Steve and Natasha took Sitwell to the rooftop of a nearby building. During the climb, Sitwell played the part of a helpless office worker, pretending to be physically weak.
Once on the roof, Steve unceremoniously tossed Sitwell several feet across the space, causing him to land roughly.
"Tell me about the Zola algorithm," Steve demanded.
Sitwell picked up his glasses, nervously putting them back on.
"Never heard of it," he replied, feigning ignorance.
Steve stepped closer, his tone growing sharper, "What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"
Sitwell backpedaled toward the edge of the roof, stammering, "Seasick—I was throwing up the whole time."
As he neared the edge, Sitwell contemplated pretending to fall off to escape. But before he could act, Steve grabbed him firmly and pulled him away from the ledge, forcing him to stand upright.
Realizing his plan was thwarted, Sitwell attempted to provoke Steve instead. He sneered, "What's this, Captain? Trying to tell me you'd throw me off this rooftop?"
"That's not your style, Rogers," Sitwell said with a smirk.
Steve stared at him, his voice calm but firm, "You're right, it's not."
"But," he added, glancing to his side, "it's hers."
Before Sitwell could react, Natasha delivered a swift kick to his chest, sending him plummeting off the rooftop.
"Aaah!" Sitwell screamed as he fell, but within seconds, he adjusted his posture mid-air. He knew Steve wouldn't let him hit the ground.
Sure enough, a figure shot upward from below, grabbing Sitwell by the back of his shirt and hauling him back toward the rooftop.
"Aaaaah~" Sitwell feigned terror, his screams echoing comically as Sam Wilson flew him upward.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Natasha and Steve casually chatted.
"By the way," Natasha said, "how about that girl from accounting—Laura?"
Steve shook his head. "You mean Lillian? The one with the lip ring?"
"Yeah, her," Natasha confirmed, "She's cute."
"I just can't get past the lip ring," Steve replied with a shrug.
At that moment, Sam landed on the rooftop with Sitwell in tow. But as Sam prepared to drop Sitwell at Steve's feet, Sitwell acted.
Grabbing Sam's arm, Sitwell landed a brutal punch to Sam's head, knocking him unconscious. The Falcon suit sputtered as it lost control, and the two crashed onto the rooftop, tumbling several times.
Sitwell quickly recovered, using Sam as a human shield while holding him tightly by the neck.
Both Steve and Natasha were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Natasha, in disbelief, muttered, "Nick Fury actually gave you the super-soldier serum?"
Sitwell sneered, keeping Sam between himself and his enemies, "If two traitors like you can have it, why not me?"
He continued, "Steve, you attacked your colleagues to hide the truth about Fury's death. And Natasha, you betrayed the organization that enhanced you—just to run off with this traitor?"
Sitwell, unaware that Steve and Natasha had uncovered HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., played his part convincingly, posing as a loyal agent.
Steve and Natasha exchanged a knowing look, both skeptical of Sitwell's claims. They knew his close relationship with Alexander Pierce, a known HYDRA operative, made him highly suspicious.
The fact that Sitwell had received the serum only added to their doubts.
Natasha noted that Sitwell's name had never been on the enhancement program's list—unless Fury had hidden it as a possibility.
"Stay back!" Sitwell warned as Steve and Natasha edged closer.
"One more step, and I'll snap his neck!"
"Steve," Sitwell continued, tightening his grip on Sam, "you don't want your little helper to die because of you, do you?"
Steve stopped in his tracks, unwilling to risk Sam's life.
"Sitwell," he said evenly, "whose side are you on—Fury's or Pierce's?"
Sitwell feigned confusion, "Does it matter?"
"Fury was the current director who sacrificed himself, and Pierce is the former director," Sitwell said with an air of righteousness, "I, Jasper Sitwell, am loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D."
Natasha wasn't buying it. She cut to the chase, "Sitwell, what is the Zola Algorithm? And what were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"
Hearing Natasha's repeated questioning, Sitwell shouted, "I don't know what this Zola Algorithm is!"
"And as for my mission on the Lemurian Star, it was on Director Fury's orders, conveyed to me by Agent Hand."
Pausing, Sitwell glanced at Steve before continuing, "And it wasn't just me who knew about it. Agent Phil Coulson was there too."
Initially, Sitwell had been assigned to assist in capturing the Clairvoyant but was redirected to the Lemurian Star due to orders from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
At the mention of Coulson, Steve froze in shock, "Wait, did you say Coulson? Phil Coulson?"
"Wasn't he killed during the Battle of New York?"
Natasha quickly interjected, "Steve, I'll explain this later."
Realizing Steve had no idea about Coulson's survival, Sitwell smirked and said, "Do you really think Nick Fury ever told you the whole truth?"
"Coulson didn't die. He was just injured."
"In fact, plenty of agents, including Natasha, know about this. They just didn't bother to tell you."
Steve's thoughts drifted to Fury's dramatic gesture after Coulson's supposed death—presenting him with bloodstained trading cards.
Would an agent like Coulson really carry something so sentimental into battle? Steve began to doubt Fury's narrative.
Why hadn't Fury told him the truth? Was there more he was hiding? The realization made Steve's expression darken.