Psych You Out in the End

12

I begrudgingly followed Gus around the Smithsonian. Ever since Fury moved us to Washington, it's all he's been talking about.

"Why are we here, Gus?" I asked.

"To learn about Captain America." He answered.

"You do know that we are on a team with him. You could literally ask him any questions you have and get a first-hand account of it." I said while rolling my eyes.

Gus ignored my complaints and continued walking through the museum.

We walked into a room that had the original outfits of all the Howling Commandos. On the wall, was a portrait of each member. One face, in particular, caught my eye. It was James "Bucky" Barnes", Steve's best friend. I couldn't help but stop and look.

"Stop staring at Bucky." Gus chastised.

"I'm not staring. I'm... analyzing."

"Right." Gus didn't believe me. "And just what are you 'analyzing'?"

Bucky's face was battle hardened on the wall, but in videos with him and Steve, it was like his eyes lit up.

"Just looking into his eyes," I said, vaguely. "Those steel blue eyes let you know where home is."

I laughed to myself as Gus scoffed and walked away.

My phone vibrating took my attention away from annoying Gus and Bucky's eyes. When I read the contact name I knew that our day of doing nothing was over.

"Mace Windu of the Jedi Council, what's up," I asked.

Ignoring my nickname for him, Fury said, "Cap needs a ride. I'm entrusting you two to get it done."

Without another word, he hung up on me.

Steve POV

Natasha and I had just gotten back from a mission where I was not given all the information. When we arrived back at the Triskelion, I immediately went to Director Fury's office.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" I asked, regarding the information he neglected to tell me.

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

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share," I argued.

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

"Those hostages could've died, Nick." I tried to get him to see my side of this.

"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

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

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

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own."

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

"Except you," I said.

"You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that." Fury said as he led me into an elevator. "Insight bay."

"Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight." The computer responded.

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

"Confirmed."

The elevator began to go down.

"You know, they used to play music," I said, filling in the silence.

"Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years." Fury told me. "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 stepping.' Granddad got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter."

"Did he ever get mugged?" I asked.

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

"What did he do?"

"He'd show'em. Bunch of crumples one and loaded .22 Magnum." Fury told me. "Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much."

I have a feeling that whatever he is about to show me has something to do with this story.

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

"Launched from the Lemurian Star."

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

"Stark?" 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."

"We can't afford the 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," I argued.

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

"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."

I couldn't believe what Fury wanted to do. Project Insight was basically going to bully people into submission. All I've ever wanted to do is help the people that can't help themselves. I've never liked bullies and I will never turn into one.

I exited the Triskelion with Fury not too far behind.

"I hope you don't mind but I called a couple of friends to take you home." Fury said once he reached me. "I think you can trust them."

A small blue car pulled up to us. The passenger side window rolled down and revealed (y/n) and Gus.

"Good morning Director. Collecting donations for SHIELD's ball?" (Y/n) asked.

"We don't have balls." Fury responded.

(Y/n) glanced at Gus before looking back at Fury and me.

"I honestly have no response to that."

"Have fun with them." Fury told me before walking back inside.

I looked at the size of the car and then back to the people inside. This was going to be a long ride.