"Can I trust you?"
Steve's words caught Oaks off guard, and he began to ponder.
"You... went on a mission?"
It was early January now, and the weather was still good.
Steve wasn't wearing his combat suit, just casual clothes with a shield.
"Yes, I carried out a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D last night... But this mission made me realize that I... don't know who to trust."
Steve placed the shield next to the sofa and sat down, taking out a small notebook.
"During this period, I watched 'I Love Lucy,' 'First Man,' 'The Berlin Wall: Construction and Demolition'.
I learned about Steve Jobs from Apple, tried disco, tasted Thai cuisine, watched 'Star Trek', 'Rocky,' 'Rocky II,' and listened to songs by the band Nirvana.
But I haven't had a chance to pay attention to the soundtrack of 'The Godfather.' It was just introduced to me by a friend yesterday."
He put away the notebook and let out a long sigh.
"I've been trying to adapt to this world, the work of the Avengers and being with Peggy made me feel like I could adapt to the present life...
But it turns out I can't. The missing seventy years can't be easily made up."
"Oh?"
Oaks had a general idea of what was going on.
It seemed that whether Coulson and the others could make it to this year's Annual gathering was truly a problem.
"So, when you had these doubts, why didn't you go to Agent Carter instead of me?"
Oaks stood up with a smile, poured two cups of coffee himself, placing one in front of Steve and holding the other cup as he sat on the sofa opposite Steve.
"Moreover, judging by your appearance, did you ride a motorcycle directly from Washington to Brooklyn?"
"Uh... That's right."
Steve picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. The rich flavor of the coffee improved his mood, and he managed to force a smile.
"Peggy is someone I absolutely trust. She has helped me so much these days. But I don't want to burden her with this matter anymore. It's better for her health.
So, she still thinks I'm on a mission. I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, I don't trust Fury, and even Tony and Banner have their unreliable sides, but only you..."
Steve put down the coffee cup and looked at Oaks with his azure eyes, seriously:
"Although there are times when you don't hesitate to take action, among the people I know, if I can't trust you, then I truly have no one else to trust."
"Well, that's high praise. It makes me somewhat humbled."
Oaks put down the coffee cup and spread his hands:
"You are Captain America, 'the righteous man of God.' Being recognized by you like this, does it mean that I am a good person?"
"Oaks, you are dedicated to protecting and restoring the human environment, awakening the will of the people in a benevolent society... You have always been doing what you believe is right."
There was even a hint of envy in Steve's eyes:
"I have also been trying to do the right thing, but now I can't figure out what is right anymore.
In the past, I thought I could devote myself wholeheartedly to missions, follow orders, and serve my country... But now it's different."
"Because the world has changed."
Oaks raised an eyebrow:
"People change, let alone countries and the world.
To describe it as earth-shattering wouldn't be an exaggeration...
There is an Eastern saying, 'The world is in decline, and people's hearts are not ancient.' The progress and changes of the times will inevitably lead to increasingly complex human hearts.
Limited freedom and boundless thoughts will give rise to unparalleled contradictions."
He leaned back on the sofa, adopting a more comfortable posture:
"As for whether I can be trusted... I think you had the answer the moment you stepped in here.
So, what problem did you encounter that made you suddenly start pondering like a philosopher?"
"...Now I deeply understand the meaning of the words you said to me."
Steve fell silent for a moment, finally returning to his usual cheerful smile:
"Agents often deal with things that can't be judged at face value."
"Well, your eyes aren't something an ordinary person can deceive."
The two of them laughed together.
After a moment, Steve took a deep breath and told Oaks about his mission and...
"The Insight program, that's what Nick Fury told me in the end."
Steve subconsciously looked down at his feet. He came directly from the teleportation portal in the jungle, so he was well aware that he was standing on a supercarrier.
"It may not be as big as yours, but those three Insight carriers are armed to the teeth."
Steve crossed his arms and snorted.
"Pointing guns at the world, calling it protection... S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer the organization founded by Peggy and Howard."
Oaks sat upright and listened to Steve's account, then nodded slowly.
"Seventy years ago, everyone had a common enemy, Hydra. The so-called unity of the masses was the trend of the times. The establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D. naturally inherited this trend.
But now, the rulers no longer have external threats and are beginning to focus on internal matters...
This is a common problem that often occurs in the process of historical evolution.
Locking in on DNA and preemptively targeting individuals with criminal tendencies?
Ha! Nick Fury told me before that he wanted to thoroughly improve threat analysis technology so that he could detect clues before threats arise and take prompt action or emergency measures.
I thought he would establish a special response team similar to the Avengers or implement emergency protection measures, but I didn't expect such a ridiculously extreme method."
"He mentioned it to you before?"
Steve's amusement was aroused by Oaks's choice of words.
"He said the cost of his last trust in people was losing an eye."
"Now we all know he was just talking nonsense; he was just being clumsy. The person involved... the cat is still with me."
Oaks made a gesture of pulling on a leash.
"He mentioned it to me when I brought Skoll and Hati back last time. You had just left when he arrived."
Steve recalled the experience of being licked all over by Hati and couldn't help but curl his lips.
Perhaps it would be better to have a dog in the future.
"No country's laws would classify someone as a criminal for having criminal thoughts without taking action, let alone executing them directly."
Oaks shook his head.
"You're right, Steve.
Although Fury said it was for terrorists, the ones who can be 'defined as' terrorists are the ones who control the Insight program.
This is another form of terrorism."
Oaks explained to Steve, who became solemn in an instant and nodded slowly.
"I understand..."
But suddenly, he saw Oaks's expression turn serious.
"What's wrong?"
"Nick Fury is in trouble... The air conditioning filter I gave him exploded."
Steve: "???"
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