His Super Soldier // Bucky Barnes

Chapter 72

"For whatever it's worth, you did your best," An older man said walking out of a room.

Maddy was leaning up against a wall, waiting for Steve to show up.... so they could answer questions about Fury's death, Maddy looked up and noticed the blonde woman who lived next door to her..... she frowned.

"Thank you, Sir," The woman smiled... but paused and looked at Maddy.

Maddy noticed the woman was blushing, she looked over her shoulder and saw Steve walking up....

"Miss Rogers.... Captain Rogers," The woman said... mostly looking at Steve.

"Neighbor," Maddy growled.

"I have a name you know," Th woman replied.

"I don't care," Maddy frowned.

"Ah, Miss Rogers.... Captain. I'm Alexander Pierce," The older man smiled.

"It's such a honor," Maddy smiled, shaking his hand.

Steve walked up next Maddy and quickly started shaking hands with Pierce.

"The honor is mine, I can't believe I'm meeting the wonderful Miss America and amazing Captain America. My father served in the 101st! Come on in!" Pierce smiled.

They all three walked into a huge room, Maddy walked over to the large window and looked out.... while Pierce showed pictures to Steve.

"That photo was taken five years after Nick and I met. When I was at State Department in Bogota. ELN rebels took the embassy, and security got me out, but rebels took hostages. Nick was deputy chief of SHIELD station there. And comes to me with a plan. He wants to storm the building through the sewers. I however said * No, we'll negotiate *. Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter," Pierce said.

Maddy turned around and smiled...

"So you gave him a promotion?" Steve asked.

"I've never had any cause to regret it, Captain.... Miss Rogers. Why was Nick at your apartment last night?" Pierce asked looking from Maddy to Steve.

"H-He and I-I got attacked by a man.... so we went to my place so I could patch him up," Maddy said, looking out the window.

"You know it was bugged?" Pierce frowned looking over at Steve.

"I did, because Nick told us," Steve said.

"Did he tell you he was the one who bugged it?" Pierce paused and walked over to his desk, pulling up a video.

"I want to show the two of you something," Pierce continued.

"Who hired you, Batroc?" A SHIELD agent asked in the video.

"Is this live?" Maddy questioned walking towards the desk.

"Yeah, they picked him up last night in a not-so-safe house in Algiers," Pierce said.

"Are you trying to tell us, he's a suspect? Assassination isn't Batroc's line," Maddy replied.

"Well no, it's more complicated than that. Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the Lemurian Star and he was contacted by email and paid by wire transfer. And then the money was run through seventeen fictitious accounts, the last one going to a holding company that was registered to Jacob Veech," Pierce said.

"Are we supposed to know who that is?" Maddy asked.

Pierce hands Steve a file, Maddy walked over to Steve and looked over his shoulder...

"Not likely. Veech died six years ago. His last address was 14-35 Elmhurt Drive. When I first met Nick, his mother lived at 14-37," Pierce sighed.

"So let me get this straight... are you trying to say Fury hired the pirates? Why?" Maddy asked.

"The prevailing theory was that the hijacking was cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. The sale went sour and that led to Nick's death," Pierce replied.

"I don't believe you! If you really knew Nick Fury you'd know that's not true," Maddy said.

"Why do you think we are talking? See, I took a seat on the Council not because I wanted to but because Nick asked me to, because we were both realists. We knew that despite all the  diplomacy and the hand skating and the rhetoric, that to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down. And that makes enemies. Those people that call you dirty because you got the guts to stick your hands in mud and try to build something better.... and the idea that those people could be happy today, makes me really... really angry. Captain.... Miss, you both were the last to see Nick alive. I don't think that's an accident, and I don't think you both think either. So I'm gonna ask again, why was he there?" Pierce questioned... quickly getting angry.

"He told us.... not to trust anyone," Maddy sighed.

" I wonder if that included him," Pierce said.

Maddy and Steve both looked at one another...

"I'm sorry. Those were his last words... Excuse us," Steve replied, grabbing his shield and placing it on his back.

Maddy turned on her heels and started heading for the door.... but stopped and waited for Steve.

"Captain.... Miss. Somebody murdered my friend and I'm gonna find out why. Anyone gets in my way.... they're gonna regret it. Anyone," Pierce said.... staring mostly at Maddy.

Maddy frowned...and quickly walked out the door.

She leaned up against the wall and waited for Steve to walk out.... once Steve was out in the hallway Maddy roughly grabbed his arm and stood on her toes.

"Is it just me? Or is he hiding something?" Maddy whispered into Steve's ear... before pulling away and noticed Pierce standing only a few feet away from them.

They quickly started walking away.... towards the elevator, they both turned around and gave Pierce a small smile... before stepping into the elevator.