Scientific Consultant

A vacation—if you could call it that. It had been more than half a month since Steve Rogers returned to Brooklyn. He had been asleep for seventy years, long enough for the world to change beyond recognition, making it hard for him to adapt.

He still felt the admiration people had for him, as if he were a celebrity constantly in the public eye. This often reminded him of when, before entering the front lines of World War II, he had been a performer, rallying support for war bonds and doing shows.

Even now, seventy years later, the sight of enthusiastic civilians brought back memories of the past—of the people, the events, and the date he missed, one he regretted deeply.

Nick Fury had told him that Peggy Carter was still alive, residing in a nursing home in Britain, but Steve had never gone to see her. He was haunted by guilt over the broken promise he had made to her. She had waited for him for seventy years—a lifetime. And he had failed to keep his promise.

Steve still felt that internal conflict, torn between wanting to see her and fearing to face those brown eyes, now dulled by age and illness, but likely still as clear and pure as he remembered.

Nostalgia always took a toll on his spirit. This was why he tried to distract himself—through learning, training, and working. He attended classes at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy with younger students to catch up on knowledge. He went on missions with field agents, traveling the world to maintain peace.

Then, one day, Nick Fury handed him a set of keys and transfer orders, sending him back to Brooklyn. S.H.I.E.L.D. had purchased his old home, restored it, and transferred him from headquarters to wait in New York.

But the wait dragged on for over half a month, with no assignments given to him.

Every day, Steve would visit the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York office, which was located in a building near Times Square in Manhattan. But for more than two weeks, he did nothing—except train in the gym, read in the library, or wander the city. Even as gang activity clashed with the city government, no S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were ordered to intervene.

Steve's idle routine continued, until today.

At 5 p.m., he left the New York office, as usual, with a takeout dinner in hand, heading back to his old Brooklyn house.

But when he arrived, he immediately noticed a silver sports car parked at the entrance.

And as soon as he opened the door with his key, he spotted a pair of women's sneakers in the entryway.

Both of his parents had passed away long ago, and Steve lived alone. He was the only one with a key, so how had someone entered his house?

His guard went up immediately. However, the woman who had intruded didn't seem to care much about pleasantries.

"You always get home at this time? Guess I came too early," a voice said from the living room.

Hearing the noise at the door, Miss Stark lazily got up from the sofa, the creases on her face showing she had been lying there for quite some time—perhaps even napping.

Steve, still unaware, had no idea that this woman would soon become one of his greatest nightmares.

He recognized her, though. The first time they met was when he had just woken up, escaping S.H.I.E.L.D. containment and running into Times Square. She had been with Nick Fury, saying a bunch of things that confused him.

Later, Fury had introduced her as Howard Stark's daughter.

Their second meeting had been that same night. Steve, Fury, and Howard's daughter had spent hours talking in Fury's office. Though by midnight the two had sent Steve off, he had come to know her then.

Now, Steve couldn't understand why she was here, waiting at his house.

"Sorry for the unannounced visit, but I really need your help," she said, pulling a canvas bag from beside her.

"But before we get into that, I have something for you."

Without a trace of guilt for trespassing, she nonchalantly opened the bag.

That sheer lack of remorse was enough for Steve to confirm—she was indeed Howard Stark's daughter.

The large canvas bag was stuffed, piquing Steve's curiosity.

"I found this in storage. It's been sitting there for decades, so I had it touched up."

With that, she opened the bag and pulled out a red-and-white shield.

"You should take care of it. If it gets scratched, you'll have to pay for the repairs yourself," she said.

It was a circular shield, red and white, with a silver star surrounded by blue at the center.

Steve was more than familiar with it. Seventy years ago, he had wielded that shield on the battlefield, smashing Nazis with it.

Back then, Howard Stark himself had given Steve the shield as a prototype.

Now, seventy years later, Howard's daughter was handing it back to him, creating a sense of déjà vu.

"How fitting," Steve thought, feeling the weight of fate pressing upon him.

"Have you heard about the bombing this morning at the city government's speech site?" Miss Stark asked, watching Steve clutch the shield.

Steve shook his head, and Miss Stark sighed.

"The situation has escalated beyond what the government can control. That's why I'm here."

"As the shield that stands between the people and danger, it's time for S.H.I.E.L.D. to act."

Nick Fury had given Miss Stark full authority to handle the Inner Demons incident in New York. So, she immediately sought out Natasha Romanoff, who was still undercover at Disaster Control, to mobilize S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rapid response forces.

Standing in the doorway, holding his shield, Steve stared at the sleek silver Audi R8 parked outside, looking a bit lost.

"Alright, Captain. Stop spacing out—we've got somewhere to be," Miss Stark said.

"Is that your car?" Steve asked, his surprise evident as he glanced over at her.

Miss Stark smirked.

"Hah, I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. would pay you better, but I guess not. My garage is huge."

"If you come work for me, I'll give you a car—any car you want," she teased with a mischievous grin.

She looked like the devil trying to make a deal, amused by Steve's innocent reaction.

He was still struggling to accept how much the world had changed since he was pulled from the ice.

He likely had no idea that while he was risking his life on the frontlines, Howard had already started building his military empire.

Brooklyn wasn't far from the Brooklyn Bridge, and the drive was smooth, without any traffic. In about twenty minutes, the silver sports car pulled into the underground garage of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York headquarters.

Natasha Romanoff was already waiting for them.

"You're here to greet me in person, Natasha?"

"Well, you're the boss, and I'm just an insignificant assistant," Natasha replied dryly.

Romanoff had been assigned by Nick Fury to protect Miss Stark. As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special consultant, Miss Stark had enough clearance to access most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files.

It was no secret that Fury had placed his best field agent with her, making it clear that Romanoff was also there to keep an eye on her.

Natasha was exceptional—no matter what Miss Stark asked her to do, she completed it efficiently. Besides, having her around was more pleasant than having someone else, so Miss Stark didn't object.

Romanoff never hid the fact that she was investigating the Disaster Control Company as part of her cover. Miss Stark knew this was Fury's way of openly showing her his hand.

What Natasha had uncovered didn't concern Miss Stark—there was nothing to hide.

"Sublevel 4, Operations Division, Command Hall."

"Authorization confirmed."

The elevator's voice interface was dull and lifeless as it descended slowly to Sublevel 4, where the operations command center was located.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York office didn't advertise itself with flashy logos. The building appeared to be owned by a commercial company, and all agents disguised themselves as regular office workers.

The operations command center was buried deep underground for both security and secrecy. Even in the event of a threat, a large team of field agents was always ready to respond.

When Miss Stark arrived at the command hall, the first thing she noticed was Nick Fury's enormous face.

The reason? His face took up the entire five-meter-wide, two-meter-high display screen.

Fury had already handed control of the operation over to Miss Stark, so he wasn't going to show up in person for this mission.

Gathered in the hall were the agents of the rapid response team, all dressed in standard black uniforms, the only distinguishing feature being the light gray eagle emblem on their shoulders—marking them as the rapid response team.

"Captain, Agent Romanoff, everyone's assembled," the team leader, Brock Rumlow, reported.

"I'm not in charge of this mission, Rumlow," Steve replied, shaking his head.

It wasn't until Miss Stark looked closer that she realized the team leader was none other than the infamous Crossbones.

Brock Rumlow—S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Division, Rapid Response Team Commander, and secret HYDRA operative.

Miss Stark recognized him immediately, knowing he would be a key player in HYDRA's future uprising and the eventual fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Ahem—according to the intelligence we've gathered, there's a gang in New York called the Inner Demons," Nick Fury's voice echoed as everyone turned their attention to the large screen.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary mission was to deal with anomalies that shouldn't be seen by the public.

Initially, S.H.I.E.L.D. had refrained from getting involved in the city's gang conflicts, as this was a municipal issue.

However, once the Inner Demons displayed their unusual abilities, it became a matter of concern for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"The Inner Demons possess a form of special energy that poses a serious threat to the city and its residents," Fury explained.

"This mission will be led by Miss Stark as a special consultant, with Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff assisting her."

"As for the Inner Demons members, you have authorization to use lethal force."

Fury, ever the experienced spymaster, kept his briefing short but to the point.

Once his image disappeared from the screen, all eyes turned to Miss Stark, the unfamiliar woman now in charge.

In fact, many of them did recognize her, but it was still a shock to see that the famous face from TV was now one of their own.

"I'm Natasha Stark. Some of you may know me, some may not. But I'm here as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Scientific Consultant, and I'm in charge of this mission," she began.

"These people carry highly unstable negative energy, which they use as a weapon. Before we can begin research, we need to determine whether this instability is causing their self-destruction."

"So, your first objective is to capture a live Inner Demons member."

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