2.3: Reading Skies

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THE PURRING SOUND OF STEVE'S HARLEY QUIETENED DOWN AS HE KILLED THE IGNITION

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THE PURRING SOUND OF STEVE'S HARLEY QUIETENED DOWN AS HE KILLED THE IGNITION.

Steve remained seated on his motorcycle, head lifted to observe the plot of dark sky above. It was a beautiful night, the sight of the stars that filled the skies. He had always loved stargazing, something he did with his Ma years ago.

It remained the one thing unchanged when he came out of the ice.

"Hey, fun fact! Did you know–" They shared a pint of ice cream in Olivia's living room, admiring the beauty of the stars. It was exceptionally bright that night.

Steve hummed in response, a spoon in his mouth.

"The stars that we're seeing right now are all dead," she turned to face Steve, a grin ever present on her face.

"For a fun fact, that's pretty morbid. And so are you, a huge smile for quite a depressing story," he flicked her lips, returning to dig into their shared pint.

Olivia shrugged. "I just think it's kinda cool. When we were young, we were taught to wish upon a star for all our wildest dreams to come through. It's kind of cool that we only find out that our childhood dreams are just... dreams, when we grow up. Dead, like these dying stars. Did you know if a star combusts right now, it would take us decades to see it happening? Can't help but to think we're always one step behind time." Olivia enthusiastically replied, her eyes ironically matched the twinkle in the stars.

"Since when are you an expert on all things outer space?" Steve hummed at her sugar high. The cold spoon thoughtfully dragging across his lips.

Mint.

"I like to read up astronomy whenever I'm free. I am a scientist after all." Olivia teasingly pushed up her non-existent glasses.

What a nerd.

"Back to the topic, what I'm trying to say is– Don't wish for anything, just do it. Because when it comes to time, we will always lose." She ended, leaving Steve with a new train of thought. "Or what kids like to call it, jinx!"

Still seated on his Harley, Steve stopped himself from wishing upon the stars. He sighed, not wanting to jinx his chances again.

He trudged up the familiar stairs, keys aimlessly dangling around his finger. He bumped into his neighbour, Kate, who was on her way down for laundry. She reminded him that he left his stereo on.

Except he didn't. He was adamant he left it switched off before he reported for the Lumerian Star mission.

His mind fogged with happiness before it died down, realising it couldn't have been Olivia. Master agent or not, she didn't know how to work the thing.

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Steve's demeanour stiffened as he prepared for a fight. Exit strategies and fighting advantages started to form in his mind as he stealthily snaked down a fire escape to enter from his window.

Once inside, Steve snatched his shield for protection. He silently manoeuvred around his bookshelves and leaned back to peep around, finding the intruder —casually sitting on a couch.

Pretty comfortable, for an intruder. Steve relaxed once he realised it was Fury sitting in the dark. Did he had information on Olivia's disappearance? "I don't remember giving you a key."

"You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out."

Steve didn't know he had one.

"A lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know Nick, that's the problem. Are you here because you found–" Steve turned to switch on the lights, eyes widening when he witnessed the unpleasant injuries that decorated Nick's face. In the dark, he couldn't see Nick's staggered movements but now he fully understood why.

The Director instructed him to stay silent and hurriedly typed into his phone: Ears everywhere.

The golden boy pursed his lips thoughtfully as he analysed the cryptic signals Fury sent. He couldn't shake the dangerous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD was attacked. The director of the world's biggest intelligence agency was attacked in broad daylight. And judging by Fury's refuge to his apartment without SHIELD...

Unless SHIELD was the reason.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I have no place else to crash." Nick typed again, the message revealed: SHIELD compromised.

The tension was breathing down both men's neck. Steve dreaded to be right, "Who else knows about your wife?"

"Just, my friends." You and me, Fury typed.

"Is that what we are?"

"That's up to you." Fury stood up from his seat and edged towards the windows.

At that moment, three loud bangs sounded and Fury collapsed. Steve instinctively looked out from the window for the shooter but found none. The super soldier dragged Fury into a safe zone.

Fury slowly reached in his pocket with grunts in between, pulling out two hard drives. The same one Olivia had on the Lemurian Star and another black one. "Don't... trust... anyone." Fury desperately called out to him before losing consciousness, his hands loosening the grip and his words faded away.

"He's in v-tach!" A nurse yelled. Natasha and Maria, and Steve held their breaths, watching through the glass panel as the doctors operated on the director.

So far, they only found out the bullet was Soviet-made. Nothing else.

Steve failed to apprehend the shooter on the rooftop. He was fast, strong, remembering how the shooter tossed his shield back with such force that shocked him. The shooter must be enhanced. When he looked over the roof that the shooter jumped off from, he disappeared.

𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐒 ━━  AvengersWhere stories live. Discover now