Kaleidoscope. (Tony Stark Fanfic)

Chapter 21

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Maybe where it started," Steve suggested looking back at Leah who was stroking her hand against the dusty, old walls.

They enter a room where they find old framed portraits of Howard Stark, Peggy and col. Chester Phillips. Leah walked up to the painting, placing her hand on the frame of Howard Stark.

"So this is his father."
"Howard," Steve answers her, walking up next to Leah looking at the painting of Peggy Carter. He looks at her for a few seconds and then turns away to walk further down the room and stops by a massive book shelf and slides open to reveal an elevator behind it..

"Why do you need to hide the elevator?" Leah and Steve go down the elevator which takes them to a room with ancient looking computers.

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient," leah mentioned. Her eyes hover over to a small flash drive port, she slots the drive in it; which it then activates the computer in the room.

"Initiate system?" The computer asks. Leah types using the keyboard infront of it.
"Y-E-S, spells yes," she smiled at it.

Suddenly, an accent voice starts speaking.
"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918. Harper, Leah Charlotte. Born 1986," The voice said, and they notice some kind of old camera moving above them as they analyse them.

* * *

*Steve's Pov*

"It is some sort of recording," Leah said to me. I recognised the voice but I just couldn't remember where I had heard it from.

"I am not a recording. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner 1945, but I am." The computer screen shows an old photo of Dr Arnim Zola. That's him. But how?

"Do you know this thing?" Leah turned and asked me, her eye brows furrowed.
"Annie Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years," I replied to her, not looking away from the computer.

"First correction: I am Swiss. Second: look around you. I have never been more alive. 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 on my brain," He explained thoroughly.

"How did you get here?"
"Invited."
"It was operation paperclip after World War II. S.H.I.E.L.D recruited German scientists with strategic value," Leah commented.
"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own."

"H.Y.D.R.A died with the red skull," I said, and Leah flinched as I mentioned the company. I'm not sure why though.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." He started to irritate me and I clenched my fists.
"Prove it."

The computer screen started to show us old footage of Johann Schmidt, of  the original S.H.I.E.L.D founders. Dr Zola started describing the context behind it all, it was just unbelievable.
"Its impossible, S.H.I.E.L.D would of stopped you," Leah mentioned, confused.

"We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life; a zero sum." In anger, I smash the computer screen.

"Whats on this drive!" I shouted.
"Project insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm."
"What kind of algorithm? What does is do?" Leah questioned, taking a few steps closer to the computer.
"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it."

I furrowed my eyebrows not knowing what he was talking about. Out of the blue, the doors start to close, and I try to stop it by throwing my shield in between it, but it was too late. Shit.

"Steve, we gotta bogey. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops," Leah warned me in a shaky voice.
"Who fired it?" It took Leah a few seconds to answer, she looked shocked.
"S.H.I.E.L.D."

I notice a small opening on the ground, so I throw the metal door aside and just as the place explodes, I throw myself in the hole, grabbing Leah and protects us both with my shield over our heads.

Once the building had stopped falling, I used the pressure of my shield to move the rubble off of us, getting me and Leah out. I stood up looking around, and I turned back, noticing Leah was unconscious.

I placed the Shield on my back, and picked up Leah bridal style, managing to get us out of here before any agents of soke sort find us.

Word Count: 1368
Kiwi ~🥝