Dancing with Embers - Book Two (Winter Soldier)

2. So Little Comfort

Chapter two:

*Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.*

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On the flight back I gave Natasha the run down on what had happened in the control room aboard the Star, Rumlow and his STRIKE agents listening in. Rumlow seemed to take the news better than Steve had, he thought that if we had had direct orders from Fury, than it wasn't a problem. The hostages were perfectly safe, after all.
Steve didn't say a single word the entire flight back. He didn't even look over at Natasha or I. By the time the Quinjet had landed in front of the Triskelion, I was starting to get irked by his attitude.

"Steve, you're being ridiculous." I told him as I stepped out of the jet after him. The Captain didn't turn to respond as he strode towards the building. I jogged to catch up with him, not dropping my efforts to make him speak.
"I don't understand why you're acting this way, Director Fury gave Natasha and I strict orders, you would have done the same thing in my position. Why are should acting like things have to go how you planned in order for something useful to happen?"
"Useful? I don't know what your definition of useful is-"
"Useful means 'of use', Steve, and Director Fury needs the information I downloaded so he can use it to-"
"To what? Do you even know why he needs it?"

By now we he entered the huge Triskelion building and Steve was making his way towards the flight of stairs. Natasha and Rumlow had left, along with the other STRIKE agents, probably to deal with their own businesses. Steve and I reached the stairs and I followed the angry Captain up to the second floor. I was slightly out of breath by the time we were past the stairs because Steve was still walking too fast for me to keep up with him just by walking.

"No, I don't know why he needs the Intel." I said like it was obvious. "He's Fury, he doesn't tell anyone a damn thing, you know that."
"That's the problem, Kindle, soldiers need to trust each other."
"I am not a soldier, Steve!" I was upset now. "And this is not a war! And even if it were, I would still be a spy, because spies don't trust each other! That's what makes them spies and not soldiers willing to lay down their lives!"
Steve didn't answer, which was how I knew that he knew I was right. We were now walking down the hallway that led to Fury's office at the same quick pace. People had hurriedly moved out of our way as we quickly walked past, not wanting to get in the way of two angry assassins. Steve reached the door a few seconds before I did and pushed it open without even knocking first.
I walked in after him mostly because I had nothing else to do and also because I wanted Fury to back me up.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Steve asked the Director.
Fury was seated in his desk chair that was turned to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. He looked ready for this talk and I realized he had probably known it was going to happen.
"I didn't lie. Agent Jay and Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours."
"Which you didn't feel obliged to share."
"I'm not obliged to do anything."
"Those hostages could have died, Nick."
"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen." Fury turned his chair around to look at Steve and I with his one good eye. He held his hand out to me and I placed the hard drive into his palm.

"Soldiers trust each other." Steve said, repeating what he had told me a minute ago. "That's what makes it an army, not just some guys running around shooting guns."
"The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye." Fury's words made Steve fall silent. The Director's eye flicked to me briefly before looking back to Steve and continuing.
"Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Jay is comfortable with everything."
I had to admit, that was pretty true.
Steve sighed and placed his hands on Fury's desk. "I can't lead a mission when the people in leading have missions of their own."
"It's called compartmentalization, Steve." I spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."