Inside the recovery room.
Seeing Bucky awake but completely immobile made Steve feel like his heart was shattering into pieces.
He had already tried talking to Bucky, but right now, Bucky was like a robot that hadn't been activated yet. Without receiving any commands, he naturally showed no reaction whatsoever.
Steve sat by Bucky's bedside and kept talking about the past. He talked about the days before he became Captain America, when Bucky protected him and helped him deal with the bullies who picked on him.
Even though Steve always stubbornly refused to show gratitude, he had known all along that if not for Bucky, his scrawny, sickly self would have died long ago.
He went on, talking about how after his parents passed away, Bucky was the one who stayed by his side, comforting him and helping him through the grief.
"You said you would always be there for me..."
Bucky stared blankly at the white ceiling overhead, as unresponsive as a wooden puppet.
Steve continued, recounting how he rescued Bucky from danger and how they had operated together ever since. Then came that final mission, where Bucky fell from the train, and Steve himself went down with the plane, entombed in the icy sea...
After that, a long silence settled between them.
After quite a while, Bucky suddenly turned his head and looked at Steve.
He said, "I don't know you."
Hearing those words, Steve froze for a moment. Amid the pain, he also felt a wave of relief.
"It's okay. You'll remember."
Losing memories wasn't the worst thing. What Steve feared most was that Bucky might have become incapable of communication entirely, reduced to nothing more than a hollow tool.
"Cap, we need to move."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
It was Peter.
He wore his classic red and blue suit, and beneath the mask, his eyes were filled with worry.
"Right now, Hydra is hunting us everywhere. They've taken control of Stark Industries and planted spies inside Oscorp. If they keep coming up empty handed, I'm worried they might do something drastic."
Peter said.
Hearing this, Steve stood up, his expression hardening with resolve.
Hydra was the enemy. Only by wiping out Hydra could Bucky ever have a chance at recovery.
Whether for duty or personal reasons, this was no time to wallow in despair.
He glanced back at Bucky once more, then turned resolutely and walked toward Peter.
"Let's go!"
Oscorp Headquarters.
Pierce arrived with a large contingent of agents and surrounded the building.
Outside, the heavy armed presence drew wary glances from passersby.
Up in the top floor office, Pierce stood with his hands in his pockets, glaring at Norman Osborn. Beside him, several agents had Norman completely encircled.
Norman, meanwhile, sat in his executive chair, legs crossed, still managing to project an air of authority.
"Norman Osborn, hand over Nick Fury and my soldier."
"Mr. Pierce, I have no idea what you're talking about." Norman clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them.
"Your son, in broad daylight and in full view of the public, rescued Nick Fury, a fugitive wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D. And you're telling me you know nothing about it?"
Pierce was practically laughing from sheer disbelief.
He tossed out a video clip, showing unmistakable footage of Harry riding his Green Goblin glider, carrying Nick Fury and the Winter Soldier away.
"And your point?" Norman spread his hands wide.
"I know nothing about this matter. Harry did not bring Nick Fury here.
"Furthermore, I fail to see what's wrong with my son, acting as a superhero, rescuing the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. from a gang of heavily armed terrorists causing mayhem on the streets."
Pierce let out a cold laugh.
"In case you haven't heard, Nick Fury is no longer the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's been exposed as a Hydra operative, selling our secrets to foreign powers for years."
He delivered the lie with utter conviction.
"And it's not just him. Those so called superheroes he just assembled have also betrayed this nation. The World Security Council has issued orders for their immediate apprehension. Whether on domestic soil or abroad, upon discovery, they are to be executed on sight!"
"You're a smart man, Norman." Pierce strolled over to Norman's side, speaking in the tone of an old friend.
"Your son, Harry Osborn. He's wealthy beyond measure and gets to play superhero. That's good, very good. But he's fallen in with the wrong crowd. I believe Nick Fury deceived him. That's fine. We won't do anything to a kid.
"On the contrary, we can make him the next Iron Man."
This wasn't just advice. It was a threat.
The implication was clear: Pierce could make Harry the next Iron Man, or he could make him a wanted fugitive just like Stark.
"I'm sorry, but I truly don't know what you're talking about." Norman was impervious to the pressure.
"You claim Harry took Nick Fury, but I haven't seen him." He shrugged. "Feel free to search every inch of Oscorp. As you can see, there's nothing here."
By now, Pierce had a pretty good idea of Norman's stance.
He shot Norman a cold glare, picked up a small decorative trinket from the desk, and toyed with it idly as he spoke.
"Oscorp has always been a pillar of this nation's industry. You are an outstanding entrepreneur. Don't do anything foolish. Why align yourself with criminals?"
"Get a clear picture of the situation, Norman."
He stared directly into Norman's eyes.
"You're a smart man. What can Nick Fury offer you? You barely even interacted with him before. But I'm different."
"Tony Stark is involved in this as well. Once I capture him, I can erase Stark Industries from existence entirely. Oscorp can take Stark's place. All you have to do is hand over Nick Fury and publicly declare your support for us. Anything is possible."
With that, Pierce set the trinket down and walked to the door. He paused and glanced back.
"I'll give you one day to think it over. Tomorrow, I expect to see Nick Fury delivered to me, and I expect to see you announce to the media that the Green Goblin is joining us. Otherwise..."
Pierce left the threat hanging and departed.
The agents filed out after him.
But Norman knew full well that there were undoubtedly more agents lurking in the shadows, monitoring his every move.
He wasn't worried.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
The Daily Bugle.
Jameson had barely stepped out of his luxury VIP hospital suite when a golden opportunity to make big money practically landed in his lap.
He chomped excitedly on his cigar, dressed in his trademark suspenders, hands on his hips, bellowing:
"Move it, people! Faster!"
"Spider-Man! I finally have the goods on you!"
He laughed triumphantly.
The wanted posters released by S.H.I.E.L.D. included both Spider-Men right there in plain sight. For Jameson, it was better than Christmas morning.
He worked his staff overtime, demanding they rush the printing of the newspapers.
Robbie walked in, reluctant.
"Boss, these warrants are fishy. How could Spider-Man possibly be a criminal? And it's not just him. They've got Tony Stark on there, and..."
As a journalist, Robbie clearly sensed the stench of a setup.
"And this guy..."
He flipped the warrant to Steve's page.
No one could have imagined that Steve Rogers, Captain America from seventy years ago, was still alive. Even more unthinkable was the claim that he had been working for Hydra.
Who would believe that?
Captain America was a shared idol in the hearts of all Americans.
For nearly a century, the nation had glorified him day and night. They built memorials and celebrated his heroic deeds, holding him up as the example for every American child to follow: strive, sacrifice, and serve!
And now, they were saying it was all a lie? That Steve Rogers was actually a Hydra agent all along?
Wasn't that just absurd and ridiculous?
"What do you know?"
Jameson bit down on his cigar and shot Robbie an irritated glare.
"This is an official government release. You think they're lying?"
"I've said it from the beginning: Spider-Man is no good. If he were really doing good deeds, why not just take off the mask and let us all see who he is?"
"It's because the face under that mask can't be seen by the public. That's why he hides his identity. And as for that old soldier? Hah! You think American soldiers are saints?"
"Now get out there and print those papers!"
"Headline it: Spider-Man, Public Menace of New York! Captain America, Costumed Clown Grasping at Spotlight!"
He shooed Robbie out, then suddenly remembered something and slammed his fist on the desk.
"Where's Parker? I need new photos of Spider-Man!"
"Boss," Betty knocked and entered, glancing nervously at Jameson before whispering, "There are some people here... looking for Spider-Man's photographer..."
Her eyes darted cautiously toward the office exterior. Through the window, Jameson spotted the group of men in sharp suits who looked anything but friendly.
He thought for exactly one second, spat out his cigar, and said:
"What Spider-Man photographer? I've told you people, those photos always come in by mail."
Queens.
For once, Uncle Ben and Aunt May hadn't gone to their community service work.
They'd been devoting themselves to volunteer activities lately. While it made life feel fulfilling, it was also exhausting. So they decided to take a few days off together to rest.
"It sure is quiet without the kids around." Ben settled into his old armchair and turned on the TV.
Nearly every channel was running breaking news broadcasts of the wanted notices for Bant and the others.
The one silver lining was that Bant had purged all S.H.I.E.L.D. files regarding the Spider-Men. Pierce still had no clue about their true identities.
Otherwise, Ben and May would probably be climbing the walls with worry right about now.
Still, when they saw the news, both of them frowned in unison.
"Hydra spies? Good heavens!"
May covered her face in shock. "I can't believe Peter is friends with someone so dangerous!"
"Don't believe everything you hear, May."
Ben shook his head.
"Something's not right here. Don't you remember? Spider-Man has saved Peter and little Bant several times. Even if the press doesn't like him, everyone who's ever been helped by him knows he's no villain."
The mainstream media had always had it out for Spider-Man, thanks not just to Jameson but also to help from the NYPD.
But Spider-Man remained active on the streets of New York. Countless people had been aided by him. No matter what the media said, everyone had their own internal scale of justice.
Compared to Spider-Man, the news that Captain America Steve Rogers was alive and had betrayed the United States shocked Ben far more.
"This is utter nonsense!"
When that segment came on, he shot to his feet, ready to march right down to the TV station and give those newscasters a piece of his mind!
For a man of his generation, the spirit of Captain America was practically etched into their faith itself.
In the era they grew up, the legend hadn't faded far from living memory.
And they had all lived through this nation's golden age. Their belief in Captain America was more steadfast than anyone's.
Countless men had been inspired to serve their country because of Captain America's example.
Now they were saying Cap betrayed America? How was anyone supposed to swallow that?
Even though the warrants came from official channels, doubt crept into every mind that saw them.
Knock knock knock!
A knock came at the door.
May opened it to find Mary Jane standing outside.
"Hi, Mrs. Parker. I was just wondering, are Bant and Peter home?"
May blinked in mild surprise.
Usually, Mary Jane only asked for Bant when she came by. Today, she'd included Peter's name. That struck May as slightly odd.
But she didn't dwell on it and answered promptly. "No, neither of them is here. Bant is at the office, and Peter is at some lab experiment, I think?"
"Then I'll go find them at Prismos," Mary Jane nodded.
Closing the door behind her, the expression on Mary Jane's face shifted to one of deep worry.
Minutes earlier, she had seen the news alerts on her phone about Spider-Man and Hacker being wanted. Shock hit first, then the anxiety flooded in.
Because she knew Peter was Spider-Man.
She'd discovered that secret during the time Bant was away from Earth.
Back then, she spent every day by the window, waiting and hoping to see Bant come home. Then one night, she spotted Peter in his Spider Suit, crawling into his own bedroom window.
Peter was Spider-Man.
She had wanted to share this secret with Bant, but on the very first day Bant returned to Earth, he showed up as the second Spider-Man.
At that moment, Mary Jane guessed that Bant might be that second Spider-Man.
But she never asked him about it that night. She kept the secret buried in her heart.
Now, with Spider-Man and Hacker both wanted, her worry for Bant's safety surged to the forefront.
Leaving Queens, Mary Jane headed straight for Prismos. But when she arrived, she found the Prismos building already under lockdown.
After leaving Norman Osborn's office, Pierce had come directly here.
If Harry wasn't at Oscorp, then maybe that kid was holed up at Prismos after all.
/-\
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