Site-42 was supposed to be quiet.
Not important enough to attract attention.
Not valuable enough to justify a full assault.
A secondary containment and logistics facility hidden beneath an abandoned industrial district.
Which was exactly why HYDRA targeted it.
The alarms blared across the corridors.
Red emergency lights flashed overhead.
Foundation personnel rushed through reinforced hallways while automated containment systems activated across the site.
Too late.
Several security teams were already dead.
Julius walked calmly through the chaos.
His coat shifted slightly behind him as personnel moved aside instinctively.
Unlike most people in the Foundation, Julius never looked rushed.
Even during disasters.
Especially during disasters.
One of the surviving guards stumbled toward him.
"Sir— hostile infiltrators breached containment corridor three!"
Julius didn't stop walking.
"How many?"
"Unknown— but one of them—"
The guard hesitated.
Then fear crossed his face.
"…he moved like a machine."
Julius already knew who it was.
Because there were very few assassins in the world capable of tearing through trained Foundation security teams that quickly.
He entered the ruined corridor.
Bodies lay across the floor.
Bullet impacts scarred the walls.
The lights flickered faintly.
And standing at the end of the hallway—
was a man with long dark hair and a metal arm stained with blood.
The Winter Soldier.
Bucky Barnes
Several HYDRA operatives stood behind him, rifles raised.
The moment they saw Julius—
they froze slightly.
Instinct.
Fear.
Something deeper.
Julius sighed softly.
"Hello, Mr. Bucky Barnes."
The Winter Soldier immediately fired.
Julius tilted his head slightly.
The bullets stopped in midair.
Then dropped harmlessly to the floor.
Silence.
One of the HYDRA soldiers panicked.
"Fire!"
Gunfire erupted through the corridor.
Automatic rifles.
Armor-piercing rounds.
Explosive ammunition.
None of it reached Julius.
Golden light appeared behind him.
Ripples spread through space itself.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
The Gate of Babylon opened.
Gate of Babylon
Dozens of golden portals materialized in the air behind Julius like miniature suns.
Weapons emerged slowly from within them.
Spears.
Chains.
Blades.
Artifacts humanity was never meant to witness.
The HYDRA agents froze.
Even Bucky hesitated.
Then—
the Chains of Heaven burst forward.
Enkidu
Golden chains shot through the corridor with impossible speed.
One wrapped around Bucky's metal arm instantly.
Another around his torso.
Then his legs.
The Winter Soldier tried to resist.
The floor beneath him cracked from the force.
But the more strength he used—
the tighter the chains became.
Julius watched calmly.
"You're quite strong."
A pause.
"But not strong enough."
Bucky lunged forward again—
and the chains slammed him into the wall hard enough to crater reinforced concrete.
The remaining HYDRA soldiers attempted retreat.
That lasted approximately three seconds.
Weapons fired from the Gate of Babylon.
Not lethal.
Precise.
Every operative was disarmed, crippled, or pinned to the floor before they could escape.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Only the sound of sparking lights remained.
Julius stared at Bucky quietly.
The assassin glared back like a trapped animal.
Cold.
Broken.
Programmed.
Julius had seen that look before.
Too many times.
One of the Foundation security captains approached carefully.
"Orders, sir?"
Julius glanced at the captured HYDRA operatives.
"Send them to interrogation."
His voice remained calm.
"Priority black-level extraction protocols."
The captain nodded immediately.
Then Julius looked back toward Bucky Barnes.
The Winter Soldier was dangerous.
Absurdly dangerous.
Even by Foundation standards.
A perfect assassin.
Enhanced strength.
Combat mastery.
Psychological conditioning.
Absolute obedience.
HYDRA had turned a human being into a weapon.
And Julius hated people who treated humans like tools.
Mostly because the Foundation did it too.
The difference was that the Foundation at least pretended to care.
Julius raised a hand slightly.
The chains tightened just enough to stop Bucky from moving.
Not enough to injure him.
"Interesting," Julius murmured.
"HYDRA's serum integration is stable."
A pause.
"And his combat instincts are exceptional."
One of the guards frowned.
"Should we terminate him?"
Julius considered it for a moment.
It would be safer.
Cleaner.
Simpler.
But simpler wasn't always smarter.
Bucky Barnes wasn't loyal to HYDRA.
He was enslaved by them.
There was a difference.
And Julius knew it.
He stepped closer.
The Winter Soldier glared at him with murderous intensity.
Julius didn't react.
Instead, he looked directly into Bucky's eyes.
Past the conditioning.
Past the programming.
Past the weapon.
Trying to see the man underneath.
"…You're wasted on HYDRA," Julius said quietly.
No response.
Only hatred.
Confusion.
Pain.
Julius turned away.
"Prepare medical and psychic deconditioning teams."
Several personnel blinked in surprise.
"You intend to rehabilitate him?"
Julius smirked faintly.
"If possible."
A pause.
"If not…"
Golden ripples flickered briefly behind him again.
"…then we'll reconsider."
He activated a secure communication line while walking down the corridor.
The call connected instantly.
A distorted voice answered.
"Chaos Insurgency Command."
Julius's expression remained calm.
"I have a new assignment for you."
A pause.
"Take over HYDRA."
Silence followed.
Then—
"…Understood."
The call ended.
Julius continued walking through the damaged site.
Already thinking several steps ahead.
HYDRA had crossed a line.
Which meant the Foundation would respond.
Not publicly.
Not dramatically.
But absolutely.
Because organizations like HYDRA only survived until the Foundation decided they no longer should.
And Julius had just made that decision.
Behind him—
Bucky Barnes remained restrained by divine chains.
A weapon waiting to decide whether it wanted to remain a weapon.
Or become something else entirely.