"Good times... I remember this place from... seventy years ago." Steve commented as he sat with Bucky at the old diner in downtown Manhattan. The place where they'd go rather often. Taking a bite out of a burger, he savored the taste. Tasted like the 40s where thing actually seemed to make sense. Even after two years, he still had no clue on how to work his smartphone... or use a computer. Or even change the channels on the television.
"Same... and I remember having to have your back in that back alley over there..." Bucky joked as he took a large bit out of his hamburger. "I am actually... starting to remember a lot of things. We used to go here after every baseball game. Just you and me... strange, you know... I've been up and alive for the past seventy years, and none of this I can even remember. So starting from the beginning... apparently I shot this guy... Nick Fury? What was his name? I can't remember. Then... they said what now? Oh right... we got into like two brawls, and it's crazy. Apparently, I was working for those damn krauts and I didn't even realize it!"
"It happens... HYDRA must have seriously screwed with your mind." Steve said as he took a sip of his soda. Back in the day... they had glass bottles, not any of these paper cup... things. "But it's good to have you back."
"It is. So... we won the war right?" Bucky asked. Being in a trance for quite some time and spending time as a human popsicle within some cryo-chamber really wasn't good for his memory or really, his overall touch for what had been going on for the past century.
"Yeah." Steve said as he thought about what Zola had said to him. Cut off one head, two more shall grow to take it's place.
"If so... then why are those goose-stepping bastards still alive? Didn't you kill... what's his name... that Red Skull guy?"
"Apparently so." Steve said as he took a look around the diner for memories of the past. "But as they said... cut off one head... two more shall grow to take it's place."
"If that's the case, we got a lot of work cut out ahead of us." Bucky commented. "So... from what I know, Hitler is dead. Skull is dead. That Zola guy is dead. Who's leading them?"
Damn... this should be something he knew. After all... he'd been working for HYDRA... even though he had been unaware of it. Alexander Pierce? No... he's dead too and clearly wasn't in command. Could it have been Zola? But... the Doctor didn't seem to be too involved within the politics of HYDRA... within his mind... he thought of... there was that memory... a memory of a fairly old man with a monocle... what was his name again? Baron... Baron...
"I don't know. Apparently HYDRA actually had GROWN over the years when a large portion of the Nazi party ended up going over once Germany lost the war. Like you said, we got plenty of work to do before we really win the war." Steve said, causing Bucky to lose his train of thought. Go figure.
"Just like old times huh? You and me, going across the land and blowing up Jerry and his factories... except this time..."
"HYDRA invaded the U.S too now? Yeah... but..."
His cellphone began to ring, causing him to stop speaking. At the same time, Bucky's did too. It was Coulson.
HYDRA had a plant located on the outskirts of New York that was manufacturing them weapons. They were to do something about this.
_______________________________________________________________________
[Koprulu sector, aboard the Hyperion]
Vitals are normal. Shock therapy ready. The commander will be resuming consciousness in 3...2...1...
BZZTT.
"Argh!" Raynor gasped as hundreds of volts was sent through his body... "Ow..."
"Easy now Jim. We found... well... it's kind of an interesting story." Matt began.
NO KIDDING. Raynor screamed on the side. "Alright Matt, what's your interesting Story? Lemee guess... I crash landed into some kid's Saturday morning TV program?"
"I... guess?" Matt said as he scratched his head. "Well... you were gone for like a few days, and we were really worried and all... good thing Stetmann was able to track your ship... and..."
He paused for a moment as the corners of his mouth shifted to a wide smile.
"Jim... I dunno what the hell happened, and I think you had probably the best reason for being missing for at least three days... but seriously. Haven't you ever heard of the saying "greed kills"?"
"What?... Eh... Matt... I don't follow.... tell me everything."
"Well, we found your ship. At least, Stetmann did. But... man... you struck gold... like... LITEARLLY." Matt chuckled as he sat by Raynor's bed within the infirmary of the ship. "Man... there were TONS! Again... literally! We even had to scramble every available transport just to get it done in under a day!"
Looks like Sunbutt upheld her end of the bargain. Nice.. nice
"How much was it?" Raynor asked. "Give me an estimation."
"Like.... 12000 tons?" Matt said trying to come up with a number. "Listen... I don't know how you found this stash... but the Dominion..."
"Mengsk won't know what hit him." Raynor said with a smile as he got up. "Brrr... I could use a cup of coffee."
"Easily arranged." Matt said. "So... what are we gonna do with all this... gold?"
"What'dya think?" Raynor asked at the rather... dumb question. "We sell this, and then... man... Mengsk is going to get hit so hard, it'll knock the living daylights out of him and his Dominion."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll get this stuff sold to any buyers." Matt said as he placed down a diamond the size of an egg right on the table. "Jim... mind telling me how you got this?"
"It's a long and crazy story." Jim said as he sat down. "You might not believe anything I have to say, so I don't expect you to."
"Try me." Matt said with a grin. "After all we've been through together, you know there's hardly anything in this universe that'll surprise me."
"Funny... I don't think it was in our universe." Jim said as he thought about the others. "Anyways, it involves some master assassin from 500 years ago, a master soldier from 500 years ago, a crazy doctor, a witch that was like... twelve and had cat ears and tail and some guy who came from this place where there are a ton of man-eating giants."
"Ummm... what?"
"Yeah... lemee begin..." Raynor said as he sat down and grabbed a cup of coffee. "Matt... you know, I'd recommend you grab a bag of popcorn. Just saying... it's going to be one helluva story."