description:

What if Red Skull's plan to steal the super soldier serum from Erskine worked, What if Dr. Zola used this serum on one of his prisoners, and what if Steve Rogers didn't make it back from his rescue mission to save Bucky?

What if Bucky Barnes became an American hero and a symbol to the masses?

What If?

Chapter One

Prolouge

Steven Rogers was a no longer some skinny little asthmatic, he was now a physically flawless super soldier. Agent Peggy Carter walked up to him.

"How do you feel?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Taller," replied Steve.

Steve was handed a shirt which he promptly put on. In the viewing area, there were several astounded top brass. They mae their way down to congradulate Dr. Erskine and get an up-close view of their new specimen. Several of those present shook hands with Dr. Erskine, the man behind the super soldier serum. While for most, this was a time for celebration, one man looked as though he was seething with rage. Little did anyone know, this man was secretly a HYDRA agent with two key missions: kill Dr. Erskine and recover some of the doctor's serum.

The agent withdrew a lighter from his jacket. He flicked open the cap and the viewing area exploded, causing enough of a distraction for him to take several phials of serum. One mission accomplished. Dr. Erskine, however, had seen the HYDRA operative taking the serum.

"Stop him!" he yelled out to the MPs in the room.

The agent withdrew a standard issue German Ruger handgun from his jacket and shot Dr. Erskine in the chest. Twice. As the doctor fell to the ground with two bleeding holes in his chest, the HYDRA operative rushed up the stairs and towards the exit wounding two MPs on the way.

Steve knelt next to Dr. Erskine. The scientist made his last act count, he pointed right at Steve's heart. A reminder that it's what's inside that truly matters. Seeing that his friend was dead, Steve stood up and raced after the spy.

As Steve got outside, he saw Peggy kill the driver of the car that was attempting to get away with the serum, The man who killed Erskine climbed into the driver's seat; he floored it in Peggy's direction. Just as the car was about to flatten her, Steve tackled her out of the way.

"I had him!" she stated angrily.

"Sorry," he replied as he chased after the car. He was surprised to learn that he could outrun the cars on the street at what felt like a casual pace. Steve saw the car take a turn so he went through an alleyway to cut off the fleeing Nazi. In his way was a chain link fence, which he easily leaped over. After nearly being run over, Steve ran up the back of a fruit truck and jumped onto the top of the HYDRA agents's car. The agent heard the impact of Steve landing on his car, took out his Ruger, and blindly fired at the roof of the car, narrowly missing. The HYDRA agent, by the name of Heinz Kruger, was so focused on shooting Steve that he wasn't paying any attention to the road as they drove into a harbor area; leading to the car clipping a flatbed truck. Steve fell of and landed next to the passenger side door of the car. The rest of the cab continued to roll until Kruger exited the vehicle Ruger in hand.

Kruger raised his gun. Steve saw this and quickly used the door as a shield to block the incoming rounds. With Steve distracted, Kruger grabbed a nearby young boy to use as a human shield and hostage. Kuger took the boy around a corner, as Steve followed, Kruger fired two more rounds to keep Steve in cover and to lengthen the distance between them. Kruger than ran down an alley with the boy in tow. When Steve caught up to Kruger and the boy, he saw that the HYDRA operative had his gun against the boy's head.

"No wait, don't," pleaded Steve.

Kruger pulled the trigger, luckily, he had spent all of the Ruger's rounds. Kruger than improvised and threw the bow into the frigid water, hoping to distract Steve long enough to escape. Steve was about to dive in to save boy when the kid said,

"Go get him, I can swim."

With that, the boy paddled off.

Steve resumed his pursuit of Kruger. farther down, he saw the Nazi boarding an advanced one-man submarine. Steve wasted no time in diving after the fleeing spy. He also found out that he could swim at the same pace as the sub. As he swam alongside the sub, he punched through the cockpit window and threw Kruger back onto the dock. Before Steve could get to him, however, he through the phial of serum he stolen to an approaching comrade. The other spy than ran off just as Steve emerged from the water.

He knocked Kruger to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, roughly shaking the man.

"The first of many," coughed Kruger as he popped a cyanide pill.

"Cut off one head,, two more shall take its place," he continued, the effects of the poisons now setting in, "hiel HYDRA."

Kruger's struggling ceased. He was dead. Steve stared down at the fallen operative when he suddenly realized something. He searched Kruger's body and confirmed his fears. the serum had been taken by another HYDRA operative.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath.

(A/N: Feel free to ask any any questions you may have on this story, I will be sure to answer them in the next chapter. As always, feel free to share any constructive criticism, I strive to improve my stories as much as I can)

(P.S.)

(The other chapters will be longer)