When Time Collides ★ [2] ✔

Falcon

We sat in Sam's living room at the dining table. I sat on Steve's left as Natasha paced in front of us. Sam stood in the kitchen, buttering toast.

We'd spent a lot of the morning filling Natasha in on what had happened at Camp Lehigh. She listened intently, interrupting every now and then to ask questions. Irritably, it was about Steve and I during World War II, which I refused to answer any in regard to that topic. Although the Matchmaker Queen, it wasn't her business.

"So, the question is: who at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha concluded inquisitively after our story ended.

"Pierce," Steve said, his chin rested on his knuckles thoughtfully.

It made sense. With Fury dead, it was only logical that Pierce would take over as acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Additionally, he was the Secretary of Defence and a member of the World Security Council. The Secretary of Defence was a sleeper HYDRA agent. Well, actually, the Secretary of Defence was the leader of HYDRA. Well, shi-

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world," Natasha added.

"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

Wait, wait, wait, I thought, closing my eyes. There was something wrong about the whole situation. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. How could the algorithm be on the Lemurian Star? None of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on that ship—if they weren't HYDRA sleeper agents—would've been trusted with the algorithm. They weren't authorised to have it.

My eyes snapped open. And then it hit me. There was one man on that floating tub who would have been trusted with it, though.

I leaned forward. "But so was Jasper Sitwell."

Steve and Natasha turned to me. Steve raised his head in realisation. "So, the real question is how do three of the most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?"

Natasha grinned, folding her arms. "The answer is: you don't."

Sam dropped a folder on the table in front of Steve, a photograph on the top. It was of him and another man, his partner perhaps.