Black Star: HYDRA War

丅𝓔︎𝓷

YOU stare at the body mostly covered in a clean sheet. A part of your brain is stubbornly convinced this is all a nightmare. Nick Fury... dead? It doesn't make sense.

"This sounds stupid, but... I thought he was immortal," you say quietly. "I didn't think he would ever die."

Tony puts an arm around you. "That's not stupid, Lex. Honestly, I kind of thought the same thing."

"I... have to take him," Hill tells you. You've never heard her sound so vulnerable.

"Natasha," Steve says.

There's the sound of footsteps, and you look up to see her storming out of the room. Steve follows her, with you right behind.

"Natasha!"

She stops, whirling around to face Steve. "Why was Fury in your apartment?"

You pause, confused. Apartment?

Steve sighs. "I... I don't know."

But you're pretty sure he does, or can at least guess why.

"Cap!" You and Steve turn around to see Rumlow walking towards you, the S.T.R.I.K.E. team waiting behind him. "They want you back at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Yeah, give me a second."

"They want you now," Rumlow presses.

"Okay." You hear the annoyance in Steve's tone, but you're not sure Rumlow does.

Rumlow returns to the S.T.R.I.K.E. team, and you and Steve turn back to Natasha.

"You're a terrible liar," she tells him before turning and walking away.

You glance at Steve. "You have an apartment?"

"It's not really my apartment... more S.H.I.E.L.D.'s. I go there when Fury needs me to, and he needed me there tonight."

It's not the greatest answer, but you suspect it's the only one you're going to get.

From the other end of the hallway, you hear the faint sound of radio static, then the voice of Jasper Sitwell. "S.T.R.I.K.E. team, escort Captain Rogers back to S.H.I.E.L.D. for questioning."

You glance at Steve. "You were the last one to see him before he got shot, weren't you?"

He nods once. "Go back to Tony and the others. I'll call you as soon as possible and let you know what's going on."

You hesitate, but he glares at you firmly, showing this isn't up for debate. You walk back down the hallway to where the others are, glancing back only once, just in time to see Steve leaning over the vending machine, inspecting it.

★★★★★★

"Fury told me not to trust anyone. I thought he was being paranoid at the time, but now I think he's right."

Just as Steve promised, he called you as soon as he could. As it turns out, the soonest he could was while running away from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"So he knew what was happening with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" you ask.

"Not S.H.I.E.L.D. HYDRA."

"Shit. Did they infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Sitwell, Pierce, even Rumlow," Steve answers. "The S.T.R.I.K.E. team attacked me in the elevator. I think Sitwell ordered the attack."

"So what about Pierce?"

"Questioned me about Fury's death. I didn't give him the information he was looking for, and now he's declared me a fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D."