HIATUS

Roger's POV:

Once we arrived at Camp Lehigh, I feel nostalgia building up in me. I could see my past self struggling to train and be a soldier for the sake of my country.

It took a while to find what we were looking for. I realized it when I saw a building that wasn't supposed to be there due to Army regulations. Sam and I entered and realized that it was perhaps the location of where S.H.I.E.L.D. started.

It was at this place that we found the truth, and the truth is a hard pill to swallow. Hydra still existed and they were stronger now than ever. I totally thought that I defeated their leader during World War II. That my time being frozen in ice and not being with the woman I love was all worth it. But it seems that it was all for naught. I basically wasted my life in a meaningless endeavor. Zola even said that my life amounted to a zero-sum.

After Zola explained how Hydra remained hidden in the shadows and how they exploited the Americans by using Project Paperclip as a method to enter S.H.I.E.L.D. something happened to him.

"What is this?", Zola said out loud.

Both Sam and I were perplexed about what he was referring to. Suddenly he starting screaming and his voice started being cut off between words.

"Wha---yo----no---I----No!!!", Zola said as his image on the screen turns off. Everything inside the so-called 'Zola's brain' shut down. Only the lights in the room remained.

"..Okay...Was that supposed to happen?", Sam asked me.

I had no clue, to be honest, so I started pressing random buttons just to try and see if Zola would come back.  But it seems that nothing was working and I said, "I think he's dead???... Nothing's working anymore".

The two of us eventually left the site carrying with us the USB drive.

"Where to now Cap?", Sam asked.

"I need more clues", I said as I stare at the USB drive and I began thinking. Romanoff took this file from the Lemurian Star and if this drive is connected to Hydra perhaps there were more clues hidden during that time. But the real question is what am I missing.

It was later in the evening after Sam and I stole his falcon suit did I talk about anything related to Hydra.

"Tell me Sam. Do you think that a group of mercenaries could take out a S.H.I.E.L.D vessel and kidnap an officer of the agency?", I asked. After having a few hours of thinking about the Lemurian Star this was the only lead I got. And right now, I was nearly certain that Sitwell was part of this.

With a smile on Sam's face, he replied, "Were there any casualties during the time the mercenaries attack the vessel?"

"Based on my knowledge, no"

"There's your answer. You can't do it without bloodshed. Yet those mercenaries were able to do just that"

"Looks like we need to find someone", I replied.

________________________________________________________________________________________

It took a while for the two men to find Sitwell but eventually, they found him in a restaurant having dinner with Senator Sterns.

The moment Sterns left Sitwell, Sam got a hold of his number and called him, "Agent Sitwell, how was lunch? I hear the crab cakes here are delicious".

"Who is this?", Sitwell asked as he cautiously looks at his surroundings.

"The good-looking guy with the sunglasses", Sam said. Sitwell tried to find the man with sunglasses but failed miserable.

"Your 10 O'clock", Sam added.

Sitwell eventually found Sam sitting by himself not far from him. "What do you want?".

"You're gonna go around the corner, to you right. There's a grey car, two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride"

"And why would I do that?", Sitwell asked with annoyance in his voice.

"Because that tie looks really expensive and I'd hate to mess it up", Sam replied. Suddenly Sitwell saw a red dot on his tie. He tries scanning his surroundings only to realize that he couldn't find the sniper. Throughout this time, Sitwell remained calm. As if he didn't care that a sniper is going to kill him at any moment now.

With a smile on his face, Sitwell said, "You want me because of what I know. Then go towards a black car two blocks from here near a coffee shop. And before you say it, you don't have to worry about the car having a bomb. Take Captain Rogers with you as well, cause I will be taking the 2 of you somewhere. And trust me when I say that you will be interested in what we will find there". Sitwell then nodded his head at Sam and began walking towards the said car.

Realizing that their bluff was called out, Sam immediately called Steve. "Cap, we may have a problem".

A FEW MOMENTS LATER:

Both Steve and Sam decided to enter the car. Inside they saw that Sitwell was in the driver's seat, "Good, you here. We need to go before Hydra finds us".

"...You're not Hydra? But that can't be right", Steve said as he fastens his seatbelt.

With a furrowed brow, Sitwell replied, "....It's complicated".

They soon arrived at an old dam. Sitwell led them to one of the entrances and both Sam and Steve reluctantly followed him. The moment they were inside, they were greeted by Agent Hill. But she wasn't as welcoming as they would think. In Hill's hand was a standard m4 carbine assault rifle.

"How did you know of this place?", Hill said as she alternates pointing her gun between Sam and Sitwell.

"Hill, what's going on here? What is this place?", Steve asked.

Hill dismissed Steve's query and said, "HOW DID YOU KNOW OF THIS LOCATION?!".

Sitwell raises both his hands and said, "I was told to deliver these two people here".

"By whose order?"

"Mine", out in the shadows came one man that has been on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar ever since the invasion in New York, Zero.

Zero calmly walks towards the group and said to Agent Hill, "Come now, drop your weapon. I would like to see Fury and give him a piece of my mind".

Hill reluctantly drops her gun. She then looks at Sam and said, " Who is this guy?".