So far, all of the gaps in the archived files are when I was left alone – I guess Hydra has no reason to keep footage of me just crying or passing out. All I've had to watch are the few minutes before and after each gap, but it's more than enough for me. Each clip is more difficult to get through than the last. By now, Steve is holding my hand. It's a good thing he's extra durable because otherwise I think I would have fractured a bone or two in his hand. As it is, he doesn't seem to notice other than to rub small circles with his thumb on my hand when I squeeze harder.

The good news is that I haven't cried yet. But now we're on the last clip, so it's essentially the 'sudden death' round. The very last missing piece is when the base was infiltrated. It cuts out with me giving Bill a rather creepy, bloody smirk as he hears that the Avengers have come a calling.

"What exactly happened between this point and when Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes found you?"

"Bill pulled a gun. I told him if he killed me he would end up dead in no time, if he left me he would just get beat up. He took the third option of shooting me to slow them down and give himself more time to escape. I knew I couldn't afford to bleed too much more and that the bullet had caused my lung to be at least partially perforated so I did what I could to slow my heartbeat and keep my breathing slow and regular." It sounds kinda hardcore, saying it out loud. 'Yeah, I was shot. No biggie.' "Then, bang, there they were."

Fury nods. "As we don't have any records of your egress, would you be so kind as to give your perspective on what happened?"

I'm not sure why, but I'm getting major 'stalling' vibes from him. I mean, he has like, six other trusted sources who didn't pass out. Wouldn't he consider them to be more reliable?

Also, 'egress'? Fancy.

"Well, I had my face in Steve's shoulder for most of it."

"And the rest?" the Director presses.

"They had to leave me behind towards the end. Agents Romanoff and Barton showed up. Clint joined the boys and Natasha stayed to make sure I didn't bleed to death. She fought some people and I passed out."

I'm very 'big picture' today.

"That's everything?" he asks naturally.

I pause before nodding. "Yes." I can feel Steve's gaze. Nat must've told him why the knife was no longer in my leg when he got back, but he doesn't say anything.

Fury's eye glints and I know he knows I'm not telling him everything. "All right, well it looks like we're done here."

What?

He stands and Steve follows his lead. "I'll walk with you to the elevator. I have another meeting I need to get to."

Sure. Great. Why not? You're not intimidating at all nor do I harbor any suspicions concerning your motives for having me come all the way out here. This'll be a delightful jaunt.

We only make it down the first two halls before we're stopped by Kate.

"Captain."

"Agent Gibson." Steve's hand slides from the grip of the wheelchair to my shoulder. Does he think he's stopping me from springing up to smack her? The warm weight of his hand feels quite nice in the cold hallway though, so I don't shrug it off.

Seeming to realize that there are other people here besides Steve, she greets Fury and gives me a smile and a nod. I return a tight, half smile that probably makes me look rabid. It's all right though; she isn't looking at me anyway.

"I'm glad you're here," she says to Steve. "I- we could use your input on plans for an upcoming mission."

His grip on my shoulder tightens slightly. "Sorry, I'm escorting Anne. Maybe another time."

Kate takes an impulsive step forward. "It can't wait. Please?"

I can feel Steve tense behind me. I know he wants to help, so I look back to him. "Go ahead, it sounds important. I can wait."

Steve searches my eyes for a moment before nodding and looking back to Kate. "Okay. Lead the way."

Director Fury moves towards me. "I'll take Anne to the elevator." He glances to me and explains, "their meeting will be classified."

Steve hands me over and I'm left feeling like a suitcase in an airport. "I'll catch up with you as soon as I can," he promises before turning and leaving with Kate.

The walk to the first elevator feels infinitely longer than the first time I 'rolled' it. Fury's silent presence behind me is extremely unnerving. When we finally arrive, he slowly moves to stand in front of me to press the button for the elevator.

He holds his hands behind his back and towers just a little too close to me. "I don't appreciate being lied to, Miss Johnson. You act like an innocuous no one, but we both know that isn't true."

My heart pounds from his sudden accusation. "Who's acting? I'm not acting. I am an innocuous no one."

He tilts his head and bends forward the slightest bit. "You're a wolf in sheep's clothing and I know a wolf in sheep's clothing when I see one – most of them work for me."

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Two agents in full gear step out and flank Fury.

"I'm a librarian's assistant! At least, I was. I've probably been fired by now for taking so many days off without notice... but I'm not some spy! Do I look like Black Widow to you?" My heart races. What are they going to do to me?

"That's the point of Agent Romanoff – she doesn't look like Black Widow either." He steps back and the two agents move forward and aim their side arms at me. "Detain her," Fury commands.

I'm in a wheelchair and I have a broken arm. What else can they do? Put a stick through my spokes?

The man on my right holsters his gun and moves closer, slightly bent over. My mind clicks and things slow down as I process what's happening.

Of course. I'm such an idiot.

When he's in range, I put out a foot, stopping his step suddenly. As he stumbles forward, I strike his shoulder with the palm of my right hand, making him turn his back toward me. I smoothly lock his right arm behind himself and through the arm of my wheelchair. I grip his windpipe securely with my splinted left hand while I easily draw his sidearm and aim it at his partner. He's left leaning back onto me, covering me quite nicely, and trying to keep himself supported with his left arm; his legs twisted up beneath him. From start to finish it took less than a second.

While keeping my gun aimed steadily at the remaining agent, I look to Fury who now also has a gun drawn. He looks tense but unsurprised. "Nat told you what happened in the hallway. All of this: making me come to your turf and be questioned in an interrogation room again– out of my comfort zone; while I'm still in a wheelchair– keeping me weak; having me relive being tortured– making me emotionally vulnerable; taking Steve away with Kate (who was obviously only acting nervous to win his sympathy – her eyes didn't dilate, her tone remained unchanged, her shifting was practiced)– isolating me; and now accusing me of being a traitor. All of this, was to see how I'd react. You're not concerned about the security of your team, you're concerned about their safety – their safety from me."

Fury's eye glints. "You killed a man. Ripped a knife from your own leg and threw it into his chest with enough force to slice easily though his sternum while you were fighting off unconsciousness. That sound innocuous to you? Does that sound like just a librarian's assistant to you? Take a look at yourself, Miss Johnson."

"You aren't the only one who'd like to know what's going on," I answer lowly. "I- I don't know what they did to me. But if I was a spy I could've let Natasha die in the hall and kept my cover. I could've killed any of them in the Tower this last week. They all trust me because they know me. But," I hesitate. "But if you think I'm really a threat to them, maybe I am." I release the agent who quickly scrambles to join his partner and I surrender the pistol to him. "I'm still me. The Avengers are still my friends," I say, trying to convince him and maybe myself. "If I ever did anything to hurt them..." I look away. "Do whatever you need to to make sure I don't."

I feel so tired.

There's silence for a moment before Fury tells the agents, "That'll be all, gentlemen."

I glance up in surprise to see them holster their weapons and continue down the hallway, leaving us alone once again. Does the Director not want witnesses? But Fury has also put his gun away. "I, I don't understand."

He gestures to the corner behind him, where a security camera is recording. "We were running scans during our confrontation. When your heart rate and adrenaline levels spiked, a foreign chemical was released into your system."

My brow furrows. "How would you know...?"

"When I shook your hand."

I run my fingers over the back of my right hand and pull back a thin, clear plastic square. I give it to him, highly disturbed by this intimate invasion of my privacy.

"This reaction seemed to have an immediate physical and mental effect, like an instinctual defense mechanism," Fury continues. "But you remained in control and made the decision to not hurt Agent Boyd when you quite clearly could have shot the three of us before we could blink."

SHIELD is more on top of things than I had realized.

"I'm not saying that I trust you, because I don't, but I do trust my team to test you and your limits."

"What, exactly, do you mean by that?" I do not like the way this sounds.

He smirks. "I believe you've heard of the Avengers?"

"You're going to have them test me?" I ask dubiously.

Fury nods. "You could be very useful to us. Serve your country like your father did. We could be for you what the Marines were for him – make you a hero."

I blaze with thinly restrained rage. How dare he try to manipulate me with my dead father. "No offense, sir, but the Navy didn't make men like my dad - the Navy was made by men like my dad. I'll submit to your testing to see that I'm not a threat. But if this is how you recruit soldiers to your cause, you can count me out."

Fury looks ruffled in turn by my statement, but he also looks a little impressed. He nods. "We'll see."

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A/N: So, here's another chapter, even though I totally haven't written enough to keep ahead and this will most likely come back to bite me in the butt later.

Oh, well.

I liked the action-y bit and Fury also has one of my favorite lines, the bit about the wolf in sheep's clothing. Not sure why. Just feels like a Fury thing to say, I guess.

Also, to those of you wondering why Kate is Agent Gibson and not Sharon Carter, it's because it deeply weirds me out that Steve would be attracted to/have a romantic relationship with someone who is the great-niece/granddaughter of/somehow related to Peggy Carter... Like, in the comics or a world where he knows exactly who she is, would he not think at some point, "she could've been my great-niece"?  Now, I know genetics don't work that way, but still, ew. Right?

Maybe I'm just being weird.

But it's my fanfic, so I'm allowed.

And I've suddenly turned aggressive. Sorry about that. It's been a rough couple of days.

But ya'll should like the next chapter as it will have a higher concentration of Steve. And maybe a little fluff? Like, mini marshmallows kind of fluff? I don't know. Fluff doesn't come naturally to me, so I'm not great at it. I'm essentially an emotional hedgehog.