Dancing with Embers - Book Two (Winter Soldier)

11. Revenge of the Tormented

Chapter eleven:

*I just don't want to die without a few scars.*

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Natasha's bright red hair was visible from the air as the helicopter Fury and I were in made its way to the Triskelion. My heart had started to beat a little faster in my chest, due to both nerves and anger. I was anticipating seeing Pierce again and I was anticipating killing him even more.
The chopper landed smoothly and soon Fury was leaning over and pulling the door open. He stepped out, his long black coat flapping in the wind the propellers were making. I quickly followed, almost as if I was a little kid who was finding comfort behind her parent's leg. I did feel safer with Fury with me, especially if the Triskelion was now crawling with HYDRA.

The look on Pierce's face when he first saw me was something that I would never forget. If it were possible, I would have re-lived that moment a hundred times over. He glazed over Fury as if he was expecting him, and then looked at me. At first there was the smallest amount of confusion. He obviously didn't recognize me right away. He was a busy man, I didn't expect him to instantly recognize me, but I could tell the exact moment when he realized who I was. His eyebrows raised ever so slightly, the lines around his mouth clearing up as he grimaced. I suspected the cold glare I was shooting at him was only helping to frighten him. But Pierce wasn't a man that freely showed emotion.

"Did you get my flowers?" Pierce's attention was quickly back on Fury as the two of us entered the meeting room from the outside. At the question, Fury glared at Pierce and didn't respond. Pierce turned to me then and inclined his head towards my face.
"And I see you have had a run-in with Sergeant Barnes, Miss Jay."
My hand came up to touch the drying blood on my check that Bucky had indeed been responsible for. I dropped my hand as quickly as I had raised it and resumed my furious demeanor.
"And I see you haven't gotten any younger since the last time we met."
Behind Pierce, Natasha's mouth curled upwards ever so slightly at my childish retort. I knew it didn't bother Pierce, but it made me feel a little better nonetheless.

"I'm glad you're here, Nick." Pierce turned to look back at the Director.
"Really? Because I thought you had me killed." Fury replied.
"You know how the game works."
Fury was silent for a second.
"So why make me head of SHIELD?" He finally asked.
"Because you are the best and most ruthless man I have ever met." Was the answer.
"I did what I did to protect people."
"Our enemies are your enemies, Nick. Disorder, war, chaos." Pierce began trying to reason with Fury. I scoffed and took a slow step towards Pierce.
"You can't talk about common enemies when you're the one holding a loaded gun to twenty million innocent people."
My voice was cold and steady, just like Nat had originally taught me. Pierce slowly turned to look at me. He was acting as if he hadn't actually expected me to say anything.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that, Kindle." He told me with the same calculating look on his face that he had first used on me the first time we met.
"Why? You think after all this time I would actually be on your side?" I let out a humorless scoff of laughter. "Those twenty million people might be worth sacrificing for seven billion others. But what happens twenty years from now when someone else shows up as a potential threat? This cycle is going to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. And in a decade you will have killed almost a billion innocent people for no other reason then their SAT scores being too high. Many people would stick that under dictatorship."
Pierce watched me as I spoke and by the time I was finished, I wanted to knock him out even more. If that was even possible.

"This is the next step, Kindle." Pierce's tone of voice didn't change. "Diplomacy and holding action is just a band-aid. You don't ask, you just do what has to be done. And you have to have the courage to take this step."
"No." Fury said coldly as he grabbed Pierce by his arm. "I have the courage not to." The Director walked Pierce over to the rental scanner that was on the digital screen in the middle of the room. Natasha cocked a gun and pointed it at Pierce in case he tried anything. Not to be outdone, I did the same thing.
The other members of the World Security Council were watching the four of us as we went about our business. I turned my head to the side slightly and saw the confused, worried, and even scared faces they all wore.
I blinked and turned back to Fury and Pierce.