Inside an apartment in the neighborhood near S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Nick Fury sat on a sofa by the window, his arm in a sling, gazing at the distant Triskelion. Behind him, his capable deputy, Agent Hill, was busy at a computer.
"Still no sign of them?"
Agent Hill, still working at the computer, sighed. "Not a trace. It's as if they've vanished from the world. Hydra hasn't found them either."
A deep look entered Nick Fury's one good eye. He was getting anxious, too.
The "them" Hill referred to were Steve and Natasha, who had spent half an hour in another world.
They had intended to find Steve and Natasha and draw up an infiltration plan. When the World Security Council members inspected S.H.I.E.L.D. the next morning, they would launch a surprise attack, thwart Hydra's plot, and destroy the three Helicarriers.
But the plan had already been half derailed before it began. Steve and his capable right hand, Natasha, had both vanished without a trace, leaving Nick Fury short on help.
It wasn't that he had no one at all...
Knock, knock!
The door was tapped in a measured rhythm. After the secret knock, it swung open, and a brown-haired man with a familiar face walked in. A golf bag stood behind him.
"So much for my vacation!" The man sounded a little displeased. He'd spent the day at home with his wife and children, enjoying family life, but now he was in Washington, about to join the battle against Hydra.
Every mission came with the risk of casualties. He was no longer the fearless soldier he'd once been. Now he had a wife and children, and he was planning for a third. This life of fighting and killing no longer suited him.
Nick Fury, slouched in an armchair, gave a slight nod. In his rhythmic, deep voice, he said, "You can take as long a vacation as you want, once we get through this crisis. Otherwise, the world will never be at peace."
Decades as an agent had left Nick Fury with far too many secrets. Even after Alexander Pierce had left him in a sorry state, he could still use his own methods to bring Hydra down.
"This is an infiltration mission. Insert the modules into the servers aboard all three Helicarriers. Someone will support you. There's a car waiting downstairs."
Barton set down his bag, took out his bow and arrows, then removed his tracksuit to reveal the tactical vest underneath. After changing, he left without a word.
Agent Hill packed up her computer and followed. She was part of the operation, too. Without Steve's help, ordinary people like them would have to pull more of the weight.
After they left, Nick Fury was alone in the room. He sat quietly in the darkness. Only the glints reflected in his gaze toward the window showed that anyone was there.
"Target A installed!"
"Target B installed!"
"Target C installed!"
James Squad and Natasha's operation went exceptionally smoothly. Once they'd inserted the signal receivers into all three Helicarriers, control of the electronic doors fell entirely into Tony's hands.
Even when Hydra realized something was wrong and sent men to guard the area, the intruders still had to make their way through one obstacle after another.
The sprinklers kept malfunctioning, the lights repeatedly led them in the wrong direction, and strange noises occasionally blared from the speakers. Hydra's soldiers were completely disoriented and had no chance of finding the infiltrating James Squad.
After planting the bombs, Natasha and James Squad began to withdraw. The plan moved on to its next phase.
Steve, stationed in the server room, received Natasha's signal. His tense nerves finally eased a little. He took a breath, then pressed the broadcast control button.
"Attention, all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents... This is Steve Rogers!"
The lights in S.H.I.E.L.D., thrown into chaos by the power outage, all came back on. At the same time, everyone heard a voice they knew well over the broadcast.
Steve Rogers. Captain America. The idol of the vast majority of ordinary Americans.
He had once been a symbol held up by countless capitalists, embodying nearly all the ideals proclaimed at the nation's founding: democracy, freedom...
If Steve ever ran for office, he'd win by an overwhelming margin.
Among the countless parallel universes in Marvel, one told the story of Steve being elected President of America, only to be killed by a sniper during a public speech.
Steve had no desire to run for office now, but he had a sense of his own influence, so he gave this speech before the battle.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't what you think it is. Hydra has infiltrated it. Their leader is Alexander Pierce, and they've infiltrated the strike team and Project Insight as well..."
After briefly explaining S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current situation, Steve moved on to the emotional part of his speech. "...The price of freedom is always high. I'm willing to pay it. Even if I'm the only one, I'll keep fighting to the end! But I believe I'm not alone."
Listen to that!
Those words fit the values of the free world perfectly. What free person wouldn't be moved by them?
Even Tony, all the way in New York, couldn't help nodding. He had to admit that Captain America had character.
After becoming Captain America, the most selfish decision Steve had ever made was keeping his promise to the woman he loved.
The broadcast ended, but the seeds of doubt had been planted in everyone's heart. No one knew whether the person beside them was an enemy or an ally. But they knew one thing: the strike team was made up entirely of Hydra agents!
Tension began to spread all around. A gunfight could break out at any moment.
After the lights came back on, Rumlow's strike team had learned from the broadcast where Steve was. Large groups of strike team members split into several units and began closing in on the main server room.
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
Before the strike team could surround Steve, the explosives planted aboard the Helicarriers went off. There weren't many, but they were enough to destroy the Helicarriers' vital equipment. Tony had provided a great deal of technical support, since he'd helped design the Helicarriers, too.
The explosions sounded like a call to arms. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bold agents drew their weapons and picked off anyone nearby who looked ready to attack.
Gunfire erupted in an instant. The headquarters of the world's largest intelligence agency had become a battlefield!
Thousands of agents opened fire on one another. Hydra's strike team came under chaotic attack. On every floor they crossed, four or five people would shoot at them. And they couldn't even tell who was on their side. They were all dressed about the same, so who could recognize anyone?
Barton and a secret team loyal to Fury had just reached the back entrance of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters when they heard the dense gunfire inside. They froze in confusion.
They hadn't done anything yet. Why were people fighting in there already?
There was no use overthinking it. Barton still had a mission to complete. He pushed open the metal door and infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters with Fury's secret team.
Tony, sitting in the top floor of Stark Tower, spotted them on the surveillance cameras before long.
He then told Natasha and the others that Barton had arrived. Natasha was surprised, but quickly rendezvoused with him.
Nick Fury finally learned where Steve and Natasha had gone. Relieved, he got up and boarded a helicopter, ready to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters himself and stabilize the situation.
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