I had told Captain America most of the truth, there was no reason to keep lying at this point. I covered up my pre-Hydra crimes, just for sympathy points, but after that I just admitted to everything. To Nicole Arden, to stealing the research on the Pym Particles, to everything. I even told him the truth about the movies – Told him Loki's theory that I had a mental break from my "visionary powers." I think he bought Loki's version more. It didn't matter to me either way.

Now I was waiting for Andromeda on the landing pad in the White House backyard. The bracing air and the clear sky were a taunt to the bloodiness of the day and the plain gray of the landing pad seemed inappropriate for the. I was there with four Fireflies and a woman dressed like an ordinary staffer waiting behind the door from the landing pad to the White House. I had made Steve promise to wait behind a door, I didn't trust these patriotic Fireflies to protect me if he wasn't nearby. All too convenient to let Andromeda murder me and say, "It was a tragedy! We tried to stop her!" and then orphan my children. It's what I would've done. I had given them everything now and had only Captain America's honor to defend me and the bad precedent it would set if they didn't. If Andromeda were to kill me, it would be merely unfortunate and not a breach of honor.

The escape ship landed on the platform, Airforce One having been cleared off, and Andromeda came off the ship, carrying Pericle in her arms and holding Persephone's hand. I greeted her with a smile and took Pericles into my arms, "Hello young man," I said with a smile, kissing his cheek, and then extended my hand to Persephone.

The secret service agents assigned to Persephone were not fireflies, but they were also mostly Hydra. I nodded to them, and they nodded to me. "Get the ship out of here," I commanded them, "I don't want them to know my family is here."

They nodded immediately and the Secret Service left us on the roof with all my wife's enemies, unwittingly enough. I looked at Persephone and smiled at her, "Persephone, Mommy and Daddy have something they need to talk about, please go with Ms. Ellen here," I gestured to the staffer woman, "and keep an eye on Pericles please."

Persephone looked at me for a long time, like she was faintly suspicious but then she nodded, "Sure."

Ellen took the kids from me and walked down through the door and away. I waited until I could not hear Persephone's steps or Ellen's chatter.

"What do we need to talk about?" Andromeda said.

"I surrendered."

The sequences of faces Andromeda made at this were, ah, well, it wasn't great news for me. It settled on looking like breathless and weak. "Surrendered?" Andromeda asked, her voice soft and confused and… hurt.

"We were never going to win once there were tens of millions on strike," I said, sighing. "So I called Captain America and arranged for our survival. I did it for Persephone and Pericles and for you and me. This was over. Killing more people wasn't going to help."

"So… so what now… do we just… start over? How could you do this? You said you had a plan!" It was clear Andromeda still thought the Fireflies with me were Hydra and that I had arranged a surrender as President.

"I don't want to start over, Andromeda," I said hopelessly. I was just straight tired at this point – I had been up for such a long time, I had been working against Cap and with Cap, and dealing with my confrontation with the PRIDE. "I want to have a family, to go back to a normal life," I reached out for her hand and she jerked it back.

"I don't want a normal life!" Andromeda shouted, pointing at me, "We never agreed to a fucking normal life. Hydra still needs you, especially if you have to step down as President. Nobody's going to know you're in charge then. We still have other countries…"

I hesistated and said, "Not really," I said. "They were always a lode around our neck, the leadership wasn't very good at being in charge and the people didn't want them in charge," by contrast to me, where the leadership was at least fine and the people REALLY didn't want me in charge, "it was never going to work. I thought it would, it was a solid plan, but it didn't work."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Okay, so we start over," Andromeda said, "a few people, that's what the original Hydra agents started with. We're younger than Zola was when he started up the new cells."

"Andromeda," and I almost said or implied or hinted that we would do it in the next world. But I wouldn't have Firefly bodyguards or Persephone and Pericles out of Andromeda's way when we got there and I just didn't want to do this again. It couldn't possibly go well – And in the world we were going to, most likely, there would be an alternate me, watching me with an eagle eye and making sure I didn't do anything. "Andromeda we can't do this again. It's over. We lost. We should cut our losses and try to live in peace."

"You can all hear him, can't you?" Andromeda said, looking at the Fireflies behind me. "Tell him he's crazy. The world needs us. It needs him."

"We don't work for Hydra," one of the Fireflies said. You see, this is why Captain America was waiting behind the door, these guys were clearly not trying to be helpful.

"You son of a bitch!" Andromeda said, looking at me. "Who did you just give our children to?"

"Andromeda," I said, "They're fine." I did not say, 'they promised to give them back.' I didn't want her to try and kill me.

Apparently, this intervention was not effective because she straight lashed toward me and landed a hit so hard on my face that the next thing I knew I was blinking my eye open on the ground and she was stooping to grab me.

But then the Fireflies came toward her and she lashed at them too. I wanted to say not to hurt her but my head was still spinning and all I got out was a "guhhh."

Andromeda was fierce in a fight – She was one of the oldest Supersoldiers in the world, lashing out, trying to grab at her wrist and activate her Quantum Tunneler. She wasn't stupid enough to think she could beat four Fireflies. The Fireflies really were trying to restrain her, not kill her, but they let her wrench a little bit too loose and she grabbed at her wrist, activating the tunneler, sending the nanotech vibranium bots over her arm and threatening to let her escape. One of the Fireflies lanced his hand straight into Andromeda's ribcage, straight through her chest.

"Nooo!" I shouted, trying to stand up and stumble towards where she was, falling to the ground. By the time I had reached there, one of the Fireflies had sawed off her arm with his laser hand, and was busily nulling out the vibranium nanontech with his own heat.

I didn't care, I just squatted next to Andromeda, looking at her. Begging her to live, the brown-eyed girl, the mother of my children, my oldest friend in this world, my wife. I put my arms around her and she wasn't quite dead – Did Extremis work without a heart? I wasn't sure, I had to try, "Extremis!" I shouted, "I need extremis," I pleaded. "I love you Andromeda, you're gonna be okay, come on, stay strong,"

Andromeda looked up at me and narrowed her eyes and tried to say something, moving her lips. I could read them easily enough - 'hate you.' I ran my fingers over her hair anyway, but I could see the light going out of her eyes. Even the Super-Soldier Serum won't save you from a hole in your chest. I felt the tears falling out of my eyes, falling onto Andromeda's face, and I could hear her blood stop flowing over my hand.

I cradled her body and cried and said, "I'm so sorry" so many times it was enough to make me sick. None of the Fireflies interrupted, they just stood there, impassive as stone. Nobody interrupted. Nobody cared.