BLACK PHOENIX | S. ROGERS

three

LAIKYN'S CATSUIT CLUNG TIGHTLY TO HER SLIM BODY AS SHE AND STEVE DESCENDED DOWN THE LONG HALLWAY OF THE TRISKELION. Her suit was free of its weapons, but Steve still had his shield. Both of them were tense. There was something off. Headquarters was different with the death of Fury looming in the air. It wasn't filled with grief though, it was something different. Something neither of the super-soldiers could explain. It was almost tense like everyone was on edge. It was expected though, one of the most important leaders of the free world was dead and his death was yet to be explained. 

"Does this feel...unexpected to you?" Laikyn asked. She had never personally met with Pierce before, but she knew she didn't like him. 

"Very," Steve responded shortly. The two of them made their way to Alexander Pierce's office passing Sharon on the way.

"Captain Rogers, Greer," she said quickly.

"Neighbor," Steve said flatly, his eyes straight ahead. Laikyn didn't say anything, only offering a small nod.

"Captain, Agent. I'm Alexander Pierce," the older man held out his hand to the light-skinned woman and she shook it while saying, "Nice to meet you."

"Sir, it's an honor," Steve said, gripping the man's hand tightly.

"The honor is mine, Captain. My father served in the 101st. Come on in," Pierce said nodding for the two super-soldiers to follow him. He handed a couple of pictures to Laikyn and she glanced at them for a moment. The picture was of a young Alexander Pierce and a young Nick Fury. "That photo was taken five years after Nick and I met when I was at State Department in Bogota. ELN rebels took the embassy, and security got me out, but the rebels took hostages." The older man gestured for the two Avengers to sit. Steve did, but Laikyn couldn't. She was on edge and hyperaware of everything that was happening.

"Nick was deputy chief for the SHIELD station there," He continued, "And he comes to me with a plan. He wants to storm the building through the sewers. I said, 'No, we'll negotiate.' Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter."

"Sounds like Nick," Laikyn stated flatly. She was uninterested in the conversation and wanted to know what his story had anything to do with them. 

"So you gave him a promotion," Steve said.

"I've never had any cause to regret it," Pierce replied. "Captain, why was Nick in your apartment last night?"

Laikyn stiffened. So that's what this is about, she thought. She knew Pierce wasn't here to talk pleasantries.

"I don't know," Steve responded, his tone soft yet firm.

"Agent Greer, how did you end up at the Captain's apartment?" Alexander questioned.

Laikyn stood a little taller as she narrowed her eyes at the man. Her copper eyes stared intently into his blue ones. If he thought she had anything to do with Nick's death, he was sadly mistaken. "Steve and I went to dinner that night. We went back to his place to watch a movie. Star Wars to be exact."

"Did either of you know it was bugged?"

"We did because Nick told us."

"Did he tell you he was the one who bugged it?" Pierce questioned. "I want you to see something," he said pulling up footage of Batroc.

Laikyn took a few steps forward to get a better look at the screen. Her arms were crossed, body tense. 

"Is that live?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, they picked him up in a not-so-safe house in Algiers."

"Are you saying he's a suspect?" Steve inquired.

"Assassination isn't really Batroc's line," Laikyn added. "He's famous for maximum casualties, not single assassinations."

"No, it's more complicated than that. Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the Lemurian Star and he was contacted by e-mail and paid by wire transfer. And then the money was run through 17 fictitious accounts, the last one going to a holding company that was registered to a Jacob Veech."

Steve cocked his head to the side. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"Not likely," Pierce answered handing the blonde a file. "Veech died six years ago. His last address was 1435 Elmhurst Drive. When I first met Nick, his mother lived in 1437."

"Are you saying Fury hired the pirates? Why?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Laikyn muttered under her breath.

"The prevailing theory," Alexander started, "Was that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. The sale went sour and that led to Nick's death."

There was no way in the world that theory could be true. However, Laikyn could tell that Pierce was just feeding them a false theory.

"If you really knew Nick Fury, you'd know that's not true," Steve defended.

"Why do you think we're talking?" Pierce asked as he started to pace. "See, I took a seat on the Council not because I wanted to but because Nick asked me to... because we were both realists. We knew that despite all the diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, that to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down. And that makes enemies. Those people that call you dirty because you got the guts to stick your hands in the mud and try something better. And the idea that those people could be happy today, makes me really, really angry, " the older man paused, his gaze casting over the super-soldiers. "Captain, Greer, you were the last people to see Nick alive. I don't think that's an accident, and I don't think you do either. So I'm going to ask again, why was he there?"

"He told me not to trust anyone," Steve answered honestly, standing next to Laikyn. The sight of them together sent a shiver down the man's spine. On their own, they were powerful but together they were nearly unstoppable.

"I wonder if that included him," Pierce commented, his voice sour.

"I'm sorry. Those were his last words. Excuse us," Cap replied. He placed his hand on Laikyn's lower back leading her out of the suffocating office. The pair were almost out of the door when Pierce spoke again.

"Somebody murdered my friend and I'm going to find out why. Anyone who gets in the way, they're going to regret it. Anyone."

"Yes sir."

"Understood."

As the two started down the hallway, Laikyn said, "I don't like being threatened."

Steve glanced at her. Her jaw was locked and tight, shoulders were square, eyes narrowed. Her curls were pulled into a high ponytail, making her appearance look twice as frightening as usual. It was something about the way she carried herself that could make any man think twice about trying to crossing her. But there was something about Pierce's threat wasn't sitting right with the two soldiers. 

"Neither do I."

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