(bad dream)

Once they were far away enough from the now-destroyed military base, Visaena had asked Steve what happened. She explained to him how her mind transported her somewhere else, though she didn't explain what she saw. Visaena couldn't understand how the quick flashes of visions could take so long in real-time. She had missed everything that happened. Steve explained most of it to her, though he left some details out, that would later bite him in the ass.

At first, Visaenas first thought was her children. And that she needed to get to them. But Steve quickly assured her they were safe, with Rhaenys. How he learned that she did not know. But Steve Rogers was one of the few people Visaena trusted.

The trio, including a now awake Natasha, stopped in front of Sam Wilson's home. Steve ensured them it was safe. The door opens, revealing the man looking at them confusedly.

"Hey, man." He said slowly.

Steve looked at Sam with a somber expression. "I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low."

Natasha, standing beside him, added, "Everyone we know is trying to kill us."

Sam paused momentarily, considering their situation before replying, "Not everyone." He stepped aside, allowing them to enter his home.

"Thank you." The Queen says with a somber expression. Her usual bright eyes are now dim and unfocused. The quick flashes of visions really wore her out. She wanted to understand what it was, and why she saw it. But Visaena knew she had to deal with her current situation, before exhausting herself even further. Sam had directed Visaena to a bathroom where she could clean herself up. Once She was alone in the hallway, she let the tears fall from her eyes. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

Fury dying, finding out SHIELD had been infiltrated by HYDRA the whole time. She felt her whole world crumbling beneath her. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her down. And then her mind strayed back to the visions. And not just the most recent ones. The ones she and Eliana shared, how it happened, and how she failed to prevent it. Visaena walked into the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror. The woman took a shower, scrubbing off all the dirt and small amounts of blood.

Drawing a deep breath, Visaena reached within herself to the power that lay in her core. Her fingers tingled as the familiar warmth of her magic began to flow through her. She envisioned her attire changing, focusing on the elegant green dress from Celestria she often wore during moments of peace and reflection.

A soft, shimmering light enveloped her body, starting at her feet and gradually rising upward. The tattered remnants of her previous civilian clothing (which she did not like) dissolved into particles of light, which then merged into a new fabric. The transformation was seamless and almost immediate. The material was a rich, emerald green that seemed to catch and reflect the light, giving it an ethereal glow.

Intricate patterns of gold and silver thread wove themselves into the fabric of her collar, creating designs reminiscent of ancient Celestrian symbols and nature motifs. The dress fit her perfectly, The long, flowing sleeves and the skirt brushed gently against her skin, a stark contrast to the tight shirt, and flared jeans she wore before. Her curly hair was also pulled up out of her face. Moments like this she was grateful for that power. She walked into the bedroom of the bathroom she was using, to see Natasha sitting on the bed

Visaena glanced at Natasha, her eyes reflecting a mixture of concern and understanding. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? SHIELD, the organization we've dedicated so much of our lives to, was compromised by HYDRA from the start. I mean I was there when it started- I helped found it."

Natasha sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Yeah, it's like a bad dream I can't wake up from. I thought I had finally escaped that life when I left the Red Room. I thought SHIELD was my chance to make things right, to fight for something better."

Visaena nodded, "SHIELD was supposed to be different. But now it feels like we've just been fighting a different side of the same war."

Natasha's eyes darkened, a shadow passing over her face. "All those missions, all those people... I thought I was doing the right thing. But how many of those missions were really just HYDRA pulling the strings?"

Visaena reached out, placing a comforting hand on Natasha's shoulder. "You couldn't have known, Natalia. None of us could. HYDRA's deception was too deep, too insidious. But now we know the truth, and we can fight back. We can make a real difference."

Natasha looked up, her eyes meeting Visaena's. "I just... I feel like I'm back where I started. Always running, always fighting, never knowing who to trust."

Visaena's expression softened. "I understand. But think about how far you've come, how much you've changed. You're not the same person you were in the Red Room. You've made choices, taken risks, saved lives. That's not nothing. That's everything."

Natasha's lips curled into a faint, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Queenie. It's just hard to see the light sometimes when everything feels so dark."

Visaena squeezed her shoulder gently. "We'll get through this. Together. We've faced worse, and we've come out stronger every time. HYDRA won't break us."

⋆✩⋆

"So, the question is: who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?"

Steve didn't hesitate. "Pierce."

Visaena, who had been quietly listening, leaned forward, her eyes intense. "Of course, Alexander Pierce. It makes sense, given his position and power."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world."

Steve nodded, his mind working quickly. "But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

Natasha's eyes narrowed in thought. "So was Jasper Sitwell."

Visaena frowned, her thoughts racing. "Sitwell has always been slippery. If he's involved, we need to find out how deep this goes."

Steve leaned back, contemplating their next move. "So, the real question is: how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?"

Sam answered confidently, "The answer is: you don't." He dropped a file in front of Steve.

Steve opened the file, curious. "What's this?"

Sam replied with a smile, "Call it a resume."

Natasha picked up a photo of Sam with his para-rescue team. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." She looked at Steve.

"You didn't say he was a para-rescue." Then back to the photo.

"Is this Riley?"

Sam's expression grew somber. "Yeah."

Natasha continued, "I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?"

Sam shook his head. "No. These." He handed Steve another part of the file.

Steve examined it closely. "I thought you said you were a pilot."

Sam clarified, "I never said pilot."

Steve sighed, feeling the weight of the decision. "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

Sam's response was immediate. "Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."

Steve asked, "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

Sam replied, "The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall."

Steve glanced at Natasha, who shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem."

⋆✩⋆

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," Steve demanded. They got Sitwell to the roof of a building, and they were now interrogating him. On the journey there, Visaena texted Ser Criston from her phone, to check they were all safe. Thankfully the devices they used were celestrian made, so they couldn't be tracked.

Sitwell tried to deflect. "Never heard of it."

Steve pressed, "What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"

Sitwell tried to play it off. "I was throwing up, I get seasick." Steve forced him to the edge of the rooftop, but Sitwell just smiled. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

Steve stepped aside. "You're right. It's not. It's hers."

Visaena, with a harmless blast to the chest, sent Sitwell off the roof. He plummeted down, screaming.

"Oh, wait. What about that girl from accounting, Laura...?" Natasha asked Steve, Sitwells screams echoing up to them.

"Lillian. Lip piercing, right?" Steve replied.

"Yeah, she's cute," Natasha said.

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that," Steve admitted.

Sam, in his Falcon jet-pack suit, flew up holding Sitwell and threw him down on the roof. Steve, Natasha, and Visaena walked towards Sitwell, who held up his hand in fear.

"Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!" Sitwell blurted out.

Steve leaned in. "What targets?" To add some extra intimidation, Visaena slashed out her dagger, aiming it at Sitwell.

Sitwell continued, "You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, You and your barbaric people." He scowled at Visaena. She scoffed. Her people were not Barbaric. How would he even know anyway?

"Anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."

Steve was puzzled. "The future? How could it know?" Sitwell laughed.

"How could it not? The 21st Century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve demanded.

"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."

"What then?!" Steve pressed harder.

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time." He finally admitted. Visaena exchanged a grim look with Steve and Natasha.

authors note
ehh idk about this.. but guess who Saena is seeing next chapter...
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word count 1656