2013

New York City

S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters, Reception area

 

(Omniscient POV)

As the sun began rising above the horizon line somewhere above Manhattan Harbor, Brock, Steve, Natasha, and several members of S.T.R.I.K.E, were spread out in the Reception area of HQ awaiting word from Fury on the status update of the Operation.

With a heavy sigh, Captain America turned away from the window overlooking Manhattan harbor, gazing despondently at the cityscape beyond, lost in thought.

It seemed like forever ago since he had first arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters aboard one of the helicopters, and he was anxious to begin the Operation to rescue Sana.

"You look troubled, Cap," Natasha remarked casually, walking briskly towards Steve Rogers, stopping beside him near the windowsill and leaning comfortably against the wall next to him.

Steve sighed once more before responding worriedly, "What is taking Fury so long? It has been hours already and still no word."

Natasha shrugged nonchalantly. "They will contact us soon enough."

After several moments passed during which neither said anything else, Natasha continued speaking.

"You don't trust Fury?" She inquired bluntly.

Struggling to keep calm despite being caught between wanting desperately to speak frankly about his suspicions surrounding Fury's intentions concerning Sana's kidnapping, aside from the obvious desire to get her back safely, and needing to maintain control while dealing tactfully with a bureaucratic organization such as S.H.I.E.L.D.

Steve chose his words carefully, choosing instead to respond diplomatically rather than confrontationally.

"This may sound harsher than intended...But no, I don't." His response came reluctantly. "Sometimes I wonder just how much faith I can truly put in...certain people, especially when it comes to handling sensitive operations like this one..."

Natasha frowned suspiciously, narrowing her eyes slightly as Steve continued.

"It's just...I'm getting the feeling that we're not being told the whole story." He admitted cautiously. "Something feels...off."

Natasha looked sharply at Steve curiously wondering where this line of thinking was heading, though she didn't press further due to her concern about talking so openly about issues with authority figures. Knowing it could potentially cause major problems later down the road.

She watched closely as Steve shifted uneasily on his feet, constantly glancing at the clock mounted on the wall opposite them.

Feeling awkward, Natasha opened her mouth to break the silence, however, at precisely that same time Agent Hill approached alongside Director Nick Fury entering through the front door leading directly into the reception area.

Fury cleared his throat loudly, stopping all conversation as everyone present turned their attention toward him.

"We've received intelligence suggesting that Ms. Amanat is likely being taken to Liberty Island," He informed grimly. "Which means our operation must proceed immediately. All operatives are to assemble and prepare-"

"Wait!" Steve interrupted abruptly, cutting Fury short mid-sentence. "Why is she being taken to the Statue of Liberty? What aren't you telling us!?"

Fury paused briefly, frowning darkly at Steve before answering after considering the best approach.

"That information isn't available for public dissemination yet, Captain Rogers." He replied stiffly.

Steve glared angrily at Fury, who appeared unmoved by the display. The tension grew thickening the atmosphere and filling the room significantly.

"Just tell him," Natasha interjected calmly, moving between the two men. "He should know all aspects involved regarding his mission."

Turning his glare fully upon her, Fury regarded Natasha coolly for a few seconds before nodding curtly, acknowledging her request. Turning his focus back to Steve, he responded flatly: "Ms. Amanat's kidnapping is part of a larger investigation involving terrorist activities conducted by a man named William Baker."

Agent Hill pulled out her tablet and flipped it around to show the mug shot of a bald-headed man with pale green eyes and a thick ginger beard.

"A petty thief turned domestic terrorist after his daughter died from an accidental chemical leak. The corporation responsible paid millions in compensation to settle the lawsuits…but was ultimately let off with a slap on the wrist. This caused Baker to be consumed with revenge, eventually becoming convinced that only violence would bring justice and retribution to his murdered child."

Captain America listened attentively as Fury went on explaining what they knew thus far, remaining silent throughout most of the briefing until finally asking pointedly:

"So why does he need Sana specifically?"

Looking uncomfortable, Fury hesitated before replying somewhat defensively, stating simply, "...Ms. Amanat designed an advanced security system we use in a lot of our facilities. One such facility is a Vault containing a few highly dangerous experiments that were decommissioned decades ago following their failure to yield the desired results. We have reason to suspect that Baker is after one of these failed experiments."

Nodding his head understandingly, Steve considered this new revelation silently. After a moment or so spent pondering various possibilities, he offered another question.

"How did he find out about this particular experiment anyway?" He queried. "Surely nobody outside of S.H.I.E.L.D knows about this place?"

Fury glanced around, uncertain how exactly to reply given recent events. However, seeing no harm in offering whatever insight he possessed into matters pertaining to this situation.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head sadly looking down at the floor for several brief moments before continuing.

"...Apparently someone managed to open a backdoor in our network, gaining entry into certain restricted files and leaving a chink in our defenses, allowing unauthorized access to those with the skill to find it..." He stated softly sounding regretful. "Right now, we have no idea how much damage was done nor do we possess complete confidence in the integrity of our internal systems going forward."

A pair of eyes amongst the small crowd twitched slightly at those words but went unnoticed by those in the room.

Seeing little point in dwelling on past mistakes, Steve decided to shift gears, focusing solely on current circumstances. Looking back up at Fury, he spoke earnestly, "Okay...I appreciate you being honest with me about everything. That's all I ask for…just honesty."

Fury nodded and smiled slyly, clearly relieved to see Steve was back on board and willing to cooperate. Looking around at each person assembled nearby, he addressed them evenly saying;

"Alright team….Let's move!"

***

Liberty Island, New York City

One Hour later

 

(William Baker POV)

"T-this is it," Sana whined pitifully as she moved towards one of the walls of the base of the huge statue. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she reached tentatively behind its smooth granite surface searching frantically for something.

Her fingers brushed against a segment of the wall, revealing a small panel embedded discreetly underneath the stonework concealing it.

"Open it," I commanded harshly, as the crew of mercs I hired stood ready, standing guard behind me and along the perimeter of the island.

The battered woman whimpered fearfully as she fumbled awkwardly to punch out a pattern code into the keypad of the panel. A loud click sounded when she finished, indicating some sort of mechanical lock disengaging itself from within.

The section of the wall slid smoothly downward, opening onto stairs descending deeper below ground level.

"Go ahead…" I instructed gruffly, pointing my gun menacingly at her backside, urging her onward.

Following behind the woman, My men and I descended the staircase after instructing a few of them to wait in case any unforeseen complications arose.

Upon reaching the bottom step, I heard the faint sounds of voices echoing faintly from beyond. Stepping confidently forward, I pushed Sana back to the middle of the group and entered the large cavernous chamber ahead, illuminated dimly by the fluorescent lights hanging overhead.

A unit of eight guards was stationed in front of a thick metallic vault door that blocked off the entrance to the storage facility farther down this hallway. They wore black tactical gear adorned with heavily armored vests reinforced with Kevlar inserts and each had military-grade assault rifles slung over their shoulders.

The guards were huddled around a small table, where they sat facing each other and looked to be playing cards together whilst smoking cigarettes simultaneously. Their faces showed signs of fatigue, having apparently worked tirelessly for days guarding this specific location alone.

None noticed our arrival, too engrossed in their card game.

I turned around to signal for my men to move forward silently and take up positions flanking both sides of the vault door, preparing themselves for combat if needed.

"Stay here. Move and I'll shoot your ass before you can blink." I warned Sana coldly staring hard at her terrified face. "Don't make me kill you girlie."

Sana swallowed uncomfortably but remained motionless, obediently kneeling propped against a corner of the corridor adjacent to the doorway.

My men took position quietly watching intently as I moved closer, approaching the group as quietly as possible.

"I'm telling you, I heard something. We should go patrol the entrance to make sure everything is okay." One of the guards complained impatiently amongst the others seated there.

"Ya gotta relax, kid!" Another guard added skeptically, "Nothing has ever happened here besides routine maintenance checks every six months. It's the cushiest post in S.H.E.I.L.D."

His remark elicited laughter among the rest of the squad, unknowingly making light of their current predicament.

Raising my hand, I motion for my men to ready weapons and drew mine swiftly aiming it squarely at the guard sitting closest to the door at the center of the table.

"Fire!!" I ordered instantly, firing three rounds rapidly into the guards unprotected head and neck, sending blood gushing violently across the tabletop.

More shots rang out simultaneously, as my men followed my lead, causing everyone seated at the table to jump up out of their seats, too startled by the sudden gunfire erupting around them to react.

Bullets tore through flesh spraying bright red arterial fluid everywhere including splattering against the reflection of the thick vault door. Blood pooled beneath bodies sprawled lifeless on the floor.

All except one whose body lay still slumped facedown beside the chair next to which he'd been drinking coffee previously unaware of the danger lurking close by. With rapid precision, my gunmen fired twice more, striking dead the last surviving member of the security detail.

Several bullets ripped through his chest cavity piercing vital organs as his lifeblood spilled freely pooling under him and spreading quickly over the stony ground.

Silence filled the air momentarily as we surveyed the scene, taking stock of the carnage wrought upon the unfortunate souls trapped within this underground complex.

"All clear!" One of my hired mercenaries reported emotionlessly, surveying the aftermath of battle while wiping away beads of perspiration trickling down his forehead. "No survivors!"

"Alright, Let's go!" I order, as I turn around and motion for Sana to come over.

Moving carefully around the corpses strewn carelessly around the corridor, we proceeded in front of the heavy metal doors blocking our way.

"Open it," I demanded roughly, pushing the scared woman toward the sealed door.

She stumbled forwards and, with shaky hands, moved aside the hidden sliding cover of the control pad located above the handle built into the side of the massive steel door.

She punched in the correct sequence of numbers using trembling fingers. Moments passed slowly as the electronic locks engaged automatically, unlocking the mechanism and keeping the vault firmly shut tight.

Then suddenly, the entire structure began descending downward, operating like a giant elevator shaft toward the bottommost floors of Lady Liberty herself.

A loud grinding noise echoed loudly throughout the vast subterranean space, as aged hinges groaned out ominously.

The inner mechanisms continued lowering downwards, before finally coming to a stop at least sixty feet lower than the previous level.

As soon as the lift came to a halt, the door of the vault opened soundlessly, letting loose a flood of stale humid air emerging from within. An eerie silence ensued, save for occasional creaking noises emanating from somewhere deep inside the bowels of the storage area.

I peered cautiously inside, scanning the interior space for threats. Seeing none, I gestured for all present to follow closely behind me. Moving stealthily forward, we made our way further down into the darkness accompanied by ominous echoes reverberating eerily from around us.

Hundreds of rows of shelves lined either side of a narrow winding passageway that stretched seemingly endless into the distance, disappearing into shadow depths beyond sight. Each shelf contained dozens of metal crates stacked neatly atop one another, separated only by thin partitions.

Labels were attached atop the boxes, denoting the contents and dates written in faded ink.

"I-it's this way," Sana informed nervously, leading us through the rows of shelves.

As we progressed deeper into the labyrinthine, Sana stopped abruptly near one crate marked: 'Oscorp Industries: PSAMATHE Project, Confiscated and Decommissioned in 1987'.

The name would mean nothing whatsoever to anyone who wasn't familiar with Oscorp Industries, but it meant everything to me.

After all, it is the same company responsible for my daughter's death!!

"I-is this what yo-"

Before the woman could finish speaking, I pulled her forcefully backward towards my men and moved up towards the metal crate myself without hesitation.

The crate was about the size of a mailbox and was locked securely closed with a small keypad affixed to the top. Picking up the metal crate, I briefly examined the locking mechanism mounted on the upper portion before an annoyed look crossed my face, and looked back at Sana.

"How do I open it!?" I questioned angrily.

Shrugging helplessly, she responded shaking her head. "I-I don't know. I just designed the security systems for the vault, not these particular containers."

"What!!" I growl out and move to hit her in the mouth so badly that she would never speak again! But then thought better of it, realizing such action might jeopardize things unnecessarily. Instead, I grabbed hold of her hair forcing her head back painfully as she look up at me with teary eyes, pleading desperately and begging for forgiveness.

"*Static*...Baker!! *Static*...Help!! *Static*...is attacking!!" A voice crackled weakly on the radio, interrupting my rage.

"What are you talking about!?" I shouted furiously over the radio but receive no response. "Shit! The signal must have gone bad or they're jamming transmissions..."

Turning back to Sana once more defiantly demanding answers from her. "You tell me how to unlock this damn thing NOW!!! Or maybe you want me to give you a taste of what real pain feels like?!"

Without waiting long enough for a reply from the frightened woman, I slammed my fist into her stomach causing her to double over onto the floor.

"...Please…." she choked out barely able to get anything coherent out, "I don't-"

*Clank!*

An audible clanging sound emanates throughout the room startling everyone present temporarily until someone realizes exactly why. A small metal cylinder was thrown vigorously, ricocheting between two rows of shelves before landing at our feet.

"Take cover!!!!" I yell as I hug the metal crate to my chest and duck low instinctively.

*Boom!"

As the grenade goes off, black smoke billows forth, filling the confined space immediately obscuring visibility completely.

"William Baker!" A voice boomed loudly throughout the enclosed space. "This is Captain America. You are hereby under arrest for treason and conspiracy against the United States government! Release Sana Amanat and surrender yourself peacefully now or we will be caused to use force!!"

**************

A/n: Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and as always, thanks for reading!

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