Max took a deep breath, trying to calm his frustration. "Look, I get it," he said, locking eyes with both Yulia and Bucky. "You've been through hell. You don't trust anyone, and I don't blame you for that. But I'm not HYDRA."
Yulia scoffed, her eyes filled with suspicion. "You expect us to believe that? You're the one who woke us up. For all we know, you're just another one of them trying to use us."
Bucky didn't speak, but his cold stare was enough to know he wasn't buying it either.
Max shook his head. "You think HYDRA would go out of their way to unfreeze you, just to have you fight me? You think they'd let you attack me like this?" He gestured to the mist that was holding them. "If I was HYDRA, I wouldn't need to explain anything. You'd already be back under their control."
Yulia struggled against the mist, her muscles straining. "Then why are we here? Why did you take us?"
Max raised his hand, and suddenly, a portal of mist opened beside him, revealing a scene from last night. It showed Max infiltrating the HYDRA base, disabling their systems, and carrying the cryo-chambers containing Bucky and Yulia out of the facility before destroying it entirely.
The scene was vivid—the HYDRA base collapsing in flames, Max walking away, taking everything from inside, and leaving no trace of its existence. The burning insignia of HYDRA on the walls was unmistakable as it disintegrated under the weight of the explosion.
"I took you from HYDRA," Max said, his voice now firm. "I destroyed their base. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be frozen or worse—under their control again."
Bucky's face softened slightly as he processed the images. Yulia, though still tense, was visibly taken aback. "You… destroyed the base?" she muttered, her tone less hostile but still wary.
"Yes," Max nodded. "You're free because of me, not because of them. HYDRA wanted to keep you as their weapons, but I'm giving you the chance to decide what happens next."
There was a tense silence, the chains of mist still holding them but not as tightly. Bucky glanced at Yulia, both of them unsure of what to believe. Max watched them closely, waiting to see if they'd finally understand the truth.
"Now," he added, "if you still don't trust me, fine. But at least believe this—HYDRA is my enemy too. And I'm not here to control you. I'm here to make sure they never use you again."
Max sighed, sensing the tension in the air slowly fade. He released his control over the mist, allowing it to dissipate and free Bucky and Yulia. Both of them dropped to the ground, their muscles still tense but no longer restrained.
"I'm letting you go," Max said calmly. "But if you still want to fight, it's your choice. I just hope you'll realize we're on the same side."
Bucky stood up slowly, rubbing his wrists where the mist had held him. His eyes were still filled with skepticism but not the blind rage from earlier. Yulia, on the other hand, remained cautious but stopped reaching for another knife.
Before either of them could say anything, the doors to the training area opened, and the rest of Max's group entered—Rize, Peter, Gwen, MJ, Flash, and Lumia all filed in, stopping when they saw the two unfamiliar faces.
"Hey, Max, who are the new—" Peter began, but then his Spider Sense tingled, making him more alert. "Wait, is that...?"
"Bucky Barnes and Yulia Volkova," Max finished for him. "They were HYDRA prisoners. I got them out last night."
Rize stepped forward, her red eyes studying Bucky and Yulia carefully. "So, these are the infamous Winter Soldier and..." She paused, tilting her head at Yulia. "I don't think I've heard of her."
Yulia's eyes narrowed at Rize's dismissive tone. "I'm not exactly famous," she said sharply. "But I'm not someone to underestimate."
Bucky glanced around, his expression a mix of confusion and wariness. "Who are you people?"
Peter stepped forward, offering a small, friendly smile. "We're friends of Max. Believe it or not, he's trying to help."
Gwen nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we all have our own... situations, but trust me, if Max says you're free from HYDRA, you are."
Lumia, standing near Max, beamed proudly. "And we've got the power to back it up if anyone tries to say otherwise."
All of them know of Bucky and Yulia, as he hasn't hid them and has just give an overview about them, plus the big museum of Captain America, explaining them about them was easy.
Yulia crossed her arms, her gaze shifting from one face to the next, still clearly on edge. "This is a lot to take in. You expect us to trust a bunch of strangers? Just like that?"
"No," Max said firmly, "I don't expect you to trust us immediately. But what I'm offering is a chance—something HYDRA would never give you. A real choice, with no strings attached."
Bucky's hard stare softened a little as he looked at Max and then at the group surrounding him.
"Why? Why go through all this trouble to free us?"
Max shrugged, a half-smile forming on his lips. "Because I hate HYDRA, and no one should be their puppet. You've both been through enough."
There was a long silence. Bucky and Yulia exchanged glances, clearly unsure of what to do next. But for the first time, the hostility in their eyes seemed to waver, replaced with a flicker of curiosity—and perhaps, hope.
"We'll see," Bucky finally muttered. "But we're not your prisoners."
"Not at all," Max replied, stepping back. "You're free to leave whenever you want. But if you stick around, maybe you'll realize there's more to this fight than you thought."
Yulia sighed but didn't move toward the exit. "Fine. We'll see how this plays out."
"Great, then would you two like to train with us?" Flash asked looking at Yulia mostly.
****
Do check out my original : Strongest Extra Survival, while waiting for New chap
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It's 22 chaps ahead