Spy Games Ch. 16

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

(Triskelion, Washington D.C.)

I stare at STRIKE's team leader in silence for a long moment before saying, "Repeat that for me."

He does so without complaint, "Sir, as ordered we arrived at the facility to flush out the fugitives and force a retreat. Captain Rogers was summarily overwhelmed and would have been easily caught or killed if we had not held back. Agent Romanoff on the other hand was a different matter. She had all of our speed and all of our strength. She broke several necks while securing Captain Rogers and fleeing the area. No fatalities to report sir, everyone was back up and ready to go within an hour."

I'm smiling by the end of this second telling of his report. Ah, I had to wonder when exactly Natasha had taken the plunge. Had she done so in secret long ago, possibly back when I'd first given her and the others my blood during the Chitauri invasion? Or was this a more recent decision, made in response to Fury's supposed death and learning just how deep Hydra reached within her beloved organization.

I'd have to ask her once I was done saving the world again, but I couldn't help be amused. Natasha Romanoff had willingly turned herself into a Hybrid. Letting out a chuckle I wave a hand dismissively and Rumlow turns and leaves Pierce's office. Meanwhile Peggy is looking at me with furrowed brows and a moment later speaks up in that cultured accent of hers, "What has Agent Romanoff done to herself?"

That, along with the female agent uniform she's now wearing really gets me going. God damn, I could have anyone on this planet in my bed, and part of me wanted to just masturbate to the sound of this woman's voice. I'd always been a sucker for the posh accent though, and to be fair it's certainly a tossup between masturbating to her voice or bending her over Alexander Pierce's desk and just fucking her from behind.

Alas, there's work to be done, so I banish my lust for the time being and answer the woman, "Well Samantha, I do believe she's decided that she needs a boost to continue playing in the big leagues. She's used something given to most of the Avengers at the Battle of New York to… even the playing field a bit."

Samantha Carter was the name Peggy was going by for the time being, because I insisted on it and I just loved my references. Peggy Carter had gone missing from her bed after all, and the security cameras at her care facility had mysteriously suffered a lapse during the time of her disappearance. She'd even made the morning news, though whether that was because her sizable impact on history was actually recognize, or because it was a slow news morning, I couldn't tell you.

Thus, we couldn't have a woman wearing a younger Peggy Carter's face actually named Peggy Carter. It might have raised red flags with any number of people when we were so close to finishing this. Samantha Carter wouldn't last long as a disguise either, but considering we were less than a day away from Project INSIGHT launching, Peggy didn't have to stay hidden for long.

Once again I tear myself away from my musings to hear Peggy's response, "Well, I'm surprised she didn't do more than break necks then."

I grin at that, "Indeed, it speaks to the idea that she's rather new still, if she hasn't started ripping hearts out yet."

That idea causes Peggy to go white and even James pales a bit, reminding me that both of them are newborns as well still. Ah well they'll get used to it.

XxScenebreakxX

I receive an alert a few hours later and frown deeply, "James, this will be a lot to ask… but I need you to play the Winter Soldier one more time."

That gets a frown on his face as he stands from his spot, Peggy also standing, now looking concerned. James walks over to see what I'm looking at, "What for?"

I gesture to the screen, which shows Jasper Sitwell being interrogated atop a skyscraper by Steve, Natasha, and some random dude I didn't recognize, "That's why. Sitwell needs to die, leaving him alive and in their hands at this point is far too risky to our plans."

James stares at the screen for a long moment before speaking, "He's Hydra?"

I see a chance to firmly get him on board and give him a serious look, "Sitwell would have been in charge of turning Steve into another Asset, had they succeeded in capturing him."

That gets the fire lit and he nods without another moment of hesitation, "I'll suit up then."

I smile as he leaves and of course Peggy notices, observant as she is and asks bluntly, "Was that the truth?"

I look to her and my smile widens a bit, "Who knows? Pierce planned to make Sitwell his puppet Director for SHIELD once INSIGHT launched. As Director, Sitwell would have had oversight of the project they had planned for Steve. So in a way, yes it was the truth. What matters is that James doesn't hesitate. If he does, people might begin to suspect something's wrong and their Asset is damaged in some way. I don't want any awkward questions right now Sam."

With my piece said I turn back to my computer and watch as Bucky and STRIKE intercept the car on the highway and eliminate Sitwell with extreme prejudice. The element of surprise helps them pull off the assassination, but once Natasha realizes what's happening she reacts. I watch from a bird's eye view as a gun fight breaks out on the highway.

The Black Widow however, has foregone her firearms in favor of her hands and I watch as she uses her physical combat training to great effect in disabling the members of STRIKE despite them all being Hybrids as well. Of course they're still under orders not to actually kill or even capture her, so they're fighting at a rather large disadvantage.

Meanwhile Bucky is fighting a staying action against Steve, clearly not willing to ramp up and risk accidentally hurting Steve. As Natasha finishes off STRIKE though, I intervene and contact Bucky through his earpiece during a slight lull in the battle, "James, Romanoff will be coming at you from behind shortly. You have a distinct advantage on her in speed and strength and this battle needs to end now. Snap her neck and find a way to allow Steve to collect her body and retreat from the battlefield."

My words galvanize him into action and a moment later he's spinning to meet Natasha' blur of speed, ramping up far past what he'd shown Steve he was capable of so far. The clothesline and Natasha's own momentum are what snap her head back and send her to the ground as a crack sounds through the air. A moment later Bucky allows Steve's shield to slam into him as the Captain reacts in rage, propelling him away from Natasha's unmoving body before rebounding back to Steve's waiting arm.

As fast as he can he locks his shield onto his back and scoops Natasha up before retreating hastily. Bucky takes his time getting out of the side of the bus Steve put him in and by the time he does the battle is over and the battlefield silent. I smile and speak again, "Well done James. Return to base, others are on the way to collect STRIKE."

I settle back in my chair, not having missed the flash of jealousy from Peggy when she saw Steve rush to Natasha's defense. Ah, perhaps there's hope for Bucky's dream yet.

XxScenebreakxX

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

(Triskelion, 2 hours before Project INSIGHT launch)

I meet the World Security Council down in the lobby and hand them the biometric badges that Pierce had prepared for them once we'd exchanged introductions. Bucky and Peggy flanked our little group dressed in full gear along with swat helmets to hide their identities. Making small chit chat with the council members, we made our way up to the Council Meeting room to watch the launch in style.

I was following a bit of Pierce's plan and giving a "road hasn't always been smooth" speech along with a toast when the first hiccup showed up. Steve's voice came over the comm and I grit my teeth as I immediately moved over to my computer. I'm beginning to suspect I should have captured Steve and Natasha despite the questions it would have raised.

"Attention all SHIELD Agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth."

He pauses for a long moment as I look over my options, hoping for a way to shut him up before he gets people killed. There isn't, and how stupid is that? Because he's speaking directly from the main comm center, I can't shut him up from the Undersecretary's office. All I can do is sit back and listen to him speak with everyone else.

"SHIELD is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader."

And now the council is staring daggers at me. I just keep listening.

"The STRIKE and INSIGHT crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more. But I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury."

That gets an eyeroll, really? That's the big punchline. I rub the bridge of my nose even as I begin sending out orders. Steve drones on in the background but I'm already busy salvaging this situation. I won't have him screwing up my fun just yet. Both STRIKE and INSIGHT are deployed with orders to disable where they can. But people are going to die because of this, people loyal to SHIELD. I might be furious, if I actually cared more.

Tuning back into Captain America's speech I catch the very last bit, "… I'm willing to bet I'm not."

With that the comm goes silent and Councilman Rockwell is the first to speak, "You smug son of a bitch."

I sigh and gesture, "James, Samantha, please secure our guests for the time being."

The Council back up a step as Bucky and Peggy step forward and draw pistols on them, holding them all at gunpoint. I'm already focused on managing damage control for this situation. STRIKE moves into the command center with a speed none of the human SHIELD agents within can match. A tech is pushed out of the way and the launch sequence is sped up ahead of schedule even as those loyal to SHIELD pull out weapons and a firefight starts up.

Hydra's INSIGHT crews are on their Helicarriers in record time as they rise from the hidden hangars and into the air, which means my plans are still intact. All of Hydra's forces within SHIELD are either tied down in the firefight or on the three brand new Helicarriers. Of course that's when the next problem crops up. There's a man with a fucking high tech wingsuit flying around the Helicarriers now.

Not a single shot is fired from the main guns on those Helicarriers, but Project INSIGHT members open fire with high-powered weapons. Wait a second, is this the Falcon from Ant-man? Damnit, was this the movie he came from? That certainly explained a lot. I continued to watch Captain America and the Falcon progress on each of their designated Helicarriers for a moment more before turning back to the hostage Council.

"Isn't this exciting? Heroes and villains, good guys and bad guys. I wonder if any amongst you realize that your world is becoming a literal comic book?"

I sigh and shake my head as I move to the champagne to grab another flute. Any moment now Steve and his friend will get off the flight deck and into the actual Helicarrier, and then they'll be taken care of. I'm distracted from that thought by the sudden actions of Councilwoman Hawley, as she showed herself to be capable of far more than I was expecting when out of nowhere she managed to disarm both Bucky and Peggy with strikes to their wrists and kicks to their chest.

They both stumble back in unison as she holds both pistols on them, but I clear my throat before things can escalate and my two hidden hybrids freeze up and hold their hands up in surrender. I'm too curious to see what this is, to stop it. I watch as the Councilwoman hands off one of the pistols and then tears away her face to reveal Natasha Romanoff underneath.

I can't help the startled laughter, "Oh wow, I did not see that coming."

In response, she just gives me a sardonic smirk, "Sorry, did I step on your moment?"

I just raise an eyebrow as she hands off the other pistol and the Council holds us at gunpoint while she moves to the SHIELD mainframe on the other side of the room. There's an alert from my phone which means the Captain has been captured. The Falcon soon follows, but Natasha just keeps working, probably just counting on her teammates to get their shit done while she does her job.

I watch as she brings up everything in the database and begins disabling protocols on the files. Councilman Rockwell is quick to ask what's going on, "What are you doing?"

I raise an eyebrow and let Natasha answer to confirm what I already suspect is happening, "I'm…" she pauses with her brow furrowed before looking up at me sharply.

I just smile and shrug, "Didn't find what you were hoping for Natasha?"

Stepping out from around the computer she moves towards me with a feline grace in what I assume is an intimidating fashion, "What have you done to the database?"

I chuckle darkly, "I put it all behind an Alpha lock so that only I could access the information. But of course you want to take it all and put it on the internet don't you? And that sort of transfer is an executive order. You'll need two people with Alpha Level access. Where are you going to get the second, with Nick Fury dead?"

I wait with baited breath as she regains her confidence now that I've explained things and quirks her lips upward slightly, "Don't worry, company's coming."

And as if summoned by her voice, a helicopter comes in for a landing on the pad right outside the conference room. I can't help the growing grin on my face as out of it steps Nick Fury. Like an avenging angel he makes his way off the pad and through the door, turning to reveal an arm in a cast but seeming no less badass as he makes his way into the room with the rest of us, staring me down.

I can't help it, I break character entirely, "I knew I hadn't killed you! What a relief!"

Nick, not entirely getting it, scoffs at my words, "You sure did your damnedest."

I just keep smiling as he walks forward, clearly expecting me to continue the conversation, but I'm content to let him have the next word. After a moment he just frowns even more severely and grabs me by the arm, leading me towards the retinal scanner so that they can continue their plan of exposing every single file SHIELD and Hydra have to the world.

This is where I stop them, shaking Nick's arm off of myself and stepping back from the scanner with a scoff of my own, "You can't honestly believe I'm going to let you do this."

Natasha pulls a new pistol on me and points it at my face, "If you'd prefer it, I can shoot you and then drag your body by the neck up to the scanner myself."

I give her a winning smile and spread my arms wide, "Go ahead."

She wasn't bluffing, I'll give her that. She fires immediately after hearing the word Go, and I'm forced to react by catching the bullet in my hand before it can slam into my chest. The moment of shock and confusion is all I need to take a moment to melt away my disguise and reveal my true self to those in the room.

Letting the bullet drop to the floor I grin even wider at the looks on the faces of Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff as I steal an earlier line, "Sorry, did I step on your moment?"

I can see the sudden conflict in Natasha's face. Ah, there's the sire bond affecting her. It's clear she doesn't know what to do here. Nick is looking almost speechless in anger, and so it's Councilman Singh who actually gets the party rolling, "What is this? Valiant?"

Smiling still, I turn to the Council Members still present in the room and bring my hands together to clasp before giving a polite bow, "Councilmen, if you'll bear with me, all will be revealed. For the time being however, I think it best that you disarm. James, Sam."

Bucky and Peggy move forward in a blur at my prompting and the Councilmen Natasha had handed pistols to end up devoid of their guns before they can even react. It seems this hostile action is what it takes for Natasha to finally react, as she launches herself at me from behind a second later with just as much speed as my two allies.

Spinning about, I catch her by the throat easily with one hand and grab her gun arm by the wrist with the other. Pointing the weapon away from anyone who it could actually hurt, I push her to her knees with pure strength and squeeze her wrist until she drops the gun and begins choking for air. Then, I release her and back up a step, clapping my hands together, "Alright! No more fighting! This is the time for talking! Everyone stand down!"

Nick has drawn his own weapon at this point, but clearly knows exactly how little it can do against anyone on my side at this point. After seeing me release Natasha he holds his aim on me for a moment longer before slowly lowering it, staring at me with his single eye balefully, "Explain Vali. Now."

I wave a hand dismissively, "I want to do this song and dance once if you please, the rest should be here soon."

Fury grits his teeth, "Who the hell is the res-?"

He's cut off by the doors of the conference room opening and three of my lovely lab experiment hybrids enter the room. Two of them carry the unconscious forms of Steve and whoever the Falcon is supposed to really be. Behind that pair Maria Hill is dragged into the room by the arm as well and negligently pushed in the direction of Fury and Natasha.

I continue to smile benevolently as one hybrid walks up to me and hands me what seem to be three enlarged tech chips of some sort. I examine them for a moment before shrugging and handing them back. Then Fury finally decides to speak up, clearly having decided he knows what's going on, "How long?"

I turn to him with a raised eyebrow and he elaborates, "How long has the real Alexander Pierce been dead? For that matter, how long have you been Hydra?"

I let out a laugh at that and shake my head, "You're off base there Nick. Pierce died the day you supposedly did because he threatened and attempted to blackmail me. I took offense to his efforts and reacted. He died in his home to my friend here. James, please remove your helmet."

He does so, meeting the eyes of those around the room as they stare at him. The response comes from an unexpected source though as Steve speaks up in a low whisper from the ground, still coming back to full consciousness, "Bucky?"

In a flash Bucky is at his side and helping him, "Steve, I've got you. You're fine, you just spent a bit of time knocked out."

Those who are beginning to put two and two together are staring blatantly at the duo now, but Fury whirls back to me, "You're just raising more questions Vali."

Before I can reply a beeping informs all of us that the Helicarriers have reached the altitude at which they'd connect to the INSIGHT satellite network and begin killing the people on the list Zola's algorithm had made. Most of the 'good guys' turn to the window in horror but nothing happens. Several moments pass in silence as nothing continues to happen.

I bask in their befuddlement for a few moments before I place a call to the bridges of each Helicarrier. I get prompt responses and soon three faces fill the screens. Darcy, Mark, and a third Hybrid named Alise that Mark had vouched for. All smile upon seeing me and Mark reports, "Sir, all three Helicarriers are under our control. Weapons are powered down and we are awaiting orders."

I grin, "And the INSIGHT crews?"

Darcy answers that one while pretending to buff her nails, "Sleeping one and all. We can hand them over to the proper authorities whenever you want Vali."

With a pleased sigh, I take a second to just appreciate this moment before I speak again, "Very well then, begin broadcasting your surrender to the loyal SHIELD forces that are still in play, then prepare for descent back into the underground hangars. Assist SHIELD with the processing of the Hydra sleeper agents, but do not allow yourself to be detained. After all, you're all heroes."

With a wink at them, I end the call and turn back to my audience, "Now, with that taken care of we can begin to discuss everything that's happened in the last few days. I'll start us off, I was originally called to the Triskelion by Alexander Pierce to supposedly make sure the Project INSIGHT launch went smoothly. Steve can confirm this, as we met outside Pierce's office right before I went in."

Steve nods hesitantly but I plow on before he can open his mouth, "It was at this point that Alexander Pierce revealed his true loyalties to me, as well information that he believed would allow him to force me to do his bidding."

Here, Fury interjects, "What information would that be?"

I smile, it's clear he expects me to try to withhold the details but I don't, gesturing instead to the Councilmen on the other side of the room, "It seems that when I gave my blood to the Council as part of the deal that allowed me to join SHIELD, it ended up in Hydra's hands. They experimented with it of course, and after the Battle of New York and Coulson, they began to make more people like me. Alexander Pierce was under two mistaken impressions."

"First, he believed that because they'd found ways to kill those they'd turned with my blood, that they also knew how to kill me. So he threatened my life. Second, he believed that by threatening the lives of those of my kind that Hydra had their hands on, he could command my loyalty. He was wrong, on both accounts. I couldn't exactly kill him in his office though, so I waited for him in his home instead. That's where I found Bucky Barnes waiting."

"Hydra called him the Asset. You know him as the Winter Soldier. Suffice to say, he was brainwashed, his memories wiped and then put on ice for decades at a time for Hydra to use when they needed someone important killed. Disguised as Pierce I convinced him to kill the 'imposter' for me before I turned him. As I'd hoped, the turning fixed his mind and reasserted his old personality."

As everyone processes this, Councilman Singh speaks up again, "After you dealt with Pierce why did you not approach us? This charade of yours has cost lives."

I scoff at that as I turn to address him, "This charade of mine has saved lives and will continue to save lives for quite some time Councilman. I couldn't know if any of you were trustworthy, or if all of the Council was in fact Hydra. Only after I fully explored Pierce's plans did I know you were all innocent… but that didn't change the fact that revealing myself too early could prove disastrous."

"As it is now, I have every Hydra Sleeper Agent currently at the Triskelion incapacitated or dead. In one fell swoop I've cleansed SHIELD of most of its infection, something that was very much needed considering I also have information on at least a dozen Hydra bases across the world. You're going to need a strong and healthy SHIELD to deal with them."

At that I turn to look pointedly at the B team who'd nearly interfered with my plans, "Which brings us to you lot. Of course you felt you had to do something, but you quite nearly ruined everything. That little speech in particular forced gunfights that did not have to happen, considering I had everything under control. And then there was that foolish plan with the database."

I look Steve right in the eye and initiate a bit of compulsion, knowing people would expect him to answer truthfully anyways, "Tell me Captain, what was your plan here?"

He frowns deeply, "Destroy the Helicarriers, destroy Hydra, destroy SHIELD. All of it has to go."

I shake my head, "My friend that was not and is not your call to make. Were you lot planning on the Council dying in the meantime? Or did you expect them to thank you for tossing all of their secrets onto the internet along with Hydra's?"

I pause for a second, "Ah, on that note you should all remove those biometric badges and place them on the floor."

It takes a moment for them to react but they do so, the Council and Natasha pulling off the deadly devices and placing them down on the ground. Using Alexander Pierce's phone, I activate each one, letting them burn two inches into the floor as I smile and set the phone down, "In case that wasn't clear, Alexander Pierce was in fact planning on the Council dying here. You're all welcome. Again."

Steve suddenly spoke up, the rest of the room a bit focused on the holes in the floor, "You took Peggy then? What did you do, where is she?"

I smile, "Ah, I'd wondered if you lot would notice her disappearance. Well, it was mostly Bucky's idea…"

With that sentence I nod towards my last helmeted comrade and Peggy reveals herself, a small smile on her face even as Steve's eyes go wide and his jaw goes slack, "Hello Steve."

Fury isn't having any of that though, immediately looking to me, "How the hell is this possible?! She was ninety two years old!"

I let out a short laugh and wag a finger at him, "Surely by this point Nick, you won't make the same mistake Pierce did. I'll spell it out for you. I hold back quite a bit of what I'm capable of. I probably always will. Suffice to say, Bucky had the idea of rejuvenating Peggy, and I believed she would be an absolute asset to SHIELD with Hydra excised from its ranks."

Now I turn back to the Council, "Which brings us to who will lead SHIELD from now on. Considering Nick Fury was on board with the decision to dismantle SHIELD and spread significantly damaging secrets across the internet, I think we can agree that he's no longer fit to be Director. Did you all receive my recommendation yesterday?"

That gets Councilman Yen to finally speak up, "Agent Coulson? I suppose that suggestion makes more sense now. Do you expect us to hand over the reins to one of yours just like that?"

I raise an eyebrow at his tone, "Me and mine just saved your life and the lives of twenty million people Councilman. That said I resent the implication that Phil would not make an excellent SHIELD Director. He has never chosen me over SHIELD, he has never shown anything but absolute loyalty to the organization since his revival."

I look at Fury, "Was he not and is he not still your protégé? Is there anyone else you would be comfortable with having do the job?"

Fury grits his teeth, but after a moment he turns to the Council Members, "He is correct. Phil Coulson is the best choice to replace me, if that is what this Council chooses to do."

Rockwell scoffs at that, "How can we not? You fake your death and come back for the sole purpose of destroying the very organization you should have been leading."

Singh frowns at that, "While abandoning his post may have been ill advised, the Director didn't know who he could truly trust. I do believe he did the best given the situation he found himself in."

Yen shakes his head, "This is not something to be discussed in public like this. Whether or not we will need to pick a new Director of SHIELD… and who that new Director should be, is something that must happen with the full council and more importantly, privacy."

I pipe up again there, "Ah yes, I should probably point out that while I have no idea with Natasha did with Councilwoman Hawley in order to impersonate her, I can say without a shadow of a doubt as well as provide proof, that Councilman Gideon Malick is Hydra. One of their leaders to be exact."

That gets startled looks from the Council members but Singh voices their thoughts, "Well, after all of this, if you have proof I'm certainly not going to deny it without seeing it."

I smile and nod, "Wonderful. We can finish this up then. Right now, I am the only one who has access to all of SHIELD and Hydra's data. It is in your best interest to make a decision regarding the Directorship soon, as I will only relinquish that access to the new Director. So, hurry up alright?"

Wide eyes precede Rockwell's next words, "You can't do that."

I look at him with a raised eyebrow and a dry expression, "You can't stop me Councilman."

Slowly twirling in place I take in all of the people in the room and give one last wide grin, "Well everyone, it's been fun saving the world for you… again. Call me if you need me. Or don't, it seems I end up in these situations all on my own. Tata for now and thank you for all your help Bucky, Peggy."

With a wave goodbye I speed out of the room, the three lab hybrids moving after me. I'd be interested to see what choices were made in regards to SHIELD. I knew I'd be receiving a call sooner rather than later from the Council, given my chokehold on their data flow.

No one had really noticed, but I'd actually killed the STRIKE team myself while they were held down in the firefight downstairs. When SHIELD finally got around to breaking down the barricades they'd set up, they found the Hydra sleeper agents with blown out chests, their hearts exploded and their bodies ashen grey.

I wasn't about to waste any fragment of the Aether on people who were frankly quite disposable. It was nice to find that my control over those fragments allowed me to do the opposite of empower them though. Bursting their hearts in their chests and drawing the Aether back to me with a bit of subtlety was incredibly easy.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier

(Arc Epilogue)

In the end, the Council made the right choice and made Phil Coulson the new Director of SHIELD. Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers were all transitioned into the Consultant bracket that I and Tony also inhabited. We both found that entirely too amusing. Nick fell off the grid doing who the hell knows what, while Natasha and Steve moved into Tony's Avenger's Tower.

Everyone had a preassigned floor in the thing, and I used it off and on when I was in New York. Definitely a sweet deal despite Tony's semi-constant pestering whenever I was around. Bucky and Wilson went with Steve though neither got the whole SHIELD consultant deal. They seemed like they'd be fine though with Tony building an organization around the Avengers that was entirely separate from the spy organization.

My hybrids joined that fledging organization as my representatives, including Darcy but not Jane. Jane went back to her research while Darcy finally got to achieve her dream of being a superheroine. I figured I'd get around to inviting Trish to join it as well soon enough.

Meanwhile poor Phil was not happy about his new job when he and I met so that I could give him access to all of the information I'd been holding hostage. He began to give me a piece of his mind, but I just told him that I knew he would be amazing and that shut him up. Peggy came with him, performing much the same role that Agent Hill had for Nick Fury. I didn't really ever figure out what that role was.

After SHIELD was fully up and running again, and most importantly cleansed of all of the other Hydra Sleeper Agents in their field teams, they and the Avengers began to hit the Hydra bases I knew about. From there they found out about more, leading to what promised to be a campaign several years long as the spider web of Hydra bases grew with each raid. The information I gave was the extent of my participation in these raids, Darcy, Mark, and the others taking my place.

I had other things to be doing besides hunting down Hydra.

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