Shadows and Secrets (A MCU FanFic)

Chapter 35: Contact

Steve's POV

"Okay, so you all know why we are here,"  said Nat.

"No," they said in unison.

Nat had called a meeting with everyone. Himself, Tony, Bucky, Marjorie, Clint, Sam, Bruce, and Thor.

For some reason, Loki had also shown up.

Steve hadn't seen him since last week, when he first came to the tower.

"No?" Nat sounded disappointed.

Everyone looked bewildered and apologetic.

Nat sighed. "For the mission? You know, the HAEIW base?"

Steve frowned. Nat had filled them all in when Sam and Marjorie had gotten back, so they would be included. But Nat had never mentioned anything about a base.

Steve was trying not to be bothered by the fact that Nat had not included him in her secret planning with Clint and Bucky. He understood Nat's trust issues, but he had thought that she trusted him after the whole Hydra infiltrating SHEILD business.

"Doesn't Fury usually give out missions?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," agreed Sam. "And since when has there been a HAEIW base?"

"We don't know how long it's been there—"

"That's concerning," Tony mumbled.

"—and Fury sent me the info via coded email and is currently MIA."

This seemed to be news to everyone.

"Fury's gone?" Marjorie asked.

"When were you going to tell us?" Tony added.

"How long has he been missing?" Clint inquired.

"Which one is Fury?" Loki said boredly.

"The one with the eyepatch," Thor explained.

"Yes, Fury is missing. I'm telling you right now. I don't know exactly, but not for long." Nat looked and sounded businesslike, but Steve knew that they were very close, and he was willing to bet that Nat was more worried about Fury than she appeared.

Bucky looked more unhappy than normal; he was scowling at the wall and gave off don't-talk-to-me vibes. Steve wished he would talk to him more.

"Alright." Nat clicked a button on her laptop, pulling up a slideshow on the large hologram-screen thing behind her. "Here's what we know—"

"You made a slideshow?" Marjorie interrupted.

Tony looked slightly annoyed. "When did you have time for that?"

Nat smoothly said, "Please save all questions for the end.

"Now, what we know: HAEIW has a base here, where the 'neutralizer' is, probably.

"Almost everyone here is a target. We need to stop them from neutralizing people.

"If we manage to steal some of the neutralizer, and any other data and information possible, we will be able to possibly make a counter to the drug or something.

"This is a very delicate mission; it would not be good if HAEIW, or the public for that matter, found out yet.

"This particular issue may have some conflict with the X-men." At this, Marjorie, who had been doodling on her left arm with a Sharpie, looked up.

Nat was still talking, "We should probably work together to prevent overlapping. Maybe set up a meeting with Charles Xavier?"

"Either way, we are going to raid the base tomorrow night." Nat seemed to be reaching the end of her speech and sat down, asking "any questions?"

"Where is the base?" Clint asked.

"Alaska."

"Did you already set up a meeting with Xavier?" Bruce asked.

Steve wasn't really sure who Charles Xavier was, other than that he was the leader of the X-men—a superhero group consisting entirely of mutants. He really didn't have any experience with mutants, aside from Marjorie.

Nat frowned. "No, I don't have a way to contact him."

"Oh, I can text him," Marjorie said casually.

Everyone twisted around to stare at her.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Text him?" Nat asked.

Marjorie looked alarmed at this sudden attention. "Yeah...? It's not that weird that I have his number... I used to go to his school."

Everyone continued to stare at Marjorie, except for Bucky, who was glaring at everyone else.

Tony said, "Well, text him then!"

Marjorie looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Oh-kay. I will do that right now."

Marjorie typed something short on her phone. Everyone continued to watch her, and, after a moment, she looked up. "He said he is busy, but he can send Erik."

"Erik... Lehnsherr?" ask Nat. "You mean, Magneto?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Didn't he kill a bunch of civilians?" said Sam, seemingly concerned.

Marjorie was unperturbed. "Nah, they were armed."

"What?" said Steve.

"Do I get to meet this Magneto?" Loki asked, interested.

"No," said everyone.

~

"Why do you think Loki came out of his room?" asked Steve conversationally.

"No clue," said Tony, absently tracing patterns on the inside of Steve's arm. "I don't really understand him."

"Me either. Every time I see him, I think about New York."

Steve was trying not to hold it against him since Thor had explained the whole mind control situation, but...

"I don't get it... Why can't I forgive Loki?"

"'Cause he's an entitled jerk?" Tony suggested. "You don't have to forgive him, you know. I haven't."

"I know."

"Then why are you so hung up about it? I can tell this is really bothering you."

Tony was right.

Steve didn't have to forgive him. He just needed to accept that Loki was in the tower, and that Steve would see the Asgardian from time to time.

He would be polite to Loki and try to not avoid him intentionally, but that was it.

It was not required that they become best friends; Steve wouldn't go out of his way to befriend him or seek revenge.

They would coexist, and that was it.

Maybe one of the reasons that Steve was so bothered was that Loki reminded him of Bucky.

Their personalities could not be more different, but they had some similarities in their situations. You know, mind control and all that.

Really though, Bucky and Loki were completely different.

Steve didn't want to put them in the same category.

Bucky was his friend. Loki was... not.

Steve didn't think that would change, even though Bucky kept secrets from him and Loki was Thor's brother.