Ch 40 Project Insight

IMPORTANT NOTE: hi people it's been a long time since I posted any kind of note and I am requesting you help to support me on P_A_T_R_E_O_N. i know it may be too much to ask but as you all know I have not been able to upload for a few months, it's because of my college and that makes it much hard for me to upload new chapters and I really hope to get some support from u guys because it would be really helpful to me and in the P_A_T_R_E_O_N you guys can also vote which novel should I post next or help me in noval editing works and stuff, I will also do my best to upload at least two chapters a day of any novel which i am uploading, so please support me guys thank you guys 🙂.

https://www.patreon.com/Tony_stark_3000?fan_landing=true&view_as=public

This is my P_A_T_R_E_O_N link please support me.thank you guys

If you think i am asking for too much atleast give me some power stone it will be really helpful to me it will make more people look for this novel and support me and the other author's and also check out some of the best novels i have found online in my works. Please throw some power stones this way guys.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So how good is this?" Tony asked.

"Like you can't even imagine." Elektra told him.

"Shouldn't the SWORD people be here for this?" Luke asked.

"They're busy." Benjamin pointed out.

"Oh don't care about them. Let's just start this one." Jessica said and it was obvious she wanted to see this one again too.

"Now I myself want to see it. Though I lived it first-hand." Steve said in amusement.

"Yes. Please start it." Natasha said.

"With pleasure." Frank said as he started it.

A dark-skinned man was jogging around the city when someone ran past him and said, "On your left." Later, he continued jogging when the man ran past him and said again, "On your left." The man said, "Uh-huh. On my left. Got it." Later, he was jogging in a park when Steve Rogers started running up to him again. "Don't say it. Don't you say it." He said. Steve ran past and said again, "On your left." The man was a bit annoyed as Steve ran past him and he ran out of breath.

No one could stop themselves from laughing.

"Yeah, laugh all you want. I will get back at you, Cap." Sam declared.

The people from the future chuckled at that due to the irony of the statement.

"All right. But for now, I'm on your left." Steve told Sam and everyone chuckled while he shook his head.

"And I'm on your right." He said.

Sam sat against a tree as Steve asked if he needed a medic and he joked that he needed a new set of lungs. He commented how Steve had ran 13 miles in 30 minutes.

"Okay! Now that is a level of badass!" Scott fanboyed as everyone laughed.

"What a sweet fanboy." Hope joked and everyone chuckled as Scott shook his head.

Steve joked he had a late start as Sam told him he should take another lap. He then looked down for a second and looking back up, jokingly asked if Steve had taken it because he assumed he had.

Everyone laughed again as Natasha said, "I can see a new bromance on here."

"I knew I wasn't the only one!" Peter said.

Steve asked what unit Sam was with and he said he was with 58th Pararescue but now he had a job at VA. He introduced himself as Sam Wilson. Steve helped him up and introduced himself as Steve Rogers. Sam said he had put it together and said coming into the new world after being defrosted would have freaked him out. Steve said it took some time getting used to and that it was nice to meet Sam. He started walking away as Sam commented he used to sleep on a bed of rocks at the battlefield and Steve completed it for him, saying that sleeping on a bed felt like sinking in a marshmallow.

"I get the feeling." Frank said, "It happens to me every day."

Steve, Bucky and Sam nodded in understanding. The media always called Frank the brutal Punisher. But they were already seeing him as a fellow soldier.

Sam said he had been for 2 tours and asked Steve if he missed the good old days. Steve said things aren't very bad. Food is a lot better as they used to boil everything. No polio was good. And the Internet was so helpful. He was trying to catch up.

No one could stop themselves from chuckling at that.

"Well Cap, I have to say. You use the Internet like those who used it when it was a new thing." Clint said.

"I know. I am older than them all though so you can't fault me." Steve said.

Sam told him about the Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything he had missed jammed together into one album. Steve said, "I'll put it on the list." He then took out a small notepad he had and added it to it. The list had several other items- I Love Lucy (Television), Moon Landing, Berlin Wall (Up + Down), Steve Jobs (Apple), Disco, Thai Food, Star Wars/Trek, Nirvana (Band), Rocky (Rocky II?), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Movie), Metallica (Band) and Disturbed (Band). Steve then wrote "Trouble Man (Soundtrack)" at the bottom as well.

"Wow!" Peter said, "I like that list. Mostly."

"What do you not like on it?" Aunt May asked.

"Lord of the Rings." Peter said.

"What did you say, kid?" Rhodes asked as everyone glared at both him and Benjamin.

"I just never got the point of it." Benjamin said.

"What do you mean you never got the point?" Logan asked, "I mean, it was basically Star Wars but done better."

"Hey!" Peter said, "Star Wars is-"

"At least it didn't have a stupid sequel trilogy to destroy its good name." Sam said and both Peter and Benjamin sighed, "Tough luck, kid."

Steve's phone beeped and he saw a message telling him about a mission and to meet at the curb. He told Sam his duty called and thanked him for the run, joking that it was what Sam wanted to call running, amusing him. Sam said if he ever wanted to pull in front of the VA and make him look cool in front of the girl at the front desk, he could let him know. Steve said he would keep it in mind. A car then pulled up and Natasha was inside it. "Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil." She smirked jokingly.

Everyone laughed again.

"Man. She just burnt you there." Bucky said.

"That is hilarious." Steve sighed.

Steve joked it was hilarious as he got into the car with her. Sam greeted her and she greeted back as Steve joked, "Can't run everywhere." Sam agreed, "No you can't." Natasha drove off and later, the two were in a Quinjet with several S.T.R.I.K.E. agents, now dressed in their tactical gear. Natasha was in her Black Widow suit while Steve was in a new suit which had a white star and stripes.

"That one looks so much better and more practical." Pepper said.

"And it does wonders for your ass." Tony joked and Steve shook his head in amusement.

"America's Ass." Jessica said and everyone laughed.

Brock Rumlow told them target was a mobile satellite launch platform called the Lemurian Star. They were sending their payload when pirates took them 93 minutes ago. Steve asked if there were any demands and Rumlow said a billion and a half because it was SHIELD's.

"Still sounds very unreasonable." Odinson said.

Steve realized it was trespassing and said he was tired of being Fury's janitor. Natasha told him it wasn't that complicated. Brock said there were 25 top mercs led by Georges Batroc, who was Ex-DGSE, Action Division and at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French had demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions and a reputation for maximum casualties.

"Damn!" Bruce said, "What a dangerous guy."

"Even Cap respected him as an opponent." Matt said to Steve, "You proved your quality to him."

Steve nodded in thanks.

Steve inquired about hostages and Brock said most of them were techs along with one officer called Jasper Sitwell. Steve wondered what Sitwell was doing on a launch ship.

"Hydra's dirty work." Hill snorted.

Steve gave everyone their orders and as the Quinjet flew further, him and Natasha checked their earpieces. The backdoor opened up and Steve put on his mask as Natasha asked if he had done anything fun Saturday night. He joked that all the guys from his barbershop quartet were dead so not much. Natasha said if he asked Kristen from statistics out, she'd probably say yes. Steve said that was why he didn't ask. She asked if he was too shy or too scared. He said he was too busy and jumped off.

"It's all the three actually." Bucky said.

"A spy trying to set a soldier on a date. How sweet." Tony said and everyone chuckled as the spy and soldier in question just shook their heads.

"It is very noble of you to try and help Captain Rogers like this, Agent Romanoff." T'Challa told her.

Jack Rollins asked Brock if Steve was wearing a parachute and he said he wasn't.

"As if he needs one." Trish said.

Steve dived into the ocean next to the ship and then using a chain, climbed up. A merc passed him and he jumped behind him, putting him in a chokehold till he was knocked out.

"They're all as good as captured already." Thor said.

"No kidding." Logan agreed.

Steve ran further and threw his shield at a thug, knocking him out. He slid on the ground as he did that and the shield ricocheted off the ship and hit another thug, knocking him down. Steve got up and catching his shield, threw it at the thug, knocking him out before catching it on return and continued his run.

"Cap is all badass now. Don't mess with him." Rhodes said.

"I know right!" Scott said.

"I'm guessing you learnt all the modern fighting styles in like 10 seconds." Tony joked.

"He is continuing his run." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

Steve then kicked another thug so hard he flew out of the ship. He swept another's feet from under him and flipped the last one down before punching him out and kicked the previous one out in a rotatory motion. He then continued his run, pushing another soldier off the ship.

"What a badass scene!" Aunt May said.

Steve then rolled behind another thug and as he turned around, he punched his face, staggering him back. Another walked out of a door but Steve kicked him back into the wall. The previous one brandished a knife but Steve deflected his two strikes before flipping him down and knocking him out. The one who had been kicked to the wall tried to raise an alarm but Steve threw the knife at his hand, pinning it there as he screamed in pain and he knocked him out.

"You're attacking like a force of nature at this point." Loki said.

"You're one of the most skilled fighters based on those recordings I hear." Matt told him and he nodded.

Steve ran further and jumped down, knocking a thug away with his shield before kicking another away. He then hit two of them alternately with his shield twice, knocking them out before doing a flip and throwing his shield. It knocked a thug out and ricocheted off a wall as Steve grabbed a thug and kneed him out before catching his shield. He deflected another thug's punch and elbowed him before grabbing him by his feet and flipping him down. He got up as another one rushed him but Steve punched his shield and the sound effect produced was enough to knock him out.

Everyone clapped and cheered happily at the scene.

"Cap's an action movie star!" Tony joked as everyone chuckled and Steve shook his head.

"I found that more badass than Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne and James Bond combined." Hope said in awe of Steve's fighting skills.

A thug then pointed a gun at Steve from behind before being shot down as Brock landed on a parachute. Steve thanked him and he joked how he seemed helpless without him.

"Ha ha! Very funny." Bucky snorted, glaring daggers into Rumlow.

Natasha and the other STRIKE units parachuted down. Natasha asked Steve the nurse who lived in the hall from him. Steve told her to secure the engine room and then find him a date. Natasha jumped off, saying she was multitasking.

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "At this point, Nat can go on a date and fight."

"I know." Natasha smiled.

The hostages, Sitwell included, were tied up as the mercenaries threatened them, kicking one's legs back and asking if he wanted a bullet in his head.

"Uhhh, I don't think anyone does." Peter said.

Steve rushed up and fired a device at a window. Inside it sat Batroc with another thug. They talked and the thug called another one in the engine room. They talked and as the other one put his phone down, he turned around to see Natasha standing in front of him. She greeted him with a flirty smile and kicked his feet, sending him down before wrapping a grapple hook around his neck. She then kicked him back and with a flip, jumped down, using her guns to fire at the thugs and kill them all. Two of them looked up but a body blocked their way so they were shot down too as she walked off.

Everyone cheered again as Bucky said, "That's my girl!"

The thugs walked around the hostages as one of them gave orders to another outside. As he walked off, Rumlow hit him with a long taser from behind, knocking him out instantly. The one inside heard a little but didn't think much of it. Rollins then took off his bag as the other STRIKE agents hung on the side of the ship with ropes. Rollins put a device with a string on the door as Steve asked Natasha her status. Natasha discreetly jumped behind a thug and told Steve to hang on. As the thug turned around, she leapt at him and knocked him out with Widow's Bite. Another attacked but she twisted his arm, disarming him and then punching his chest, kicked his abdomen before sweeping his feet from under him, knocking him out. Another arrived with a gun but she disarmed him with a flip and kicked him. He grabbed her but she elbowed his face, dazing him. She then grabbed his head and did a flip, knocking him down. She told Steve the engine room was secure and lifting a rod, hit him again, finally knocking him out before walking away.

"So awesome." Wanda said as everyone clapped.

The thugs decided to start killing hostages as Steve told everyone to fire on his mark. Few seconds later, most of the thugs were shot down from outside. The leader there tried to fire but the door was blasted open and Rumlow shot him. He fell in front of Sitwell who said SHIELD doesn't negotiate.

"I'm sure you meant Hydra, you moron." Tony said.

The thug with Batroc tried to contact the killed thugs when Batroc turned back to see Steve's shield flying towards him. He narrowly avoided as it shattered the window and hit the thug, knocking him out. Steve leapt in and Batroc kicked him back before running off as Steve took his shield and ran after him. Rumlow told Steve that hostages were secure but Natasha had missed the rendezvous point and hostiles were still in play. Steve asked Natasha to circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages but she didn't respond.

"Doing some dirty work huh!" Clint asked with a smirk.

"Yup." Natasha said as Fury shook his head.

Batroc suddenly leapt at Steve but he put his shield in the way, though he was still knocked back. He got up and Batroc sent him back again before trying to hit him with a flip but Steve spread his legs and he missed. He smirked at Steve.

"Close one there." Frank said.

They got up as Batroc kicked Steve back twice. He tried to flip on him but Steve rolled away to avoid. He then blocked all of Batroc's punches and kicks with his shield before knocking him back. Batroc flipped back up tried to kick him again multiple times but Steve blocked or dodged before kneeing Batroc thrice and throwing him to the other direction. Batroc flipped and stood his ground. He said in French, "I thought you were more than just a shield." Steve put his shield back and took off his mask, saying in French, "Let's see." Batroc smirked as Steve threw his mask away.

"Now this is getting real." Elektra said.

Steve once again blocked Batroc's punches and kicks. He ducked to avoid a punch and then elbowed Batroc back. Batroc rushed him again but was kicked on the knee and the chest, making him stagger back. Steve then flipped and kicked Batroc's head, knocking him down. He started getting back up so Steve rushed him and tackled him through a door, smashing it, before knocking him out.

"Making Cap serious was your biggest mistake." Hope said.

"No. The biggest one was thinking he stood a chance in the first place." Scott said.

"Still, for a normal guy, he stood his ground pretty well." Matt pointed out.

"No kidding." Steve agreed.

Steve then heard Natasha saying this was awkward. He turned to see her working on the computers and asked what she was doing. She said she was backing up the hard drive as it was a good habit to get into. Steve realized she was saving SHIELD Intel and told her Rumlow needed her help, and that saving hostages was their mission. Natasha took the drive out and said that it was his mission which he had done beautifully. Steve grabbed her hand and told her she had jeopardized this whole operation, though Natasha said he was overstating it. Batroc suddenly got up and threw a grenade at them which Steve knocked away with his shield as Batroc ran off. Steve grabbed Natasha and leapt as she fired at the glass, breaking it and the jumped out while the grenade exploded. Natasha said that this one was on her and Steve told her she was damn right as he got up and walked off.

"Did you just use strong language, Cap?" Tony asked jokingly.

"To quote Hope here, "Busted."" Steve said and everyone laughed as Hope shook her head.

At the SHIELD Headquarters, Steve walked up to Fury, asking him that he couldn't stop himself from lying.

"He still can't." Clint spoke up.

"Nope." Tony agreed while Fury sighed.

Fury said he hadn't lied because Romanoff had a different mission than him.

"Lying by omission." Loki said.

Steve told him he hadn't shared it and Fury said he wasn't obliged to do anything. Steve told Fury the hostages could have died and Fury countered he had sent the greatest soldier in history to prevent that from happening. Steve told him soldiers trusted each other and that's what made an army, not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Frank said, his eyes shining with respect for Steve.

Fury said last time he had trusted someone, he had lost an eye.

"Yeah we know." Benjamin said and Fury was pale for a second, something which everyone noted.

Fury told Steve he didn't want him doing something he wasn't comfortable with and Agent Romanoff was comfortable with everything.

"Everything?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhh, yeah." She said with a smirk and both chuckled.

Steve said he couldn't lead a mission if the ones he was leading had missions of their own. Fury said it was called compartmentalization. Nobody knew everything so nobody spilled the beans. Steve pointed out he still knew everything. Fury said Steve was wrong about him as he did share and was nice like that.

"And didn't share anything about Coulson." Natasha said pointedly and Fury winced.

The two walked into an elevator as Fury asked it to take them to the Insight bay. Rogers wasn't authorized but Fury overrided the command. As it went down, Steve remembered that they used to play music. Fury said his grandfather used to operate one of these for 40 years and said, "Granddad worked in a nice building. Got good tips. He'd walk home every night, a roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say, "Hi." People would say, "Hi" back. Time went on, the neighborhood got rougher. He'd say, "Hi." They'd say, "Keep on steppin'." Granddad got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter." Steve asked, "Did he ever get mugged?" Fury told him, "Every week some punk would say, "What's in the bag?"" Steve asked, "What would he do?" Fury replied, "He'd show them. Bunch of crumpled ones, and a loaded .22 Magnum. Yeah, Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much."

"Sounds like a badass granddad." Sam commented.

"You don't seem to love people either." Bruce told Fury who shook his head.

"All of us have different qualities, Dr. Banner." T'Challa said.

The elevator stopped and Steve looked out in shock as Fury said they were a little bit bigger than a .22. Three very huge Helicarriers were there.

"Little bit bigger?" Frank asked incredulously.

Fury said this was Project Insight- 3 next-generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites. Steve realized they were launched from the Lemurian Star. Fury said once they got them in the air, they would never need to come down due to continuous sub-orbital flight which was courtesy of their new repulsor engines. Steve realized it was Stark and Fury said he had a few suggestions once he had an up-close look at their turbines.

"Few?" Tony questioned, "It's like you're trying to undersell me."

Fury said the long-range precision guns could eliminate a 1000 hostiles in a minute and read a terrorist's DNA before he crawled out of his spider hole. They were going to neutralize a lot of threats before they even happened.

"Making you judge, jury and executioner." Thor said.

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime." Steve said. Fury said they couldn't afford to wait that long. Steve asked who he was referring to. Fury said after New York, he had convinced the World Security Council they needed a quantum surge in threat analysis and now they were way ahead of the curve. Steve said they were holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it freedom. Fury said him and the others had done some nasty stuff too. Steve said they had compromised in ways that gave them nightmares but they did it so people could be free. This wasn't freedom but fear. Fury said SHIELD took the world as it was not as they'd like it to be. He told Cap to get past with the program and he told him not to hold his breath before walking out.

"Kind of a black and white mentality here." Matt said.

"I left it after this incident." Steve said, "Though I was right about the Helicarriers unfortunately."

Steve rode away on his Harley-Davidson and arrived at the Smithsonian. A lot of posters and info about Captain America was there. The recorded narration said he was a symbol to the nation, a hero to the world. His story was one of honor, bravery and sacrifice. His pictures of before and after Project Rebirth were shown as the narration said he had been denied enlistment due to poor health but was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare which transformed him into the world's first Super-Soldier.

"And the first Avenger." Trish said.

Footage of Steve and his Howling Commandos was shown as the narration said Captain America and his Commandos earned their stripes quickly. An entire poster of Steve, Bucky and the Howling Commandos was there along with statues of them in their suits. Their mission was to take down Hydra: the Nazis' rogue scientific division.

"And it still continued to thrive." Steve said sadly.

A picture of Bucky was there with his info as the narration said they were best friends since childhood, inseparable on school yard and the battlefield. Barnes was the only Howling Commando to give his life for his country.

"You're not losing me that easily, America." Bucky said and everyone laughed.

A kid in a Captain America t-shirt recognized Rogers but he put a finger on his lips and he nodded with a smile.

"So sweet." Aunt May said.

Steve then saw a recorded interview of Peggy from 1953 in which she said a blizzard had trapped half of their battalion behind the German lines and Steve had fought his way through the Hydra blockade that had pinned their allies down for months. He had saved over 1000 men, including the man who would go on to become her husband. Even after he had died, Steve was still changing her life. Steve took out his old compass and looked at Peggy's picture on it sadly.

"You changed a lot of lives, Captain." Fury told him and he nodded.

"So who was her husband?" Bucky asked.

"No one knows." Hill said, "It was never recorded anywhere." [1]

Later, Steve sat by the bedside of a very aged Peggy at an old aged home and told her she should be proud of herself. Peggy looked at the pictures at her side of her with her son and daughter and said she had lived a full life and her only regret was that Steve didn't get to live his.

"Went to visit her after all." Aunt May said.

"Couldn't live with myself if I didn't." Steve said.

She asked him what he was thinking and he said, "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore. And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve. It's just not the same." Peggy laughed and said Steve was so dramatic, saying he had saved the world and they had mucked it up. Steve told her she hadn't and that her being a founder of SHIELD was half the reason he stayed. Peggy held his hand and said, "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes the best that we can do is to start over." She suddenly started coughing and Steve brought water for her. She then looked at him and due to her dementia, forgot the conversation they just had. She thought she was seeing him for the first time since he had gone into the ice and said it had been so long. Steve smiled sadly, trying to hold back tears and said, "Well, I couldn't leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance."

Almost everyone struggled to hold back their tears at that scene. Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper even had lumps in their throats.

With a sigh, Logan said, "Now moving on."