you are woefully inadequate." He turned away, forcing her to look at the ground in humiliation. "Get rid of that ridiculous title, 'Goddess of Victory.' It makes you look like a fool."
Several Hours Later
Red Skull sat on his throne in the G-1 base. As he settled in, a familiar voice spoke from seemingly nowhere.
"Are you sure she won't retaliate for this?" the voice asked, harsher than usual.
Red Skull chuckled. "I highly doubt it. But even if she does, my forces outmatch hers."
"You should reveal yourself," he added. "I know it's you, Taskmaster."
Before him, a figure materialized—Taskmaster, the mercenary renowned for his photographic reflexes and ability to blend into any environment.
"You know," Taskmaster said, pulling out an arrow to examine its tip, "I could kill her now, and no one would ever know." He smirked, but Red Skull raised his hand.
"Tempting offer, but no... not yet. I still have use for her."
Rising from his throne, he asked, "Are they ready?"
Unknown Location
"They are ready. You can command them both now."
In the mountains not far from Japan—now Area 11—stood a place untouched by the Britannian Empire. In one of the secluded houses, a man carefully cleaned his blade.
As he worked, his expression remained serene, eyes focused intently on the sword. Behind him, a shadowy figure approached silently, drawing its weapon. The first man sensed the presence, quickly regaining his footing and swinging his sword at the intruder, who blocked with precision.
The two fighters moved in perfect rhythm, blocking and dodging each other's strikes. The shadow figure executed several swift attacks while the first man parried and counterattacked, causing their blades to clash repeatedly. As the shadow gained the momentary advantage, the first man retreated slightly, receiving a cut on his right shoulder.
In response, he slashed at the shadow's arm, and their swords met again with a metallic ring. Finally, they stepped back from one another, sheathed their weapons, and bowed respectfully.
"I guess you're ready," the shadow figure said.
"Let's prepare," the man replied.
He returned to the table, donning a combat uniform emblazoned with the HYDRA symbol and equipped with multiple blades and two katanas. Finally, he placed his mask on. The two exchanged knowing glances before heading toward the door, assassins ready to confront the Britannian army and liberate Japan. To achieve this goal, however, they would first need to align themselves with HYDRA.
Together, they would become the deadliest assassins in the world.
The Winter Soldier and Ronin