ΣΙΓΜΑ and Avengers Phase I

Chapter II: Won by Soldiers

Director Fury stands in the meeting room talking to all of the council members. They contacted him electronically immediately upon hearing about the direction Nick is taking to handle this new threat of Loki. They personally do not think assembling a group of super powered humans is the best way to go about the situation.

"This is out of line, Director. You're dealing with forces you can't even hope to control." One of the council members argues.

Nick refuses to back down. He knows he needs to do this, and these people will not stop him. This is the only way to win. "You ever been in a war, councilmen? Did you feel an overabundance of control?"

"Are you saying this Asgard has declared war on our planet?" Another councilman speaks up, mistaking Nick's question as a declaration of war.

"Not Asgard. Loki." Nick clears up the misunderstanding. He knows after Loki's last betrayal on the king of Asgard and on Thor, that the Asgardian won't be accepted so easily back into the society of the planet he put in harm's way.

But the answer to one question always forms new ones. Yet another council member brushes her short hair behind her ear and asks, "He can't be working alone. What about the other one? His brother."

"Our intelligence says Thor is not a hostile. But he's worlds away, we can't depend on him to help." Nick looks at each council member in the eyes. "It's up to us."

The first councilman thinks up another way to avoid assembling the group of dangerous people. "Which is why you should be focusing on Phase II. It was designed specifically for-"

"Phase II isn't ready. Our enemy is." Nick cuts off the member, knowing this topic was coming up soon. "We need a response team."

"The Avengers Initiative was shut down!" The first councilman argues back.

"This isn't about the Avengers." Nick keeps his cool, knowing he's got this wrapped up. All the loopholes are closed, there is no other way to take Loki's threat. The Avengers must assemble.

The first councilman isn't so easily persuaded though, and he argues back even further. "We're running the greatest covert security network, and you're going to leave the fate of the human race to a handful of freaks."

"I'm not leaving anything to anyone. We need a response team." Nick thinks of every one of his recruits individually, and he knows he needs them to fight, especially since Phase II isn't ready yet. "These people may be isolated, unbalanced even, but I believe with the right push, they can be exactly what we need."

"You believe?" The third council member asks, looking for a confirmation of Nick's beliefs.

"War isn't won by sentiment, Director." The first councilman seals his argument.

But, Nick has one last trick up his sleeve. "No, its won by soldiers."

***

A boxing ring sits empty except for its one occupant. A man is pummeling a boxing bag, his muscles glistening with sweat. It's the man out of time, whose name is Steve Rogers, more known to the public as Captain America. It's been about a year since he woke up from his seventy year nap, but the memories are still as clear as the ice that kept him captive.

Flashbacks haunt his mind with every punch of the bag. One moment he is in 2012, and the next he is back in World War II.

Captain America is running through the forest, dodging bullets, enemy vehicles, and the Tesseract's energy firearms. His best friend, Bucky Barnes, runs by his side, but at the next turn, he is nowhere to be seen.