MIRACULUM 𖤐 THE AVENGERS

15. INSIGHT

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
❛ INSIGHT ❜

"SO, THE QUESTION IS, WHO at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha breaks it down. The three of them were now in Sam's living room, trying to figure out a plan to stop HYDRA.

"Pierce." Steve realizes.

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Natasha adds as she moves to stand closer to where Steve is.

"But he's not working alone." He reasons, "Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

"So was Jasper Sitwell." Natasha turns to him.

With that, Jane breathes out. "So, the real question is, how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?" She concludes.

Before any of them could say anything else, Sam came into the living room holding a file in his hand, "the answer is, you don't." He tosses it onto the table.

"What's this?" Steve narrows his eyes as he stands up as well as the other two in the room.

"Call it a résumé."

Natasha picks up a picture from the file, it's Sam on what seems like a mission. Beside him is a man, blonde, roughly the same height as Sam, who he confirmed as Riley.

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs." Natasha states, "what did you use? A stealth chute?"

"No," he answers as he moves forward to hand Steve a file. "These."

Jane peeks over Steve's shoulders as he opens the first page. "I thought you said you were a pilot." He says, looking back at Sam.

"I never said pilot." Sam smiles, shaking his head.

Steve takes a breath, "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." He states, crossing his arms.

Steve nods in response, seeing no point in arguing further. "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall." Sam replied. Steve looks at Natasha, who shrugs and shakes her head as if it's not a big deal, and then to Jane, who lifts her shoulders in response, following Natasha. The three exchange

"Shouldn't be a problem."

✿

     Jane sees the signal and aims at her target: Jasper Sitwell. The laser from her weapon sits right in the middle of his tie. She's waiting for the others at the rooftop of a building. The plan was to get Jasper Sitwell to disclose any information he has on this situation. Natasha had already briefed Jane on what 'Zola's algorithm' is and how they found it prior to this.

Once he got into the car, Jane sets down her weapon as she reaches into her pocket for a small snack she brought from Sam's house and takes her time while she waits. A couple minutes pass before the door to her right bursts open and Jasper Sitwell is thrown onto the ground. She joins the other two

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm." Steve demands.

"Never heard of it." He answers as he stands up and walks backwards.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"

"I was throwing up. I get seasick." He explains calmly, but everyone present could sense what little nervousness he has. He walked backwards until he stepped on the edge and almost fell off the rooftop before Steve grabs him by his suit.

"Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof?" He asks, smiling as if he knows what is about to happen next. "Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right." Steve lets go of him. "It's not." He strokes his arms. "It's hers." He gave Steve a puzzled look before he moves aside as Natasha kicks him square in the chest off of the roof.

"Oh, wait. What about that girl from Accounting . . ." She starts as she trails off, trying to find the right name. Jane sees that they're still on the topic of finding a love interest for Steve.

"Laura?" Jane adds.

"Lisa . . . ?" Natasha thinks, snapping her fingers.

"Lillian." Steve speaks up, stopping the girls in their thoughts. "Lip piercing, right?"

"Yeah, she's cute." She smiles.

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that." He shuts down.

Soon they hear a scream from the distance. Signaling that Sam has caught the agent and is now delivering him back to the rooftop. Sitwell lands on his stomach as the three walk over to him. He raises his hand to stop Steve from getting any closer.

"Zola's algorithm is a program," he hurriedly says as he catches his breath, "for choosing Insight's targets."

"What targets?"

"You!" He throws his arm around. "A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school Valedictorian in Iowa City," he takes a breath as he mentions every target, "Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA . . . Now or in the future."

"In the future? How could it know?"

Sitwell laughs at the question. "How could it not?" He stands to his feet. "The twenty-first century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." He takes note of their bemused looks. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores! Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Jane inquires, darting her eyes at him.

"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me." He says as he realizes the words he's about to say next.

"What then?" Steve repeats the question.

Steve moves closer towards him as Sam holds him in place. "Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list." He reluctantly says. "A few million at a time."

✿

NOTE: hello! i took an awfully long time on a much needed break, but i'm back! it's been so long and i think my writing style has changed a bit, i hope it's okay though. anyway, thank you so much for waiting patiently! if it weren't for you guys i wouldn't be writing again! x