The Winter Soldier

Project Insight

SHIELD Headquarters

Elise, clad in suit pants and blazer with heels, sat in front of Fury's desk. Their relationship wasn't the best; but they were working on it. Although, they couldn't get past the huge issues in their relationship, the smaller problems made it easier to be in his presence and not let her mood get down.

For the past couple of months when everyone around her noticed the light changes in her, he started questioning when she would go back into the field missions. She was partially happy but he knew she was more happy when she was out doing missions that didn't involve sitting in her SHIELD office by a computer. "When do you think you'll be ready to get back out there?" He asked her.

He knew the reason why. She couldn't trust her other person, Azria Curse. She couldn't trust herself if she let her out longer than necessary. There was a time when she had no control over Azria and Azria destroyed everything that she touches. But, as much as she didn't trust Azria, she knew she needed her. Two years ago in the battle in New York, she almost lost Azria because she was using more of her powers than she was used to. The black veins almost made it to her heart and her and Azria would've been dead.

It traumatized her. It did. That's why she decided to put her gear up for awhile and wear heels. She couldn't lose her other person by wearing heels.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm fine where I'm at." She scratched the back of her ponytail with her black gloves.

"But, I want you to be more than just fine."

"When have you started wanting anything for me?" She snapped before looking at his complicated expression then sighed. "Sorry, force of habit." She apologized before clearing her throat. "I'm satisfied with my office. I needed a break from the super crap. And, honestly, I don't know if I'm ready to jump back in. I need a good reason to."

Before he could respond, his office door opened and Steve walked inside. "You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"

"I didn't lie." Fury replied before standing to his feet from his desk. "Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours."

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

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

"Those hostages could've died, Nick." Elise couldn't help but to feel like if she was there that wouldn't have been the case.

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

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

"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."

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

Elise stood to her feet while they were arguing and walked over to the elevator. "It's called compartmentalization, Steve. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all." She chimed in.

"Except him." He responded to her while they walked over to the elevator as well.

Elise pressed the button as the doors opened before stepping in. "You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that." Fury said before stepping into the elevator with Steve following behind him. "Insight bay."

The SHIELD computer voice said "Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight."

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

Elise leaned against the wall with her arms folded. "Confirmed." The computer said before the elevator started moving down.

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

"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." Elise listened as Fury told Steve the story. She didn't know much about her great grandfather. She only knew the stories that were told to her. He had long past before she was born.

"Did he ever get mugged?"

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

"What did he do?"

Elise answered for Fury. "He'd show 'em. Bunch of crumpled ones and a loaded .22 Magnum."

Fury smiled. "Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much." As they continued to ride down the elevator Steve noticed the giant Helicarriers. "Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a .22." They got off of the elevator before Fury showed Steve around.

Elise just trailed behind quietly before feeling the need to tell Steve. "This is Project Insight. Three next generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites."

"Launched from the Lemurian Star."

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

"Stark?"

"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."

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

"We can't afford to wait that long." Said Fury.

"Who's "we"?"

"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."

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

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

"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."

"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."

"Don't hold your breath."

Steve turned to walk away but Elise grabbed his arm. "Find me if you need anything." He nodded his head and walked off.