The Death Knell

"Why are you still here to pick me up? New York is my territory. There is absolutely no need to mobilize forces like this."

Howard bought newspapers and hamburgers as soon as he got off the boat, and quickly felt the taste of a civilized society. He kept wandering in the rain forest, and he felt like he was turning into a savage.

It was Fury who greeted him on the dock. Not only was he here, there were also several other Howling Commandos hiding in the darkness of the street.

"Captain, Dr. Stark." Fury twitched the corner of his mouth and greeted the two of them very calmly.

Steve smiled and nodded. He searched for Paige in the crowd, but didn't see her.

Howard bit his hamburger and looked at the newspaper in his hand. The headline on the front page read, 'In the face of the tragedy at the end of the year, a certain responsible agency was ordered to disband.' Although it was not stated clearly, people familiar with the matter knew at a glance that SSR was disbanded.

He looked at Fury again and understood.

"Ahem, you and the Howling Commandos are both unemployed, right? It's no problem to find a job. My Stark Industries can hire you as security guards. Fury, you can be the head of security, and you will be paid this amount every year."

As he spoke, Howard stretched out two fingers and shook them like rabbit ears in front of Fury, meaning twenty thousand dollars.

Although he was still wearing a tattered suit and a sailor's coat, he was undoubtedly confident when talking about money.

In 1955, the per capita annual wage in the United States was around US$4,500. Howard did not believe that this number could increase much in just one year. Twenty thousand dollars a year, no matter how many mercenaries lost their lives in Africa and Latin America, would not be able to make back this amount of money, it was considered worthy of Fury's abilities.

However, Fury was not moved at all and just looked at him expressionlessly: "That's not what happened. We came to you for a meeting."

"Meeting? What kind of meeting?"

Howard looked at the people coming and going on the pier. Reporters with keen sense of smell had already arrived to take pictures of the warship, and he was a little uninterested.

He planned to eat, drink, sleep, and then spy on his destined wife, so there would be no time for a meeting.

However, Fury directly asked people to drive the car and pushed Captain and Howard into the car: "I don't know what it is, but Agent Carter is waiting for you over there, secret order from the President."

"Tch, it's really troublesome. Can you stop for a moment when passing by Wilson's Department Store? I have to change my clothes."

Howard became more serious, but since he was going to a meeting, he couldn't wear this.

Steve nodded. Although they had taken a shower on the warship, they really needed to change their clothes. Although he was a veteran, since Fury pushed him into the car, there must be something that needed to be discussed, right?

"I'm afraid I don't have that time." Dugan, who was driving, turned around and said with a smile. He turned the steering wheel and drove the car towards the suburbs. The small black car was driven very fast, just like being chased by a Stuka behind enemy lines. It's the same as when you hit.

More than ten minutes later, in a dilapidated barn that looked like a farm in the suburbs of New Jersey, the car entered and sank together with the ground.

"It's a secret base again, huh? I know the people in Congress won't let us disband easily." Stark rummaged through the car and found a pack of cigarettes: "Ah ha, I think the same thing will happen in your car." There are cigarettes.”

"This is the 'playground'. It was a backup base built in the early years under the leadership of Agent 13. It was originally built out of fear of enemy landings during World War II." There was no light in the elevator, and Fury seemed to have disappeared in the carriage. I saw a pair of teeth floating out of thin air, opening and closing: "The SSR was disbanded, and all of us were dismissed from the military, so the president instructed us to establish a new organization, out of the control of the military, under his personal direct control, and with funding from Congress. , we have been discussing whether it is better to call it SRS or RSS."

"Can't we just let go of the letters S and R? It's just a cover anyway, just call it a so-and-so office or some plan?" Along with the sound of machine gears turning, Howard lit up a cigarette indifferently. .

"Where's Paige? What does she mean?" Steve wanted to ask her about her situation and why she looked so busy.

Fury sighed. He knew that Steve had retired from the army, and Paige had also quit the SSR and planned to travel the world with him.

But I'm afraid it won't work now.

"The president appointed her to be the first administrator of the new agency. I'm sorry, Steve, that your marriage..."

Before Fury could finish his words, Steve raised his hand to interrupt him.

The hand slowly retracted, and Steve covered his face in the darkness, sighing faintly.

Paige has always said that they would retire early together, travel and get married, but now she is in charge of the U.S. secret service. Why is her words and actions completely different?

Fury and Dugan looked at each other, and the bearded Dam gritted his teeth and shook his head. Outsiders had better not say anything about the captain and No. 13.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the carriage was a bit awkward, Howard quickly started telling dirty jokes, and Fury and Dugan immediately got off the slope and told some even sexier ones. For a while, the dark elevator room was filled with laughter and laughter. The sound continued to echo in the deep passage.

This underground base was not very deep, so Dugan soon started the car again and started driving in the underground tunnel where the lights appeared. After a few dozen seconds, everyone suddenly saw the light.

A huge underground space appeared in front of us. It was full of busy people and small vehicles running back and forth. It was a messy scene. However, there were actually several planes parked here, and concrete was being laid on the dirt runway in the distance. .

The collision of machinery, the sound of workers shouting slogans, and the sound of car engines are mixed together like a symphony, and the atmosphere here is full of tension.

The car slowed down a bit, and Dugan would poke his head out of the car window from time to time to shout for people to get out of the way. After a few minutes, they arrived at an elevator.

"Can I talk to Paige first before the meeting?" Steve looked at Fury. He took out the shield from the broken bag behind him and carried it behind his back.

Hei Tan had no objection. He reached out and pressed the elevator button: "She has always been my leader, so it's useless for you to ask me. After the last incident, her work in the White House was very good, and the president was completely She convinced.”

Howard touched his face, took out a pair of small scissors and trimmed his beard against the brand new metal elevator door, and said vaguely: "She is probably the most powerful woman in America now. Those of us who are familiar with her are okay. , I know her ability, but many people may not be convinced, and she will be under a lot of pressure in the future."

Fury nodded. For him, it was a good thing that Paige was the leader, because she had been following the Howling Commandos since World War II, so she was still the backbone of his team.

But for some people, not so much.

Moreover, after so many incidents, Heitan clearly felt that the SSR was full of spies from various forces. It would be convenient to take the opportunity of the reorganization to conduct a detailed investigation on everyone.

Several people went upstairs and saw Peggy in the conference room. At this time, she had already put on her military uniform and was busy explaining something to her staff.

She raised her head and smiled at Steve: "Sit down quickly, we will have a brief meeting to discuss the name of our new agency. Congress has to go through the procedures."

"Can I talk to you? Soon." Steve stepped closer and asked quietly.

"Are you anxious?" Peggy looked at him with her big eyes, but she still nodded: "Let's go to the tea room next to us. Everyone, please wait for us for a few minutes."

"Huh? Is Captain America that fast?"

Howard whispered to Fury, and all he received was the black man's super-large white eyes.

After the two people entered the tea room, Paige locked the door. She threw herself into Steve's arms and gave him a kiss. After a moment, she whispered: "I know you miss me, and I miss you too. I heard You ran away to Cuba and you worried me to death, but business matters are still important here. Can you go to my dormitory and continue later?"

Steve sighed and patted Peggy's back gently: "I know, I just...want to ask you why you still want to take this job? Didn't we agree to go first? Did you explore Antarctica and then travel and get married?”

"The world has changed, Steve. Our enemies are on the attack again, and we can't rest until we defeat them. As you can see, this is a life-or-death battle beyond imagination, between the two of us... ....How about delaying it for a year?”

Paige squeezed Steve's hand, raised her head and looked into his eyes, and said seriously.

Captain America nodded, and he touched her hair: "Okay, I can understand. Anyway, we will have a long life in the future, and it doesn't matter if we get married later. Since you plan to stay, I will rejoin the team. If you give me a little help, I think Fury and the others will welcome me."

"Um... Steve?" Paige frowned and lowered her head guiltily: "What the president means is that you are not suitable to appear in public in the near future, even if you are witnessed by others. Of course I'm happy if you want to come back, but you can only be a clerk."

Her voice became quieter, but Steve could still hear her clearly.

Not even the warm light could dispel the damp smell in the tea room, and Steve slowly closed his eyes.

He just killed the bad guys who should be killed. He was not wrong. Why would the president give such an order? Even Paige gave in?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Peggy hugged his waist and shook him somewhat flatteringly: "How about being my secretary? When no one is around, we can dance in the office, like this."

She asked with a smile. Over the years, she had taught him many dance steps. Perhaps because of the original promise, Steve had always been happy to dance with her.

However, Steve shook his head. His education was only in high school and he knew his level of knowledge well.

No matter how much he wanted to be with Peggy again, it was irresponsible to everyone that a person who was obviously unqualified occupied a position like secretary to the director. In addition, women as leaders are criticized by many people in this era, so he cannot cause trouble for Peggy.

"No, if you ask me to kill nazis and kidnappers, that's fine. But I'm afraid I can't help you with paperwork, typing, and answering the phone. I'd better retire from the army and draw comics on my pension at home."

Peggy nodded, she would not force Steve to do anything: "That's fine, you trust others too easily and are really not suitable for facing the intrigues of spy wars. Are you really going to draw comics?"

"Why not? I was a fan of the Two-Gunman when I was a kid, and Holloway later showed me the two revolvers. I wanted to draw the previous novels into comics." Steve smiled wryly, pretending to be relaxed. For a moment, he felt abandoned by everyone.