Captured // A Winter Soldier Story

chapter eighteen // fury

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"A warning to the people,
the good and the evil-
this is war."
-This is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars

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reyna's point of view

The next morning, I stood in front of the entrance to S.H.I.E.L.D. The clear sliding doors embellished with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo stared back at me, daring me to enter even though I had told myself months ago that I'd never step foot in this building again.

Steve glanced at me before standing in front of the eye scanner.

"Greetings, Mr. Rogers," the mechanized voice said as it recognized his eye and the doors slid open. I took a deep breath and followed Steve inside, with Bucky and Nat on my heels. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face this place again, but as it turned out, that apparently wouldn't be my biggest problem.

The second Bucky walked through the door, the alarms began blaring like crazy. Just a few seconds after the alarms started going off, a dozen heavily armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rounded the corner. Their guns were held high as they charged Bucky, who stood with his arms raised in surrender and a tired look on his face. I felt myself growing angry at what these people were doing to him- didn't they understand that it wasn't his fault?

"Get on the ground!" The man in the front shouted, and Bucky complied, kneeling on the floor with his hands on his head, staring up at the ceiling blankly. He didn't want to make the situation any worse, and to a certain extent I understood that, but it still made me angry that he was willingly listening to these people. He shouldn't have to listen to them. He didn't deserve to be looked down upon like that. I almost stepped in, but Steve beat me to the punch.

"Lower your weapons!" Steve yelled immediately, moving to stand in front of Bucky. The soldiers promptly complied, not daring to defy Captain America. The man in the front, the obvious leader of the group, was the only one who didn't back down. He instead stared at Steve defiantly.

"Step aside, Rogers. That man is a criminal," he hissed. Steve didn't move.

"He is not a criminal, and if you want him, you'll have to go through me."

The man hesitated, and when he caught sight of his soldiers behind him, all with their weapons down, he lowered his as well. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Nick Fury suddenly appeared from around the corner and eyed the four of us. I inhaled sharply.

"Did you really think you could just walk into S.H.I.E.L.D. with the most wanted man in history, Rogers? At this rate, you're lucky your friend wasn't shot on sight for all the crimes he's committed," Fury sighed, walking casually towards us. I could hardly even see Fury over the broad expanse of Steve's back, but I'd recognize that damned eye patch anywhere. Bucky slowly rose to his feet beside me, his stance guarded and tense, anxiously awaiting a fight. He'd been down this road before. I watched as his sad, well-trained eyes searched for escape routes, and realized, again, just how little the world cared for this man.

How cruel is the universe we live in that it would let such a beautiful person suffer so greatly?

Suddenly I couldn't take it anymore, and I shoved Steve to the side, my face red with rage as I approached Fury.

"He's not a criminal, and if anyone treats him like he is less than a human again, I'll rip their tongue from their filthy, condescending mouth and shove it somewhere they'll never find it," I hissed, seething as I moved past Steve and walked right up to Fury. The room was silent as everyone eyed me warily, unsure of how to respond to my red hot anger. Fury's eyes narrowed.