Even After Everything | Steve Rogers

Chapter 8

We finally arrived back to the triskelion, SHIELD headquarters. Steve stormed off to Fury's office, me running after him.

"Steve, I know what she did wasn't great, but why are you so upset?" I said, catching up to him.

"Because we're a team, and how are we supposed to be a team if not everybody wants to work as one?" he replied harshly.

"Well, you might have a point," I muttered. We arrived at the office and burst in.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Steve said.

"I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours,"

"He's right, and you were for some reason not obliged to share," I said.

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

"Those hostages could've died, Nick," Steve argued.

"I sent the greatest soldier in history, and a literal god to make sure that didn't happen."

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

"The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye. Look, I didn't want you two doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

"How did you loose your eye? When I first met you, you still had it, came back and it was gone. You've been very secretive about it since," I wondered.

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their owns," Steve said getting back on topic.

"Co-lead," I pointed out.

"Right."

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

"Except you," Steve said.

"You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that," Fury smiled sarcastically. Fury walked towards the elevator and stepped in, Steve and I following behind him.

"Insight bay," Fury said.

"Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight," the AI system responded.

"Is project insight almost ready for launch?" I asked, "I've heard of some of it."

"It is. Director override, Fury, Nicholas J." Steve looked at me funnily, and I smirked back at him. When you work at SHEILD for 37 years, you get clearance.

"Confirmed," We stood there awkwardly, no one talking.

"You know, they used to play music," Steve started.

"Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years," Fury started, "My granddad worked in a nice building, he got good tips. He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say "hi", people would say hi back. Time went on, 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.

"Every week some punk would say, "What's in the bag?"

"What did he do?"

"He'd show 'em. Bunch of crumpled ones and loaded .22 Magnum," Fury smiled, "Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much,"

We finally arrived at the bottom and three giant helicarriers came into our view.

"Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a 22," Fury responded, seeing Steve's surprised face. He started showing us the giant weapons.

"This is Project Insight. Three next generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites."

"Launched from the Lemurian Star," Steve noticed.

"Once we get them in the air they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight courtesy of our new repulsor engines."

"Tony?" I asked.

"Well, he had a few suggestions once he got an up close look at our old turbines. These new long range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We're gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen," Fury explained.

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime," Steve said.

"We can't afford to wait that long."

"Who's "we"?" I asked.

"After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis. For once we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection," Steve said.

"You know, I read those SSR files. Greatest generation? You guys did some nasty stuff," Fury argued.

"Yeah, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so the people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear."

"SHIELD takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. It's getting damn near past time for you to get with that program, Cap."

"Don't hold your breath," Steve said and walked off.

We both walked to my car, me getting in the drivers seat.

"Where to?" I asked.

"I feel like a walk down memory lane," he sighed.

"Ha see, Smithsonian? Fossil? No...? Alright," I sighed as he said nothing. Guess he wasn't in the mood.

We walked to the Captain America exhibit, with hats on for a "disguise".

"Holy crap it's cold in here," I shivered.

"Here," he handed me his sweatshirt and I put it on. It was huge on me, but extremely comfortable.

"A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice," the narrator said, "Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first super soldier."

A boy recognized Steve and he put his finger to his lips, then looked at me. I smiled and he nodded, as he walked away.

"In this rare footage, everyone's favorite warrior, Captain America..." we saw the display where mannequins were holding Steve's old suit with the rest of his commando squad.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division."

Steve and I walked over to the display of his old friend Bucky Barnes.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

We walked over to a video playing, Peggy Carter showing up on screen.

"That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve...Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would...who would become my husband as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

"Peggy," I whispered sadly.

Steve looked over to me, "You knew her?"

"I did, we worked at SHEILD together before she retired. We became pretty good friends, but eventually drifted apart after she left. She always talked about a mystery man, and I think I know who it is," I smiled, "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm doing better," he smiled back at me, his eyes meeting mine for a few seconds. We got up to leave and I looked back one more time. I noticed a small compass where Steve was sitting.

"Steve! You forgot something," I yelled after him.

He turned around and smiled at me waving for us to go. I followed.