I do not own the Avengers.
Steve mulled it over in his mind. Hydra, back again. He'd died to destroy it, fought his best friend over it, and here it was like a recurring nightmare. The things they had done to him, to Bucky, to the world, they were unforgivable. They deserved to die, yet here they were alive, with innocent bodies at their feet. He stood up.
"Meet in the control room in one hour, dressed for combat." He left the room.
He hoped his team would be ready. After months of preparing, they should be fine. But it was easier to worry about performance malfunctions than what was really bothering him.
Hydra, home of world domination, human experimentation, and the Winter Soldier. They had turned his best friend into a weapon to kill people, to kill him, and he hadn't known. Bucky had been there for him when he had nothing, but when Bucky had been alive, tortured, changed into a monster, Steve had left him for dead. He had failed him.
The familiar feeling of loss and guilt swept over him as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor of a remote hall. His head fell to his knees. He could see it whenever he closed his eyes, the helicarriers falling apart around him, Bucky on top on him, punching him, that face he knew so well, the eyes that didn't remember him.
"I'm with you to the end of the line," he could barely remember choking out the words, then for a second he could see a glimmer of the man Bucky used to be, the one who remembered him, but then it was gone, and there was nothing but hospital beds, rehab, and people who could never understand.
He couldn't talk to anyone about it. The files from Natasha had been interesting but ultimately unhelpful. Sam had been willing to help though Steve felt it was mostly due to obligation, but they'd hit a dead end and Steve had been forced to give up actively searching. As much as Steve wanted to find Bucky, he didn't know if he could face the Winter Soldier again. He knew he couldn't take him out if it came to that, and it would probably come to that.
He stood up and left the hallway checking his watch. He'd been there for ten minutes. As the leader of the Avengers he couldn't be late, he had to set a good example. He started through the compound lost in thought.
About halfway to his room, he met a dead man. Nick Fury strode toward him, his long coat streaming behind him, a new eye patch covering his bad eye, and a half smile on his face.
"Fury," Steve said. "How am I supposed to point people to your grave when you're walking around?'
"Can't I just stop by to say hello to an old friend?" Fury extended his hand.
"As long as it is just that." Steve shook Fury's hand. "Hill didn't tell us you were coming."
"Do I have to tell Hill everything?" Fury asked.
"Well, you do tell her everything, but it's good you know, to have at least one person to tell stuff to." Tony interrupted, walking up behind Steve. "I suppose you're here to take her back, and by that I mean like physically 'cause everyone knows she only works for you."
"As I recall, she's done some good work for you as well," said Fury, "And yes, I need her back."
"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Steve asked Tony, getting annoyed by the conversation.
"I'm always ready, Rogers." Tony looked like he wanted to continue arguing over who Hill worked for.
Steve cut him off.
"You don't look ready, usually you've got more gel in your hair, and you take a long time to put gel in your hair."
"Yes," Tony mused, "That's all I do here, I mean aside from paying for everything, designing everything, and building everything, yeah you're totally right, my only job is to look super good."
But he turned to leave for his room.
"Fashionably late is not a thing," Steve called after him, "Don't be late for the meeting!"
Fury snorted quietly. "If only the world knew their greatest heroes were a bunch of children."
"When do you leave?" Steve asked.
"Wheels up in twenty." Fury said, checking a worn pocket watch.
"And Hill is the only reason you're here?" Steve had learned not to underestimate the amount of large, important secrets Fury usually kept.
"To collect my agent," Fury nodded, "And to tell you not to go digging back into S.H.I.E.L.D. Just take out the Hydra base and leave the rest to me."
"What rest?" Steve was instantly on edge.
"The remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I set up a safe house in a rather remote secret compound, so don't be alarmed if your radars show movement." Fury said.
"Another S.H.I.E.L.D.? I thought we agreed it was over." Steve could feel the anger rising in his chest. The man just couldn't leave opportunity alone, even when it was unnecessarily dangerous for a large amount of people.
"No," said Fury firmly. "Just a safe house." Steve nodded, but he couldn't shake the feeling there was something he was missing.