As they drove through the wrecked New York streets, the roar of the bike was the only sound between them. The city was still recovering from the chaos Loki had unleashed, broken roads, burnt cars, cracked glass, and cleanup crews scattered everywhere.
But Liam's mind wasn't on the road. It was somewhere else entirely.
He couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened since he ended up in this world... the choices he'd made, the lies he'd told, the risks he'd taken. And now he wasn't even sure if any of it had been right. He wasn't a strategist or some genius planner. Hell, he wasn't even a soldier. He'd been a cook, a damn cook, who used to worry about burning steaks, not taking down a global terrorist organization hiding inside a spy agency.
Even though he had the memories of the man whose body he now lived in, that didn't make him some kind of genius. It didn't make him smarter...just a little more informed. And even that wasn't much. The guy whose life he'd taken over had only been a mid-tier HYDRA operative, a grunt with clearance just high enough to take orders and keep his mouth shut. He hadn't known anything about Pierce, Insight, or HYDRA's long-term plans.
All the information Liam had fed Fury, all the confident, detailed stuff about HYDRA's operations, their upcoming moves, even the goddamn timeline..none of it came from memory. It came from movies. From things Liam had seen sitting behind a screen in his old life.
That thought almost made him laugh. It was crazy. He was manipulating S.H.I.E.L.D., manipulating the Avengers ...using knowledge from fiction. And somehow, it was working.
Still, the danger was real. Even if HYDRA didn't know he was alive, they'd already seen him on Fury's radar before the hit. And if they suspected anything, they'd just assume he'd leaked low-level intel, nothing major. A few coordinates, some field data, maybe a minor project. They wouldn't believe for a second that a field agent like him could've known about Pierce or Project Insight. That level of clearance was way above his pay grade.
And that was his one advantage. HYDRA's ignorance. As long as they kept underestimating him, he had room to move. He could keep feeding Fury the right things at the right time, and if Fury acted fast and quietly, maybe they could cut HYDRA out before 2014 ever happened.
He just hoped Fury didn't waste time. Because once HYDRA figured out what was coming, there'd be no second shot.
The bike slowed as they turned off a half-destroyed main road and into a quieter part of Brooklyn.
Steve parked the bike in front of his house and killed the engine. The sudden silence felt heavy after the constant roar. Liam pulled off his helmet and looked up. The place was simple, plain and quiet. Almost too normal for someone like Captain America.
"Feels peaceful," Liam muttered.
Steve gave a faint smile. "I like quiet."
They walked up the old staircase, each step making the wood creak. Steve unlocked the door and held it open, letting Liam go in first. The apartment was small but very clean. It had simple furniture, a small kitchen, and a folded map of Brooklyn pinned above the desk. The place smelled faintly of old coffee and cleaning spray.
"You can take the couch," Steve said, setting his shield down by the wall. "It's not much, but it's comfortable enough."
Liam tossed his helmet onto the table and nodded. "Thanks. I've slept on worse."
"I don't doubt that," Steve said. "You sure you're okay?"
"I've been worse," Liam said with a small shrug. He walked over to the window and stared at the city outside.
Steve joined him, his reflection faint in the glass. "Fury will check your story. If it's true… we'll be ready."
Liam didn't answer right away. He kept his eyes on the skyline. "Let's hope he's fast enough," he said finally.
"He will be," Steve said quietly.
The room went still after that. Liam sat on the couch, leaning back, making himself comfortable while Cap went for a shower.
His thoughts spiraled again, heavier this time.
He wondered if he should have told Tony and Steve about Bucky. About who he was. About what really happened.
But how could he?
He had no way to explain how he knew anything. No way to tell Steve that his best friend from the 40s was still alive… without sounding insane and suspicious.
Liam sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
He felt bad for Bucky.
Not because Bucky was innocent...no, Liam wasn't that naive. Bucky had killed people. A lot of them. Innocent, guilty, didn't matter. Blood was blood.
But Liam understood him in a way he never thought he would.
Because he was living in the body of someone who had done the exact same thing.
This body… this life he had taken over… had killed countless people while brainwashed by HYDRA. Soldiers, agents, civilians, anyone unlucky enough to be in the way.
Was he any different from Bucky now?
And if one day someone like Tony Stark came hunting for him..someone who had lost a family member because of this body..what would Liam do?
Would he fight back and kill them to save himself?
Or let them go… only for them to come after him again later?
He didn't have an answer.
He wasn't sure he ever would....until he faced the situation himself.
Liam exhaled slowly and forced the thoughts away. They were doing nothing but tearing at his mind.
Instead, he closed his eyes and focused inward… toward the blue wheel inside his mind.
The strange, glowing thing that had become his only real advantage in this world.
He opened the Blue wheel panel in his mind and looked at the accumulated plot points on it.
After using three hundred points for a spin and upgrading his regeneration ability, he still had about 330 points with him. The recent spike in points was only because of the information he had revealed to Fury changing the course of the plot. Although what result that change entailed, only time would tell.
He closed his eyes, his mind still racing, and thought to himself, 'Let them underestimate me. Let them think I'm a nobody.'
Because when Fury moved, and HYDRA finally crawled out of their hole, he'd be ready. He'd make sure they never got the chance to slither back into the shadows again.
And for the first time since waking up in this world, Liam smiled...tired, bitter, but certain.
He sighed and opened his eyes as he decided to spin the wheel once again.
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The Shawarma joint, the one where Liam had cooked for the Avengers was now empty.
Night had fallen, and the owner still hadn't come by to check on the place.
Just then a man in casual clothes pushed the door open. The shop didn't make a sound; the bell that once hung there had been thrown away long ago.
He stepped inside and looked around. His eyes moved over the counter, the broken chairs, and the crooked "Closed" sign on the window. After checking the place twice, his gaze settled on a particular table just near the entey.
He walked toward it slowly.
He reached under the table and his fingers found a small, flat device, oval-shaped, with tiny holes on one side.
When he pulled it out, he noticed a thin streak of dried blood along the edge. Suddenly a tiny green indicator on it blinked once.
The man gave a slight smile.
He slipped the device into his pocket, turned around, and walked out silently. The door shut behind him with a soft thud, leaving the Shawarma joint empty and quiet once more.
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