Rogers' Sister

s i x t e e n

Fury was sat at the table, looking at a photo of his old friend who had just been revealed to have betrayed him, Alexander Pierce.

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize, he said 'peace wasn't an acheivment, it was a responsibility'," Nick tossed the picture on the table. "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch," Natasha said. 

"I don't think the council's accepting my calls anymore," Nick said, opening what looked like a gun case, but it actually held three SD-card-looking devices. 

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Once the helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate within site satellites, becoming fully weaponized," Maria replied, showing a laptop that had a model of that exact thing taking place. 

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Nick informed.

"One or two won't cut it, we need to link all three carriers for this to work. Because if even one of those ships remain operational a whole lot of people are gonna die," Maria added.

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We just have to get passed them and insert the server blades and then maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left-" Steve cut Nick off.

"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down teh carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD," Steve said sternly. 

"SHIELD had nothing to do with this," Nick argued.

"You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you said it yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed," Steve said.

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed," Nick said, very visibly annoyed with Steve at the present time. 

"How many paid the price before you did?" Steve asked, prving his point. Alexis sighed, her eyes on the ground. She had been a member of SHIELD for almost eighty years, she let this happen. Nick looked side to side.

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes," he said. Alexis' eyes snapped up, glaring daggers at the man in front of her as she pointed at him.

"No, you don't get to say that. You did know, I told you years ago that I thought it was him. SHIELD knew a lot of things, but you refused to believe that I was telling the truth," Alexis said, close to yelling as anger swelled in her. Steve looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

"That's why you left," Nick said, realization dawning on him. Alexis nodded, the glare still over her eyes.

"Yeah, because it was important to me and would be to Steve but neither of you believed me. I could see why Steve didn't, he had watched his friend die right in front of him. But you, you knew about the experiments HYDRA was performing and that it was dang well possible that he could still be alive," she said. She put her finger down, her eyes softening.

"But, now is not the time," she said. "Steve's right. SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes."

"They're right," Maria said. Nick looked to her, the woman nodding. He looked to Natasha, but she just leaned back in her chair, showing her agreement with the look on her face. He looked to Sam.

"Hey, don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower," Sam said, talking about Steve. 

"Well," Nick started. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at Steve. "Looks like you're giving teh orders now Captain." 

--

Steve stood on the bridge, looking out into the green surrounding. Sam and Alexis looked at each other.