UNKNOWN GUEST

#37 Backup Of The Backup

I slowly came back to my senses as the tape was removed from my mouth. My head was spinning, and I could barely make out my surroundings. I half-expected this to be the end, thinking someone had brought me here to finish the job. But then, the blindfold came off, and the sudden flood of light nearly blinded me.

"Good morning," a voice said, and I turned to my side, squinting against the light. There, lying in a bed just a few feet away, was Fury. His head, chest, and hands were all heavily bandaged, but there he was, alive.

So, this is where Fury had been hiding. I couldn't help myself; I had to crack a joke. "We're not meeting in the afterlife, are we?" I asked, my voice a bit hoarse.

Fury raised his good eye at me, shaking his head. "Not yet, kid."

Just then, two men walked in, followed by Agent Hill. I instinctively tried to wave at her but quickly realized my arms felt like they were made of lead. Pain shot through them as I winced. Hill noticed and immediately snapped, "Don't move. You're a real troublemaker, you know that?"

One of the men, who looked like a doctor, came over to me. He gave me a quick glance before focusing on my wounded left thigh. Without much ceremony, he bent down and tore open the trouser leg, exposing the wound. The cold air hitting the injury made it sting, but I bit back the wince, determined not to show too much weakness.

He poured some sort of antiseptic liquid on the wound, and my whole body jerked in response. "Whoa! God damn it!" I blurted out, gritting my teeth against the pain.

"Carry on," I said through clenched teeth, nodding to the doctor.

He acknowledged me with a quick nod and set to work removing the bullet. My fingers dug into the bed frame as I braced myself. Each movement he made sent waves of pain through my leg, but I focused on the task at hand—getting through this in one piece. The whole time, I could feel Hill's eyes on me, a mix of concern and annoyance in her expression.

Once the bullet was finally out, the doctor began bandaging my wound. The pain subsided a bit, replaced by a dull, throbbing ache. As he worked, I turned my head towards Hill. "Who was this Agent-13? I've never seen her before."

Hill let out a sigh, "She was occupied with another mission. I was busy getting the Director here, so when Barton sent me your coordinates, I had her retrieve you."

Hearing that made me sigh in relief. At least Barton's bug had worked as planned. The doctor finished up, and I leaned back against the bed, trying to relax as much as possible. But Fury's voice broke through my momentary peace.

"What did you try to steal?" he asked, his tone suspicious.

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't call it 'stealing.'" It practically was, though, and the look Fury and Hill gave me said they knew it too. I sighed, knowing there was no point in sugarcoating it. "The three satellite targeting blades."

Hill's eyes narrowed in interest. "How did you get access to Project Insight?"

I smirked, trying to deflect a bit. "I'm from the intelligence community, Agent Hill. My job requires me to have access to certain confidential things."

She wasn't impressed and gave me a massive eye roll. Hill turned her attention to Fury and me, her tone more serious. "Captain Rogers and Natasha were hit by a short-range ballistic missile at the old SHIELD base in New Jersey. No update yet."

That was expected. They were probably heading to Uncle Sam's place right about now. I looked between the two of them, realizing it was time to ask the big question. "You guys know the Winter Soldier?"

Hill and Fury exchanged glances, a look of unease passing between them. Fury was the one to answer, suspicion lacing his voice. "Many don't, but we do. How do you know about him?"

I couldn't exactly tell them that I'd heard stories about the Winter Soldier from Mom and Dad in the future. So, I had to think on my feet. "It's a shame you guys have no idea that Secretary Pierce has been using the Winter Soldier like a remote control toy."

The shock was evident in their eyes, even if they tried to hide it. Fury's expression darkened, and Hill's mouth tightened into a thin line. They hadn't expected me to know that.

I suggested, "Cap and Ms. Romanoff are probably alive. What I know is- they're gonna be attacked again. So, you need to 'kidnap' them, just like you did with me."

Hill shook her head with a heavy sigh, clearly understanding the assignment. 

Once Hill was out of sight, busy making plans to rescue Dad and Mom, Fury turned his attention back to me. His gaze was sharp, probing, as he asked, "How did you find out about this link?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that I had to give him a plausible explanation without revealing too much. "Winter Soldier and Pierce? Well, it all started when you got 'assassinated.' The World Security Council scrapped the delay in the launch process and ordered it to proceed immediately. You were portrayed as a traitor to SHIELD, and they even tried to cage Captain Rogers. All of this led me to dig deeper, and I realized how SHIELD had been infiltrated—by Hydra. The organization you thought was dead was actually growing right under SHIELD's nose. And who's the leader of SHIELD after your elimination? It's Pierce."

Fury listened intently, his expression unreadable as I continued, "And more than half the people in SHIELD are Hydra. So, you could say your election campaign is on the verge of getting derailed."

He sighed, leaning back slightly as he processed what I'd said. "Don't worry, kid. I've got backup. It would've been better if you had managed to steal the—well, extract—the targeting blades, but it's okay. We have to replace their blades with ours."

Fury's eyes flicked to another case, identical to the one I'd carried with me into Project Insight. It was clear he had planned for this contingency. Of course, he had. This was Nick Fury, after all. The man always had a backup plan, and then a backup for that backup.

I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, losing track of time. My body was screaming for rest, every muscle aching from the exertion and the bullet wound still throbbing. But even though I was exhausted, my mind wouldn't let me rest. Worry gnawed at me, and thoughts about the situation spun in my head.

I knew who the Winter Soldier was—Uncle Buck, Dad's best friend. The thought of what Dad would feel when he found out tore at me. How do you reconcile the fact that your best friend has become one of your greatest enemies? The idea of it being true was heartbreaking, and I couldn't even begin to imagine how Dad would handle it.

The quiet was suddenly broken by rushed footsteps and murmured voices. I stiffened, realizing they were here. Moments later, I saw them—Mom and Dad, standing at the entrance. Dad had his hand pressed firmly against a wound on Mom's shoulder, his face tight with concern. Uncle Sam was beside them, his face set in a grim expression, while Maria Hill and a doctor hovered just behind, their eyes flicking between Fury and me.

Mom's gaze swept the room and then landed on me. Her eyes widened, a mix of shock and confusion washing over her. She was the first to speak, her voice laced with frustration. "Is there anyone else who's going to make a surprising appearance today?" she muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes narrowing as if she half-expected another revelation.

I cleared my throat, trying to alleviate some of the tension. Before I could say anything, Fury sighed audibly, cutting through the silence with a tired voice. "Nope. Just us two."