The six headed HYDRA

by Malcolm Merlyn

This also seems familiar...

Wiping blood from her mouth, Gertrud Barkhorn looked over at Slade again, who still hadn't broken a single sweat. It had only been less than a couple minutes, and Trudy couldn't help but think that her face probably looked downright pitiful. Attempting to rise, though the aches and pains in her body stopped her, she looked over at Slade, one of her eyes was closed with blood.

"I think you should try again." Slade said as he took a seat at a bench in the ring. "Here, have a sandwich."

Hardly being able to pick up her lunch, it was an amazement to Trudy that she herself was still able to chew. The moment the bread passed through her mouth, she felt the pains in her body dull. Before she even knew it, her wounds disappeared, and she felt nothing. Looking over herself, even her uniform, which had practically been in shreds ten seconds ago, had been magically sewed back together as though a skilled seamstress had gotten to them.

"Before anyone asks... in case you don't want to end up like her... I suggest you all try to improve." Slade announced to the semi-conscious bodies around him. "Okay... who still has fight in them?"

NO ONE.

Except Trudy...

And you can imagine how badly, just about everyone felt for Trudy as Slade got up again, his staff ready.

"You know... I think you got about one good thing about you..." Slade smirked as he watched his far younger, and less experienced opponent ready herself. "Then... I think you fight like a girl."

She charged right at him.

"Hey it's you again!" Steve said with a wide grin. "How's my favorite fast slowpoke?"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Rainbow Dash raged in furious indignation as she turned around. "You asking for a beating?"

There were few things Steve found hilarious when things like HYDRA were involved. But as of now... this was one of the many things that managed to tickle his funny bone as his mind began to go about how a rainbow-colored horse was threatening to beat him up.

"Alright you... I am just messing around." Cap said with a smile as he watched Erica speak rather uneasily with Bucky. His smile slowly faded away as he thought of Bucky, who was probably even less comfortable with Erica than Erica was with him. Why don't they wear pants again?

"So... you just..."

"Want a rematch pal?" Steve asked with a grin. "There's no one on the track today in case I want to make you look bad."

You can just imagine Dash's reaction.

"I AM GOING TO BEAT YOU SO BADLY..."

"...that you're having trouble standing up." Slade commented as he watched Trudy devour what would probably be her third sandwich. Good thing he had plenty more. "Are you ENJOYING getting your legs broken or something?"

"No pain, no gain." Barkhorn replied as she wiped blood from her mouth.

"I think you should at least know how to fight right now then. You still fight like you have no clue to what you're doing." Slade replied as he twirled his staff around. "Are you all taking notes?!"

"YES YES YES!" Anyone watching replied frantically as Slade readied himself... again. If someone actually wanted to be his punching bag, that's fine. But at this point? This was getting boring. Really boring.

"Last time okay? And please... make this somewhat satisfying..." Slade said rolling his good eye. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Before we start... why do you want to do this?"

"For my sister." Trudy replied.

"Oh... I see..." Slade smiled wickedly. "That guy too... Rumlow I think his name was... I bet you're taking this rather personally aren't you?"

"And... I win again." Cap replied. "The peop... ponies here call you the fastest flyer in Equestria. I guess that doesn't apply to the ground now does it?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash panted as she watched the other two humans... and the three fillies staring at them. Wait... three fillies?

SCOOTALOO WAS WITH THEM?!

And... she... and she saw her lose?!

Oh sweet Celestia! This was terrible... this was going to be...

"Too easy!" Slade taunted as his staff struck Trudy in the gut. "You want to get better?! You want to help your sister?! It's going to take more than just brute strength and the mindset of a two-year old to win!"

Every word was given extra meaning with every blow of Slade's staff. Inwardly, despite the fact that Trudy was literally no challenge whatsoever, he couldn't feel but at least a small surge of respect for the young woman as she tried again, and again. Maybe... a little push?

"Hey kid..." Slade said as he stopped his beatdown for a moment. "You know why your sister got injured? And got knocked into a coma?'

"Because of the Neuroi?!" Trudy shot back... wasn't it obvious?

"No... it was someone's fault... not some alien's..." Slade said as he ducked away from Barkhorn's blows, countering one of them and sending her staggering back.

"It was mine! Just like how I wasn't there to protect her against the Neuroi, I wasn't there for her against HYDRA!"

"No kid... HYDRA... totally your fault. The Neuroi? That was probably your parents' fault."

The look on Trude's face when she heard that. With a growl, she lunged force and hit him again. He did manage to counter her swing, but boy did it almost seem to echo throughout his bones. He pushed her backwards, and swung his staff at her.

She caught it. Inches from her head, she caught it. With strength that easily surpassed even Slade's she practically picked it up, along with Slade on the other half, and in a mind-boggling fast motion, slammed him straight into the ground, the very arena and even castle trembled from the blow.

"I felt that one kid." Slade said with a slow grin as he got up instantly. "Well done."

"Wha... what?" Trude asked as her angry expression turned somewhat confused. "What?"

"Don't take what I said personally kid. I am sure your father was a real man if he really did die. Only meant that he laid his life down for his daughter, and there was probably nothing more he could have done." Slade began. "You on the other hand..."

"It was my fault?"

"Indeed. You're terrible... you know that?" Slade chuckled half seriously, half jokingly. "But at least you got will."

"What's will going to do? I think I got more knowing a few things from you..."

"Training is nothing." Slade said in a low and menacing tone as sweep from his staff sent Trudy right off her feet. The moment she was got up, she got kicked down again. When Slade's staff came down, she made every effort to block it, catching it with her hands. Only this time, she found herself being lifted high into the air and flung down with enough force that she felt like she broke every rib in her body. Of course... Slade would be a little slow in feeding her this time. Maybe just to tell her a few things.

"The training is nothing! The will is everything! The will to act!" Slade said as he kicked her ribs in once more. "If you have will! You will stand! That pain you feel?! It's only in your mind! Stand up... or I will leave you here, broken and useless. Just like you will be. Just you WERE! Just like how I would have been had I not overcome the total destruction of my body!"

With that... slowly, but surely, Trude rose. Covered in her blood, and various ugly bruises, she rose.

And that was when, Slade made sure that he didn't accidentally beat her to death.

"Oh hi, Medic!" Steve called out cheerfully as the German approached him. "What's up?"

"Trouble Herr Rogers."

"HYDRA?"

"Ja... but not zis moment... you see... I've been analyzing zeir weapons and all..."

"Nasty things. Can turn a man into a dust pile with just a single shot." Steve said as he watched Rainbow Dash scamper off somewhere. "But you know... that Uber-charge of yours..."

"Zat's vat I vanted to discuss..." Medic groaned. "You see... ze ubercharge can vithstand any force in ze world... but ze problem is... zis ting called knockback..."

"I... I... I don't understand."

"It's going to be a big problem Herr Rogers." Medic said, as he began to explain that the concept of "Knockback" while wouldn't actually physically harm anyone under the Uber's effects, but would immobilize them and render them helpless if they were constantly knocked about like a bowling pin. This meant that Medic was going to have to make improvements... for example, merging the uber-charge with the effects of the quickfix.

This brought up another problem.

If he were to accidentally negate the invincibility factor... then the fact that a vaporizer rifle kills anything instantly would mean that would be useless too...

But he had an idea around this.

He just needed Erica...

And Erica's blood.

Upon the top of a balcony, the Red Skull made his way to the top, looking down at the massive hangar of his submarine, and the thousands of soldiers along with HYDRA's warmachine, all in one place. A magnificent sight nonetheless. Opening up a bottle of champagne, he poured himself a cup along with Strucker. His second in command was smiling, though he full knew well that the old devil was probably unhappy with the results of this all. Even if HYDRA got what it wanted, Strucker would not get what he wanted. To Schmidt, he couldn't have given a single Deutsch mark on whether or not he could feed Strucker's ambition. If he became a problem, he could easily deal with it.

"Tomorrow... HYDRA stands supreme over all of reality!" The Skull began to his men. "We will be borne to godhood, upon the Jörmungandr! The weapons of our enemies, will be powerless against it!"

"Many of us will die!" Skull continued. "But for every one plane they shoot down... hundreds more will take rain death upon them! If they cut off one head... two more will grow to take it's place... Hail Hydra."

From the tidal wave of voices that hit him, Skull could hardly care less no matter how much his minions were motivated. He didn't really need the men on this submarine when in truth, he had millions more back on his planet. But right now... one thing mattered. One thing mattered A LOT.

The Jörmungandr, a massive black and red aircraft that hung slept within the HYDRA submarine. With it's immense size, it already drew fear from it's enemies.

But size wasn't much. Especially when your massive contraption could literally make unmanned drones out of thin air, regenerate from any type of extensive damage and better yet, fill the air and ground with the fury of the gods themselves.

And best of all?

Skull was in total control of it. The power of the Neuroi, was now at his command.