"Let me make sure I understand you correctly." Inside the Hydra Helicarrier's war room, Steve Rogers leaned forward across the conference table, his eyes narrowed as he studied the young man's unfamiliar face. "You want us to abandon this world entirely, relocate to another planet, and then stand by while you destroy our Earth?"
The sterile chamber hummed with the quiet efficiency of Hydra technology. Banks of monitors lined the walls, displaying tactical feeds from across the globe—a world bearing the eagle-and-octopus insignia on nearly every surface. The air tasted of recycled atmosphere and cold metal.
Ben Parker met Steve's gaze without flinching. "It's the only way to preserve both universes and allow the majority of people on this Earth to survive."
He took his own measure of the man across from him. Captain Hydra. The name alone sent a chill down his spine, even after everything he'd witnessed in the multiverse. This wasn't some minor alteration—this was Steve Rogers, the living symbol of freedom and justice in his world, transformed into something fundamentally opposite.
The man wore the familiar star on his chest, but the red stripes had been replaced with crimson tentacles. The shield propped against the wall behind him bore the same corrupted symbol. Ben had heard whispers of this timeline even without reading the comics—a world where Hydra didn't lurk in shadows but ruled openly, with Captain America himself as their standard-bearer.
"But why should we be the ones to leave?" Steve's voice carried the weight of absolute authority—not a question, but a challenge. His fingers drummed once against the table's surface, a calculated display of impatience.
Behind Ben, Princess Looma shifted her weight. Even without her full battle armor, her presence dominated the room—over seven feet of Tetramand muscle and barely contained aggression. She held her meteor hammer loosely, but the weapon's head scraped against the floor with each subtle movement, a reminder that this negotiation could turn violent in an instant.
Ben understood the position Steve found himself in. This version had clawed his way to power through deception and ruthless calculation. He'd used dark magic to seal Doctor Strange and countless other heroes in the Dark Dimension. He'd manipulated the Chitauri Queen to orchestrate endless attacks on Earth, keeping Captain Marvel and Quasar trapped outside the planetary shield. He'd built an empire of fear and absolute order.
Leaving Earth would mean lowering that shield. And the moment that barrier fell, Carol Danvers would tear through it like tissue paper, righteous fury incarnate.
Steve had Vision, a corrupted Thor, and the Scarlet Witch on his side, true. But even with those pieces on the board, there were no guarantees. One miscalculation, one moment of weakness, and Hydra's carefully constructed empire would crumble.
"This is a notification, not a negotiation." Ben's voice cut through Steve's calculations with the casual certainty of someone holding all the cards. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Let me be clear, Steve Rogers. We could have simply destroyed your planet without warning. We didn't. Instead, we're offering you and your people a chance to survive. What you choose to do with that chance is entirely up to you."
The air in the room grew tense. Ben's posture remained relaxed, but his eyes promised violence if Steve pushed too far. "But understand this—you'll have to live with whatever consequences follow."
"The collision window is eight hours away," Felicia added from beside Ben, checking her watch. Her silver hair caught the harsh overhead lights. "We need to evacuate billions of people. You're already running out of time to make a decision."
Ben didn't particularly care what political system ruled this universe. Hydra, democracy, monarchy—it made no difference to him. He'd given these people a lifeline. Whether they grabbed it or let it slip away was their choice to make.
Steve's gaze shifted to Looma, reassessing. The Tetramand princess stood behind Ben like a living siege weapon, her four arms relaxed but ready. Though Steve didn't recognize her species, decades of tactical experience let him estimate her capabilities. Physical strength probably comparable to the Hulk. Possibly superhuman durability. Definitely a formidable opponent.
And she was just one member of their team.
Steve's mind raced through probability calculations. If he could see this much firepower, what remained hidden? The organization calling itself the Plumbers—what were their full capabilities? What were his odds of victory in open conflict?
Too many unknowns.
"I need to discuss this with my cabinet." The words tasted like defeat in his mouth, but Captain Hydra hadn't survived this long by making rash decisions.
"Please." Ben gestured magnanimously toward the door, as if this were his office rather than the heart of Hydra's military might. "Take all the time you need. Well, all the time you have, anyway."
Steve's jaw tightened at the casual dismissal, but he rose from his seat with measured dignity. As he moved toward the exit, half a dozen Hydra guards materialized from their positions along the walls to follow him.
The door hissed shut behind them.
The moment the lock engaged, Felicia exhaled sharply. "God, I never imagined there could be a world completely controlled by Hydra." She rubbed her temples, as if trying to massage away the cognitive dissonance. "And Captain America is actually their supreme leader. I still can't wrap my head around it."
She turned to their own Steve Rogers—the real one, or at least the one from their universe—who stood quietly near the window overlooking the Helicarrier's flight deck. "Captain, how does it feel seeing yourself transformed into everything you spent your life fighting against?"
Steve didn't look away from the window. Outside, rows of soldiers in Hydra green conducted drills with mechanical precision. "In the infinite multiverse, nothing should surprise us anymore."
The answer disappointed Felicia. She'd expected shock, horror, maybe even existential crisis. Instead, she got philosophical acceptance.
T'Challa stepped forward, his expression troubled. "It's difficult to comprehend how terrible a world ruled by Hydra must be." His fingers traced patterns on the table's surface—a nervous habit when he was thinking deeply. "Do we truly want to save such a world? Aren't we just helping them maintain their grip on power?"
The Wakandan king had supported this rescue mission from the start, but now doubt clouded his features.
Ben shook his head firmly. "No matter who rules this world, or how they maintain that rule, the people remain the same. Our goal is to preserve lives, not to make political judgments. If the citizens of this universe are dissatisfied with Hydra, they should shed their own blood to change things."
He paused, then fixed T'Challa with a meaningful look.
"Besides..." A slight smile tugged at Ben's lips. "Hydra's rule may not be as terrible as you're imagining."
He'd already infiltrated their networks, absorbing vast quantities of data about this timeline's history.
"Since Steve Rogers took office, the national crime rate has dropped by seventy-five percent. Superhuman-related crimes have nearly vanished due to strict regulation and oversight. Hydra has established manufacturing facilities across the country, creating millions of jobs. The unemployment rate is a fraction of what it was under previous administrations."
"And the cost?" T'Challa's voice carried an edge.
"Oppressive order. Constant surveillance. Citizens informing on their neighbors. Absolute submission to authority." Ben ticked off the points on his fingers. "But that Captain America is still Captain America at his core, even if he wears Hydra green. He advocates for high-pressure rule and absolute order, but his desire to protect the people is genuine."
It reminded Ben uncomfortably of what Megatron might create if the Decepticons successfully conquered Earth—brutal efficiency in service of a twisted ideal.
"Of course," Ben continued, "that doesn't mean this world is better than ours. The absence of reported crime doesn't mean crime doesn't exist. It might just be hidden. Or legalized. And I seriously doubt every Hydra official wielding power is as idealistic as their Supreme Leader."
Felicia's eyes lit up with curiosity. "I want to know more about this world's history." She was already pulling up data on her wrist computer. "In a universe that's the complete opposite of ours, the timeline must be fascinating."
She loved learning, and a world that had diverged so dramatically from their own represented an academic goldmine. What experiences would seem absurd if transplanted to her Earth? What choices had led to such different outcomes?
Ben quickly transmitted a compiled file to her device.
Felicia's eyes widened as she scrolled through the information. "Ancient history looks mostly the same... the divergence point appears to be World War II. Wait, what?" She slapped her forehead in disbelief. "Dr. Zola invented the Super Soldier Serum? Hydra super soldier Steve Rogers led the Nazis to victory after victory, driving the Allies into complete retreat?"
She looked up at the others, half-laughing at the absurdity. "If my history teacher could see me reading this, she'd think I'd lost my mind completely."
T'Challa leaned over to read the same passage. "So this universe's Steve Rogers was a Hydra agent from the very beginning?"
Felicia was about to agree when Ben interrupted. "Actually, no."
His expression shifted, taking on the conspiratorial air of someone about to share explosive gossip. "I found something very interesting in their databases. They have a term for it: the 'Great Illusion.'"
"What does that mean?" Looma rumbled from behind them, her curiosity finally piqued.
"All the historical records I'm pulling up were apparently rewritten about a year ago. Before that, people in this world remembered a history nearly identical to ours. But suddenly, overnight, they 'realized' that history had always been different—that it had always been what they see now. The collective 'false memories' of the previous timeline are what they call the Great Illusion."
Ben's fingers danced across his holographic display, pulling up academic papers and government documents all trying to explain the phenomenon. "It sounds confusing, I know. But what's certain is that something happened approximately one year ago that allowed Hydra and their Captain America to successfully rewrite reality itself."
He turned to look directly at their own Steve Rogers.