A/N:I was supposed to upload this chapter yesterday, but I had some things that came up and couldn't finish it until today.. :\ Sorry for being late.

Still, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 9: SHIELD Compromised

Peter may have not known the man named Steve Rogers for a long time, but he was pretty sure that the man was one of the most righteous guys that he had ever met. Steve Rogers was a soldier ― that was the best way to describe the man. Rules and missions were what defined the guy. His beliefs and values were unquestionably noble. He was a hero ― not the flashy and fashionable hero like Iron Man that modern people were accustomed to, but the very model of the classic notion of a hero with unyielding disciplines.

And such a guy was a fugitive? A criminal?

Yeah, right.

Of course, at one point, Peter wondered if he was deeming Captain America too highly in an idealistic image. After all, people could have layers that one cannot really see in a short time. Still, there was just something uncanny about how the media and the authority illustrated him as a wanted man. That was just not right.

Then it was made clear that there was definitely something shady going on when they reported that Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD himself, was killed. And he wasn't just killed ― he was assassinated. Peter was never actually a part of SHIELD to know just what was going on in there, but he could feel that something big was happening within the organization. Even a lighthearted and casual man like Tony Stark didn't dare joke about the situation.

"Both Rogers and Agent Romanov have gone off-grid," was the only thing that he said about it.

Even though Peter was yet to feel a personal connection to either of the said people, he couldn't help the concern about their fate. He just hoped that whatever problems and accusations they were facing, things would straighten out soon enough. Well, as long as SHIELD was up and running, things had to go right at some point, right?

"The Headquarters for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division located in Washington D.C. was sabotaged by an unknown force earlier today. Also known as Triskelion, these headquarters have been the very nest of the organization's entire operation and numerous projects. What is more shocking about this incident is that just a few minutes prior to the destruction of the Triskelion buildings, the majority of the organization's intelligence and confidential records were leaked online and to mass media. How it was leaked is still unknown, but it revealed that SHIELD had been compromised from the very beginning of the entire organization, a secretive terrorist group called HYDRA having grown within it."

Well, shit.

That was not what he had expected.

That was not what he had expected at all.

Peter shot up from his seat at the table, forgetting completely that he was in the middle of having dinner with his aunt.

"Peter?" Aunt May looked up at him with bewildered eyes.

It took a moment before Peter realized what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" Aunt May asked. She looked at his face and then at the small television screen in the kitchen where his gaze was fixed on.

Peter looked down at her rather dazedly. Then he awkwardly sat back down in his chair.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just― shocked by the― the news."

He couldn't tell if Aunt May was fully convinced. Yet, even if she wasn't, she didn't seem to pry too much. Then again, she really had no reason to, for she wasn't aware of the fact that Peter was associated with SHIELD in more than one way.

Peter pretended to finish his dinner as soon as possible. He put his used plates and utensils in the sink.

"I, uh― I just remembered that I have this really important homework that I need to do," he told his aunt. "I have to get on it right now."

Even before giving his aunt to reply, Peter hurried out of the kitchen, nearly jumped up the stairs, and dashed into his room. He turned on his computer right away and searched the web, searching for every piece of information he could get on SHIELD and the new leaks. Of course, he knew that whoever it was that leaked it, they wouldn't have put everything in the open. Still… he needed to know just how far HYDRA had their hands on the SHIELD's operation and intelligence. He needed to get at least an estimate ― a rough idea of how much of his own information could have flowed into their hands. Fury had made a promise that he wouldn't have Peter's identity as Spider-Man known within SHIELD, but with him gone…

Peter bit his lips anxiously as he searched and searched. Yet, to both his disappointment and anticipation, he really didn't find anything useful. All he could find out was how SHIELD had never been SHIELD from the very beginning. Again, it wasn't something that Peter didn't expect, but it definitely didn't help the wild assumptions and anxiety he had.

Maybe Tony Stark was the best option for him to get anything out of. Peter thought for a moment if he should contact him right away. Then he quickly threw the idea. It was already getting late at night, and he was going to be at the lab the next day anyway.

The only downside to waiting until he got to the lab was that he had to spend the entire day waiting to end as quickly as possible. The moment the final period was over, he didn't waste any time in getting out of school. He even chose to get out of his day clothes to swing his way there instead of using the transportation like he usually did.

When he arrived at the lab ― on the window outside it, to be accurate ― Peter was surprised to find the lab empty. It was odd. It was already past the time that Tony and Bruce should have started their work there.

"Spider-ling! Up here!"

Peter looked up. Tony was looking down at him from the top of the building.

"Come on up! Lab's canceled today," Tony shouted.

Peter shot his web toward the edge of the building and shot himself up like a slingshot. He swooshed past Tony high into the air before landing behind him.

A small black jet was set upon the landing pad on the rooftop. Bruce was waiting by what seemed like the hangar door.

Peter took off his mask.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We're going to go visit Capsicle in the hospital," Tony said, walking over to him. When Peter frowned slightly in confusion, he added, "He's in a hospital in D.C."

"Was he in the headquarters when they were sabotaged?" Asked Peter.

Tony huffed.

"Not just involved, he's the one that brought them down."

Peter stared at him. Captain America was the one that attacked SHIELD?

"I know you've got a lot of questions, but I want to get this done before dinner, so just hop on for now," Tony said as he walked over to the jet himself. "If you have anything you want to ask, do it on the jet."

Peter watched Tony and Bruce walk up the hangar door. When he stayed put, Tony turned around at him and jerked his head toward the jet.

"What are you waiting for? We haven't got the time."

Peter was still unsure, but jogged over and followed the men into the jet.

When the three of them reached the hospital room, a nurse was just gathering equipment. Steve was fully awake, sitting on the bed and seemingly having a casual chat with the nurse and a black man that Peter had never seen before.

Tony opened the door to the room and walked in just as the nurse was getting out of the room. The nurse smiled politely at them as she left. Steve and the other man turned to look at the three visitors.

"Tony," Steve said.

"See you're getting better there, Cap," Tony said.

Steve just grinned. He then looked at Bruce and Peter.

"Bruce, Peter," he acknowledged them with a nod of his head toward each of them. "Thank you for coming."

Bruce awkwardly smiled while Peter nodded in a similar manner.

"Where's Nat?" Tony asked, looking around the room.

Steve and the black man exchanged looks.

"She's got a lot to deal with," Steve said simply.

Tony shrugged.

"That's an understatement. Seemed like a lot of her dirty little secrets got out."

"Well, she didn't really have much choice," said Steve. When Tony looked at him, raising an eyebrow, he continued. "It was her that opened SHIELD's intelligence to the world."

All three visitors looked at him with surprised faces. Even Tony seemed impressed.

"It was the only way to expose HYDRA," Steve said.

Bruce nodded quietly.

"Still, I thought she was the last person to expose herself like that," Tony mumbled.

"Let's just say that it was that hard of a fight," the black man added.

Tony looked at him.

"Sam Wilson. Former pararescue airman," the man said.

"He helped me in this fight," Steve added.

Sam smirked as he said, "I was just following the captain's orders."

Tony walked over to the man and stretched out a hand.

"Tony Stark," he said.

Sam laughed lightly.

"Yeah, I know who you are. You're the man in shining armor."

Then he walked over to Bruce to offer a handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Bruce said.

Sam nodded. Then he turned to Peter.

"I'm… Peter Parker," Peter said awkwardly when he shook the man's hand.

Sam's eyes narrowed a little.

"You look young," he said.

Peter scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to respond.

Steve and Tony looked at Peter. They seemed to be trying to read his thoughts. Sam seemed to have picked up the mood.

"Something touchy?" He said jokingly as he released Peter's hand.

Peter smiled awkwardly and shrugged. Sam smirked before he walked over to the windows of the room and looked out the building, crossing his arms.

"So what now?" Tony asked, putting his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Fury's gone, SHIELD's dissolved. What's next?"

Sam glimpsed at Steve.

"It only means that Avengers out of SHIELD's hand now, doesn't it?" Steve said quietly. "We're on our own."

Tony scoffed. "When were we not? It just means that I have to pay for everything from now on."

"You know you don't have to," Steve said.

"If I don't, you're all left homeless," Tony retorted.

Steve laughed.

"And I'm the only one here that can give you all the necessary upgrades," said Tony. "It's nothing that I haven't been doing, anyway."

"Thanks, Tony," said Steve.

Tony shrugged in acknowledgment.

"Once you're all patched up, just get your stuff and move in," Tony said. "It'll be better for you to live in the tower. HYDRA's determined sons of bitches. They might have been exposed, but this is not going to be the end of them."

Steve nodded. "We need to get all of them. But you don't have to―"

"What about you? Are you in as well?" Tony asked Sam, seemingly ignoring Steve, who just laughed and shook his head.

Sam looked at Steve for a moment.

"I didn't come this far to just quit now," he said.

Tony nodded.

"So HYDRA's been inside all along," he mumbled, crossing his arms. "That's probably what Fury was on edge about, wasn't it?"

Steve nodded. His smile faltered and was replaced by a grim expression.

"I think he's been suspecting it for a while now," he said.

"Explains why he wanted to keep Parker out of the system."

Peter couldn't help being surprised by the sudden mention of his name.

"And why he didn't want us to be under their control," Steve said. "But even he hadn't seen this far."

"Who would've?" Tony said. "SHIELD was supposed to be the opposing force to wipe out HYDRA from the face of the earth. And now it turns out that it was just HYDRA in disguise?" He shook his head rather exasperatedly. He then mumbled, "my own father was supposed to be one of the founding members."

"Well, we've at least dug them out into the light. All we need to do is finish it," Steve said.

"It's not gonna be an easy fight," Sam said. "Remember that they've been onto us for a while now. They still might be at the upper hand."

Steve nodded. "We need to be careful. But we're not going to stop fighting."

It all sounded like any ordinary conversation, but Peter, for some reason, found himself drawn to Steve's words. A sense of motivation that he never had before seemingly shot through his vein like heat flowing through his entire body.

Even when he was battered up on a hospital bed, Captain America was indeed a captain. He was, without question, a soldier ― a very determined soldier. And, more than anything, he was definitely a hero.

A/N:Thank you so much for reading this story!

Please feel free to leave your thoughts, reviews, and any kind of feedback in the comments!

I hope everyone stays safe and have a wonderful day, wherever you are!

Best,
Lisa :)