NIGHTSHADE

017.

THEY MOVED and sat around a table. Fury was looking at a picture of Pierce, "This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility." He let it fall out of his hand as he looked to Lana, "See it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch," she looked up at Steve who was standing.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore," Fury replied. He opened a briefcase and inside was three computer chips.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Once the helicarrierrs reach 3,000 feet," Maria started turning the computer in front of her to them, "They'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponised."

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Fury informed as the computer zoomed in on a helicarrier and showed the insides, where the blades would be.

"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work because even if one of those ships remain operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die," Maria said.

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We have to get past them, insert these server blades, and maybe just maybe we can salvage what's left..."

Steve cut Fury off, "We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick. We're taking down S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing to do with this," Fury replied.

"You gave me this mission. This is how it ends," Steve snapped, "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been compromised. You said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"How many paid the price before you did?"

Fury looked at Maria then at the table, "Look I didn't know about Barnes." Lana looked between them to see where this was going.

"Even if you had, would you have told me?" Steve asked, "Or would you have compartmentalized that, too? S.H.I.L.D., HYDRA, it all goes."

"He's right," Maria spoke up. Fury looked between her and Lana. Lana kept her face a void of any emotion and stared back at him.

He then looked at Sam, "Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower."

Fury glanced at Steve before finding the table interesting, "Well..." he sighed, "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

Steve walked away and Sam went after him. Lana sat back on her chair and sighed. When Steve returned, he asked Maria to drive him to the Smithsonian. They piled into the van and drove towards it. Steve got out when they reached and went inside by himself.

Lana sat in the back preparing. She was going to play as one of the Council members and she had put on a short blonde wig. Looking next to her, she opened a briefcase and took the mask out. She bent down and placed it on her face carefully.

When she came up she looked at Sam, "How do I look?"

"Like a different person."

"Good." As she said this, the van door opened and Steve hopped in with his old suit in his arms.

"Did you steal that?" Lana asked.

"Yep," Steve smiled.

"Who knew Captain America can be so bad. First stealing a car now stealing from a museum," Lana teased. He shook his head as Maria drove off once more.