Maxim stood tall, his breath slowly evening out after the intense battle with Captain America. Having a real fight without actively using his powers, Maxim was able to read just how much he had progressed.
He dusted off his clothes, rolling his shoulders as Steve, Natasha, and Clint regrouped together. Natasha and Clint's expressions were a mix of surprise and wariness; this wasn't the outcome they'd expected.
There were very few people on the world who could match Captain America's hand to hand combat skill, and Maxim was able to go toe-to-toe with him, leading to the duo's surprise.
Steve wiped the blood from his lip once more, eyes locking with Maxim's as he took a deep breath and spoke,"You've got some serious skills. As expected of someone who took down multiple highly trained teams."
"I try my best." Maxim said with a nod. There were not a-lot of people who could be wholly trusted in the Marvel Universe, but Steve Rogers, Captain America, was one of them. A pillar of morality and ethics, he was someone Maxim could trust to do the right thing.
Natasha stepped forward, her Widow's Bite still sparking lightly as she powered it down, "We're not here to arrest you. We just want information, about who you really are, and who is after you. We suspect things aren't as they seem."
Maxim met her gaze steadily. From Alex's memories, Natasha was a mostly goodish person, but still morally grey at certain points.
Since she was a spy, there was no way Maxim would fully trust her at this point, as she was definitely fully committed to her mission at the moment, especially without knowing about Hydra.
"My name is Maxim Novikov as I'm sure you know" he said. "At least, that's who I was, I'm very different than before.....but that's a long story for another time." He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the tension between them ease just a little. "I was captured and trained as a Super-Soldier."
Steve narrowed his eyes, a bit shocked, "You're telling me you were a prisoner?"
Maxim nodded, "Yep, as soon as I escaped, I had dozens of teams on my trail trying to kill me." Maxim responded.
Steve's brows furrowed as he processed Maxim's words. Organizations able to capture and train someone as strong as Maxim should be exceptionally rare in the modern world.
His tone turned more serious as he took a step forward. "Who captured you?" he asked, his voice steady but edged with curiosity and concern.
Maxim exhaled slowly, choosing his words carefully. His gaze shifted from Steve to Natasha and Clint, then back to Steve. "Hydra," he finally said, his voice low but clear, like the calm before a storm.
The air between them seemed to shift immediately. Clint took a sharp breath, his eyes widening in a bit of shock. Natasha, who was always quick to mask her emotions, couldn't fully conceal the disbelief that flickered across her face.
However, the one with the most visceral reaction was Steve, his jaw clenched and for a brief moment, an expression flash of anger and confusion was plastered over her face.
"Hydra?" Steve repeated in shock, like it was something foreign, something impossible, "That's not possible. We destroyed Hydra years ago. They're gone." His voice was firm, but there was an underlying doubt in his words, like he was trying to convince himself.
Maxim shook his head slowly. He had expected Steve to react this way. It would naturally be shocking to learn that the organization he basically sacrificed himself to destroy was actually alive, and not even thriving.
"They're not gone. Not even close. They've just gone deeper underground, spread their influence in ways you couldn't imagine. Especially in Europe, they have lots of bases here. I suspect they've infiltrated your organizations ranks, most of the teams that attack me are made up of a couple Hydra agents and non-Hydra agents." Maxim spoke, his words like a dark cloud settling over the trio.
Natasha's arms crossed, her posture becoming more guarded, "You're saying Hydra's infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. again?" she asked, her voice steady but laced with suspicion.
She wasn't one to trust easily, especially not someone with Maxim's background. From their perspective of course, Maxim was killing multiple SHIELD agents and concocting a miraculous story to hide his tracks.
Maxim didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick stack of papers and files, the ones he'd taken from the Hydra facility before he blew it to pieces.
The files were worn and crumpled from being carried around, but they were still intact. He extended them toward Steve.
"Here," Maxim said quietly. "See for yourself."
Steve hesitated for only a moment before taking the files, his expression unreadable. He flipped through the first few pages, his eyes scanning the documents. Natasha and Clint peered over his shoulder, their faces growing more grim with each page they read.
The documents were undeniable. Names, locations, operations, all laid out in excruciating detail. From secret bases, to the various names of their secret operatives, Hydra hadn't just survived; they had thrived in the shadows.
Unbeknownst to all of them, Hydra had been manipulating world events, infiltrating governments, and embedding themselves deep within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infrastructure.
"This… this can't be real," Clint muttered, his voice filled with disbelief. "I mean, we've literally gone on missions with some of these guys, they all seem so normal?"
Natasha's eyes also darkened as she recognized some of the names listed. People she'd worked with. People she'd protected.
Steve was silent, his face pale as he turned page after page. When he finally spoke, his voice was tight, "How long have they been operating like this?"
Maxim crossed his arms, his expression unreadable, "Years. Decades. Hydra never really died. They just changed the way they operate. And now… now they've got their hands in everything."
There was a long pause as the weight of Maxim's revelation settled in. For Steve, Natasha, and Clint, it felt like the ground beneath them had shifted, like everything they thought they knew had been turned upside down.
Steve closed the file, his eyes meeting Maxim's once more. "We need to stop them," he said firmly, his voice filled with determination.
Maxim nodded. "That's the plan."
Natasha's gaze sharpened at the mention of stopping Hydra, but she didn't comment. "You're walking a dangerous line, Maxim," she said carefully. "Even with all of this, S.H.I.E.L.D and Fury can't just let you walk away. Fury especially hates wildcards, he'll want you to come in."
"I'm not asking for permission," Maxim replied coolly. "I've done enough dancing to someone else's tune. This is my game now, don't forget it's because of SHIELD's incompetence that I was captured and now on the run. With all the information I've given up, he should be thanking me. What kind of leader lets their organization get infiltrated without their knowledge?"
Maxim's words led all of them to become silent. It was true, so they couldn't really deny it at all.
Steve closed the file, eyes still on Maxim, "What's stopping us from taking you in right now?"
Maxim chuckled softly, though there was no humor in his voice, "You could try. But after what just happened, do you really think you can?"
The silence that followed spoke volumes. They all knew the answer. Steve's expression softened just slightly, the edge of a smile creeping in, "You're not a bad guy, are you?"
Maxim tilted his head, considering the question, "I do what I have to. If that makes me a bad guy, so be it. But right now, we have a common enemy. Let's focus on Hydra."
Natasha finally uncrossed her arms, her demeanor easing just a bit, "Alright, we'll take a look at these documents, verify what we can. But if you're lying to us, Maxim..."
"I'm not," Maxim said, meeting her gaze head-on. "We want the same thing right now. Hydra needs to fall, and by the way, I need you to clear my name, hiding away isn't fun."
Steve nodded, stepping forward and extending his hand, "We'll work together, but only until Hydra's taken care of. After that, we'll see."
Maxim shook his hand firmly, "Deal. Let's bring them down."