Hey guys! Here's chapter 29! I hope you at least liked the last chapter, it took a lot of work!

It's like one of those moments in a horror movie as the characters encounter some deadly spirit and merely stare at it in horror.

Like the Conjuring maybe? I dunno...

Seconds turn to minutes as Steve and Natasha stare at me in pure shock as if I was a ghost. Which, in a way, I most definitely was to the two of them. Steve looks glued to the floor as he struggles to form a coherent sentence.

"Is...is that really you, Tyra?" Steve barely utters.

However, it's Natasha that makes the first move as she takes small steps towards me and has her hand outstretched in front of her. I tense as her hand makes contact with my cheek and she examines me carefully, as if trying to determine if I was real or just a mere figment of her imagination. I hear her sharp intake of breath as I finally make eye contact with her. I see Natasha biting her bottom lip as it wavers, her eyes glistening with tears as more slowly stroll down her face. For an assassin like Natasha, I find myself at a loss for words at her behavior, especially considering she was always such a collected and calm person. Perhaps it was the fact that we bonded so much over the years, maybe she thought of me as something like a daughter or a niece. Aside from Clint, Natasha was one of my mentors before and during my initiation into SHIELD. Suddenly, my head whips over to the side as my cheek stings.

...did she just slap me? Damn...I didn't know she could hit that hard...

"That was for putting us through hell!" Natasha snapped.

"I- -"

Natasha cuts me off with a glare as she continues.

"Do you know how hard it was for Clint to hear that you died?! Hell, it was hard for all of us. Your father could barely speak when he made the call and had Pepper speak for him." She growled.

I move to speak again, and she slaps me once more in the face.

"We dropped everything to come back to Miami to see your father and we all paid a visit to your grave. Then, your father read your Will of Testament to all of us, because apparently you wanted to give us something to remember you by...none of us could keep it together." Natasha continued.

IT'S NOT LIKE I PLANNED THIS! JESUS CHRIST, NATASHA!

I merely remain silent as I let Natasha continue to rant, to get all of this off of her chest, and also because I was afraid of getting slapped again.

"It sounded like you knew you were going to die that night...but I guess you never did die, did you? Why not...call us...or something?" Natasha glared at me.

I wait for several seconds to pass before simply raising a skeptical eyebrow at Natasha.

"You done? You know...with the- -the whole slapping me and cutting me off before I can speak?"

Natasha scoffs at me and takes a step back, looking at me in utter disbelief. Then, I feel a wave of anger rush through me and grow slightly frustrated. It was now my turn to look at the assassin and my mentor in disbelief.

But she was acting like I was planning this from the start.

"Natasha, you act like I planned to fake my death or some bullshit like that." I chuckled dryly.

Natasha waits for an explanation as confusion takes hold of her expression.

"I understand that you're upset, but you wanna know something? I did die." I confessed.

Natasha's eyes widened in surprise, but she refuses to say anything as she awaits for an explanation.

"I was dead. Probably for half an hour actually." I continued. "But that wasn't the worst part no."

I started pacing around the room, barely resisting the urge to grab my hair.

"You know, after all of that shit with trying to save Pepper from Aldrich Killian and falling into a fiery inferno of almost 200 feet or more and being subjected to torture and being used as a guinea pig- -I was ready to die. If it meant I didn't have to go through any more pain, and especially if it meant protecting the ones that I love. I was ready to lay down my fucking life for them!" I snapped.

"...then...how?" Steve spoke up.

"After that entire shit storm, worse Christmas ever by the way, I found myself awake in some safe house. And guess who was there! Nicholas Motherfucking Fury!" I nearly shouted. "At first I actually thought I survived and was slightly relieved, until I found that I wasn't in a hospital. No sign of my father or Pepper, just Fury himself. You wanna know what he told me? He saw an opportunity and he took it." I explained.

I let out a dry laugh as Natasha and Steve share a glance of uncertainty as they shift nervously around me.

"So...Fury put together all of this?" Steve clarified.

"Oh yeah. Fury took me away from my family and brought me back from the dead because apparently no one else is remotely capable enough to accomplish a task for him!" I finished.

Steve looks at me sadly as he finally moves to me, and wraps his arms around me. Finally, I can't help but break down and cry against him. Part of me was relieved that I didn't have to pretend to be someone else anymore, but the other part of me, truly longed for my family. I was finally at that breaking point.

"I would have told you...but I couldn't risk it..." My voice cracked.

Steve presses a kiss to my head, looking almost as upset as I am. Finally, I can't help but wrap my arms around Steve as well and return his hug. At that moment, Steve was like a lifeline, and I was afraid to let go.

"It's okay, Tyra. It's okay." Steve murmurs against me.

"Tyra...what did Fury task you to do?" Natasha gently prodded.

After giving Steve a gentle squeeze, I finally let go and wipe furiously at my face as I try to regain my composure.

"He wanted me to infiltrate SHIELD with a new identity and everything. To have a full out investigation regarding SHIELD." I answered.

"What about SHIELD?" Steve cautiously asked.

I give Steve and Natasha the most serious look I can muster.

"SHIELD's been compromised."

In that moment, Steve and Natasha look even more shocked than they were previously.

"Compromised? By who?!" Natasha questioned

"That was the million dollar question." I muttered. "And I finally figured it out yesterday...but...I was too late to tell him..."

"What did you find out Tyra?"

I glance over at Steve and frown.

"Ever heard of HYDRA? I know Steve has..."

"HYDRA? They've been disbanded since the war ended." Steve's eyes widened.

"Yeah, we all thought so." I can't help but sigh.

"What else do you know? I can tell that isn't all." Steve gives me an almost desperate look.

"They're going to use Project Insight to wipe out every single one of their enemies. And I'm fairly certain that Pierce is at the center of all of this." I confessed.

"And how did you figure all of this out exactly?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know me?" I scoffed lightly.

"I wouldn't exactly be using an attitude with me right now, young lady." Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"Natasha, seriously. I found out that Obadiah Stane tried killing me and my father in a plot to take over Stark Industries, I figured out you were a spy when you decided to work as Pepper's assistant, I figured out the connection with Ivan Vanko after he tried assassinating my father, I helped my father create an element to save his life from palladium poisoning, I saved my father again from possibly dying by delivering a goddamn nuke into an alien portal, I figured out the Mandarin everyone was so scared of was actually a fake that Killian was using as a cover, and lastly, I think all of that proves that I know my shit by now." I quipped.

Natasha folds her arms and after several seconds, gives me an almost impressed look.

"Alright then." She merely says in response.

"Honestly, the only thing that's so frustrating is that I don't have actual and physical proof to support my claims." I said.

"What do you mean?" Natasha stared at me with worry. "Are you talking about the visions you have?"

I nodded in confirmation make exasperated hand gestures as I struggle to explain.

"I had a- -a uh, a vision. About some german scientist a- -and- -"

I tap my foot impatiently and start smacking at my head as I struggle to remember the name.

"Fuck I can't remember! Anyway, he's the one that infiltrated SHIELD, rebuilt HYDRA from the inside after World War II. So, yeah- -skip several generations and ummmm..." I start pacing around the room now. "Most of SHIELD is actually HYDRA, okay, but- -now! Now, after the Battle of New York, they've realized they have the perfect excuse and come up with a proposal! For Project Insight, a giant ass weapon that can basically wipe out threats before t- -they even occur!"

Steve and Natasha nod as they follow along, all while giving me a look of worry as I rant.

"A- -and...a- -and that's their plan! Project Insight is HYDRA's way of committing mass murder across the entire globe! Anyone that doesn't align with their interests or- -or their ideals- -they all get exterminated! Out of the picture! BLAM! GONE!" I finished.

"Okay, so Fury caught on, he wanted the three of us to stop all of this- -So what do we do now?" Natasha asks.

"Whatever is in that flashdrive! We need to use it!" I snapped my fingers. "We need answers right?"

"Right." Natasha nods.

"We need to go, before they can track us down then." Steve said.

Steve looked outside the door, searching for any SHIELD agents before quietly exiting the room. As we got ready to leave, Natasha pulled me in for a hug before placing a kiss to my forehead.

"That's for coming back to us. Don't scare me like that again." Natasha murmured.

We ran for the nearest mall as we try to cover our tracks, trying to act as casually and discreet as possible. I made sure to put my mask on before we left, but also made sure to change the programming so that I would have a new face. As much as I wanted to look like Jennifer Lawrence, I needed to keep a low profile.

"First rule of going on the run is, don't run, walk." Natasha told Steve.

"Why would I run? It only makes it look obvious that I'm up to something." I chuckled.

"If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off." Steve added.

We went into a Mac and Apple store, heading over to use one of their computers.

"The drive has a level six homing program, so as soon as we boot up SHIELD will know exactly where we are." Natasha informed us.

"How much time do we have?" Steve asked.

"Uh...about nine minutes from..." She plugs in the flash drive into a MacBook Pro. "Now."

"I'll keep an eye out." I spoke up.

I pretend to browse through a computer, but stood right next to Steve and Natasha while glancing around my surroundings.

"Fury was right about that ship, somebody's trying to hide something. This drive is protected by some sort of AI, it keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands." Natasha realized.

"Can you override it?" I asked.

"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me. Slightly." Natasha said.

"You better hurry up and figure out what's on that flash drive. I think they're already here." I lower my voice.

Natasha nodded her head and got back to work.

"I'm gonna try running a tracer. This is a program that SHIELD developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from." She smirked.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" An Apple employee asked politely.

Natasha and Steve tensed up, and I roll my eyes before coming over and looping my arm with Steve's.

"Oh, no. My sister was just helping me and my fiancé with some honeymoon destinations." I smiled.

Oh god...there's that word vomit again! Just roll with it!

"Right! We're getting married." Steve blushed.

Please don't kill me, Steve...

"Congratulations. Where are you guys thinking about going?" He asked.

Steve looks at the monitor and sees the signal traced to somewhere in New Jersey.

"New Jersey." Steve blurted out.

"Oh." His smile faltered.

"It's where we met, so why not?" I laughed.

Steve grew uncomfortable as the employee practically oggled him for a brief minute.

"I have the exact same glasses." He grinned.

"Wow, you two are practically twins." Natasha joked.

"Yeah, I wish. Uh...if you guys need anything, I'm Aaron." He chuckled as he pointed at his name tag.

"Thank you." Steve nodded at him.

"Guys...I see Rumlow." I whispered.

After Steve grabs the flash drive, we all left the store quickly after seeing that the signal is coming from Wheaton, New Jersey.

"You know it?" Natasha asked Steve.

"I used to. Let's go." Steve spoke lowly.

We walk together and try blending in with the crowds of random mall-goers.

"Standard tac-team. Two behind, two across, two coming straight at us. If they make us, I'll engage, you two hit the south escalator to the metro." Steve warned us.

I put my hands in my pockets as I get closer to Steve.

"Shut up and put your arm around me, laugh at something I said." Natasha ordered.

"What?" Steve looked at Natasha in confusion.

"Do it!" I hissed at Steve.

Steve quickly puts his arm around Natasha and laughs loudly.

"That was terrible, Rogers. You can do better than that." I teased.

"Shut up." He stammers.

Steve lowered his arm and grabs my hand before starting to pull me with him so I'm not falling behind.

Shit...I see Rumlow. He's getting closer.

As we go down the escalator Natasha notices my expression and also spots Rumlow on the escalator next to us going up. She pushes Steve against me as she looks down, pretending to look down at her phone.

"Kiss her." Natasha told him.

Wait what?

"What?" Steve blinked in surprise.

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable." Natasha replied.

"Yes, they do." Steve pointed out.

Steve looked at me.

"Normally I'd say take me out to dinner first, but I'll- -"

"Shut up, Stark."

Steve grabs my shirt and gives me a kiss. I tense up at first, but slowly melt into the kiss and lean into Steve.

Hmmm...he's not so bad...

Rumlow passes by us and looks away as he goes up the escalator. Steve takes this time to pull away from me.

"You still uncomfortable?" Natasha smirked at Steve.

"It's not exactly the word I would use." Steve mumbled.

"You can open your eyes now, Tye." Natasha teased.

I reopen my eyes and finally notice that the kiss is over.

Well...this is really awkward...like really awkward.

"Damn it Rogers..." I sighed in frustration.

"What? Kiss not to your liking?" He asked.

"No. Now I just wanna keep kissing you." I admitted.

I folded my arms together and avert my gaze from Steve.

"Excuse me?" Steve looked surprised.

We finally exit the mall, trying not to run, but also trying to get out of there before SHIELD could notice us.

"What? I'm a hopeless romantic! The last time I kissed someone- -she made it clear that she wasn't looking for a romantic relationship. So I was a little let down with romantic gestures after that point...didn't really try to- -"

I stop rambling when I see the looks on their faces.

"And I'll shut up now." I blushed deeply.

"There were so many things wrong with that sentence. First of all, she? Who the hell have you been seeing that even I didn't know about?" Natasha laughed.

Steve starts breaking into someone's car, trying to fight the blush on his face at this conversation.

"What? You saying that you're anti-gay or something?" I chuckled.

"Ha! No." Natasha snorts. "I just didn't know you were into women. Like father like daughter I guess."

"Honestly, I don't even know what I'm into." I shrugged.

"Well well...what an interesting talk we've had. We've got much to catch up on, Tyra." Natasha smirks.

"Get in the car please." Steve sighs.

We both share a laugh before getting inside the truck.

The ride to New Jersey was incredibly awkward, I refused to look at Steve or Natasha, though Natasha refused to let go of the subject regarding our little kiss.

"Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?" Natasha teased.

"Nazi Germany." Steve gave her a pointed look.

"Mm." Natasha nodded.

"And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash." Steve swatted at her feet.

Natasha takes her feet off the dash and she smirks at Steve.

"Alright, I have a question for you, of which you do not have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know?"

"What?" Steve replied.

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

Steve blushed as he glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

"It wasn't that bad, right?" Steve asked me.

I didn't answer and just looked out the window.

"I didn't say that." I mumbled.

"Well, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying. And what she's implying." Steve glared at Natasha.

"No, I didn't. I just wondered how much practice you had." Natasha tried to act nonchalant.

"I don't need practice." Steve rolls his eyes.

"Everybody needs practice." Natasha insisted.

"It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm ninety-five, I'm not dead." Steve scoffed.

"Nobody special, though?" Natasha smiled.

"Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience." Steve chuckled.

"Well, that's alright, you just make something up." Natasha shrugged.

"What, like you?" Steve retorted.

Where the hell is all of this coming from? Steve's been a little more hostile towards Natasha...did something happen that I don't know about?

"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstances, it's not all things to all people all the time. And neither am I." Natasha replied.

"That's a tough way to live." Steve sighed.

"It's a good way not to die, though." Natasha replied.

"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that someone really is." Steve said

"Yeah. Who do you want me to be?"

"How about a friend?" Steve asked.

Natasha let out a small laugh, almost as if the idea was so impossible that it was funny. I merely sat back in my seat and stared at Steve and Natasha suspiciously.

Well something's happened since I've been gone...

"Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers." Natasha replied.

Jeez...and I thought I was cryptic and quiet at times...

"You guys better get your shit together." I finally spoke up.

Natasha chuckled and turned to look back at me.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I mean get your shit together. If we can't trust each other, we can't fight together." I simply told her. "I don't know what the hell happened while I was gone, but I can only guess by the way you two are talking is that you have trust issues."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black." Natasha mutters.

"Hey! We're not talking about me, Romanoff!" I blushed.

Natasha only looked amused, but she nodded her head at me before getting comfortable in her seat.

"Well don't give me a lecture about having trust issues." Natasha retorted.

"Alright, fine. You wanna have this talk? I have trust issues that start from all the way in 2008 because of one Obadiah Stane, a man that quite literally made it clear to me that he thought I was always a burden and wished I was never born. Did I also forget to mention that he tried to kill both my father and I? So yeah, it all started when I was seventeen years old and had to watch my own back after someone attempted to murder me and had me locked away in a mental institution because everyone refused to believe me." I explained.

Natasha falls silent at this, and looks away.

"Call it paranoia or whatever you want! But because of that shit, my trust is very hard to earn nowadays." I chuckled dryly. "Is that enough of a discussion regarding trust?"

Natasha doesn't reply this time, and I roll my eyes.

This is gonna be a long drive...

I'm gently stirred awake when the truck comes to a stop, and I realize that we've finally arrived to our destination from where the signal on the flashdrive had led us. I blush and glance at Steve in surprise as he opens my door for me like the complete gentleman he is, and I give him a warm smile reserved for him as I grab his hand and get out of the truck. I fall into him as I jump out, and feel my face heat up further when I see the position we're in. My hands planted on his firm chest, and both of us within close proximity of each other. Steve is the first to break the spell when he gently maneuvers me until I'm standing up straight.

"S- -sorry about that." I stuttered.

"It's okay." He averts his gaze.

As we walk together towards the abandoned compound here, I find myself surprised at how dark it had gotten when I glance at my watch and only find it to be around seven o'clock in the evening.

An abandoned military base? Okay then...

"This is it?" Steve asked.

We catch up with Natasha, who carefully observes the compound as well.

"The file came from these coordinates." Natasha informed him.

"So did I." Steve mumbled softly.

So this was where it all started for Steve, huh? Before he became THE super soldier.

Natasha starts walking as she holds a device and stares down at it, trying to pinpoint the signal.

"This camp is where I was trained." Steve mentioned.

I glance over at Steve in awe, as my inner Captain America fangirl beginning to kick in. Steve notices this, and gives me a small smile.

"Changed much?" I asked.

"A little." He replied.

Steve stops walking and looks at a specific spot on the sight, almost as if he's remembering something.

I had no doubt that he was.

"This is a dead end. Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off." Natasha sighed.

"And bring us here? This place clearly means something to Steve, and I'm getting vibes that there's more to this military base than meets the eye. It can't be coincidence that we were sent here." I told her.

When Natasha thinks over my words, she nods in agreement. I glance back over at Steve, noticing that he's in some sort of trance as he stares at a particular building ahead of us. I walk over and place a hand on his arm as I give him a look of concern.

"What is it?" I asked. "You alright?"

Steve snaps out of it, giving me a reassuring smile before he starts walking to the building with his hand intertwined in mine.

He's being too fucking adorable. I don't know how much more of this I can handle before my ovaries explode.

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards from the barracks. This building is in the wrong place." Steve informed us.

I examine the building carefully as I take in Steve's words. Suddenly, I start hearing voices in my head, as if I'm in a haze.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Just one?"

"...why me?"

" I suppose that is the only question that matters. This is from Augsburg. My city. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi's invaded was their own. You know, after the last war the…my people struggled. They…they felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the…and the...And he…he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says "You." He says "You will make us strong." Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he's ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man."

"Did it make him stronger?"

"Yeah. But, there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."

"Thanks I think."

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

"To the little guys."

"Tyra! Hey! Look at me!"

I jump when I find Steve in front of me and trying desperately to get my attention. When he sees that I've come to, he lets out a relieved sigh.

"You alright?" He asked worriedly.

"This is SHIELD." I muttered. "Where it started."

Natasha looks at me in complete surprise after she exchanges a look with Steve.

"How do you know this? You have a...a vision or something?" Natasha gently prods.

"Or something." I mumble softly. "To the little guys, huh, Steve?"

I continue forward as my words register in Steve's mind. He looks almost shell shocked from my reference. As soon as we get to the building I aim my watch at the lock and shoot a laser beam at it before entering. After turning on the lights in the room, I see the framed portraits on a wall ahead of Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Col. Chester Phillips.

"Shit. No way." I grinned.

"What?" Natasha chuckles.

"My grandfather founded SHIELD? Ha. Can't wait to rub that in my old man's face." I laughed.

"Who's the girl?" Natasha asked.

Steve doesn't reply and turns away to explore the area, all while avoiding the subject.

"Agent Margaret Elizabeth Carter. Also known as Peggy Carter." I answered.

"And you know this how...?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Because she's my Auntie Peggy." I smile fondly at the picture.

Upon hearing this, Steve looks at me in surprise, never once knowing this tidbit of information.

"Really now?" Natasha asked.

"She used to watch over my father when he was younger as a favor to Howard. But...she became something of family to my dad over the years. That didn't change even when I was born. She'd actually come babysit me too, tell me all sorts of stories about her time as a super agent. I didn't actually realize they were true until much later. I...I need to make plans to visit her when this is over." I smile faintly.

Then, we get back to the task at hand after Steve rouses us out of our thoughts. He stops at this massive bookshelf nearby us and looks at it suspiciously.

"If you already working in a secret office..."

Steve pushes the books shelf aside to reveal an elevator behind it.

"Why do you need to hide the elevator? Steve finishes.

Shit...this looks familiar...

"Uh...guys?"

Steve and Natasha don't hear me as they step inside. When they notice my hesitation to follow, they know something's wrong. I reluctantly follow them inside, and after the elevator takes us down, we're inside a room filled to the brim with old technology and computers.

Wait...this...this can't be...

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient." Natasha scoffed.

I'm completely mesmerized as a certainly lit area catches my attention completely. I grab the flashdrive from Natasha's hand and walk slowly to the main console before plugging in the flash drive into the port.

"How did you know that was there?" Natasha questioned.

"This place just looks so...familiar. Like I've been here before." I barely uttered.

"Your visions?" Steve tries clarifying.

I nod at Steve, and see a prompt on the computer.

"The scientist...the german guy...he's here." I remembered.

Initiate system?

Natasha moves forward and begins to type using the keyboard in front of us.

"Y-E-S, spells yes." Natasha smiled.

The old computer starts to kick back up and Natasha turns over to Steve.

"Shall we play a game?" Natasha asked Steve. "It's from a movie that..."

"Yeah, I saw it." Steve said.

I nearly jump at the deeply accented voice in the room. If I didn't remember the vision I had, I would have thought the voice to be an AI of some kind.

"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984."

When I'm scanned, a weird beeping noise sounds from the computer. Then, I realize that it's because I'm wearing that mask.

"Unidentified subject."

"It's some kind of a recording." Natasha said.

"No. It's not." I shake my head.

"Really?" Natasha smirked.

"It's the guy, the guy. The one from World War II. The uh...the german scientist."

When recalling our earlier conversation, Natasha nods in understanding.

"As the woman as said, I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am..."

The computer screen shows an old photo of Dr. Arnim Zola.

AHA!

"ZOLA!" I shouted.

Steve and Natasha stare at me with wide eyes, as if I'm insane.

"S- -sorry...I just uh...remembered his name." I blushed. "Arnim Zola."

"Do you know this thing?" Natasha asked Steve.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve answered.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive."

I have never been more alive.

"God, I'm getting such dejavu right now." I whined. "Honestly, if I wasn't so creeped out, I'd be jumping in excitement from this."

"For...?" Natasha drawls.

"Because the guy's basically immortal." I replied.

Steve and Natasha look at me in confusion and worry.

"How?" Steve asked.

"If I'm remembering correctly..." I mutter.

I shake my head, trying to think of the correct terminology. I snap my fingers and eagerly explain the concept to them.

"Right! Okay, think of it this way: Zola essentially uploaded scans of his brain, and in turn, was able to put his mind into dozens upon thousands of data banks. So, while he doesn't have a physical body, he still has his mind and is very much alive in this way. Like I said before, he's basically immortal." I told them.

"And you're just now remembering all of this?" Natasha chuckles.

"I didn't know what my vision meant up until now! But I beat you to the punch, didn't I, Zola?" I smirked.

"You are an interesting woman, Fräulein...but she is correct." Zola agreed. "In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain."

"How did you get here?" Steve questioned.

"Invited."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic values." Natasha realized.

And that's how all of this fits together...Oh SHIELD...why did you have to be so naive?

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

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull." Steve growled.

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

"Prove it." Steve snapped.

"Accessing archive."

The computer screen begins to display old footage of Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, of the how the original SHIELD founders died off one by one.

"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. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

"Damn...so I was right." I mumbled.

Natasha glared at me before looking back at Zola.

"That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you." Natasha noted.

"Accidents will happen." Zola replied grimly.

My eyes widened as the computer screen shows them the death of Howard and Maria Stark along with Nick Fury.

Oh my god...HYDRA killed my grandparents and made it look like a car accident...

"HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life; a zero sum."

Steve smashes the computer in pure anger, but it was clear that Zola wasn't done with us just yet.

"As I was saying..."

"What's on this drive?" I asked.

"Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm."

I was right...they're using Project Insight to kill HYDRA's enemies! I just need him to confirm it.

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" I questioned.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it."

The doors start closing as Steve tries to stop it by throwing his shield in between, but it's already too late.

SHIT! HE WAS STALLING!

"Steve, I got a bogey. Short-range ballistic. Thirty seconds, tops." Natasha's eyes widened.

"Who fired it?" Steve asked.

"SHIELD." Natasha answered.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain." Zola sounded smug.

Natasha quickly takes the flash drive out of the port.

"Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us...out of time."

"Holy shit snacks. We are so fucked!" I kicked the computer in anger. "I should have seen this coming!" I cried.

"You would have told us if you knew what was going to happen, you only knew some of it, not all. Let's go." Steve told me.

We notice a small opening on the ground and quickly move. Steve, Natasha, and I tears off the metal door on the ground, and there's a hole big enough for the three of us. As Natasha and Steve barely make it inside, I hear the missiles coming right at us, not even several feet away. My eyes widen fearfully as I grab the metal door and practically jump on top of Steve and Natasha, who immediately object and try to help me. I already know it's too late for me, but I can still save them at least. When the missiles finally make impact, the heat scorches my body and I scream in pain as my body is engulfed in flames.

"TYRA!"

I hear shouts of my name, and random sounds throughout the rubble. I come to, gasping for air and look down at my hands. My flesh is completely burnt, and then I remember that the only reason I'm not dead is because of Extremis still being in my system. I cry from the sheer pain as my body heals itself. My clothes are in tatters and barely hang onto me as I wobble out of the wreckage. Then, from several feet away, I see Steve holding Natasha's unconscious body. When he looks at me, his eyes are widened with fear until he realizes who I am.

"Tyra?!" Steve shouts worriedly.

I make it over to him slowly and give him a pained nod. It takes a few more seconds, before newly regenerated skin is formed on my body.

"Sup." I rasped.

Steve puts a hand on my cheek, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"What the hell was that?! How are you not dead?!"

I cough to clear my throat, and put my hand on top of his to try and comfort him.

"I'd love to explain, but we need to go before they find us. SHIELD's probably coming right now just to confirm we're dead."

With a hesitant nod, Steve lets the subject drop and adjusts his hold on Natasha before we hurriedly began to make our way out of here.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update! I was just trying to figure out how to write this and I've been busy with family stuff! I had fun though! I really hope you liked it! I look forward to trying to finish the CA:TWS arc by the next chapter or two. I really can't wait to reunite Tony and Tyra. I'll probably cry as I write it. Anyway, let me know what you think, and please be nice. I love you guys!