6.Hydra
“Rogers...Steven, born 1918.” the voice coming from the ancient computer said. Once we got down we were welcomed by an ancient computer database and we tried our luck plugging the drive into one of the outlets. As soon as we did this the computer started up and began talking. “Harrison...Amelia Rose, born 1988.”
“It’s some kind of a recording.” I said following the camera that was now pointed at us.
“I am not a recording Frauline.” the thing responded, making us frown. “I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945 . But I am.” he finished. A gasp left my mouth when I saw the picture of none other than Arnim Zola pop up on one of the screens.
“Arnim Zola…” Steve said, walking around the computer.
“Look I get how you are alive after all these years , but what about this thing? “ I asked, confused. This just didn’t make any sense.
“Well my dear, in 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis, science couldn’t save my body. My mind however was worth saving, on 200.000 feet of databases. You are standing in my brain.” he explained, making my head spin. Steve slowly walked up next to me , putting a hand on my shoulder.
“How did you get here? “ he asked, his voice demanding.
“Invited,” he simply said. And he was right.
“If I remember correctly , Nat told me about this operation , Paperclip after WW2...She said that S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited German scientists with strategic value. Howard initiated the idea.” I told him , definitely surprising him. From what I read and heard , Zola was the reason his best friend James Barnes fell off a train.
“They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own.”
“Hydra died with the Red Skull.” Steve shouted
“Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.” the man said, making Steve even more angry.
“Prove it.” he demanded and with that some more screens lit up, showing footage of the war and some articles .
“Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with it’s freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender it’s freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new Hydra grew a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, Hydra has been secretly feeding the crisis, reaping war , and when history did not cooperate , history was changed. '' Among the pictures and videos shown on those screens I couldn’t help but notice one recurring symbol, the red star that was all too familiar to me. Hydra was behind my parents death, as well as Nicks. “ Hydra created a world so chaotic …” he started speaking again but a loud beeping sound interrupted us.
I took my phone out of my pocket watching the map that just popped up on the screen.
“Steve we got a bogey. '' I said fear running through my body. ”Short range ballistic, 30 sec tops. “
“Who fired it?” he shouted .
“S.H.I.E.L.D. “ I simply said, my eyes filling up with tears. They were going to kill us . My grandfather was about to kill me .
Steve quickly turned around looking frantically around the room for an exit. He quickly ran towards one of the floor grilles , ripping it out. He then grabbed me by my waist and jumped inside holding me tight. He put his shield above us, doing his best to save us both. I closed my eyes, and buried my head in his chest , waiting for the worst. As soon as I heard the bomb hit us, I felt my ears start to ring and all I saw was black.
"Man are you sure? I mean this is just messed up." I heard a man's voice as I slowly regained my consciousness. I felt my head being heavy and pounding and every muscle in my body was aching. What the hell happened?
"I know Sam, believe me I know." Steve's voice filled my ears meaning he was OK and in the room too. I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting to the light, letting out a groan of pain as soon as I tried moving my body.
“You are awake. “ Steve exclaimed . Him and the other man were now standing in front of me.
“Yeah, what happened? “ I asked, trying to remember the events of earlier. All I could remember was me clinging to Steve’s body , waiting for the worst.
Steve had a concerned look on his face, his brows were pulled together, those ocean blue orbs now having a darker shade to them.
“You blacked out , I thought you wouldn’t make it. We are safe for now. This is Sam, he is a friend.” he said gesturing towards the man standing next to him.
“Hi.” I said looking at him. He gave me a smile and a nod.
“Amelia…do you have any idea how long Pierce has been working for Hydra ?” Steve asked me, making my heart drop. It wasn’t a shock to me that my grandfather was somewhat involved in all this mess, but hearing it from someone else , and actually having it confirmed kind of hurt.
“I don’t know…Until my parents died I didn’t even know him that well. He is very secretive. Even at S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick was more of a family to me than him, and I moved out of his house when I met Tom, so…” I said, feeling my eyes fill up with tears. Great Amelia, you picked a great moment to start crying.
“I’m gonna make some breakfast, it seems like you two have a lot to talk about.” Sam said, turning around and leaving the room. Now it was just me and Steve. His eyes found mine and they softened.
“Is Tom your fiancé?” he asked .
“Was…and yes.” I said, getting up from the bed , feeling the need to hide my tears from him.
“I am really sorry for what happened to him and the others.” His voice was soft and even though I didn’t want to, I believed him.
“Thank you.” I simply replied, not daring to look at him.
“I’m sorry for the way I was treating you. “ he said, making my breath hitch in my throat. Did I hear him right? Was he apologizing?
“Don’t worry about it, I know I can be stubborn and hard to work with.” I said, turning my head towards him , meeting his gaze.
“Yeah, you don’t seem to know when to stop talking.” he was smiling now, his eyes scanning my face . My tears have stopped falling , and my lips were curling up into a smile . As soon as I looked into his eyes I felt like I was safe.
“Come on Cap, I don’t talk that much.” I giggled. He took a step closer to me, towering over me, as we were now only inches away.
“Believe me , you do. But from now on, I might have my ways of shutting you up. “ he said, moving his gaze down to my lips. I knew what he was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. Ever since I got a taste of his lips at the mall , that was all I could think about when I was close to him.
“Is that so ? Care to demonstrate? “ I teased, raising an eyebrow at him. He just smirked and lifted his palm grabbing my jaw. His thumb traced my jawline , then slowly moved up to my bottom lip. His touch was so soft and gentle I almost didn’t feel it, but regardless it sent a wave of warmth through my body. His eyes were following his thumb as it moved across my bottom lip , stopping in the corner of my mouth.
“They are the sweetest I ever tasted.” he whispered, making me let out a small gasp. I never imagined myself in a situation like this with Steve, let alone hear those words come out of his mouth. It made me excited for what came next, and for a split second I forgot the mess that was the world around us, and it was just him and me .
“Savor them ,then. “ I said , my voice almost inaudible.
“ The things you do to me Amelia…” he said , and with that he brought both of hands up to my neck, titling my head back and pressing his lips against mine. And just like that everything around me disappeared and it was just me and him. The moment he started to move his soft lips against mine I felt all the strength I had left in my body just slip away, and I moved my hand up to grab his arm. He noticed my struggle and without breaking the kiss he moved his hands from my neck to my waist, lifting me up effortlessly, making me wrap my legs around his torso. Something about the way he was gripping my waist and pulling me closer to his body made me pray for this moment to last forever.
Not thinking about it twice, I moved my hands up into his hair and I started rolling my hips into him, earning a low growl in return. He laced his right arm around my waist while the other moved up to my neck and into my hair , pushing my lips even closer to him. I gasped at the sudden feeling , and he did not hesitate to dive his tongue into my mouth , exploring every inch of it.
He started taking a few steps backwards, and once he reached the bed he sat down, letting me get more comfortable in his lap. I could feel the growing bulge in his pants as I rolled my hips making the both of us moan. His lips started to move more furiously against mine, devouring them while his hands were gripping my hips and pulling me as close to him as possible.
“I-ahm-oh-...sorry.” someone spoke, making us pull apart. I knew exactly who it was , but I was too embarrassed to turn around and face him. So instead I buried my face into Steve’s neck , making him let out a small giggle.
“It’s fine Sam. I should have locked the door.” he said, tightening his grip around my waist.
“Breakfast is ready if you guys are hungry or something.” he finished. I heard the door shut again so I slowly lifted my head looking Steve in the eye.
“Don’t tell me you are embarrassed.” he smirked . I gave his chest a playful punch making his lips curl into an adorable smile.
“You kissed me .” I said, looking him in the eye. Realization started to hit me like a rock, bursting the bubble I was previously in.
“You asked for it.” And he was right. I was the one who provoked him in the first place. “ And I was more than happy to oblige.” he said, lowering his head into the crock of my neck. “ I can only wonder how some other parts might taste if your lips are this sweet and addicting.” he whispered, dragging his nose up and down the side of my neck. He had me trembling in his arms , craving more than just a kiss. “I can’t wait to find out.” he breathed before attaching his lips to the skin below my ear , making me let out a small moan. He started sucking and nibbling on the skin. I was in cloud nine, his lips felt like Heaven on my skin . His hands started to move my hips, urging me to give him some kind of friction.
“I-Steve…Sam’s waiting…” I said, fighting the urge to let him do whatever his heart desires with me .
“Yeah?” he hummed , focused on his work on my neck.
“Mhm.” I wasn’t able to speak right now, it felt too good to stop him even though I knew I should.
As if he was reading my mind, he gave the bruise he just created one last soft kiss before lifting his head to look at me . He had the biggest smirk on his lips.
Oh my God, I just had a wild make out session with Steve Rogers.
“So the question is who at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike.” Steve said, taking a sip from his coffee.
“Pierce.” I said in a small voice.
“Who happens to be sitting on the top of the most secure building in the world.” He added.
“But I’m sure he is not working alone. Nick noticed something was wrong, that’s why he needed me to save the files from the Lemurian Star. Zola’s algorithm was there.” I told him, playing with the eggs I had on my plate. Sam was quietly following our conversation, not really having a clue about anything.
“So was Jasper Sitwell.” That fucking rat , I should of known from the beginning that he was in on this. “ So the real question is , how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?” Steve continued ,leaning back in his seat. He was right. It wasn’t like we could just go after him, we’d be dead the second we’d leave Sam’s house. Lost in our thoughts we didn't even notice Sam leaving the kitchen and returning with a file in his hand.
“The answer is , you don’t.” he said , tossing them on the table.
“What’s this?” Steve asked, taking the photo , analyzing it.
“Call it a resume.” Sam told us, folding his hand at his chest.
I looked at the photo Steve was analyzing, recognizing it immediately.
“Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you? “ I asked, looking at him. I remember a few years ago hearing about this at S.H.I.E.L.D. It seemed to be a big deal . “ You didn’t say he was a Pararescue.” I told Steve, earning a questioning look from him. “ I heard they couldn’t bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use ? A stealth shoot? “
“No. These.” Sam said, handing us the file from the table. It had a very familiar word written on it. FALCON.
“I designed these! “ I exclaimed looking at the wings I developed in my second year at S.H.I.E.L.D.
“You what?” Steve was absolutely shocked.
“Agent 15. Aka Agent Harrison. Am I right? “ Sam asked, smiling. I nodded looking back at Steve who had a questioning look on his face.
“ This was my second project as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Me and 2 other agents were assigned to design a suit that can be used in air and on the ground. “ I explained looking down at the file.
“You are full of surprises aren’t you Harrison?” Steve spoke, making me turn to him . He had a smirk playing on his lips, his eyes gazing into mine.
“Seems like it, Cap.” I said returning to my reading on the file.
“I can’t ask you to do this Sam. You got out for a good reason.” Steve said, looking up at the man still standing , arms crossed in front of us.
“Dude Captain America needs my help. There is no better reason to get back in.” He explained, making me smile. He did have a point though. Steve also gave him a smile, before he turned to me , silently asking for my opinion.
“Don’t look at me. You are the Captain.” I said putting my arms up in front of me in defense. He let out a deep sigh , looked at both of us then smiled.
“Well then, tell me . Where can we get our hands on one of these things? “ He asked, holding up the file .
“The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall.” He responded , getting a frustrated sigh out of Steve.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” I said, making them both look at me.
“Being one of Nick Fury’s favorites and being Alexander Pierce’s granddaughter has it’s benefits too.” I said standing up from my seat.” Now Sam, do you happen to have any kind of clothes that could fit me , just laying around? “
“Well the pants might be a problem, but I can get you a shirt and a jacket if you want.” He said , disappearing into the hallway.
After a few minutes Sam came back with a white shirt and a black hoodie in his hand.
“This is all I could find.” he handed them to me , giving me a smile.
“It’s perfect Sam, thank you. “ I said, turning around, heading back to the room we were previously in.
“I left a shirt and a hoodie on the bed for you too.” he told Steve.
“Thank you Sam, I really appreciate it. “
Once I entered the room followed by Steve, I closed the door and put the clothes down on the bed.
“You sure about this” I heard him speak.
“Yeah, sure. “ I shrugged. He took a few steps closer to me , his eyes never leaving mine.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered .
“As long as you are there , I’ll be fine.” he gave me a smile , moving his hands towards my waist. He took the hem of my tank top and started lifting it up, his eyes glued on mine. I gave him a small nod, reassuring him. His hands made contact with my skin, and a shiver went down my spine. His eyes landed on the scar that was almost healed at this point, then looked back at me.
“We are going to find him, I promise.” he told me , leaning down and placing a soft kiss onto my lips. I just gave him a smile and wrapped my hands around his torso burying my head into his chest. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I finally managed to get changed.
Everything that was going on was starting to get a little too much at this point.
Me and Steve making out, my grandfather trying to kill me , now going after Sitwel and Hydra invading S.H.I.E.L.D. I am going to need a vacation if we manage to get out of this alive.
Once I was dressed and ready I put my hair up in a ponytail and looked into the mirror. What has my life become? From a simple S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to a fugitive of the same organization…I’m sure Nat would be proud.
Yeah, Nat…I wonder what she was up to. I know her and Steve are really close so I’m sure she isn’t after him. Or me at this point.
“Thank you guys, once we are done with them, I’ll make sure to get them back to you.” I said as I exited the building. Taking the wings was like taking candy from a child.
I put the case that held the wings in the trunk of Sam’s car and walked over to the back seat, getting in.
“Is it just me or that agent was checking you out a little too much? “ Sam teased looking at me in the rear view mirror. Steve gave him a warning look that made me let out a chuckle.
“Well…I had to get those wings for you didn’t I? “ I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I thought being Pierce’s granddaughter was enough for that .” Steve huffed, turning his head towards me .
“ Maybe I wanted to make it more fun.” I teased earning a warning glare from him.
“As I said, you never know when to shut up.”
“Are you guys dating or something? ‘Cuz you are acting like a married couple right now.” Sam asked, making us both look at eachother.
His question made my heart sink , and realization hit me like a rock. What were we? We weren’t dating, that’s for sure…But would we date? Would he date me ? What was that kiss about? Too many questions floated in my mind at the same time , making me even more frustrated.
“We aren’t dating Sam…It’s complicated. “ Steve spoke up, tearing his eyes away from mine. I don’t know why, but that hurt. I knew we weren’t dating…but it hurt. “ Let’s get our focus back on the mission. “
The plan was easy , we knew exactly where Sittwell was , and Sam was going to get him to us.
“Argh!” Sittwell groaned as Steve kicked him through the door that led to the rooftop.
“Tell me about Zola's algorithm.” Steve demanded as we walked closer to him.
“Amelia…isn’t it nice to see you are alive. Was New York any fun? “ Sittwell mocked as he tried to get up from the ground, ignoring Steve’s question.
“Answer him!” I demanded stopping next to Steve.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He simply said, making Steve let out an angry growl. He started walking towards him, making him back away only to reach the edge of the roof and almost fall. Steve grabbed him by his jacket, and yanked him back , fuming at this point.
“Is this little display meant to insinuate that you are going to throw me off the roof ? Because that’s really not your style, Rogers.” Sitwell said, with an arrogant smirk on his face. Steve turned his head towards me , making me give him an innocent smile.
“ You are right.” He started saying, letting go of Jasper. “ It’s not.” he continued ,taking a step back. “It’s hers.” he finished letting me step in and kick that fucker off the roof.
“ God that felt good.” I said as I listened to his screaming get quieter. Steve just gave me a proud smile and grabbed my arm to make me look at him.
“We need to talk.” He said , his voice full of seriousness.
Before I could have said anything else , we saw Sam fly up with Sitwell hanging from his grip. throwing him on the roof, then shortly after ,landing himself.
We started walking towards him, and just as we hoped, he was scared.
“Zola’s algorithm is a program…for choosing insights targets.”
“What targets?” Steve shouted.
“You..her..” he started pointing at Steve and me..” A Tv anchor in Cairo , the Under Secretary of Defense ,a high school Valedictorian in Iowa city, Bruce Banner , Stephen Strange, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff…anyone who is a threat to Hydra now or in the future.
“In the future? How could it know?” Steve asked him, making him laugh.
“How could it not? The 21th century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it. Do you remember Amelia? The projects you were so happily working on? Being so proud to develop programs that traced an enemy faster than the speed of sound? You made them for Hydra and you didn’t even know it. “ he continued laughing. I took a few steps back, not believing what he just said.
All the work I did, all those programs and AI’s I developed with my fellow agents were a part of a project that was designed to kill us all. And my grandfather knew about it all along. “Zola’s algorithm evaluates people's past, to predict their future.” he finished looking at Steve.
“And what then?” Steve asked, growing inpatient.
“Oh my God, Pierce is going to kill me.” Jasper said, starting to panic once again.
“What then?” Steve insisted , taking a step closer to him.
“The Insight helicarriers start scratching people off the map.” Jasper finally said , his gaze landing on me.
“Does my grandfather know ? “ I asked, feeling the tears fill up my eyes. I knew the answer , I just couldn’t believe it.
“ Does he know?! Come on Amelia, he is behind all of this! I have to tell you though..he didn’t put you on the list until you decided to question Agent Davis and Agent Tyson on that mission. You knew too much.” he said, making my blood boil. Without hesitation I took out my gun and aimed it at him , catching everyone's attention.
“I want to know everything!” I shouted .” My parents…did he send the Winter Soldier to kill my parents?”
“Is that really a question you don’t know the answer for? He sent him after you too in Odessa…he was supposed to kill you, but mind control is not at its best yet…that guy has a strong will power.” My hands were shaking and all I could think about was revenge. I finally knew who killed my parents and I was going to make sure they got the same ending.
“Where is he now??? Where is he??” I shouted taking a few steps closer to him, but a strong grip on my arm stopped me in my tracks.
“Amelia, don't. “ Steve’s voice filled my ears, making me turn around to face him. I slowly dropped my gun and wrapped my arms around his neck , letting go of the tears I was holding.
“Enjoy the moment while you can, Rogers. Soon she’ll be holding the gun to your head.” Sitwell spat before he grabbed something out of his pocket and swallowed it. “Hail Hydra.” were his last word before he collapsed to the ground. He was dead.
“Fuck!” Sam exhaled looking at us with a concerned look in his eyes. “ What do we do now?"
“I am going back to the Triskelion. I need answers.” I said getting away from Steve and starting to walk towards the door that led inside the building and off the roof.
“Amelia stop.” Steve grabbed my arm and yanked me back.
“Let go of me, Rogers. “ I demanded trying to get out of his grip but he wasn’t having it. His grip only got tighter as his eyes filled up with anger.
“I said stop! What could you possibly do going back there alone? You’d be dead before you reached the first floor. “ He growled, giving me a stern look. I knew he was right , but I wasn't going to admit it. I had to get some answers. My grandfather is behind my parents death.
“Steve, if what Sitwell said is true, those carriers are going to be up in the air in the next 16 hours. We have to stop the launch.” I said, trying to rationalize my actions.
“ And you think going there without any backup and a plan is going to stop it? Amelia, you are not thinking straight. Let’s go back to Sam’s place and see what we can come up with. “ He was right…I simply nodded , finally giving in .
“Ok, is it just me , or are we really in a lot of crap right now?” Sam asked while driving. Steve was sitting right next to him and I was in the back seat, trying to put my thoughts in order.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this Sam.” Steve told him.
“Dude, I’m more than happy to help, plus this is serious, we’re talking about millions of people at this point.” he said , earning a soft nod and a thank you from Steve.
I gazed out the window just for a moment , and that’s when I saw the silver metal fingers break the window and reach in for me . I screamed and moved away, making Sam hit the brakes stopping the car. The sudden stop made the men on the roof of the car launch forward , and land in front of us. My heart sank. He was here …and he was here to kill us.
“What the hell was that?” Sam shouted , but before any of us could've given him an answer , another car hit us from the back and started pushing us forward.
I jumped forward into Steve's lap, trying to get my gun to shoot , but my hands were shaking and I managed to drop it. As we were approaching him , being pushed from behind , he jumped on top of the car once again and ripped the steering wheel out of Sam’s hands. Then he reached in from the other window, grabbing me by my neck, and yanking me out. I tried screaming and Steve tried to grab me to pull me back, but he was stronger and quicker.
He was holding me up in the air, on top of the moving car, with that one metal arm , squeezing my throat.
I tried getting out of his grip, and grabbing his wrist , kicking him, but nothing was working. Suddenly he yanked me towards him, staring at me through those black shade glasses.
“Ya uchil tebya bezhat’ .“( I thought I told you to run.) he spoke, his voice being raspy and deep. I didn’t understand much of what he was saying. As I was squirming and trying to get away , I saw Sam’s car roll over and him and Steve jump out. Once he saw this , he looked at me one more time, then let go of me , letting me fall to the ground.
“Amelia! Sam, get her.” Steve shouted. I was in so much pain it was hard to even open my eyes.
Every muscle in my body was aching but I had to get up. This was the moment I waited for ever since my parents died.
Sam kneeled next to me, looking frantically around, making sure we were in a safe spot. We were indeed behind a car, so I think that could be called a safe spot in this situation.
"Hei girl, are you alright?" he asked, taking my head in his hands. I nodded and lifted my hand to wipe the blood I felt streaming down the left side of my forehead. " It looks pretty nasty." Sam continued analyzing my head.
"I'm fine Sam. We have to help Steve." I said slowly getting up. I’m not going to lie, it hurt moving my body but I had no choice , I had to get up and keep going. This was my chance to get the revenge I wanted. I pulled myself up followed by Sam’s intense gaze , following my every move. I was in pain, but I'm sure this was just the start.
As I moved my gaze to Steve's direction I saw the Winter Soldier aim a grenade launcher straight in his direction.
“Steve watch out!” I shouted just before he pulled the trigger. Steve lifted his shield up in front of his body , but that wasn’t enough. The grenade hit him, throwing him off the bridge.
Now that I managed to blow our cover, the other soldiers opened fire in our direction, making me and Sam the main target. I reached for my other gun resting in my leg holster and covered for Sam who was trying to find shelter behind another car.
I think I also managed to piss the Winter Soldier off because the next grenade was flying straight at the car I was hiding behind. Just before the grenade reached it I jumped over the bridge and deployed the wires from the bracelets Nat gave me before the Lemurian Star mission. I didn’t use them then, but now they came in handy .I managed to hide myself under the bridge , just enough to throw my Russian buddy off. I saw Steve's shield on the ground near a turned over bus, which made my heart skip a beat. Was he ok? Was he hurt?
I had to fight the urge to not run towards that bus and drag him out of there. As I was scanning the place I saw the Winter Soldiers shadow on the ground and I realized he was aiming for the bus , and Steve was not the only person in there. there were still innocent people trying to get out and save each other.
With a quick step I stepped out from under the bridge and looked up, aiming my gun in his direction, starting to fire. I was shaking and scared , but I did manage to distract him ,and even shoot him right in those black glasses he was wearing. He took a step back, then disappeared from my vision. Good, this should give me some time. I ran across the street , hiding behind a car , and when he got back up, he was only wearing his mask, and his gaze was fixated on me . I think I managed to piss him off this time. I started running , trying to get him to follow me , to get him away from the poor people who were caught in the middle of this shooting. He was still firing , making it almost impossible to dodge those bullets, but I somehow managed to do so .
When I looked back, I saw him jump off the bridge and land on top of a car, gun in his hand, starting to walk in my direction. I also saw what looked like Steve exiting the bus, trying to dodge the bullets the other guys were firing in his direction. Once he picked his shield up, I knew he was ok.
Now it was time to focus on the assassin that was getting closer and closer to me.
“I told you to stay put.” He shouted , looking around, checking the cars around him.
“Not really my style, to listen.” I shouted as I managed to take him by surprise and jump on his back, kicking the gun out of his hand , and using my teaser bracelets to try and immobilize him. Of course that did not work , he was obviously stronger than me , and with a quick motion he threw me off his back, making me land on the top of a car. I was in more pain that I thought I could ever handle, but I had to get up and run. And that’s what I did. I started running , trying to get away from him , but he was quick and picked up his gun, shooting me in my left shoulder.
I felt the bullet hit me hard and the pain just got too much to handle, I collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain .
“Amelia!” I heard Steve shout my name , before I closed my eyes and it all went black.
“Get on your knees! Get down!!” I heard the shouting , opening my eyes , managing to catch a glimpse of what seemed like Steve and Sam on their knees, with guns to their heads.
“Over there.” I heard another voice , then I saw a man walk towards me . Once was next to me , he bent down, grabbed my right arm ,and yanked me off the ground, making me let out a yelp in pain.
“For God's sake she has been shot.” Sam shouted , getting a nudge in the back of head from the gun that was held to it.
Rumlow and STRIKE were surrounding us , holding guns to our heads, and I could also hear some police cars and helicopters as well , which meant they were not going to kill us here.
And I was right, they put us in a car , handcuffed and guarded , driving only god knows where .
“It was him , he didn’t even recognize me.” Steve said, staring at the doors of the van we were put in.
I couldn’t believe it. The man I was chasing all these years , the man who murdered my parents in cold blood is none other than Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes , the soldier presumed dead, Steve’s best friend. This was all a nightmare.
“She is going to bleed out if we don’t put pressure on that wound.” Sam insisted , making one of the guards take out his gun, aiming it towards him. Just when I thought he’d shoot him , the guard turned around shooting his partner instead. This instantly caught Steve's attention , taking him out of his trans , fixing his gaze on me. I broke eye contact with him right away, focusing on the guard who was just now taking his helmet off.
“ How do they even wear these? This thing was squeezing my brain.” Nat’s voice echoed through the van .
“Romanoff , I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.” Steve said. A slight smile appeared on his lips , seeming like he was finally and fully back from his trance.
“I leave you guys alone for what? 24h and you almost get killed. I was expecting more from you two.” Nat told us while she got our handcuffs off. As soon as Steve's hands were free , he got up from his seat and kneeled down in front of me , taking my face in his hand searching for my eyes.
“Hey, look at me.” he said in a soft tone, making me raise my head a little. My vision was blurred , I felt dizzy , but those ocean blue eyes made everything around me disappear even if it was only for a second.
“I’m not trying to be rude or anything , but we better find a way out of this thing, cuz I’m damn sure those guys put us here to kill us. “ Sam’s voice made my little bubble burst , bringing me back to reality. He was right. We had to get out of here.
“I know you, runner guy , right? “ Nat mocked him, earning a chuckle from Steve and I.
“Nat, Sam’s right. Rumlow is going to kill us. He’s got orders. “ Steve said, making Nat give him a nod.
“ I know , come on , we still have a few minutes until we get to the meeting point.” she said, taking out the famous Mouse Hole (as Nick liked to call it) from her pocket , cutting us an escape route through the bottom of the car.
Soon after we were out of that car STRIKE put us in , we got into another one , driving to what Nat called , a Safe place. Was it safe? I had no idea at this point. From what I know, she could be working for my grandfather without even realizing she is working for the bad guys. It’s not that I don’t trust her , but at this point I have no idea who to trust and what to believe.
“Hey, stay with me ok? “ Steve's soft voice made me open my eyes just a little bit , before closing them back on. I was tired , I wasn’t even feeling the bullet wound in my shoulder anymore. My head was resting on his shoulder , while his arm was holding a piece of fabric from his shirt on my shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.
“I am going to kill him, Steve. “ I whispered , only for him to hear , even though I knew it would hurt him. I just needed him to know that the third time I see that bastard , he won’t get away.
“I know. '' was all he said before we were silent again. A few more minutes passed , then Nat’s phone started ringing.
“We are almost there, guys. '' She said before putting her phone away.
Almost…I had no idea if I was going to make it to that place where we were supposed to be getting. I know I am supposed to be strong, and fighting, but right now , I have no willpower to do so . My life was in tiny little pieces, and the only thing keeping me somewhat going was the thought that I was going to kill that bastard who took my family away from me.
“Amelia revenge is not going to be the key to moving on. You saw it yourself with Loki.” Nat’s voice filled my ears once again, forcing me to open my eyes just to look at her.
“ Loki was different. I couldn’t kill him, but I am certain that he is facing that Asgardian justice Thor was talking about. The Winter Soldier is different and you know it. He deserves it ,and it will be my pleasure to put a bullet between his eyes.” I said with venom in my voice.
I felt Steve’s grip tighten around my body as his body went stiff hearing my words. But the truth was.. I didn’t care. The guy who murdered my family and Nick is for sure not the same guy he once knew.
Nat opened her mouth to say something but the car suddenly came to a stop, indicating we were now at the destination. Soon after the back doors opened , allowing us to get out. Once I was on my feet again, I felt my body give up on me , almost collapsing to the ground. Fortunately for me Steve never let go of me , so I never came in contact with the ground. Instead I was lifted off the ground, into his arms bridal style, making me wrap my hands around his neck. He gave me a sweet smile as our eyes locked, making me do the same. He knew he didn’t have the power to stop me , even if it hurt him more than he admits.
We were led into a secret base , that from what I could see was inside the Lake View Cemetery Dam. Very original if you ask me . Once we were in ,a man started running towards us , his eyes fixated on Steve carrying me.
“ GSW , she’s lost at least a pine.” Nat told him.
“Maybe two.” Sam added, taking a look at me.
“Let me take her.” the man said, looking at Steve , whose grip grew tighter around me once again.
“It’s ok…” I muttered , finding it hard to even speak.
“She’ll want to see him first.” Nat said , making me turn my head in her direction. Steve gave her a questioning look, followed by Sam , meaning they were just as confused as I was.
“Follow me .” she said and started walking in the long hallway ahead of us, making us follow.
After a few minutes we arrived at what seemed like a small room , surrounded by plastic curtains, and the moment Nat moved them I felt my eyes fill with tears.
“About damn time. “ The all familiar voice filled the air, making a huge smile creep its way onto my lips. It was Nick.
He was lying on a bed , with stitches and bandages covering his body, but he was alive.
“Nick…” was all I could say as Steve put me into a wheelchair that was positioned next to Nick’s bed.
“Kid I leave you alone for one day and you almost get yourself killed. I thought Romanoff told you not to do anything stupid. “ He scolded me , making me smile. Classic Nick Fury.
“You know I’m not good at following the rules. “ I said looking at Steve who was following my every move.
“Nick you died. We saw you die.” He said, looking at him. In the meantime, the man who ran towards us when we got here started to take care of my wound.
“Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for Stress, didn’t work so great on him, but we found a use for it.” he said, making me smile. After everything that happened , seeing him here , alive , it made me feel safe, it made me believe that we can win this battle.
“ But, why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us? “ I asked, looking at him. I’m not gonna lie , I was feeling a little hurt that he didn’t tell me.
“ Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful.” Maria said , making me roll my eyes.
“ Can’t kill you if you are already dead. Plus I didn’t know who to trust.” Nick added, looking at me. “ And you young lady…I just didn’t want to drag you into this , especially after I found out about Pierce and the Winter Soldier.” he finished , sadness and regret visible in his eyes.
At this point I was on the verge of tears again. Just thinking about the fact that my grandfather had a hand in my parents death…It made me sick to my stomach.