Shadows | s.r

CHAPTER 10

Alayna blinked rapidly, behind her blindfold, as her powers became muffled.

She couldn't feel the shadows around her anymore. She tried her hardest she just couldn't, her skin felt like fire, and she didn't know why.

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J." Nick Fury said.

"Confirmed."

The elevator starts moving down.

"You know, they used to play music." Steve said trying to lighten the mood. All the while looking at Alayna worriedly, he knew something was wrong.

"Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years. My granddad worked in a nice building, he got good tips." Nick says as he looks up.

"He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say "hi", people would say hi back. Time went on, neighborhood got rougher. He'd say "Hi", they'd say, "Keep on steppin'. Granddad got to grippin' that lunch bag a little tighter." Nick said, Alayna smiled, she had heard this story from him before.

"Did he ever get mugged?" Steve asked.

"Every week some punk would say, "What's in the bag?" Alayna said, knowing the story, as her father smiled at her.

"What did he do?"

"He'd show 'em. Bunch of crumpled ones and loaded .22 Magnum." Alayna continued.

"Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much." Nick said with a smile and a sigh.

As they continue to ride down the elevator Steve notices the giant Helicarriers. As Alayna still kept trying to use her powers she just couldn't. It's like they were muffled somehow, by something.

"Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a .22." Nick Fury said.

"This is Project Insight. Three next generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites." Nick continued as he showed them both around.

"Launched from the Lemurian Star." Steve said looking up in awe at the ships.

"Once we get them in the air they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight courtesy of our new repulsor engines." Nick Fury said impressed with his own work.

"Stark?"

"Well, he had a few suggestions once he got an up close look at our old turbines. These new long range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen." Nick said looking at Alayna as she winced at the word threat.

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime." Alayna muttered loud enough for them both to hear.

 "We can't afford to wait that long." Nick said.

" Who's "we"?" Steve asked.

"After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis. For once we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection." Steve said nastily. 

Alayna looked at the helicarriers with distaste as she tried to use her powers again.

"why aren't they working?" She whispered to herself.

The shadows around her felt muffled, she couldn't feel Steve nor could she feel her father.

"You know, I read those SSR files. Greatest generation? You guys did some nasty stuff." Nick Fury said to get back at Steve.

"Yeah, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so the people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear." Steve said grabbing Alayna's hand surprising her.