MANY THANKS FOR THE FAVS AND REVIEWS ALL!

I've been getting a lot this past couple weeks, and it is seriously a self confidence boost. Bless you all. Also, Tannerdarko, thank you for the review you precious soul, but I do have a little thing to say, from the wise words of the one called Bruno Mars...

"It's not complicated, so this won't take a while. You see, music makes her dance, but...reviews make her smile." :)

SEE! It's not complicated. Just do me a solid. PLZ.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel. Or any music produced by Bruno Mars. Love you Bruno. 3

"This camp is where I was trained." Natasha was scanning the place. I took in the surroundings, hanging off of Steve's words; he never talked about his life. I knew about Grams because she'd told me stories, I only knew the things I did about Steve because of my grandparents. I'd never heard any of it straight from him.

"Is this how you remember it?" I asked, and stopped with him, as he stared at the flagpole.

"Kind of." He was remembering, I knew that look; Grams and Gramps got that look, when they told me stories about the great Captain America and his Howling Commandos. Jones' grandson was actually a good friend, I used to see him all the time growing up. His parents were friends of my mom.

"This place is a dead end. Zero heat signatures, zero waves, not even radio."

"Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off, then." I kinda wanted to slap myself. It made me mad, not being able to do what I was hired to do. Steve was staring at something though, and I frowned. "What is it?"

"Army regulation forbids storing ammunition within 500 yards of the barracks." He nodded to the building, and we walked toward it. "That building is in the wrong place." Steve pulled back his shield, as he got to the door, and broke the lock.

We headed down the stairs, and Steve flipped on the light. I spotted the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia, at the other end of the room. There were desks and office chairs scattered throughout the place.

"I know this place." I remembered it now: Gramps took me here once, with my cousins. They'd wanted to hear more stories, and Gramps said he was going to bring us somewhere special to tell them. Uncle Ron came with us, to keep us all in line. "This is where S.H.I.E.L.D. started. Gramps and Uncle Ron brought me here once, with my cousins. I was probably four or five." It was vague, but I remembered the door. It led to a bunch of bookcases; they were all empty, and I remember wanting to see them full of books.

They followed me, as I pushed open the door, and found the pictures again. I'd recognized Grams. I hadn't known about Howard; Gramps did, though. He'd pointed at the picture of Howard, and he'd said that Howard was one of his best friends. That's all I knew about him until Dad took me in, and when the Expo happened.

I pointed at the other portrait, mostly asking Steve. "That was Colonel Phillips, right?" Steve nodded.

"Who's the girl?" I bit my lip, and Steve turned away from the portraits, walking around the room. I frowned, but I followed him, ignoring the look Nat shot me. She knew who Grams was, but she didn't know what happened between Grams and Steve. I'd tell her, but right now wasn't a good time.

Steve found an open space, between the bookcases. I remembered that, too. I'd found the crack, but Sharon had grabbed my hand, and dragged me out of the room, because Gramps was about to start telling the stories again. That, I believe, was the moment where I created the rivalry between me and Sharon in my head. That bitch had taken away my opportunity to prove that I could be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, too.

I heard air coming out of the crack, and Steve did, too. He looked around, and grabbed the bookcase, shoving it out of the way.

"If you already have a secret base, then why do you need to hide the elevator?" I took out my phone as Steve said that, and went up to the elevator, opening up the program that could read what the keycode was. I punched in the numbers, and the elevator dinged open. I was surprised that I'd guessed the right order, though. My phone just told me which numbers were used the most.

When the doors opened up on the basement level, chills went up my spine. I didn't like the vibe I was getting from this place. It was ancient technology, I could tell just by walking in without the lights on. We walked halfway into the room, and the lights came on; I screamed, when I saw the ancient computers. I hid my face in Natasha's shoulder.

"My eyes. They burn!" She pushed me off of her, and I cringed even further, as Steve grabbed my hand, and dragged me closer. I scrunched my nose up, when he shot me a look. "This stuff is gross. And ancient. Like you, except you're older." I frowned. "That's gross to think about."

"But this can't be the data point." I shrugged at his question, but smirked at his avoidance. He was cute when he was avoiding my puns, and not yelling at me for them.

"It can be, if you're smart enough. Which, I'm assuming, the creator of these files is." I spotted the USB drive, and skipped over to it, plugging the jump drive in.

All the tech started up at once. I cringed even further at the buzzing, and the noise. It was horrid.

Steve and Natasha looked all around them, but I looked up, and spotted a camera moving. The biggest monitor started up, and text appeared on the screen. An ancient AI spoke.

Initiate system? I put my hands to the keys, typed in yes, and the system started to boot up. Nat and and Steve turned around, looking at it over my shoulder. I smirked, leaning in to Steve.

"Shall we play a game?" I bit my lip, and looked up at him. He rolled his eyes. I grinned, and turned back to the monitor. The system was fully loaded; the camera was pointed right at me.

Stark, Elizibeth. Born 1991. My eyes went wide. It turned to Steve. Rogers, Steven. Born 1918. Then the camera turned to Nat. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984.

"It's some kind of recording-" I cut Natasha off, shaking my head.

"No, it's not. It's an AI, like JARVIS, but...older. Much older. And it's barely even a computer. It sounds more conscious than automated."

Very good, Miss Stark. I am not a recording. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am.

I frowned, turning to Steve. He recognized the man's picture, in one of the other monitors. "Do you know this guy?"

He paused, looking around, and then deciding to walk around the computer. He stepped off the platform it was on. "Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years."

First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. Miss Stark was right. I am a conscious being.

"This AI's alive." I'd thought about it before. I'd thought about somehow making JARVIS come to life. I thought it'd be great, considering that JARVIS was my best friend next to Dad, but I never thought about the consequences of that until now. I was throwing those ideas in the trash as soon as I could.

Yes. I am alive. I am very much alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving, on 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain. An involuntary shiver went down my spine.

Computers weren't supposed to be used like this. Not ever.

Steve had made his way around the computer, and stood next to me. Natasha was stood behind us. "How did you get here?" Steve asked.

Invited. I realized as soon as he said that, and so did Natasha.

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited German scientists with strategic value." She explained.

They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own.

I wasn't even thinking Hydra until Steve mentioned it. My fingers went numb, when I tried to reach for my glasses, so I let my hands drop to my sides.

"Hydra died with the Red Skull." The face in the monitor smiled. A Hydra insignia appeared on the screen.

Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.

"Prove it." I don't know why I decided to test him, but I did. I had a bad feeling about this in the pit of my stomach, but I did it anyway, and there was no going back now.

Accessing archive. The Red Skull, before he decided to reveal that he literally had a red skull, was shown in another monitor. I turned to it, as well as Steve. Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. Clips from WWII were shown, and a couple clips of Steve were shown as well. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new Hydra grew, a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, Hydra has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would have stopped you." My grandparents would have stopped them. My mom, too.

Accidents happen, Miss Stark. You should know this. The guy with the metal arm was shown. My eyes went wide in fear, and I backed up slightly, terrified at the image shown on the screen.

The Winter Soldier had killed Howard and Maria Stark. That car accident hadn't been a car accident, after all.

Fury was killed by Hydra.

And the plane my mother died in was targeted by Hydra. It wasn't ever S.H.I.E.L.D.

Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once a purification process is complete, Hydra's new world order will arise.

Hydra was going to use Project Insight to take over the world. The organization my grandparents fought to stop, that Steve fought to stop, had killed my mom. Hydra never stopped. I felt like I was going to be sick.

We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum.

Steve punched the monitor, cracking it. But Zola popped up in another monitor.

As I was saying- I cut him off, moving forward. My tone grew low; that's when you knew I was pissed off.

"What's on this drive."

Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm.

"Be specific, or I might break a monitor, too." He laughed. I clenched my fists.

This is fascinating, Miss Stark, very fascinating. Unfortunately, you and the Captain will be too dead to hear it. The elevator doors slammed shut. Steve tried to throw his shield to stop them, but he was too late. My phone went off, as well as Natasha's. Natasha pulled hers out, checking it.

"Guys, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops." I was still staring at the doors, when Steve tried to grab my attention.

Soon enough, I was going to be killed by Hydra, too. Just Like Mom.

"Who fired it?" Steve demanded.

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha replied. I wasn't surprised, though. I saw it coming.

I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. I reached over, grabbing the drive from it's hook. Admit it. It's better this way. I moved finally, along with Natasha. Steve looked around desperately, and grabbed a grate from the floor, pulling it up. Natasha jumped in first. I ran forward, and Steve snatched me in his arms, putting his shield up just in time. I was knocked out on impact.