The Triskelion
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

The sun began to rise upon the Triskelion the following morning in Washington D.C, as Shield Officials walked past the giant symbol of the eagle inside.

Floors above in his office, Nick Fury sat at his desk watching the view as the sun finally rose over the horizon. However, his moments of uninterrupted silence would, of course, be interrupted.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Said the objective voice of Steve Rogers, as he marched inside his office. As obviously as his tone made it, Nick knew Steve was upset about the other mission on the Lemurian Star.

"I didn't lie," The director clarified while still having his back to Steve. "Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours."

"Those hostages could've died, Nick." Steve rebuked in a serious manner.

Fury turned furiously in his chair, now facing Steve. "I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen." He declared with authority.

"Soldiers trust each other," Steve continued. "That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around, shooting guns."

Fury now stood up, resting his palms on his desk. "Last time I trusted someone," Fury coldly responded. "I lost an eye."

Steve had fallen silent. No-one truly knew how Fury lost his eye, or why exactly he wore an eyepatch, but it was clearly something he held resentment and animosity towards.

"Look, I didn't want you, or the other agents doing anything you weren't comfortable with," Fury now calmly answered. "Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own," Steve rebuked again.

"It's called compartmentalization," Fury answered. "Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."

Steve smirked. "Except you." He stated as he briefly pointed to him. Fury shook his head. "You're wrong about me," He mentioned. "I do share. I'm nice like that."

Moments later, Fury led Steve into an elevator, which scanned them as soon as they entered. "Insight Bay," Fury commanded.

"Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight."

"Director Override, Fury, Nicholas J," Fury fired off his override code.

"Confirmed."

The computer accepted the code, as the doors closed, and the elevator began its descent below the Triskelion. However, the ride down was a quiet and cold one.

"You know, they used to play music," Steve finally broke the silence.

"Yeah," Fury remarked with the smallest of chuckles. "My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years." Fury held himself against the railings of the elevator. "My granddad worked in a nice building, got good tips."

The director even managed a small smirk too. "He'd walk him every night, roll one stuffed in his lunch bag." He regaled. "He'd say 'Hi', they'd say, they'd say 'Hi' back. Time went on, the neighborhood got rougher.

"He'd say 'Hi', they'd say 'keep on steppin.' Granddad got to grippin' that lunch bag a little tighter."

"Did he ever get mugged?" Steve asked out of curiosity. Fury laughed. "Every week, some punk would say, 'What's in the bag?'."

"What did he do?"

"He'd show 'em," Fury answered. "Bunch of crumpled ones... and a loaded .22 Magnum."

The elevator dipped down underneath the lake, and approached the floor beneath them. "Yeah, Granddad loved people," Fury said. "But he didn't trust them very much."

Steve took a moment to look down, and look to his left, surprised at what Shield was creating underground. "Yeah, I know," Fury took the captain's silence in awe. "They're a bit bigger than a .22."

Outside the elevator were three separate Helicarriers suspended above hundreds of Shield agents, all similar to the Helicarrier the Avengers were on in 2012. Quinjets were being loaded onto the aircrafts, as other workers continuously checked the Helicarriers for any problems.

The Helicarriers were part of Shield's next project, affectionately named "Project Insight". The helicarriers were much more advanced than the original, with long range turrets on each side, technology connected to satellites that could read a terrorist's DNA on site before they could even manage to do anything.

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime," Steve doubtfully spoke up. "We can't wait that long," Fury answered.

"Who's we?" Steve questioned the director's statement. "After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis." Fury explained. "For one, we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection." Steve sarcastically responded.

"You know, I read those SRR files," Fury began. "Greatest Generation? You guys did some nasty stuff."

Steve stared at Fury. "Yeah, we compromised," Steve responded with conviction. "Sometimes it was that it made us not sleep so well. But we did it so the people could be free."

"This isn't freedom," Steve said as he pointed to the Helicarriers. "This is fear."

"Shield takes the world as it is," Fury answered his quarrels yet again. "Not as we'd like it to be. It's getting damn near past time for you to get with the program, Cap."

"Don't hold your breath." Steve coldy responded and walked out off the platform.

—-----------------------

A few hours after his confrontation with the Director, Steve ventured out into Washington D.C. and found himself in the Smithsonian Museum. He was still amazed at what the people had accomplished in the 70 years he was in ice.

His old friend, Howard Stark had, of course, become a remarkable inventor and celebrity, satellites were being put into space, they even made humans go to the Moon and back. To Steve, they were truly tales to astonish.

The Smithsonian even had an exhibit dedicated to him as Captain America in World War II. All around him, he saw Captain America viewed as a living symbol of legend and courage.

"A symbol to the nation," He heard someone speak over the intercom of the exhibit. "A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice."

The veteran had sported a sincere undercover look; a black jacket and a baseball cap, whilst keeping his head down from prying eyes. However, a child had seen him from his height, to which Steve just smirked, and raised his finger to his mouth.

The kid was simply shocked, and shook his head in compliance.

Steve also had taken the time to gaze at the mural of Captain America, and his Howling Commandos, the group of soldiers he led alongside him in battle. Most of them had most likely led their lives, and probably passed away. He even remembered all of their names.

Timothy Alloysius Cadwaller Dugan, or as he was more commonly called, "Dum-Dum Dugan".

Gabe Jones.
Samuel "Happy Sam" Sawyer.
Percival "Pinky" Pinkerton.
James "Jim" Morita.
James Montegomery Falsworth.
Jacques Dernier
Jonathan "Junior" Juniper.

And his best and closest friend since childhood, James "Bucky" Barnes.

Steve could remember the day Bucky died like it was only a few days ago. He was the only Commando who gave up his life before Steve went into the ice. He could only watch as their past interviews lit up before him, remembering what Bucky's life has been.

Steve then had sat down for a screening of his old love, Peggy Carter, interviewed for who Captain America was. Fortunately enough, Peggy was still alive, and in her 90s.

And as it seems, not too far away.

Soon after his time at the Smithsonian, Steve had found the home Peggy had to stay in, which isn't too far away. However, he didn't expect to see another familiar face waiting as well. Zach sat outside the room, just putting his phone away as he watched Steve enter the hall.

"Oh," Zach said as he stood up, and pocketed his phone. "Good to see you again, sir."

"Zach, you don't have to call me 'sir'," Steve assured with a smile. "We're friends — you can call me Steve."

"Right — sorry." Zach apologized. "It's still kinda wild... I get to see my childhood hero a lot now." Steve couldn't help but smile. "Where's the girl you came with?" He asked her. "Ella, right? I figured you two were—"

"Triskelion," Zach rapidly answered. "She said she needed to get some things done. And... we don't need to talk about that, still kind of a weird thing for us both."

"But how come you're here?" Steve asked. "Do you know Peggy?"

Zach looked at the door, and then looked back at Steve. "You could say that," He answered again. "Jarvis — Edwin Jarvis — he was Howard's butler, worked with Peggy back in the 50s."

"When he was alive, and I was adopted, he told me all of his, 'riveting and downright dangerous adventures with Miss Carter'." Zach laughed as he did a British accent. 

"He even took me to see her a couple times. Peggy was always so kind — couldn't even believe Howard would have had a grandson."

The two were able to enter Peggy's room, where the elderly woman now laid in her bed, surrounded by photos and memories of her life, along with her medications on her bedside cabinet.

"You should be proud of yourself, Peggy." Steve proclaimed as he looked at the photos by her side. In the time he was gone, Peggy had married someone, and had a son and daughter.

"Mhm..." Peggy sighed, as she looked at the pictures. "I have lived a life. My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours."

"Have your son & daughter been able to visit you, Miss Carter?" Zach asked gently, as he sat on the other side of Peggy's bed. Peggy simply smiled at the young man and petted his hand.

"Oh, don't you worry, dear." Peggy answered. "They always visit when they can." Zach managed a soft smile, while Steve looked down, disheartened by the prospect he couldn't have lived his life.

"What is it?" Peggy asked Steve, as she had noticed his sullen face. Steve took a moment to collect himself. "For as long as I can remember," He began. "I just wanted to do what was right."

"I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore," Steve remarked. "And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders — serve. It's just not the same."

Despite her condition, Peggy couldn't help but chuckle. "You're always so dramatic." Carter laughed. "Look — you saved the world. We rather... mucked it up."

"You didn't," Steve confided in her. "Knowing that you helped found SHIELD is half the reason I stay."

"Hey..." Peggy spoke up, as she reached her wrinkled hand on top of his. "The world has changed — none of us can go back. All we can do is our best... and sometimes the best that we can do... is to start over —"

Peggy began to cough violently, as Steve stood up to quickly grab a glass of water to clear her throat, while Zach tried to help Peggy.

"Peggy..." Steve said as he gently whispered her name while giving her the water, but the look in Peggy's eyes had changed from confusion to realization. "Steve?" She asked, slightly dazed.

"Yeah..." Steve whispered, and Peggy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Y-You're alive!" She exclaimed, as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "You — you came... you came back!"

Zach could only imagine how tragic it must be for Peggy, to cycle through so many emotions for each time she would see Steve again. Happy, sadness and unfortunately, she would forget, only for her to relive it over and over.

"It's been so long..." Peggy emotionally lamented, as she continued to sob. "So, so long."

Steve let out a tear. "Well, I couldn't leave my best girl," He sadly smiled. "Not when she owes me a dance."

"Secure office."

The windows of Fury's office quickly obeyed his commands, and began to tint the room so no-one from the outside could observe what the director wanted to view.

From his pocket, Fury unveiled the flash drive Natasha used to pluck out the Shield files off the Lemurian Star, and inserted it into the desk's USB port, viewing the files on a projected screen.

"Access Lemurian Star's satellite launch file," Fury ordered.

The computer took a moment to process, and then dinged. "Access denied." The computer replied, to the one-eyed man's surprise. "Run decryption." Fury ordered once again.

"Decryption failed." The computer quickly replied again.

"Director override. Fury, Nicholas J."

"Override denied." The computer responded. "All files sealed."

"On whose authority?" Fury commanded, overwhelming concern brought upon his face.

"Fury, Nicholas J."

Fury decided to see what this problem was about, and set out to find The World Security Council, which was having a holographic meeting forty floors above his office, and was being held by its own Secretary, Alexander Pierce.

Upon the meeting's end, the two conversed about the problem Fury had noticed, and that Project Insight would have to be delayed in case. However, Fury, having been a seasoned spy for Shield, believed something else was at play.

As Fury was driving through D.C and in the clear, he tasked the car to activate a secure line to one of his agents.

"Activating communications encryption protocol."

"Open secure line 0405." Fury instructed, the line that would connect him to Agent Hill.

"Confirmed."

"This is Hill," Maria's voice and picture appeared in Fury's view. "I need you here in D.C." Fury directed her, as Hill was one of his fiercely loyal agents. "Deep shadow conditions."

"Give me four hours."

"You have three. Over." Fury shortened as he quickly ended the call, and prepared to stop for the signal. At the same time, a police car pulled up to his right, as the two officers gave a stare at the director.

"Want to see my lease?" Fury sarcastically asked the cops. The cops gave no word or action, but simply pressed their siren, making it wail through the area as they left him back at the signal.

Fury started the acceleration up again, ready to leave the intersection. But as soon as he drove up a few feet, another cop car quickly rammed into the left side of the vehicle, pushing it against the curb.

The previous cop car stopped in its tracks, only to reverse back into the front of the Chrevolet, while two more cop cars rammed themselves into the car.

"Fracture detected." The electronic voice of the car, displaying a graphic of Fury's skeleton, depicting the fracture on his left arm.

Fury gasped for air, as blood trickled from his nose. "Recommend anesthetic injection." The voice prescribed, as Fury reached into the glove box. He held the injection device in his mouth to use his free hand to uncap it, then quickly jabbed it into his arm.

As Fury was tending to his injury, two SWAT cars quickly approached the scene, and both the Metro Police and the SWAT team had raised their firearms at him.

"D.C. Metro Police dispatch shows no units in this area." The voice answered. The "cops" and the "SWAT Team" weren't who they were supposed to be. They were mercenaries.

"Get me out of here!" Fury commanded the car. However, the mercenaries had decided to all open fire at the vehicle. Luckily enough, the glass was bulletproof.

"Propulsion systems offline."

"Then reboot, damn it!" Fury yelled. The Chrevolet continued to take heavy-fire, which decreased its armor severely. In a matter of moments, it seemed that the mercenaries ran out of ammo, but they were standing still.

The mercenaries in the SWAT uniforms brought out a mechanized battering ram. As they held it, the ram's legs jotted down, and was set against the driver's side.

"Warning! Window integrity compromised."

"You think?!" Fury sarcastically spat as he leaned away from the window and into the passenger's side. "How long to propulsion?"

"Calculating..." The car responded as the SWAT continued to use the battering ram, which tilted the car with each thrust. "Window Integrity 31%. Deploying countermeasures."

"Hold that order!" Fury shouted, as the ram pushed them again.

"Window Integrity 19%. Offensive measures advised."

"Wait!" Fury yelled again, as the ram smashed against the window, which was still holding.

"Window Integrity 1%."

"NOW!" Fury yelled, as the console in between the passenger and driver's seat opened, and a minigun sprouted out. Fury quickly grabbed the handle of the minigun and furiously turned it towards his opposers.

The "SWAT" officer in front of the window was instantly killed, while the other vehicles exploded, or riddled in bullets. Fury aimed the gun towards the SWAT van from which they brought the battering ram from, and launched a grenade towards it.

The SWAT van instantaneously blew to smithereens, launching one of the cop cars into the air, and right on top of the other police car.

"Propulsion systems now online."

"Full acceleration, now!" Fury commanded. The car instantly started up, backing up, and driving away from the mercenaries. "Initiate vertical takeoff!" He commanded as they were a considerable distance away.

"Flight systems damaged."

"Then activate guidance cameras!" Fury yelled, as he pushed himself into the driver's seat. He groaned in pain, forgetting he had an injury. " Oh! — Give me the wheel!"

"Get me Agent Hill!" Fury commanded yet again. "Communications array damaged."

"Well, what's not damaged!?" Fury asked in annoyance.

"Air conditioning is fully operational." The car responded as the police continued to chase after him, swerving in each lane. "Traffic ahead."

"Give me an alternate route." Fury declared.

"Traffic alert on Roosevelt Bridge." The computer advised. "All vehicles stopped. 17th Avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead."

Fury took the directions and followed the red path the car laid out for him. However, he smashed in the side of a Dodge truck, which in turn collided with another car, giving him an advantage away from the mercenaries.

Yet that didn't stop them, as they got out of their cars and proceeded to fire at Fury ahead. Some trekked to him on foot, while the others rushed their cars through the others.

One of the mercenaries fired through the windows of an empty train car, while the other stood behind, firing straight at him. Fury leaned back in his car away from any of the shots, and them reversed the car into the mercenary.

The director then shifted the car into drive, and smashed the car into another one, which in turn collided with the other mercenary.

Fury then launched the car out of the pileup and back onto the streets, as two police cars followed after him in rapid pursuit. However, the two police cars managed to sandwich him in between them, as Fury wrestled for control of the car from the mercenary on his left.

"Warning — approaching intersection." The car warned, as Fury slowed down, making the other cars speed forward. As they sped off, a yellow moving van had crashed into both of them, killing the mercenaries in the police car.

"Get me... off... the grid!" Fury barked in anger, annoyed by all the damn inconveniences in the damn city.

The car dinged. "Calculating route to secure location." Fury tried to calm down and relax himself, but as he peered through the bulletproof glass, he thought he saw a figure standing in the middle of the street.

As his vision became clear after adjusting his eye... There was a figure on the street.

The figure was in a black uniform, whilst donning a mask that covered the majority of their face, minus their forehead, brandishing their long, wavy brown hair. The figure raised their right arm, and fired what seemed to be a circular disk.

The disk slid across the road, and magnetically attached itself to the undercarriage of Fury's car, and immediately went off, launching the car into the air, surprising the director.

As the car soared through the air, the figure simply moved out of the way, and the car fell flat on its top, as smoke began to develop through the street.

The figure began to walk towards the car with Fury miraculously still alive, as he quickly pulled out a torch and lit it, which hummed with a blue hue.

As the soldier finally reached the car, he placed his left hand on the door, ripped it completely, and looked inside to confirm the kill.

There was no-one inside anymore. Fury had escaped.

Washington D.C.

After a seemingly long day, Steve arrived at his apartment complex via his motorcycle. After he parked, he quickly jogged up the stairs, and wrestled the keys out of his pocket.

As he approached his floor, he heard the voice of his neighbor, who he made brief contact with, only exchanging simple "hellos" and "How's your day?" From what he knew about her, she worked as a nurse, and always had use the washing machine in the basement of the complex.

"That's so sweet..." He heard his neighbor say aloud on the phone. "That is so nice... hey, I gotta go, though. Okay, bye..." She quickly hung up, as she was carrying a recent load of laundry.

"My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac," His neighbor, Kate, admitted as she saw him reach the door to his apartment.

"Hey, if you want...," Steve offered, eyeing the load she was struggling to hold while locking the door. "If you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

"Oh, yeah?" Kate smirked. "What's it cost?"

"A cup of coffee?" Steve answered, which made Sharon's smile brighter.

"Thank you, but..." She politely declined. "I already have a load downstairs, and uh... you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so..."

"Ah, well... I'll keep my distance," Steve tried to joke.

"Hopefully not too far," Kate replied with another smile, as Steve unlocked the door. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on."

"Oh, right," Steve said as he leaned against the wall, hearing some sort of melody behind it. "Thank you."

Sharon smiled happily, and marched down the stairs, laundry in hand. But Steve was curious. The music behind the door seemed to be music from the 40s — the time he was in before the ice.

A few moments later, Steve entered through the window of his apartment and quietly grabbed his shield. He couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong.

https://youtu.be/4OtcskeRBJw

The music was one of his favorites, being named "It's Been a Long, Long Time." Back in 1945, he wanted that song to be played for his long-awaited dance with Peggy. Sadly... it never came to fruition.

However, as he peeked around the corner to the living room, he was surprised to see Fury leaning back in one of his chairs, close to the record player, and Zach was sitting across from him, eyeing Steve, pointing out Fury next to him.

"I don't remember giving either of you a key," Steve spoke up loudly to the two of them.

"You'd really think I'd need one?" Fury answered in the same cadence, as he clutched a phone in his hand. "My wife kicked me out."

"He called me soon after," Zach appealed, directing Steve to the phone. "I thought this would be a good place to bring him."

"Didn't know you were married." Steve replied to Fury, who simply shrugged. "A lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve accepted as he walked out from the corner, and turned on the light from next to him. However, the two of them gave him a stare, which had concerned Steve, as Fury pulled the lamp cord off.

Fury then pulled up his phone, and unlocked it, quickly displaying the message to both Steve and Zach.

EARS EVERYWHERE.

"I'm sorry I have to do this..." Fury kept up his charade. "But I had no place else to crash." He quickly wrote another message.

SHIELD COMPROMISED.

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked, as Fury ticked off another message.

JUST THE THREE OF US.

"Just... my friends." Fury responded as he stood up, as Zach's eyebrows shrugged up. "Didn't know you regarded us as friends." He conferred to the director. "Is that what we are?" Steve added.

"That's up to you." Fury assured the two of them as the music died down.

Suddenly, Fury's body jerked back as a hole blew open from the wall behind them. More gunshots went off as Fury stumbled to the ground, and groaned in pain.

The two Avengers quickly sprinted in action, and pulled Fury by the arms into the kitchen. As Steve turned to let go of the director's arm, Fury's palm opened up, revealing the drive Natasha used on the Star.

Steve plucked it out of his hand, while Fury struggled to speak. "Don't... Don't trust anyone..." He stuttered as he tried to breath, but quickly passed out.

A beating came from behind the door, as Steve nodded to Zach, as his fists & eyes glowed a signature blue. The door broke down, and a familiar voice was heard.

"Captain Rogers? Agent Danvers-Stark?" Steve saw his neighbor, Kate, barge into his apartment with a gun in her hand. She eyed the two from behind the kitchen, "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service."

Zach's fists and eyes stopped glowing as he recognized the voice. "Kate?" Steve asked, wondering why the nurse-in-training had done this.

"That's not her name..." Zach muttered. "Her real name is Sharon--"

"I'm assigned to protect you," Sharon affirmed to Steve. "On whose orders?" Steve questioned yet again.

Sharon shrugged, his guess was as good as any. "His." She pointed to Fury's unconscious body on the ground. She quickly got on the ground, and checked for Fury's pulse.

The pulse was rather faint, and Sharon dug into her pocket and pulled out a radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive." She reported. "I need EMTs."

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" The agent on the other line responded, just as Steve began scanning around the apartment for a sign. He seemed to have found one outside the window, where the shooter left the ceiling.

"Tell him we're in pursuit." Steve ordered, and ran through the window, bracing himself with the shield as he broke through the building opposite to his. He landed on a table, which broke upon his impact, but he quickly got back up.

Zach, however, had jumped out the same hole Steve had made and launched himself towards the ceiling, getting himself behind the shooter, and charged up his fists with blue cosmic energy, and sent them flying towards him.

Steve spotted the shooter above him, who was being trailed by Zach, who managed to keep up with him.

The Captain sprinted through multiple hallways, broke through walls and doors, and leaped across cabinets, consoles and tables until he finally caught up with the shooter, who had just leaped down onto the same platform as him to avoid being blasted by Zach's photon bursts.

Steve took his chances, and burst through the window, rolling on the ground to brace himself, and chucked the shield towards the shooter, in hopes of disorienting him.

What he didn't expect was for the shooter to catch the shield in midair.

The shooter was the same one reported on the streets earlier. His long, wavy brown hair flowed in the cold wind, and his eyes were covered in black eyeshadow. A mask covered their mouth, but they stood silently, not uttering a single word.

The arm they caught the shield with was an entirely metal prosthetic, adorned with the red Soviet Star on their left forearm. Asides from the arm, they had to have a tremendous amount of strength to lift the shield.

Steve started in disbelief, just as Zach jumped down from the rooftop, eyeing the man. But he realized it was no ordinary man. The man chuckled the shield back at Steve, cutting off Zach's thought as the force from the shield pushed Steve back. That man had to be a super-soldier, but he had vanished from sight.

The two Avengers ran to the edge of the roof to try and spot the shooter on the ground... but the streets were empty, and the shooter was gone in the wind.

.nepo seye htob peek