First Light | Steve Rogers (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Newsflash

A couple of agents had managed to bring Daisy and May back to the base in one piece, much to everyone's relief. We were still waiting for Jemma and Tripp to come back from a recon mission.

We had all gathered around the room, watching the footage of the Cultivation Centre's collapse from May's bodycam. An uneasy silence settled over us.

There was a slight shift of the light in the doorway and we turned to see Daisy. She quietly turned the screen off, sensing May's guilt. The former Hydra agent sighed heavily, "Getting this footage out isn't enough to make up for what I did in Hydra, but... it's a start"

"Changing people's hearts and minds is great," Daisy huffed, "But I know a way to destroy Hydra for good. Remember the place Simmons and I were trying to find? Radcliffe told me where to go, how to find it"

"The way out of... this?"

I shifted uncomfortably and grabbed onto Mitch's hand, pulling him closer. Daisy nodded, "If we can get there, all of our problems go away. We just... we need all the help we can get"

May glanced between her and Phil in confusion, "I don't know what you mean. There's no magic bullet against Hydra"

"Yeah," Mitch shrugged, "This footage is as close as it comes. I mean, people will finally wake up"

"You don't understand. None of this will matter in the long run. It's... it's..." Daisy trailed off as she saw their bewildered expressions, "Coulson, this is the only chance to actually wake people up"

The man looked at the ground, two opposing views visibly conflicting in his mind. "Maybe the only way to solve our problem is to solve their problem" he suggested.

I frowned, "What does that mean?"

"Getting to Radcliffe's coordinates right now is next to impossible. We need a way to divide Hydra's forces. To save ourselves... we need to save the world"

"Hey," I murmured as I sat on the edge of Harry's bed, "How're you holding up?"

He shrugged quietly, "Not great. I keep getting these bad dreams"

My brows furrowed in concern and I shifted to properly face him, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

The boy ran a hand through his frizzy curls of dark hair, his eyes bloodshot and squinting. "In my dreams, we're in another world," he sighed in a weary voice, "It's better. Hydra's not in charge there and we're free to do what we want"

"That sounds like a nice world," I chuckled softly, "You said that the dreams were bad. Why?"

"Because everyone was still scared, just for a different reason. The heroes who were supposed to protect them were broken apart, they fought each other. And... you were there with them"

I smiled slightly, "I'm a hero? What did I do in this fight?"

The boy closed his eyes tightly as he tried his best to remember, "You protected your boyfriend's best friend. You... you fell"

"I fell?"

"Yeah"

I gulped and glanced over at Melody, who was sat in a corner with Tasha, reading something with her. "I hate to disappoint this dream world, but I'm already married. Who was this boyfriend?"

The boy didn't reply, but his gaze was intently fixed on the TV. A story on 'captured heroes' was being broadcasted and I immediately recognised the icy stare of the blond that had appeared on the screen. Harry finally let out a yawn and I chuckled, getting up from the bed.

"Try to get some sleep, okay?" I murmured, pulling the blanket over him as his head hit the pillow.

Melody gave me a quick kiss as I sat next to her, pulling Tasha onto my lap. We sat in silence, watching as the little girl gradually fell asleep in my arms. She looked so peaceful, her eyes shut gently and a small smile tugging at her mouth. Her golden hair was in two small plaits that barely touched her shoulders and her small hands were tightly clasped around her favourite teddy.

Even looking at her was enough to calm me, helping me to slip into a tranquil state as I saw her chest gently rise and fall from quiet snores. I was so lost in thought as I traced gentle circles on the sleeping girl's arm, barely noticing Melody as she nudged me. I frowned, following her gaze to a nearby TV.

Phil was sat where Bakshi usually sat, a determined look in his eyes. "As you all know," he said, "A Hydra facility was destroyed yesterday. Hydra told you that it was an act of terrorism. They told you an Inhuman named The Patriot murdered civilians. What they told you was a lie. We're gonna show you what really happened"

A video appeared on the screen, a person approaching a building with the camera attached to them. "This footage was taken from the body cam of a high-level Hydra operative" he explained.

Children in beige uniforms ran down dark stairwells, bruised and bloodied as they fled for their lives. I glanced over at Harry, sighing in relief when I saw that he was fast asleep.

"Hydra used this Enlightenment Centre to brainwash anyone who dared to question them," a man was shown holding up a large piece of rubble and I lowered my head for a moment in remembrance, "Jeffrey Mace saved these people, but Hydra was willing to kill them just to maintain their lie. Once you see this footage, the truth is undeniable. Hydra doesn't think we're smart enough to know when we're being fed alternative facts to keep us afraid, to keep them in power. Even Captain Hydra himself was used as a puppet, brainwashed into obeying their every command.

"Remember, there are more of us than there are of them. And now that we know the truth, we have a choice to make. And now that we know the truth, we have a choice to make. We all have the opportunity to be patriots. Will you take a stand? Are you going to hold them accountable?

"Throughout history, we've seen villains rise and fall from power. Hydra was corrupt from the start. They were founded by the Nazis, a fact that they have desperately tried to cover up to keep your support. A wise man once told me that a person can do anything once they realise they're a part of something bigger, it's taken me a while to understand that.

"For years, I was just a face in the crowd. A history teacher who spread Hydra's lies. They seemed too imposing for any one person to fight. But now... I'm choosing to stand up, to become a part of something bigger. I really do believe that together, we can accomplish anything. Because the truth is... I'm not just a history teacher. My name is Phil Coulson and I'm an agent of SHIELD"

The excited buzz in the room grew and grew into a cheer of triumph. I winced a little at the noise and tried to soothe the girl in my arms, chuckling softly as I watched people celebrate. It was hard to believe that they were the same dreary, despairing, displaced figures that had hunched down in quiet surrender to their oppressors, despite their rescue from that deadly clutch. They were something different, they had hope, they were alive.