𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 - 𝐁. 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒

003

    TWO WEEKS LATER

TONY STARK sat at the head of a wooden table, an annoyed expression on his face. He did not want to be pulled in on this mission, and yet here he was, sitting in some random cement fort with an injured Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers and some man with wings. Not to mention that Fury's right hand Maria Hill was also there, a worried expression on her face.

"So are you like a seagull of some kind?"

"Tony," Steve warned, his eyes flicking to the billionaire who huffed in annoyance.

"They cut you open, your heart stopped," Natasha said, looking at Fury as a doctor wrapped the bullet wound on her shoulder.

"Tetrodotoxin B," Fury said from where he was sitting, his arm in a sling. "Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress and it didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us," Steve questioned, shifting his gaze from Tony who was still sitting at the head of the table, his jaw clenched.

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful," Maria responded.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust," Fury said, picking up a photo of him and Alexander Pierce. "This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, 'Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility.' See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch," Nat said, looking up, voice slightly shaky from the amount of blood she lost on the ride over.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore," Fury quipped, opening a case that held three chips inside.

"What's that," Sam Wilson, the man Tony didn't know, questioned.

"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized," Maria explained.

"We need to break into those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Fury continued.

"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die," Maria said, piggybacking off of Fury.

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers are HYDRA. We need to get past them, insert the server blades and maybe, just maybe we can salvage what's left," Fury said, but Steve cut him off, his voice harsh.

"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing to do with it," Fury tried to argue, his gaze flicking towards Tony who had still not said anything other than to throw shade at Sam.

"You gave me this mission," Steve said, his voice firm as he looked at the director. "This is how it ends. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been compromised, you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave," Fury questioned. "I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did," Steve snapped.

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes."

"And even if you had, would you have told me, or would you have compartmentalized that too? S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, it all goes."

Maria looked towards Fury, nodding slightly. "He's right."

Fury's eyes travelled around the room, landing on Sam who just shrugged at the director. "Don't look at me," he said. "I do what he does, just slower." He motioned towards Steve, causing Tony to roll his eyes from the corner.

"Well," Fury said, an air of reluctance to his voice. "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

Tony finally spoke up, leaning forwards from where he was sitting. "Why am I here, Nick?"

Fury's eyes flickered towards Maria who just nodded her head in reassurance, confusing Tony.

"Three weeks ago I went to see your sister," Fury said, his words sending shockwaves through Tony's body. They all watched as he tensed at the mention of his younger sister, but Fury continued speaking anyways. "I asked her to come work for me, for S.H.I.E.L.D and she agreed. She works in a lab four times the size of the one she has in her house and she does... research for me."

Tony's glare was sharp, his eyes zeroed in on the director, anger flaring through him. "You recruited my baby sister to S.H.I.E.L.D. and didn't tell me?"

"You haven't spoken to her in three years and she's a thirty-one year old woman with the right to make her own choices without her big brother breathing over her shoulder every second," Fury retorted, only fueling Tony's anger more as he stood up, pushing himself away from the table as he glared at the director.

"I told you that I didn't want her involved in this life," he shouted, eyes ablaze. "It's too dangerous for her!"

"She deserved to make her own choices," Fury responded, his own voice holding a hint of anger as Natasha, Steve and Sam watched.

Natasha knew that Annabeth had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. She had been one of the first to find out when Clint had called her saying that he had met 'younger Stark' and that she was 'feistier than Tony.' Of course, she had told Steve. They both wanted to meet Annabeth, but the reaction from Tony was not one that they had been expecting.

He had never talked about his sister and they had never pried. It seemed to be a sore topic, and clearly it was.

"That wasn't your choice to make," Tony shouted back. "I swore to protect her after my parents died and her joining S.H.I.E.L.D. just puts a bigger target on her back than there already was!"

"Tony she's a valuable asset," Maria said, stepping in as the billionaire's angry glare went to her. "She fits in well and she loves it."

"What's she even doing for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Steve questioned. Despite already knowing that Annabeth was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Clint didn't tell them if he knew what she was working on. He had only said that she was working in the lab.

"Yeah," Tony said, turning his angry gaze back on Fury. "What is she working on?"

"Recreating the super-soldier serum," Fury said, his voice level. "Her work is on a secure software, which means when S.H.I.E.L.D. 's information is leaked when we take HYDRA down, the things she is working on will stay safe. Nobody will know."

"But Pierce knows she works there," Tony hissed out. "You put her in danger, and if she gets hurt I will never forgive you."

"She'll be fine," Maria assured. "The minute Fury was shot I had her transferred out of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and to a secure location."

"Where," Tony questioned, his tone demanding.

"I can't tell you that until this is over," Fury said, his voice set. He wasn't going to change his mind no matter how angry Tony got. "Her safety is my number one priority, you aren't the only one that cares about her, Tony."

Tony's glare was harsh as silence fell over the cave.

"I hope you know what you're doing, because if she gets hurt, that's on you."

"I know," Fury said, his voice soft.

He knew what he was doing, at least he hoped he did. He knew that Annabeth would be safe until this entire situation was dealt with and Pierce was dead. The second that happened, he would let Clint know it was safe to bring Annabeth to the Avengers Compound.

They just had to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. first.