Marvel Novels--Captain America by Stefan Petrucha

Author:Stefan Petrucha
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Titan

17

IT CAN’T JUST BE LUCK THAT DECIDES FOR ME, IT HAS TO BE THE PATTERN. THE DESIGN.

WE HIT that tailwind yet?”

With the formidable director of S.H.I.E.L.D. standing uncomfortably close, Helmsman Escalon turned to answer. “Yes, sir. The thrusters compensated to maintain velocity.”

“Eyes on your station!” Fury snapped.

“Yes, sir.”

Rogers’ voice sounded in his earbud. “A little harsh, Nick?”

Fury huffed. “The only surprise we’ve had the last few hours is the lack of surprises, and I don’t want anyone gettin’ complacent. Me, I’m antsy enough cruising this low and this slow, but I gotta admit, Stark’s projections are working perfectly.”

“Don’t tell him that.”

“Don’t have to. He already knows. After the first two hours, he took off to leave the boring stuff for us lesser minds.”

“Where to?”

“Eh, collecting some equipment for the base.”

Fury knew Rogers too well not to be able to see behind the mask, and he could tell the situation had begun to wear on the man. He decided not to mention that Stark was assembling his own team to work on the virus. Rogers would probably think Stark should stay focused on the Sleepers until that threat was resolved.

They were traveling steadily over the deserts of New Mexico at an altitude close enough to keep the third Sleeper on their tail, but far enough to stay out of its weapons’ range. Apparently unable to fly, it dogged them on the ground, moving at a steady pace, firing its high-density energy beams only to remove obstacles—and occasionally telling Steve in German that he should prepare to die. There were four guns, each swivel-mounted on its corners. Otherwise, its streamlined appearance—a cube with a spherical hollow in the center—gave them little to go on.

“The Helicarrier can maintain a constant velocity in all sorts of meteorological conditions,” Fury continued. “So unless a Category 5 hurricane appears out of nowhere, it’s steady as she goes for the next six hours. On the other hand, having seen Category 5 hurricanes appear out of nowhere, I’m sitting on my crew.”

There was another reason Fury was being more curt than usual. He was trying to distract himself from the sick feeling in his gut over what they planned for his friend. Knowing the cryo-chamber was already in place at the Big Empty base didn’t help.

“Run a complete systems check.”

“Sir, we just did that five minutes ag—”

“If I wanted to know the time, I’d look at my wristwatch. Just do it!”

“Yes, sir.”

Kade appeared on the bridge uninvited, his scarred face twisted in anger, his thin frame tensed and ready for a fight. At first, Fury was relieved to see someone he could feel good about arguing with. When the world-class expert gave him that arrogant sneer, he felt even better about it.

“You love your secrets, don’t you?” Kade said.

The colonel sneered back at him. “We are spies, doc. We protect secrets. The Super-Soldier serum is one of our biggest, but I made sure you had access to everything we have on Cap, didn’t I?”

Kade raised his eyebrows. “Except this.

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