"Fury, what happened?"
The gravity in Nick Fury's eyes was almost tangible. Under his gaze, Steve's anger gave way to uneasy confusion.
"Ah... I just discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't quite as simple as I remembered. I've been here for decades, and I always believed the decisions I made were in this country's best interests."
There was a trace of bitterness in Fury's voice. He leaned forward slightly, as though trying to calm himself.
"Just treat this as a question that came to me on a whim, Steve. The war is over, so why did you agree to stay at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Steve answered without hesitation. "Like you said, for this country. You seem to have forgotten that I'm a soldier."
Fury stared at Steve for two seconds.
"Understood. Come with me. I'll show you something."
He left first, with Steve close behind.
The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped inside one after the other.
"Project Insight hangar."
[Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight]
The elevator's intelligent control system voiced the warning.
Fury leaned against one side of the elevator and spoke once Steve had stepped inside.
"Override authorization, Director Nicholas J. Fury."
[Confirmed]
Steve stood on the other side of the elevator as the scenery outside plunged rapidly downward. Fury said nothing more, and the atmosphere grew oppressive.
Fury glanced at the elevator's mirrored surface and pressed a button on his watch with the hand held behind his back.
A red interference warning appeared in one section of the mirrored display.
"I hear the Stark kids often come over to your place."
Fury broke the silence, shifting his gaze from the mirrored surface to Steve's face.
Steve nodded. "That's right. I'm just teaching them some hand-to-hand combat."
"Oh, that's quite a surprise. You