Chapter 1
" Stark, where are you!? " the query comes off as more of a bark and both of the siblings remain silent, unsure as to which Stark the man was referring to. There's a clear aggregated sigh on the other end of the line and Nadia can't help but choke on a laugh, the corner of her lips tugging upwards in amusement as he corrects himself.
" Ruslanova. " Steve repeats himself, this time using her alias.
It was supposed to be an easy mission. Get the Intel, take out some baddies, in and and out in minutes. That had been the plan. The plan had failed. HYDRA had been the baddies, the place had been over run and Nadia couldn't allow the avengers to get their hands on that Intel, even if it meant blowing her cover.
" 4th floor, Cap. " she informs him, her gaze flickering around the empty floor. " It's empty. "
" Get to 5th, Clint needs your help, Natasha will meet you there. " he orders. " Stark, Banner, you're with me. "
There's a long silence on the other end of the line, she's already started off in a sprint, half way up the five sets of stairs, half way to Clint. She knew what she had to do.
" And Nadia? " she hears her name over the coms, Steve speaking again. " Be careful, don't do anything reckless. "
Her heart pangs, emotion springing to her throat as she realises this wasn't going to be easy. It didn't matter how you wrote it, there was going to be collateral damage.
" So don't do anything you wouldn't do? " she queries, faux amusement lacing her tone. " Aww C'mon Cap, let a girl have a bit of fun. "
She can almost hear his head shake as she finally makes it to the fifth floor, yanking the door open, her gaze flickering around the corner as she presses against the open door, observing the mess that lay before her. Bodies littered the floor, arrows sticking out of some, others laying in such a way it was clear they'd been knocked out. Hard.
Natasha.
Fuck she was supposed to beat her here. So much for that plan. The fighting up ahead is obvious, the shouts of men, the sounds of bodies hitting the floor and Clint's quippy voice over the comm.
It isn't long before she's joining the fight head on, a Hydra operative catching her up in the collision as she narrowly avoids a punch to the face, ducking just in time. She grabs the arm that's outstretched, putting all her weight into flinging them into the wall. It wouldn't knock them out but it'd make damn sure they stayed out of her way. She connects in another fight instantly, it's almost like a dance, tiptoeing round each other, looking for the first opening and honestly, she could say the words but she's having too much fun. Something about the fight had always thrilled Nadia, an outlet for her emotions, a way to get rid of that geared up energy, the anxiety bounding around in her veins--- besides, she doesn't want to give up the cover too early. She needed to get to that office before Natasha because her chances of getting passed her? Slim to none.
Of-course, first she needed to bloody find it and the only way to do that was to interrogate him because if Tony and his stupid suit found the blueprints first--- she was screwed. Especially since the Intel in question was the entirety of the bases hard drives, personnel files, missions, undocover agents, you name it and this base held it. It was blow her cover stopping them, or get ratted out and frankly, she preferred the former. She couldn't allow the downfall or Hydra and the information in question was far too sensitive for her to risk it. It would make SHIELD ten times stronger, it would allow them to throw out inside agents, to stop themselves being destroyed from the inside out. It would ruin everything she'd been working for. All the Intel she'd gathered over the years would be for nothing. Personal relationships aside, SHIELD needed to be stopped. Nadia had joined in order to protect the innocent, in order to protect those who were different but instead SHIELD wanted to list them and bring them in. If you didn't work with them, you were against them and they couldn't have that. They couldn't let people live their lives in peace.
SHIELD was a farce. It was supposed to be her family. Perhaps once, it had been. Perhaps she still cared for the very people she was turning against but she didn't really have them. Hydra was more a family than SHIELD could ever be. Despite the underlying terror from her capture, she found solitude in their ranks, a way to make up for the damage she'd caused with SHIELD and she'd be damned if she allows the avengers to take that from her. Before she can hazard even an attempt at finding the office, an arrow comes flying towards her--- no, not her, the agent fighting with her. Instinctively, her hand flies out and closes around the middle of the arrow before it can hit it's target. Oceanic hues flicker to the dark orbs of the archer she knew so well, a shaky breath slipping past pink buds at the stunned expression on his face, her own matching. Luck. Pure god damn luck.
" Nadia-- " Clint begins. She doesn't let him finish, her expression turning to one of impassiveness as she glances at both him and the man before her.
" Hail Hydra. "
For a long moment, they both just stare and then his hand reaches for his com. The reaction is instant and from the archers expression, clearly unexpected as a kick is sent to his chest, sending him flying backwards against the wall and effectively knocking him out cold.
" I need your main computers, now. We need to stop them getting the hard drives or all your Intel will be gone and you with it. " the dark haired woman barks, earning her a glare from the man before her.
" Seventh floor, block of offices on your right. "
She heaves a sigh, squaring her shoulders as she once again takes off in a sprint, bumping right into Natasha. Shit.
" Where's Barton? "
" Barton's down, Hydra got to him before I could. We need to get those hard drives, we can worry about him later. " A suspicious, slightly taken back gaze is cast her way and she gets it, instantly regretting the words that had come out of her mouth. They were one and the same when it came to Clint. They both loved him, both would give their life if it meant saving him, in fact, they'd both jumped in front of him on missions, many times. He'd saved them both, in a way. Perhaps he hadn't saved her life like Natasha but he helped her let her guard down, made her feel safe, like she mattered--- and this was how she was repaying him. It's for the best, she keeps telling herself, he deserved better anyway. A better friend. Someone who wouldn't turn on him. Someone like Natasha.
" Nadia's compromised. "
The voice over the comms startles her. Clint. Her gaze flickers back over her shoulder in a panic before snapping back to Natasha, watching as her features knitted together before hardening, putting the pieces together.
" Compromised how!? " it's Tony's voice over the comms and she can hear the worry lacing his tone, his annoyance and before she can hear the answer, she lashes out towards Natasha who grabs her wrist and yanks her over her shoulder. She hits the floor with a thud, beginning to scramble to her feet, only to be stopped by a boot on her chest.
" She's Hydra. " Natasha's tone is matter of fact, giving nothing else away. Nadia grabs her leg, pulling on it hard enough to send her sprawling to the floor and she quickly scrambles on top of her, grabbing her red hair in fistfuls, lifting her head up then slamming it back down again. The other woman's expression is one of irritation and she quickly rolls them over, a punch being directed at Nadia's face.
" Do not use lethal force. Unconscious only, we take her in. " Cap's voice comes over the intercom and her jaw clenches, a voice in her head wishing they'd kill her instead. She didn't want to answer to them, she wouldn't. The dance between her and Natasha goes on for a while, one minute being on top, then the bottom then finally the two both clambering to their feet.
" Never would have taken you for a traitor, Stark. " the crimson haired woman quips.
" Oh give it up, Nat, you know as well as I do that SHIELD is the problem. Are you forgetting they wanted to kill you? They don't give people second chances. They kill them the moment thing's aren't to their liking. If you're remotely different, you're with or against them, there is no in-between. There is nothing remotely good about SHIELD. " The two stare at each other in silence for a long moment, before another voice joins the mix.
" And what about us? " It was Clint, aiming his arrow at her. At them. His tone wasn't cold, it wasn't unforgiving, it was hurt and confused and damn it, it was never supposed to be this hard. " What about me? "
" I have you. I have all of you, but when it comes down to it, I don't really have any of you, do I? " her tone is almost choked as she speaks, barely suppressing the emotion laying heavily on her chest, crushing her slowly, laying against her heart, her lungs, seeping through the cracks of her rib cage. It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, but still, she speaks again. " I'm doing the right thing. " she tells him. " Hail Hydra. "
Natasha's fist connects with the side of her head, whipping it round in a painful manner and leaving her seeing stars and she hisses in pain but doesn't back down, blocking the woman's next attack and pushing her backwards with an onslaught of blows.Finally, she sees an opening and smashes her opponents head against the corner of a window ledge, instantly rendering her unconscious. She's about to face Clint, to make her next move when an bullet connects with her upper arm and she recognises it instantly as an icer both by the pain coarsing through her arm and the fogginess in her brain, leading her to instantly collapse. She's caught instantly in warm arms and lifted into the air. The last thing she hears before drifting off is Clint over the comms.
" Yeah, I got her, Cap. " he pauses. " Nats down, level 5, We're going to need extraction immediately. "
Then everything goes black.