The Royal Asgardian

Chapter 28

"Steve..." I try to calm him.

We walk into fury's office at The Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

Steve "You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"

Nick "I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than you guys."

Steve "Which you didn't feel obliged to share."

"It would've helped if we knew the true reason we did this. Not what the news will post." I fold my arms.

Nick "I'm not obliged to do anything."

Steve "Those hostages could've died, Nick."

Nick "I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

Steve "Soldiers trust each other, that's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around and shooting guns."

Nick "The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye. Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

Steve "I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their owns."

Nick "It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."

I mutter  "Except you."

Nick "You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that"

We follow him to an elevator.

Fury steps into an elevator with us following behind him.

Nick "Insight bay."

SHIELD Computer: Captain Rogers and Avinna the Asgardian Princess does not have clearance for Project Insight.

Nick "Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

SHIELD Computer: Confirmed.

Then the elevator starts moving down.

Steve "You know, they used to play music."

"No wonder so many people in the realm is fat. You have these things to move you." I close my eyes and feel the movement of the thing I'm in.

Nick "Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years. My granddad worked in a nice building, he got good tips. He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say "hi", people would say hi back. Time went on, neighborhood got rougher. He'd say "Hi", they'd say, "Keep on steppin'." Granddad got to grippin' that lunch bag a little tighter."

Steve "Did he ever get mugged?"

I opened my eyes.

Nick "Every week some punk would say, "What's in the bag?"

I blurted our "What did he do?"

Nick Smiled at me. "He'd show 'em. Bunch of crumpled ones and loaded .22 Magnum." And He smiles.

"Sick bastard." I mutter.

Nick "Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much."

We continue to ride down the elevator Steve and I notices the giant Helicarriers.

Nick "Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a .22."

Fury starts showing us round. "This is Project Insight. Three next generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites."

Steve "Launched from the Lemurian Star."

Fury "Once we get them in the air they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight courtesy of our new repulsor engines."

I smile "Stark?"

Nick "Well, he had a few suggestions once he got an up close look at our old turbines. These new long range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen."

Steve "I thought the punishment usually came after the crime."

Nick "We can't afford to wait that long."

"You mortals are never honest and true. You are all lairs and have no moral code." I stand tall and proud.

"We do have a code. Just everyone has their own god damn code." Nick smirks.

Steve brings us back "Who's "we"?"

Nick Looks to steve now "After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis. For once we're way ahead of the curve."

He points to me.

Steve "By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection."

Nick "You know, I read those SSR files. Greatest generation? You guys did some nasty stuff."

Steve Looks down. "Yeah, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so the people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear."

Nick "SHIELD takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. It's getting damn near past time for you to get with that program, Cap."

Steve "Don't hold your breath." Then he turns and walks off.

I flip nick off and walked away.