This was ridiculous, all these officers escorting both you and Steve to S.H.I.E.L.D felt over done, like who ever had planned this was flexing how much power they had at the moment. It was almost stupid and yet at the same time made you fear in the slightest, bit maybe that's what they wanted. Finally being able to walk alone in the building you almost clung to Steve walking through until finally seeing just who you both were being led to meet. He seemed to be talking to sharon who seemed sad, though she must of gotten word about fury.
"For what ever it's worth you did your best" pierce lightly said as Sharon nodded a bit looking far off.
"Thank you sir..." she muttered a bit as she turned on her heel to leave until stopping seeing Steve and you now before offering you both sympathetic smiled, she seemed nice enough but you couldn't trust anyone. "Captain Rogers, Ms. Stark" Sharon smiles at you as you gave her a friendly wave and a smile while Steve seemed a bit bitter about her not actually being his nice neighbor and just another agent sent to spy on him.
"Neighbor." If you hadn't known any better you'd of thought that to be a cold greeting from Steve, but he was too nice for that, in your opinion anyway. Sharon just glanced at him looking a little hurt while both you and Steve approached pierce who smiled upon seeing you both.
"Ah Captain! Ms. Stark!" He reached to shake hands shaking Steve's first before shaking yours.
"Sir, it's an honor" Steve said lightly while he had shook hands before you just flashed your press smile shaking hands next saying that it was nice to meet him before pierce just shook his head.
"No no the honor is mine captain!" Pierce slowly turned to walk into his office you and Steve trailing along behind him, "and Ms. Stark! Big fan of your family's work" pierce walked into his office more before suddenly being to speak again. "My father served in the 101st, come on in you two" Pierce walked over to his desk now as you and Steve stood in front of it now. Pierce turned a picture frame around revealing a picture of fury and him together, they looked happy. You wondered if fury trusted this guy. "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 the rebels took hostages...Nick was deputy chief for the S.H.I.E.L.D station there" slowly pierce turned the picture back to him staring at it before he continued. "he came to me with a plan...he wanted to storm the building through the sewers. I said, "No, we'll negotiate." Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order! Can you believe that?, 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 smiles at the memory and you looked to the floor as steve kept his eyes firm on pierce.
"Do you gave him a promotion?" Steve raised an eyebrow slowly crossing his arms over his chest as you nearly rocked on your heels.
"I've never had any regrets to it" pierce laughed before suddenly looking serious clasping his hands together in front of him now as he leaned forward furrowing his eyebrows. "So now please tell me captain, Stark, what as fury doing in the apartment last night?" Pierce looked between you and Steve as he seemed to think about it before you spoke for him hoping he'd go along with you, close friend to fury or not he said don't trust anyone, and you weren't taking that like it was a grain of salt.
"We don't know, came back from a dinner with a friend to find him there" you watched as pierce stared at you for a moment a stare that was almost chilling. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you stared back at him.
"Did you know it was bugged?" Pierce looks to Steve now and you made sure to speak before Steve did, he'd say yes you knew he would be didn't need to know that you both knew, it didn't seem to click that was an odd question to ask for some one who didn't know about ears being everywhere. Did that means Steve's apartment really was bugged?
"No, just came in and found him being cryptic" well that wasn't a lie lie he was being cryptic. Pierce gazed at you as Steve decided to go along with what you were saying getting at what you were trying to do now as pierce seemed to slowly be a bit annoyed before he sighed.
"Well did he tell you he was the one to bug it?" Silence swept the room now as you looked at Steve wondering if this was a lie in its self. Now why would Fury bug Steve's home? Sure you didn't know him all that well only knew him from his interactions with Tony and his questions to you when tony couldn't be bothered to even talk to anyone. But that seemed a little far fetched to you. Steve didn't seem to want to reply now so you took it on your self to talk, maybe you should play along or would that be too dangerous? You've seen enough spy movies to see where this could go that or maybe you've just seen to many movies.
"No, no he didn't but then again he didn't really say much to us" you breathed out watching as pierce nodded standing up as he pressed a button on his desk. Suddenly behind him a giant screen was shown revealing a man that looked a tad familiar to you and a man all to familiar to Steve being interrogated.
"I want to show you both this" Pierce turned his back to you both leaning against his desk with his arms crossed now as you all kept your eyes to the screen watching an agent trying to interrogate the man.
"Who hired you, Batroc?" The Agent moved around him now as Steve finally spoke for the first time after a while.
"Is that live?" His gaze shifted to pierce as he nodded with a hum almost.
"Yeah, they picked him up last night in a not so safe house in Algiers" pierce almost laughed and you felt chills just run down your spine, this guy was honestly giving off some red flags with you. But then again it could be like your body guard you could just be paranoid.
"Are you saying he's a suspect? Assassination isn't Batroc's line" Steve muttered again as he stared out watching the screen closely as pierce turned to face both of you in the slightest.
"No, it's more complicated than that...Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the Lemurian Star and he was contacted by e-mail 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 a Jacob Veech" pierce explained reaching in a drawer for something until handing Steve a file that you couldn't help but peer over his shoulder to try and catch a glimpse at.
"Are we supposed to know who that is?" You raised an eyebrow your self now looking over to pierce as he shook his head before seeming to shrug a bit.
"Not likely, Veech died six years ago his last address was 14-35 Elmhurst Drive...When I first met Nick his mother lived at 14-37" pierce stayed causing Steve to look almost baffled reading over the file a bit more.
"Are you saying fury hired pirates?" You asked before Steve looked up a bit.
"Why?" He asked now as pierce sighed a bit.
"The prevailing theory was that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence, The sale went sour and that led to Nick's death" pierce said causing you to look confused your self. But that didn't make much sense, this almost sounded like...a cover story.
"If you really knew nick fury you'd know that's not true" Steve voiced suddenly as pierce gazed at him. With a gaze you thought could almost with a gaze that just reached right into your soul. It was almost chilling.
"Why do you think we're 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 handshaking and the rhetoric, that to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down, and that makes enemies." Pierce became cold almost as he lifted himself up from where he was leaning on his desk in the back to round over to the front as Steve put the file down on the desk watching pierce stand close off to the side to you both before speaking again. "Those people that call you dirty because you got the guts to stick your hands in the mud and try to build something better! And the idea that those people could be happy today, makes me really, really angry." Pierce hesitates for a moment now as he stared at you both deeply. "Captain, Ms.Stark. you were the last ones to see Nick alive....I don't think that's an accident, and I don't think you do either"
Your eyes remained focus on pierce as your own expression hardened as Steve lightly took your hand as if to guide you back a bit now before pierce tried to speak again.
"So I'm gonna ask again, why was he there?" Pierce leaned closer almost menacingly causing you to take a step back, was he threatening you both? Steve decided to talk this time as you took a step back only to notice Steve's shield on the ground leaning against the desk, how had you not noticed that before? You guessed you must of been too worried about everything else to even think about it.
"He told us not to trust anyone" Steve replies now as pierce leaned back curiously.
"I wonder if that included him" pierce give you both a look and you could tell Steve didn't really buy pierce for a minute now, because something just wasn't adding up to you both.
"I'm sorry, those were his last words" Steve started before picking up his shield setting it on his back before taking your hand. "Excuse us" Steve dragged you with him almost as you both walked back to the entrance in silence before stopping as pierce spoke again. Your heart sped in your chest as you looked to Steve now watching the gears moving in his head.
"Captain" pierce shouted causing Steve to slowly turn his head. You decided to keep yours facing the entrance wanting to get out as fast as you possibly could. "Somebody murdered my friend and I'm gonna find out why. Anyone gets in my way, they're gonna regret it. Anyone." This time his tone was cold sending nothing but fear through your body as you turned your head to look at Steve who thought. That was a threat you knew it for sure that time.
"Understood" Steve breathed out before lightly squeezing your hand. "Come on (Y/N)" this time his time was soft leading you out of the room as he turned back to face he door frame leaving pierce back in his office, and you to think about the conversation more clearly.