Antony watched Steve Rogers disappear into the distance. He turned back to the cameras and put on a look of benevolent sorrow.
"Did you all see that?" he asked gently.
"This is the cruelty of war. It turns friends against each other. Brothers into enemies."
He paused, voice heavy with compassion.
"But trust Vought. Trust us."
"We will bring the lost lambs home."
"Ashley!" Antony suddenly remembered something and called out to the woman still coordinating the scene.
"Send drones to follow them, then prep the press release!"
"Say that—under Vought's guidance—Captain America is helping rehabilitate a misguided World War II veteran!"
"The headline needs to be emotional! Tear-jerking! Really sell that across-the-centuries brotherhood!"
"Make every housewife in America cry!"
"Got it, boss!" Ashley replied loudly.
-----
Potomac River — Downstream Dam
This was the end of the line.
The river roared beneath the dam, water plunging dozens of meters downward in a deafening cascade.
Bucky Barnes stopped.
No more road. Only the drop—and the raging torrent below.
He turned around. His metal arm lifted slightly, eyes glinting with lethal cold.
"Bucky!!"
Steve caught up.
He dropped his shield. Took off his helmet. His face was open, raw, pleading.
"Bucky… it's me."
"Look at me. I'm Steve."
"You know me."
Bucky stared at him.
Deep inside his mind, something shifted. A fog thinned.
That name… Steve.
A scrawny kid… Brooklyn alleys…
"No!!"
Bucky clutched his head, screaming in pain. His metal arm smashed into the railing, warping the steel.
"I DON'T KNOW YOU!!"
He charged.
Steve opened his arms, chest completely exposed.
"I'm not going to fight you."
"Because… you're my friend."
"You are my mission!"
The answer came as a storm of red-star punches. Steve was beaten to the ground, barely conscious.
"You are my mission!"
Bucky drew a knife and aimed it at Steve, repeating the words like a mantra.
"Then finish it," Steve whispered weakly.
SHNK!
The blade pierced Steve's shoulder.
Bucky's hand trembled.
He stared at the blood—at that familiar sight—and something snapped into place.
"Steve…" Bucky murmured.
The knife clattered to the ground.
"You…" His eyes cleared. "You're… Steve?"
"It's me, Buck." Steve smiled through tears. "I'm here."
"I'll stay with you… to the end."
Right at that heart-wrenching moment—
"Clap. Clap. Clap."
Slow, deliberate applause echoed from above.
Both men looked up.
Antony hovered over the dam, a giant bucket of popcorn tucked under his arm, happily munching away.
Behind him, several drones filmed from every conceivable angle.
"Oh! Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" Antony commented between bites.
"The dialogue, the emotional payoff—listen, you have to license this to me. I'm cutting it straight into my next movie."
"Especially that line—'I'll stay with you to the end.'" He smacked his lips. "So cheesy. I love it."
Antony descended and casually stepped between them.
"Alright, brothers reunited. Definitely worth celebrating. I'll throw you a cocktail party back at the base tonight."
He looked at Bucky, pleased.
"Welcome back, Sergeant Barnes."
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I'm your new boss—Homelander."
Antony smiled like the devil.
Bucky stared blankly at the blond man radiating pressure… then at Steve.
Steve sighed, helplessly amused.
"Don't mind him, Buck. That's just how he is."
"But… he's on our side."
"Let's go home."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Antony watched the two men supporting each other as they walked away—his mood excellent.
-----
Triskelion — SHIELD Headquarters
Nick Fury wore an ordinary maintenance uniform, cap pulled low, pushing a cart full of cleaning supplies.
Clint Barton crawled through a narrow ventilation shaft like a rat.
"Left turn, boss," Barton's voice whispered through the earpiece. "Camera ahead. I've got a three-second blackout window."
"Copy."
Fury slipped beneath the camera.
His target: the central communications hub—the throat of SHIELD.
"Stop."
Two guards blocked his path.
"That area's restricted. Badge."
Fury halted, then slowly raised his head.
He removed his cap, revealing the iconic eyepatch.
The guards froze.
"Director… Fury?"
"Looks like someone still remembers me," Fury said coldly.
They exchanged glances, hands drifting toward their guns. Their orders were clear: shoot on sight.
"I wouldn't recommend that," Fury said, pointing upward.
ZIP! ZIP!
Two shock arrows fired from the vent, pinning both guards in the shoulders. They collapsed twitching.
Fury stepped over them and shoved open the server room doors.
Technicians inside nearly spilled coffee on their keyboards.
"Nobody move." Fury drew his pistol and swept the room. "I just need to borrow the PA. Any objections?"
There were none.
Three minutes later—
Every speaker in the Triskelion crackled to life.
"This is Nick Fury."
The building fell silent.
Agents stopped eating. Trainees froze mid-drill. Even Alexander Pierce, sipping wine in his office, felt his hand shake.
"I know what you've been told," Fury's voice echoed through every corridor.
"That I'm a traitor. That I'm Hydra. A compelling story."
"But now, I'm going to tell you another one."
"Alexander Pierce—he is Hydra."
"So are some of your colleagues. Some of your commanders."
"They've infested SHIELD for decades, feeding off it like parasites."
"Today, they plan to launch Project Insight. Not to protect the world—
—but to put guns to the heads of everyone who dares oppose them."
"When those three Helicarriers go up, millions will die."
Watching the stunned, confused faces on the monitors, Fury softened his tone.
"I don't need you to believe me."
"I need you to trust your eyes."
"Look at those 'orders.' Think about the people marked for elimination."
"Agents of SHIELD—"
"If you remember the oath you swore… if you remember who you protect…"
"Then pick up your weapons."
"Even if only one of us remains—
we will defend the future of this world."
"This is… the final order."
--------------
T/N:
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