Chapter 1

1953

In Earth's orbit, everything was dead silent as the planet rotated peacefully and slowly, almost appearing still to the naked eye. Then, the silence was shattered by a loud, rumbling sound. Like engines running, thousands at once. Near the moon, a form decloaked, the air shimmering around it before the form of a large spaceship appeared. It was gargantuan, sleek and black in color, with a long, curved blade-like nose. The engines slowly died down as its approach towards Earth slowed, before it was just casually orbiting the planet.

Onboard, the ship's occupants began preparing for the latest hunt...

ooooo

Much had changed since that harrowing adventure in 1946. Stark's name had been cleared, and Peggy was finally able to gain the trust she deserved from her peers. Things got better when she got the call from Howard, saying that he had bought out the Strategic Scientific Reserve and was rebuilding it under a more nationalized organization. The Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage Logistics Division. That was the name that Colonel Chester Phillips, who co-produced the idea with Stark, came up with. Stark immediately discarded the name and chose to shorten it into the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. Easier to remember. Peggy felt surprised when Stark and Phillips asked her to be one of the co-leaders, and she was happy to oblige.

It gave a her a new sense of importance, something she didn't have when doing minor office work for the SSR. Field operations were more frequent, she got to lead again, like she did in the war.

Her personal life also improved, namely her relationship with former SSR agent Daniel Sousa. After Peggy was nearly convicted of treason while helping Stark, Sousa had been the only one to still believe in her. Other than Jarvis of course. God bless that man. She and Sousa had grown closer, and began a relationship. And Krzmenski said that Sousa had no chance.

To any other person, Peggy should be satisfied with herself. And she was. Though, not entirely.

She still longed for the one she lost. Steve Rogers. If not to see him alive, but to at least have some closure as to what his fate was. Eight years, and still nothing.

Currently, Peggy was sitting in her office on the highest floor of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, location classified. Ironically, she was back to doing what she had done during much of her time with the SSR. Simple office work. Really she was just filling out mission forms from her subordinates.

She paused when there was a knock at her door. "Come in."

She looked up as her secretary, Judy, entered, followed by a tall, middle aged man with glasses, a gray suit, and a briefcase. Peggy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and looked to Judy for an explanation.

"Ms. Carter, this is Christopher Howell. He's from Weyland Enterprises."

Peggy looked over at the man, Howell, who looked at her with a small that seemed genuine. She sighed, and nodded Judy out of the room. Once she and Howell were alone, she ushered towards the chair in front of her desk.

Howell sat down in it, getting comfortable. "Mr. Howell."

"Ms. Carter." Howell greeted.

"What's this about?" Peggy asked. "Has Mr. Weyland sent you to complain about the lack of funding again? If so, I have little time for it."

"This isn't about that at all." Howell assured. "It's about... Captain Rogers."

Peggy froze, looking at Howell. Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Steve Rogers has been lost in the Arctic Circle for eight years now. The search ended a long time ago."

"Yes." Howell agreed. "But, we think we may have found him, Margaret."

Peggy went rigid, her composure slackening before she righted herself, looking at Howell intently. "Explain."

"One of our science teams found what they believe to be the flight box from the Valkyrie, the plane that Captain Rogers crashed."

"Where?"

"Bouvet Island." Howell said. "It's an uninhabited subantarctic volcanic landmass located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It's very close to where the Valkyrie disappeared to."

Peggy took a deep breath, finding this information to be much to good to be true. She continued to interrogate Howell lightly. "What were your people doing there in the first place?"

Howell looked away slightly. "We had detected some form of anomaly coming from the island. A heat bloom. We aren't sure what the cause of it was at first, but when the science team, the one who found the Valkyrie's black box, arrived, they found a specimen."

"A specimen?"

"A life form." Howell clarified. "Some kind of unknown type, dead but completely preserved within the ice. We don't know how old it is, but given the glacial shifts it could be thousands of years old. Further investigations of the surrounding area were halted after that. The specimen was taken to one of our facilities in Norway as proprietorial material, but we haven't able to get much out of studying it. So, Mr. Weyland has been working to put a team together to investigate the region for further discoveries."

"A team?" Peggy repeated slowly. "Specify?"

"Some of our best scientists, archaeologists, linguistic experts, drillers, and a team of mercenaries. The Iron Boars. They're a freelance group-"

"I know who they are." Peggy interrupted suddenly, her tone none to friendly. She had come across the Iron Boars during some of her missions. None of the encounters were on friendly terms.

Howell cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, well. We're all going to travel out to Bouvet Island in the next week."

"We?" Peggy said in confusion.

"I'm joining as an executive guide." Howell explained. "And, you. If you're willing."

Peggy's head lurched back slowly, her eyes wide. "Mr. Howell..."

"Mr. Weyland has loose ties with S.H.I.E.L.D., even if it is a newer organization. But Colonel Phillips has agreed to lend one of your senior agents to act as a strategic consultant in the expedition."

Peggy was silent, her eyes looking anywhere but Howell. The man gave a sigh. "Look, Ms. Carter, I know about your experiences during the war. I read the case history. I know how close you and Captain Rogers were."

Peggy slowly looked back at Howell, who was giving her a sympathetic smile. "You're still searching. Aren't you."

Peggy was silent, and Howell kept speaking. "The company has offered you a place on the team, if you want to come along. You may finally find out Captain Rogers' fate. Maybe there'll finally be some closure for you."

ooooo

"Antarctica?" Sousa said as he watched his girlfriend pack.

"Bouvet Island, actually." Peggy said as she placed a pistol on her suitcase, burying under neatly folded stacks of clothing. "It borders the Arctic Circle."

Prepping himself up with his crutch, Sousa frowned. "Is this about Rogers? I thought you had moved on?"

"I have, Daniel." Peggy tried to assure him as she zipped up the suitcase. "It's just another mission. Weyland's hired me as a consultant."

"Peg." Sousa said almost condescendingly. "You're using your lying voice again."

Peggy stopped, internally sighing. Daniel had grown to be able to read her like a book in these past few years. It irked her, but at the same time she found it... somewhat cute. "Daniel..."

"Peggy, what's this really about?" Sousa said as he sat down next to her on the bed, pushing her suitcase aside. "It's no secret that this is in the same area where the captain vanished."

"They think they may have found him." Peggy explained. "They found the black box from the plane in the area where they were investigating."

Sousa nodded slightly, looking away. "So... you still care for him, huh?"

Peggy glanced at Sousa, and gave a smile. "Daniel, Steve will always have a place in my heart. But he's not you. I just... *sigh* I need this, Daniel. I've been suffering for too long. This may be the experience I need to finally put it all behind me."

Sousa gave a gentle smile, and nodded. "Yeah. Okay. I just... worry about you."

Peggy chuckled. "I know. It's one of your defining attributes."

Sousa laughed slightly with her, and the two shared a brief kiss. Sousa sighed. "Just be careful out there. Alright?"

"Darling, I fought the Nazis." Peggy stated. "There's nothing on this Earth more dangerous than that."

ooooo

High above in orbit, the ship that continued to drift lazily around the planet suddenly moved into a position over the Arctic. A low hum emenated from the vessel, before a particle cannon on the underbelly started charging. A long, blue beam shot out from it, careening towards the Earth before impacting with the surface.

Seconds later, it ceased, and resumed its casual drift around the planet's orbit.

Hello all. I realize that this chapter is far shorter and less energetic than most would like, but this story won't get to any action right away. Usually in moves where Aliens and Predators are involved, the action builds up. With the exception of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Terrible movie, but lots of fast paced action I'll admit.

Good to see some people have faith in this idea. I'll be sure to update this fic whenever I can. Anyway, thanks for reading :)