Having quickly donned his Captain America outfit, Bucky rushes the injured Sam (the Falcon) Wilson to the hospital, as he blames himself for what happened. Outside, Baron Zemo prepares for Phase Two of his scheme of revenge against Cap/Bucky. He sends Iron Hand Hauptmann into the hospital wreaking havoc and demanding to fight Captain America. Cap arrives and obliges him, and the battle spills out into the streets, where Cap sees himself surrounded by Nazi soldiers—Hauptmann’s backup. As Hauptmann makes his getaway, Cap goes into action against the soldiers—until Steve Rogers arrives to stop him. Cap looks around and discovers he was not fighting Nazis but police officers. At this point he realizes he has been drugged. Analysis of Bucky’s blood by Jane Foster reveals a nanotech virus releasing a hallucinogen; Dr. Foster is able to neutralize the infection and she retains a sample to turn over to Tony Stark for further analysis.
The next day, while trying to puzzle out who the mysterious enemy could be, Bucky and Steve are interrupted by a TV news report on Captain America’s brutal attack on the police officers. Bucky wants to take action but his lover Natasha (the Black Widow) advises caution lest he fall further into the enemy’s trap. After some thought, Bucky realizes that the drug was likely slipped to him by the waitress at the bar where he went with Steve and Sam. Bucky and Natasha return to the bar and get a name and address for the barmaid. En route to her home, Bucky receives a call from Steve, informing him that Sam will recover fully, suggesting that the attack was a diversion, and warning him to be on guard. As Bucky and Natasha mount the steps of the brownstone, the front doors explode toward them, knocking them to the sidewalk. A woman in armor resembling that of the Beetle and armed with a bazooka-like weapon emerges….
At a mansion upstate, Baron Zemo meets with one of his agents, whom he has paid handsomely to find a special item for him. The procurer delivers a reel of film, labeled "Project: Winter Soldier," exactly what Zemo was looking for….