Facing Steve's questioning, Nick Fury fell silent.
He glanced back at the pursuers behind him. Bullseye stepped out of his car with his usual swagger, slowly licking the edge of a throwing knife while glaring at Captain America.
The moment he saw Steve, the desire for a worthy challenge flared within him. He had found prey worth hunting.
Nick Fury shifted his gaze from Bullseye back to Steve. Seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents raise their weapons toward him, he took a deep breath.
"Steve, no matter what you've seen, I am Nick Fury.
"There are reasons behind all of this, and I'll explain everything after we deal with Kingpin's men.
"Right now, Kingpin and his increasingly unstable criminal organization are New York's biggest threat. We can't allow them to keep supporting Hydra."
After speaking, Nick waited anxiously for Steve's response.
Steve looked at the sweat beginning to form on Nick's forehead, then at Bullseye slowly approaching in the distance. After a brief silence, he finally nodded.
"I'll be expecting that explanation."
With that, he walked past Nick and headed straight toward Bullseye.
Bullseye spun a throwing knife between his fingers and sneered.
"So this is the legendary Captain America. You've really done a great job disappointing the American people.
"Before the government dug you out of the ice, America had plenty of problems, but at least it wasn't constantly at war.
"Then you came back, aliens invaded, Hydra nearly toppled the country, and disaster after disaster followed.
"Maybe heroes like you naturally attract catastrophe.
"So tell me, if you didn't exist, would there be any wars at all?"
Whoosh!
The instant he finished speaking, a throwing knife shot toward Steve's eye.
Steve calmly raised his shield, knocking the blade harmlessly onto the pavement.
Bullseye licked his lips.
"I never miss my targets. But against you, am I only allowed to aim at that shield?
"You really live up to your reputation, Captain America. Very few people can even follow my movements."
"Your attacks are slow," Steve replied evenly. "I've faced enemies far faster than you."
He lowered his shield to his side instead of raising it again.
"You think you're special, but you're just another thug.
"During World War II, I fought soldiers far more capable than you by the thousands.
"I could fight people like them all day."
"Haha!"
Bullseye broke into a cruel grin. Holding the knife between his teeth, he applauded with both hands.
Clap, clap, clap.
After the applause, he caught the knife again and smiled.
"I'm just a moderately famous assassin, while you're Captain America.
"If I could actually fight you all night, then even if I died at sunrise, I'd proudly say I managed it."
"Uh..."
Behind the Humvee's door, Nick suddenly blinked.
"Why does that sound kind of inspiring?"
"What?"
Steve looked at him in confusion.
Nick shrugged helplessly.
"Don't look at me, Captain. I just like telling jokes.
"You have no idea what I've sacrificed just to deal with Axel. I even prepared a whip for myself so I could hand it over to him if necessary, hoping it'd stop him from doing something even worse."
Steve stared at him with open disbelief.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said,
"Wait... I think I understand something.
"You smell familiar.
"And the Nick I met aboard the Helicarrier always seemed colder than the one I knew before.
"So you're both real?
"Is this cloning technology, or are you some kind of stand-in?"
"Can we not discuss this in the middle of a fight?"
Bullseye interrupted impatiently.
He immediately hurled more than a dozen throwing knives.
The blades spread into a deadly web, each following a different trajectory. Some targeted Steve directly, others anticipated his movements, covering nearly every possible escape route.
Steve leaped into the air, raising his shield while curling tightly behind it.
Just before the knives struck...
Whoosh!
A short baton flew down from a nearby rooftop, smashing two knives out of the air.
Their destruction instantly created a gap in the attack pattern.
Steve landed smoothly, using his shield and body movement to deflect the remaining blades while narrowly avoiding one aimed at his calf.
At that moment, a tall man dressed in black descended rapidly from a nearby rooftop using the building's pipes.
After landing, the masked vigilante nodded toward Steve.
"Captain, the people of Hell's Kitchen won't let a hero stand alone against evil.
"You'll always have allies here."
"Daredevil."
Steve smiled with recognition.
"I've read S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on you. They even tried to uncover your identity.
"I respect people like you.
"If everyone hides from evil, then who protects their own neighborhood?
"Your methods may not always follow procedure, but I don't think you're wrong.
"The law isn't always enough.
"When evil becomes powerful enough, all we truly have are our own fists and our conscience."
Shield in hand, Steve charged straight toward Bullseye.
Watching him advance like an unstoppable force, Bullseye rolled his eyes.
"Damn it. I knew this wouldn't be fun.
"I'm not one of Kingpin's disposable goons. Why am I the one fighting Captain America?
"This job definitely deserves a raise."
"A raise?"
Daredevil's baton ricocheted off a wall after knocking aside more knives before returning perfectly to his hand.
Holding it firmly, he spoke coldly.
"A raise isn't enough, Bullseye.
"You and Kingpin made a fatal mistake.
"Before today, you hid behind businesses and carefully erased every trail of evidence. Neither the law nor I could legally bring you down.
"But today you entered a war.
"Kingpin opened his resources and smuggling network to Hydra.
"When the law can't punish criminals, war has no obligation to show mercy.
"You chose your side, so prepare to face the consequences."
Daredevil lunged forward with explosive speed.
Although he and Steve had never fought together before, Steve's experience allowed him to instantly synchronize with Daredevil's movements, cutting off Bullseye's escape routes.
Bullseye responded by kicking two of his own men toward them.
"Deal with them!"
Without another glance, he sprinted back to his car.
He wasn't stupid.
Fighting Daredevil alone was already troublesome.
Adding Captain America made it impossible.
He wasn't a hero willing to die for someone else's cause.
He was an assassin.
Kingpin could solve his own problems.
Bullseye started the engine and sped away before either hero could reach him.
His abandoned subordinates stared after him in disbelief.
"Wait... we're supposed to fight Captain America?"
"Move!"
Before the man finished speaking, another thug shoved him aside.
A barrage of gunfire erupted toward Steve.
Sometimes only those standing at the top truly understand the gap between themselves and everyone else.
Bullseye recognized after only a brief exchange that Steve was an opponent he couldn't defeat.
The remaining gang members believed numbers and guns would be enough.
They were wrong.
Less than a minute later, every one of Bullseye's men lay dead.
Steve disliked killing.
But this was war.
Against enemies actively aiding Hydra and threatening America, he showed no mercy.
After the final gangster collapsed into a pool of blood, the accompanying S.H.I.E.L.D. agents secured the area and began identifying the dead.
Steve walked over to Daredevil.
Daredevil extended his hand.
"It's an honor to fight beside you, Captain."
Steve firmly shook it.
"The honor is mine.
"Heroes like you give me hope for America."
Feeling Steve's grip, Daredevil's heartbeat quickened.
"Hell's Kitchen is in terrible shape.
"Nearly thirty percent of its residents work directly or indirectly for Kingpin's organization.
"I've located over a dozen heavily guarded sites, including his weapons warehouses and distribution centers.
"But I can't dismantle them alone.
"I need your help, and I'll guide you there.
"And Captain, Kingpin isn't the only problem.
"The Hand is the real danger.
"They avoid direct confrontations with the Avengers or the military, but they prey on lone vigilantes like me.
"Almost every major crime Kingpin commits has The Hand behind it in some way."
He tilted his head slightly, listening to the number of agents accompanying Steve.
"You don't have enough people.
"You can't assault Kingpin's major strongholds, each defended by more than a thousand men.
"My suggestion is to eliminate The Hand first.
"Once they're gone, bringing down Kingpin will become much easier."
"I understand."
Steve nodded.
"Thank you for the advice."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly restocked ammunition and equipment from the support vehicle before returning to their transports.
Steve invited Daredevil into the back seat of his vehicle.
Nick Fury, whose identity still remained questionable, took the front passenger seat.
As Steve started the engine and drove toward the factory Daredevil had identified, Nick grinned broadly.
"I've caused you a lot of trouble, Captain, but meeting you today was fortunate.
"I won't explain my identity just yet.
"I'll only say that after we left the burger restaurant, Kingpin's people began hunting us."
Steve kept his eyes on the road.
"So the Nick aboard the Helicarrier is the fake one?"
Nick chuckled and shook his head.
"Have you considered that maybe we're both real?
"Trust me, Director Hill will contact you soon.
"I'm simply one part of several contingency plans.
"Hydra infiltrated us deeply, but we've had our own methods of fighting back.
"Besides, didn't you always enjoy my jokes?
"Actually, I've always wanted to ask you something.
"You spent a long time adapting after waking from seventy years in the ice.
"Someone as disciplined as you shouldn't have struggled that much.
"So was it because someone like me, a guy from your own era, somehow ended up becoming your superior?
"As Axel would put it, did the world feel completely upside down?"
"Pfft... Cough, cough!"
The moment Nick finished speaking, Daredevil couldn't hold back his laughter and began coughing.
Still coughing, he looked at Steve.
Steve's face had turned bright red as he desperately tried not to laugh while keeping his eyes on the road.
===
Get early access to upcoming chapters on Patreon, with each story neatly organized into collections.
Become a member to unlock ALL available fanfictions, or purchase individual collections to access the chapters ahead of time.
P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph