The heavy doors slowly closed, sealing the corridor and the reception room into two separate worlds.
The air inside seemed to solidify.
Although the invisible pressure weighing on Steve Rogers had dissipated, he remained seated on the leather sofa, not rising for a long time.
He looked down at his palms. These were the hands that had once gripped his shield and shattered Hydra's defensive lines, yet facing Lucian just now, he had been stripped of even the strength to stand.
Steve took a deep breath and picked up the canvas bag containing his round shield. He knew Lucian had made up his mind. Vought Tower was no place for reason now. He had to return first, explain the full course of events to the upright agents remaining in S.H.I.E.L.D., gather his words anew, and then consider how to save those innocent lives that might be caught up in this.
"Enough. Stop posing as The Thinker."
Tony Stark drained the liquor left in his glass, carelessly tossed it onto the table, and turned toward Colonel Rhodes, who stood rigid beside him. His voice was full of impatience:
"You heard the decision loud and clear, Rhodey. Go back to Washington and give those old men with one foot in the grave at the Pentagon an honest report. As for me, I'm going home to sleep. We've been tearing down so many of the Mandarin's fake bases these past few days that JARVIS's core algorithms are about to overload."
Tony tugged irritably at his collar. Ever since Lucian's people had taken Maya Hansen away ahead of time, that mad dog Killian had raised his guard to the highest level, hiding in multiple bolt-holes before vanishing without a trace. Tony had investigated several sites, only to capture disabled veterans being used as bombs.