After Steve gave his firm reply, Voss stood up and walked over to the window, gazing outside.
"First of all, Hydra was never truly destroyed. After Red Skull's death, their motto proved true: cut off one head, two more shall take its place."
Coulson frowned. "That's impossible. We've dismantled every Hydra base."
"On the surface, yes," Voss said, turning back toward them. "But in reality, after the war, the U.S. secretly recruited certain Hydra scientists through Operation Paperclip."
Steve's face hardened. "Operation Paperclip?"
"A covert program designed to bring in former Nazi scientists to work for America," Voss explained. "One of them was Hydra's Arnim Zola."
Coulson immediately pulled out his phone and started searching.
"Arnim Zola… here. Swiss-born biochemist. Recruited in 1946. Involved in several classified projects. Died of cancer in 1972."
"Cancer?" Voss gave a cold laugh. "He did have cancer. But before he died, he transferred his consciousness into a computer."
Coulson nearly dropped his phone. "What?"
"Zola created an algorithm that predicted potential threats to Hydra's agenda," Voss said. "Over the decades, they've used it to eliminate countless people who might have stood in their way."
Steve's jaw tightened. "Who?"
Voss locked eyes with him. "Howard Stark. And his wife."
Steve shot up from the sofa. "What?! Howard didn't die in a car accident?"
"On the surface, yes. In truth, it was an assassination," Voss said gravely. "The mission was carried out by someone known as the Winter Soldier."
Coulson paled. "The Winter Soldier? Who is he?"
"Like Steve, he was injected with the super-soldier serum," Voss replied. "And Steve—you know him."
Steve froze. "I know him?"
"James Buchanan Barnes," Voss said quietly. "Bucky. Your best friend."
Steve's eyes widened. He shook his head violently. "No. That's impossible! I saw him fall from that train into the ravine. He's dead!"
"He's not," Voss said, his tone soft but steady, each word striking like a hammer.
"Hydra found him. He'd lost an arm, so Zola replaced it with a bionic one. They erased his memories and turned him into a weapon."
Steve shut his eyes, fists trembling. Howard, always cracking jokes. Bucky, always protecting him. One murdered by the other, both victims of Hydra's schemes?
Artoria glanced at Steve, her voice gentle. "Master, Mr. Steve needs time to process this."
Voss nodded, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Steve. "I know this is painful. But it's the truth."
Steve accepted the glass, his hand shaking. "Bucky… alive? After all this time?"
"Alive, yes," Voss said, returning to his seat. "But not the Bucky you knew. Hydra keeps him in cryo-stasis, thawing him only for missions. Afterward, they freeze him again and wipe his mind repeatedly."
Coulson steadied himself. "Mr. Voss, do you have proof of this?"
"There's an abandoned Hydra facility in New Jersey," Voss said after a pause. "Zola's computer is still there. Check it yourself."
"New Jersey," Coulson muttered, jotting it down.
"Be cautious," Voss warned. "The place may still be booby-trapped."
Aqua suddenly piped up, "Voss, Voss! These stories are way too crazy. They sound better than my soap operas!"
Voss rolled his eyes. "Aqua, this isn't a story. This is reality."
"But it feels like a sci-fi movie! Brainwashing, robot arms, uploading into computers—come on!"
Tom silently mimed "hopeless" while Jerry shook his tiny head.
Steve steadied himself, his voice resolute. "If Bucky's alive, I'll save him."
"It won't be easy," Voss warned. "Hydra has him under deep control. They keep a red booklet with special trigger words. Say them, and Bucky loses all self-awareness."
Coulson quickly took note. "Anyone else inside Hydra we should know about?"
"Plenty," Voss said. "Beyond Pierce and Rumlow, Hydra has spread like a cancer. They're everywhere, even within your government."
"So what do we do?" Steve asked.
"First rule," Voss said, glancing back at the window where the surveillance van still lingered. "Trust no one. Hydra's infiltration runs deeper than you can imagine."
"Including Fury?" Coulson asked.
"Fury should be clean," Voss admitted. "But some around him may not be. Oh—and one more thing. Hydra's working on something called Project Insight."
Steve frowned. "What's that?"
"Your Helicarriers," Voss said grimly. "Outfitted with next-gen weaponry, capable of targeting millions of people at once. If launched, Hydra could wipe out anyone who opposes them in minutes."
Coulson's jaw dropped. "You even know about the Helicarriers? That's… terrifying."
"Exactly," Voss said. "That's why you have to stop them."
Steve stood, his blue eyes blazing with determination. "I won't let it happen."
"Mr. Voss," Coulson said earnestly, "the information you've given us could save countless lives."
"I'm just telling you what I know," Voss replied. "You're the ones who'll have to fight."
Coulson closed his notebook. "We need to report this to the director immediately."
"Wait." Voss stopped them. "Before you go, let me tell you who you can trust."
Both men turned back sharply.
"First, Deputy Director Maria Hill. She's clean," Voss said. "Second, Clint Barton—codename Hawkeye. He's solid."
Coulson nodded. "Hill and Barton—we trust them completely."
"And one more," Voss said, his tone turning more mysterious. "Though she's not with S.H.I.E.L.D. yet."
"Who?" Steve asked.
"Natasha Romanoff," Voss replied slowly. "Right now, she's a top Russian agent. But next year, she'll join S.H.I.E.L.D. You'll know her as Black Widow."
Coulson's pen slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.