"Join S.H.I.E.L.D., they said. It'll be fun, they said." Funny how no one ever mentioned kidnapping one of their officers while the whole world is on the brink of danger. I'm currently rethinking every life decision I've ever made as we hide behind a wall, waiting for Sitwell to leave the building. "Have I mentioned how ridiculously stupid this plan is?" I ask, directing my question to Steve and Nat, who are standing beside me. This is bound to go wrong. "Language," Steve scolds me, and I raise my eyebrows at him. Seems like he hasn't quite given up on that yet. "If you have a better idea, I'm all ears," Nat says with a smirk, knowing full well I don't. If anyone spots us here, we're as good as dead. Steve rolls his eyes. I really hope this plan includes me getting a chance to hurt Sitwell at some point.
I glance over at Sam, who's sitting at a café table. I just hope he doesn't get hurt. The building's doors open, and among all the S.H.I.E.L.D. officers—each of whom could be Hydra—I spot Sitwell. The plan is to call Sitwell using Alexander Pierce's name, giving him orders he can't ignore. Sam lifts his phone, and we listen to the whole conversation through mine. "Here we go," I whisper, goosebumps spreading across my skin. From this point on, we're walking on very thin ice. Sitwell picks up immediately—how could he not when "Alexander Pierce" is displayed on his screen?
"Hey, Sitwell, how was lunch? I hear the crab cakes are to die for," Sam starts casually. I press my lips together to keep from laughing as I see Sitwell's bewildered expression. This is way too amusing for a life-or-death situation. "Who is this?" Sitwell asks, clearly confused. If only he knew. "The handsome guy in sunglasses at your 10 o'clock," Sam replies. I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head. That was definitely a boost for Sam's ego. Sitwell looks around—oh God, not that way. "Your other 10 o'clock," Sam corrects, exasperated. Finally, Sitwell looks in the right direction. There we go. "There you go," Sam confirms, his grin audible in his voice. Sam lifts his glass and toasts to Sitwell. "Now, take a right, and go around the corner. The gray car in the second spot. We're going for a little ride," Sam instructs, his smile probably growing even wider. Great, now I have to sit in a car with this guy... Can I just walk?
"And why would I do that?" Sitwell asks, feigning calm. He feels safe with all the soldiers around him, but I can hear a hint of panic creeping in. Rightfully so—he should be scared. I aim a red laser pointer at his tie. No one needs to know it's not from a sniper rifle, though honestly, I'd prefer a sniper right now. "Because your tie looks expensive, and I'd hate to ruin it," Sam replies. Sitwell glances down at his tie and then looks around. We've won. He gives in, turns, and walks in the direction Sam instructed. If only he knew we were waiting for him.
He barely rounds the corner before Steve grabs him by the collar. Someone's mad. We use Sitwell's key to get into the building next to us, and Steve drags him all the way up the fire escape to the roof. Once there, Steve throws him to the ground, and Sitwell scrambles to crawl away, trying to put some distance between us, like that's going to help. I'll give him a point for effort, though. "Tell us about Zola's algorithm," Steve demands as Sitwell tries and fails to stand up. How can someone be so uncoordinated? I almost start laughing when I see his pale face. He doesn't look so tough now. "Never heard of it," he replies, slightly out of breath, as we continue to approach, forcing him closer to the edge. Bullshit. "What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" I throw at him, and now he looks at me in shock. He's never liked me. "I was just seasick; I always get seasick," he tries to dodge my question. He's getting dangerously close to the edge now. If I were him, I'd start talking. "That's not an answer," I reply coldly. Just as he's about to fall, Steve grabs his collar, pulling him back. Too bad. "Does this little show mean you're going to throw me off this roof? That's not really your style, Rogers," Sitwell says, trying to appeal to Steve's honor. Oh, Sitwell, how can you be so high up in the intelligence business and yet so naive? But he's right—it's not Steve's style. But it is mine. "You're right. It's not my style, but hers," Steve says before stepping aside. My time to shine. I kick Sitwell square in the chest and send him flying off the roof. Today's turning out to be a pretty good day.
"Finally, he's quiet," I say, savoring the moment, though I know it won't last. "Hey, what about that girl from the bookstore? Lora?" Nat asks suddenly, and I seriously consider jumping off the roof to escape this conversation. "The one with the piercing?" Steve asks, confused. Here we go again. "Yeah, she's cute." I'm seriously tempted to throw her off the roof too, but she's lucky I love her. "Yeah, I guess," Steve replies, clearly not giving the answer Nat was looking for. Thankfully, Sam flies in at that moment, and I'm more than grateful that this conversation is cut short. Unfortunately, he brings Sitwell back with him. I'm not sure what's worse. Sam drops Sitwell onto the roof. "Couldn't we have just let him fall?" I ask, and Sitwell looks at me like I've grown six extra arms. I flash him my sweetest smile and wave. He's always thought I was crazy. He's right. Sam lands beside me. "Unfortunately, we still need him. What happens to him after, though? That's another story."
As we approach Sitwell, he raises a hand in surrender. Well, look at that. He's ready to talk. "Zola's algorithm is a program to select targets for Insight," he says, gasping for breath. "What kind of targets?" Steve asks, louder this time. Yeah, our Captain's starting to lose his patience. Sitwell's wheezing like an asthmatic hippo, and I really want to throw him off the roof again for taking so long. "You, a TV anchor in Cairo, the deputy defense secretary, a high school valedictorian, any threat to Hydra. Now and in the future." All the blood drains from my face. "Those bastards..." I mutter under my breath. Wait. Future? "Future? How does it know that?" I ask, stepping closer to him. He starts to laugh. Is he losing it? This little weasel actually has the nerve to laugh right now. "How could it not?" he spits back at me. I look at the others, and they're as shocked as I am. "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it." We all fall silent. Zola's been helping Hydra even decades after his death. The man was a brilliant abomination. "Your bank records, medical history, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, even your damn SAT scores," Sitwell continues. With every word, I feel the heat rising, and my heart races. "Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future." My mouth is dry. My throat feels like I've swallowed a bucket of sand. The shock on all our faces is palpable. Hydra knows everything about us. They've known since we were born. They know us better than we know ourselves. They know more about our lives than we can even remember. Do they know my past too, the part I can't even remember? "And then what happens?" Steve asks him. I already know. Then they start killing everyone on the list who poses a threat. "Then, Insight begins, and people start getting removed from the list," Sitwell answers.
We have to stop them, or we'll all be dead soon.
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I never liked Jasper Sitwell from the moment I saw him in the movie. Even before it was clear that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., he annoyed me to no end. So, it was extra satisfying to let Elora have a bit of schadenfreude (just a little).
Tomorrow's the day ;) We meet the Winter Soldier, and I just hope I can do justice to the highway scene from the movie.
Criticism, suggestions, and ideas are always welcome in the comments.
See you soon!<3
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Who the hell am I (english version)
FanficUPDATES EVERY DAY AT 5 PM! She remembers nothing. Where did she come from? What happened? How did she get here? Where is her family? In short: she doesn't know. For two years, Elora has wandered, never staying in one place for long. Always searching...
