THE MISSION
“This was quite the stunt you pulled there”,he almost hummed,sitting down more comfortably.
All three of them were in a secretive base, far away from anyone too alive to tell. He watched him as he walked slowly towards the table,his eyes too blank to share anything.
“He was in on it- wasn't he? Stark..”,he laughed,having too much fun for his own good. “You really gonna get us all killed,Cap”.
But there was no reply. Steve put his hands on the table,his head lowered down. He took notice of the shades caused by the lighting along his face.
“She's gonna find out,you know. And then she's gonna kill your ass”,he remarked in a steady voice. “..And mine as well while she's at it”.
Steve put his hand on the side of his face; he began pulling away the photostatic veil. His features started changing, and as the wrinkles and the scars faded away into the nano mask, Steve's true face revealed itself to be the one they all knew it to be.
He slammed the nano mask on the table,his fist following along. Fury eyed him carefully, cautiously as he tightened both his fists.
“I had Tony change the coordinates in the last minute”,he whispered.
“Now that- I know”,he stated as he crossed his legs. “The reason for this though, it still is a little blurry to me Cap. Care to explain?”
Maria was in the corner of the room,standing up as if she was studying them both. Steve took notice of her austere glance,but didn't care enough to protest about it.
“Think the world is ready for Captain America to vanish?”,she asked,still keeping her distance.
Steve finally sat down. “I made sure that won't be the case. You'll still have your Captain America,Hill”.
“Wilson,ain't it?”,Fury laughed. “Good choice,Cap”.
Steve turned his head away; he was in no position to make this conversation, but he had no other choice. He was aware of just how this would all go down. This was,after all, his choice.
“I'll be stationed in Belgrade. Undercover,Fury”.
“Yeah,yeah right”,he motioned his hand. “Hill has made all the preparations for you Cap. But you still haven't answered me. And I don't exactly appreciate the secrecy”.
Steve let out a huff,coming out as a bitter,ironic chuckle as he looked at him.
“That's rich coming from you,Fury”.
“Why didn't you follow through?”,he then asked,much to Steve's surprise. “You could have actually done it. Go back in time, be with Carter,live your life. Yet you chose to just make them believe you did. Why is that?”
Steve had no answer for him.
At that time, the walls of the room felt too close. The room itself too small to contain them all inside.
Steve slammed his fist against the table,with enough force to make sure it was heard. For a few moments no one dared to speak to him.
“I was about to start a life with her”,he said in a voice far too low,far too raw. “I planned on proposing..”,he whispered, chuckling bitterly at the irony of the events. “You think I'd be able to just throw it all away and go back in time to live my life after having met someone such as her?”
This caught Maria's attention. Up till now, she didn't really care to find out his reasons. But things had just began getting interesting.
“What changed?”,she asked him, a sly smile beginning to form on her lips.
Steve noticed that, but figured there was no reason to keep avoiding this confrontation. They'd find out,sooner or later.
“Even if I don't tell you..You'll just ask Jessica for assistance. Won't you,Agent Hill?”
Maria smiled and motioned her brows at him.
“Jones still owes me one”,she whispered.
Steve sighed. “You know about her..Before the accident, don't you? About her life?”
Fury knitted his eyebrows. “The Avengers may be the hot stuff,Captain, but i've employed more than a hundred people. Think I learn all their files by heart or something?”,he asked rhetorically, his voice pitched.
Steve huffed out some air. He placed his hand in his pocket, getting a usb flash out. Maria reached his hand,walking closer.
Steve though seemed to be second guessing that decision of his.
“She was a marine corp”,Maria stated,respect shown in her voice seeing how she was one as well,long before joining SHIELD. “Then got to Navy SEALS. Joined one of the first branches of women to be sent to Iraq..”,she pursed her lips. “Impressive,if you ask me”.
Steve lowered his eyes at that. It was impressive.
But this was just on paper. Nobody would have found it all that impressive if they were to know what lied beneath.
About the constant night terrors and the ptsd. The two and a half year plan of inhumane training. The vivid images of Iraq warfare still running and living in Theo's mind.
“Yeah..that's right”,Fury sighed,leaning further back on his chair. “An accident happened on a mission in Iraq. An attack bombing of unknown, unidentified chemicals that gave her the power to manipulate energy”,he chuckled. “We'd been on her ass for,what,three years before she accepted to join the Avengers team. Officially at least. You yourself was sent over to recruit her,Rogers”.
Steve nodded faintly.
Yes, he was in charge of getting her in when Fury figured he'd have enough of Theo's stubbornness. She was joining missions unofficially for three years before agreeing on getting on the team and leave the SEALS.
He finally handed Maria the flash drive. She took in with a pleasant smile on her lips,and went ahead to the computer base laid a few feet in front of them, with the big screens spread on the wall.
“She was married”,he said with a dry throat.
“Really?”,Fury's voice came out high pitched. “Didn't remember that bit..”
Steve raised his head to look at him. His eyebrows knitted together, eyes shooting daggers. Fury himself could swear on his mother, he had never seen Steve Rogers bearing that look on his eyes before.
“Don't bullshit me,Fury. You were the only one who knew”,he said through grunted teeth.
Fury tilted his head, watching Steve cautiously. His expression had never been easy to read, but Steve could see through his facade. Maria herself chose not to partake.
Soon enough, Theo's file was shown on the screens.
“After all...”,Steve breathed out, “You were the one who sent me to kill him”.