Shadows in the Light
Celeste barely had time to breathe before they were on the move again. Their names were compromised, their safety shattered. Steve was still reeling from the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infested with HYDRA, but she could see the steel settling into his spine. He had faced enemies before. He would face them again.
The ride to New Jersey was tense, the weight of the flash drive in Steve’s pocket pressing down on all of them. Celeste sat in the back of the stolen car, fingers tapping anxiously against her knee as she gazed out the window. The world outside blurred past, but her mind was stuck in the past.
HYDRA. It was always HYDRA.
When they arrived at the abandoned military base, a cold sense of familiarity washed over Celeste. This place held ghosts. The walls whispered memories of training, of long nights huddled with the Howling Commandos, of a time when war had been simpler. She exchanged a look with Steve, knowing he felt it too.
Natasha took the lead as they searched through the remains of what was once a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Dust-covered filing cabinets, rusting metal desks, and forgotten technology surrounded them. But it wasn’t until Steve found the secret passage beneath the floorboards that Celeste felt the air shift.
They descended into the belly of the past, following the corridors until they reached a small control room. Screens flickered to life, and a familiar voice crackled through the speakers.
“Ah. Captain Rogers. Miss Vale. How nice of you to join me.”
Celeste’s blood ran cold.
Arnim Zola.
His face, distorted and flickering across the monitor, was just as unsettling as she remembered. But this wasn’t the same man they had once fought. No, HYDRA had preserved him, reduced him to something else. A consciousness inside a machine.
“You have come seeking answers,” Zola continued, his voice rasping. “But I suspect you will not like what you find.”
Steve’s jaw tightened. “You’re HYDRA.”
Zola gave a mechanical chuckle. “HYDRA was founded on one simple principle: order. When you cut off one head—”
“Two more take its place,” Celeste finished, her voice laced with bitter understanding.
Zola continued without missing a beat. “S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA are two sides of the same coin. An organization founded to protect, infiltrated from the start. While you were sleeping, Miss Vale, HYDRA was growing. While you were adjusting to your new world, we were shaping it.”
Celeste felt something tighten in her chest. Everything they had fought for—everything they had believed in—was tainted.
And then the missiles launched.
“RUN!” Steve’s voice cut through the paralysis, and the three of them sprinted for their lives. The facility shook, dust and debris raining from above as explosions tore through the underground bunker. Celeste reached for Steve’s hand, gripping it as they dodged falling rubble, Natasha close on their heels.
They barely made it out in time. Fire licked at the edges of their escape, the remnants of the past crumbling into dust behind them. Celeste coughed, trying to shake off the shock, the revelations, the sheer weight of it all.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had never been S.H.I.E.L.D.
And now, the world was against them.
She met Steve’s gaze, saw the storm raging behind his eyes. They had no home, no allies.
Only each other.
And they weren’t going down without a fight.