The Winter Soldier
"So, where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?" Nat inquiries from the backseat of the now stolen truck.
I lightly chuckle with my feet up on the dashboard, "Good point, Nat. Care to elaborate, Captain?"
"Nazi Germany," Steve dryly reveals while glancing at me, his left hand resting comfortably on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. "And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash, Nikki. Nat, feet of the seat." I smirk at him and share a look while the fellow spy.
"All right." At the same time, my legs bend to give me enough room to place my feet on the floor.
Natasha suddenly props herself between the two front seats, her elbows resting at the top of our places. "All right, I have a question for you," she turns her attention to the super-soldier, and I watch the
interaction with interest, "which you do not have to answer. But I feel if you don't answer it, though, you're kind of answering it, you know?" I furrow my eyebrows while listening to her talk.
"What?" Steve asks while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" A smirk slowly comes across her face, and my interest peaks, intently staring at Steve, waiting for the answer.
"Why do you want to know?" I can see a slight blush creeping into Steve's cheeks; I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
"Well, for starters, you couldn't keep your eyes off of Nikki. That and you blushed when she kissed you." The spy is making the soldier more and more uncomfortable.
"Nat, leave him alone." I chime in as I watch Steve squirm slightly in discomfort.
Steve looks at me out of his eye, "That bad, huh?"
I lean my head against the headrest before staring at the side of Steve's face, "I never said that." I sing aloud to the car.
"It kind of sounds like that's what you're saying."
"Take it easy," Nat interrupts, "I was just wondering how much practice you have had."
I roll my eyes at her statement, "You don't need practice." Steve tells her before I open my mouth.
She looks at him intently, "Everybody needs practice."
"No, that was not my first kiss since 1945," Steve finally announces, looking very proud of himself, "I'm 95, not dead." I snort lightly at his comment before returning to the road.
"Nobody special, though?" Nat asks out of curiosity. I look straight ahead, but I feel both Steve and Natasha looking at me.
Steve scoffs at the question, "Believe it or not, it is kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience."
"Well, that's all right. You just make something up." I tell him while keeping my eyes on the road.
"What? Like you two?" I don't know why that question hurts me, but it does.
"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstances; it's not all things to all people all the time. And neither are we." Natasha explains, unconcerned about the truth about us.
"That's a hard way to live," Steve comments after a brief moment of silence.
I look out the passenger side window, "It's a good way not to die, though." I muse unabashedly.
"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that person is." Steve joins in with a look at both of us.
"Yeah," I suffer a sigh at the end of my words, "Who do you want us to be?" Natasha finishes my sentence for me.
"How about a friend?" Steve suggests. I loudly snort at the last word, "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers." I tell him; Nat returns to her reclining position in the back. I glance into his eyes before softly smiling and turning my attention back to the world passing by us.
"The file came from these coordinates," Nat informs us as we climb out of the truck; she looks at her phone to double-check that she is right.
"So did I," Steve answers. "This camp is where I was trained." I glance around at the old base before looking back at Steve.
"Change much?" My question rings through the air.
"A little."
Steve stares blankly ahead as we approach the gates; he's not focusing on anything. "Hey, you all right?" I ask, placing my hand on his arm. He nods numbly at me, but I am not convinced.
"Well, this is a dead-end," Nat announces from her spot near the doors. "Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off." She sighs at the screen before placing her phone back on the phone.
I see Steve looking at a particular building, "What?" I ask him — trying to follow his eyesight.
"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards from the barracks," he informs us. He looks over the building before walking to it, "This building is in the wrong place."
I watch Steve bringing his arm back, and his shield makes contact with the lock on the door. It breaks open under the force of the vibranium. He walks in; first, I trail after him, and Nat brings up the rear. We all walk down a flight of stairs into what looks like a basement; I walk over to a light switch and flip it on.
The lights slowly come to life, "This is SHIELD." I announce as I look at the emblem on the far wall.
"Maybe where it starts." We walk down the middle aisle; I walk over to one of the desks looking over the old setup.
"Nikki, over here." My head snaps over to where I hear Steve's voice resonate. He jerks his head, motioning for me to head over.
We head into a room that looks to be where files used to be kept. Steve leads us toward a set of pictures hanging on the wall. My eyes scan the portraits; I see Stark's father, Howard, Peggy Carter, and a few others that I don't recognize.
"Howard."
"There's Stark's father," I announce to the group. Steve nods in confirmation while looking at the photo. I watch his eyes slide over to the picture of Peggy, and I don't say anything.
"Who's the girl?" My neck cranes to look at my female companion. Steve doesn't even glance at us as he walks away. He walks further into the room; he stops at a rather large bookshelf.
"If you're already working in a secret office," he examines the bookshelf intently before grabbing the edge and pulling it open, "then why do you need to hide the elevator?"
We all walk towards the elevator cautiously before looking at the keypad to the right. I pull out my phone and run the password scanner, the numbers are revealed, and I put my phone down and lightly press the buttons. The doors slide open, and we all step into the elevator; it takes us down to the bottom floor. As the door slides open, there are rows and rows of dusty computer software.
"This can't be the data point," Nat points out as we stare at the ancient technology. "This technology is ancient." I shoot her an unimpressed look before I notice a new-age USB port.
"Nat, can I see that?" I hold my hand out for the flash drive; the cold metal makes contact with my skin, "Let's give this a go." I place the thumb drive into the port, and things start powering up.
A dull, robotic voice comes through the speakers, "Initiate system?"
"Y-E-S spells yes." As she types on the keyboard, Nat muses, "Shall we play a game?" She turns towards Steve and begins explaining the reference, "It is from a movie that was really-"
"I know. I saw it." Steve says that while cutting off the redhead assassin, the computer begins whirring loudly, and the camera resting on top of it starts to move.
"Roger, Steven Grant. Born in 1918." I look over at him as he watches the computer intently, his SHIELD ID materializes on the screen, and his face sets hard.
"Romanov, Natalia Alianova. Born in 1984." Her SHIELD ID shows up right after Steve's disappears. Her attention snaps over to the computer, and she takes cautious steps forward.
I see my face on the screen, making me feel on edge. My shoulders tighten, my vision turns sharper, and my hearing increases. Suddenly, the camera turns to me, "Volkov, Nikolina Tatiana. Born in 1986."
"This has to be some kind of recording," Nat says, attempting to make us feel better.
"I am not a recording, Fraulein. I may not be the man I once was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945." A black and white picture pops on the screen and shows a man frowning at the camera with large round glasses covering half of his face.
"You know this thing?" I inquire Steve while giving the computer a judgmental look.
"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." The short reply comes from the soldier as he walks around the platform.
"The first correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, was worth saving. Two hundred thousand feet of data banks, you are standing in my brain." Zola explains to us as I look around and begin walking around the computer center.
"How did you get here?" Steve and I demand at the same time.
"Invited." I furrow my eyebrows at the computer's answer.
Nat begins to explain, "Operation Paperclip after World War II. SHIELD recruits German scientists with strategic value."
"They thought I could help their cause. I also help my own." The computer explains.
"Hydra died with the Red Skull." Steve snaps, his jaw clenching with anger. I discreetly place my hand on his back to try and calm him.
"Cut off one head; another shall take its place." Zola confidently states to us.
"Prove it." Steve is challenging the computer as I watch the screens around me.
"Accessing archive."
The computer screen changes to a set of photos, some of Zola and HYDRA in the background and the original founding members of SHIELD.
"HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. We did not realize that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much; Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite inside of SHIELD. For seventy years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history didn't cooperate, history was changed." A picture of the Winter Soldier flashes across the screen, along with a picture of young me.
Natasha steps forward in an attempt to try and counter the computer, "That's impossible. SHIELD would have stopped you."
"Accidents will happen." A picture of Howard and Maria Stark appears on the screen. There is a newspaper clipping declaring their deaths as an accident. Nick Fury suddenly takes place on the screen with the word 'DECEASED' stamps across his photo.
I slowly, thickly watch the screen, "HYDRA creates a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security."
A picture of the Helicarriers sitting under SHIELD flashes on-screen; my stomach sinks at the thought of those being launched. "Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero-sum."
I can feel the anger rolling off of Steve in waves; he storms forward and smashes his fist into the computer screen. The screen goes black, and silence enters the room as Zola disappears.
"As I was saying," my attention snaps to the right as he moves to a smaller monitor to continue speaking.
"What's on this drive?" I ask, stepping in front of Steve, a barrier between him and the computer.
"Project Insight requires insight.” The Swiss voice explains to us. “So, I wrote an algorithm."
"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha is trying to gain as much information as possible.
"The answer to your question is fascinating. However, you shall be too dead to hear it."
I whirl around on my heels as I hear the sound of metal moving. I see the set of elevator doors closing, locking us in; Steve throws his shield to attempt to stop the doors, but it does nothing but bounce back to him.
"Guys, we got a bogey. Short-Range ballistics. Thirty seconds tops." As for that announcement, I begin looking around the room, trying to find someplace for us to take cover.
"Who fired it?" Steve questions while also looking for an escape route.
Natasha looks disappointed as she tells us, "SHIELD."
"I'm afraid I have been stalling, Captain.”
"Great," I mutter under my breath.
"Admit it; it's better this way. We are both of us out of time."
We all run towards the grate on the floor; Steve rips off the top, and Natasha jumps in first. Steve shoves me in after her, pulling me into his chest; when he jumps in, he raises his shield above his head and
braces for impact. I hear the missile coming in fast, and I throw a force field around all three of us; I grunt as I feel massive amounts of concrete falling on top of the force field.
Steve looks me in the eye as I keep my fists in their place above all of our heads. My breathing is becoming short as I try my hardest to keep the shield in place; granted, I haven't used my powers in a while, but fuck it. I feel something sliding down my face as I continue my strain; Steve raises his hand and brushes it against the top of my lip. His palm is dripping in my blood.
"Nikki, stop." I ignore his command as I feel the massive impact on the shield. "Nikki, I can handle it from here. You're going to hurt yourself."
"NIKKI! STOP!" That is the last thing I hear before my world turns black.
I feel myself lying on something soft; warmth surrounds me as I open my eyes. I peer around to find a bedroom and am lying on the bed; I slowly push myself into a sitting position and groan when my vision blurs. The bathroom door opens, and Steve walks out with a bowl and a towel in his hands.
"Hey," his voice soft as if he is trying not to scare me," you should lay back down."
I continue looking around the room, "Where are we?" I can croak out.
"Safe." I raise my eyebrow at the response, "We are at Sam's house." Steve finally tells me; I nod in understanding.
He squats in front of me before dipping the towel into the water, he brings the wet cloth, and I cringe away before he can even make contact.
"I want to clean your face." My eyebrows scrunch in confusion, "Nikki, your face is dirty and bloody; I just want to clean it off." I swallow hard before nodding at the soldier.
I feel the wet cloth contact my face and slightly jump, "Sorry." Steve whispers to me as the towel glides down the skin of my face.
"What happened?" I ask the man crouching in front of me; I keep my eyes on the water as it slowly turns red.
Steve lets out a long-suffering sigh, "The missile hit; you threw up a force field, and large parts of concrete started weighing it down immensely. I yelled at you to stop, but you didn't, blood started falling out of your eyes and nose, and then you collapsed into my body."
As he talks, flashes of the events come to the front of my mind. "Yeah, I can vaguely remember it."
"God, Nikki. You scared the hell out of me. Why didn't you listen to me?" His voice is angry as he stares intently at the red liquid in the bowl.
"I'm sorry. I just want to protect you and Nat." I tell him numbly as I begin twiddling my thumbs, unable to look him in the eye.
"Look at me," at Steve's command, my eyes zigzag all over the room before finally landing on him.
"Why did you pass out?" His eyes soften at me when I give him my reasoning. The memories of what I went through always play in my mind, never giving me a moment's peace, "I thought you had your powers since you were a child."
"I never want to rely on them. I got them from HYDRA, and I didn't want to continue using them because they constantly reminded me of what I went through. However, desperate times call for desperate
measures." I sigh, and Steve nods in understanding. A thought appears in my mind, but I decide not to voice it.
"What is that look for?" Surprise flashes across my face, but he catches it before I can hide it. "I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you; come on. Out with it."
"It's just... When I joined SHIELD, I thought I was free, and now I find out that I never truly escaped The Red Room or HYDRA's clutches. It turns out it was all a lie, and they were still using me. I kill people
under a different name but for the same people."
"They were using all of us." Steve tries to comfort me.
"Hey, I made breakfast if you guys eat that sort of thing," Sam trails off when he looks at us, and we smile in amusement. Steve holds out his hand for me to grab, and when I do, he helps me to my feet and ensures that I am steady before letting go.
We make our way into the kitchen area, and I see Sam plating some food and Nat pouring some juice into a couple of glasses sitting on the counter. After we eat, we tell Sam about the events over the last 48 hours.
"So, the question is, who at SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?" Nat asks us while she leans against one of Sam's counters.
"It has to be Alexander Pierce," I tell the room confidently from my spot next to Steve.
Nat pushes herself off the counter, walking toward us, "Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world."
"He's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."
A light bulb moment flashed in my mind, and Nat and I made eye contact with each other, "So was Jasper Sitwell."
Steve nods in agreement, "So, the real question is, how do the three most wants people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?" The question hangs in the air as we stare at each other.
"The answer is, you don't," Sam chirps in; he grabs something from the counter and drops a file in front of Steve and me.
"What is this?"
"Call it a resume." I read the name that is on the file with curiosity.
Nat picks up a photo of Sam with his team, "Is this Bahkmala? The Khalid Khandil mission that was you?" Before Sam even can answer, her attention turns to Steve. "You didn't say that he was pararescue."
"Riley?" Steve inquires while gazing at the photo, ignoring the question from the assassin.
"Yeah." A gentle tone in Sam's voice.
"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs," Nat recounts the mission, "What did you use, a stealth chute?"
"No. These." Sam picks up the file and hands it to us.
I take in a suit that looks like a pair of wings that strap onto a person's back. I am pretty impressed; Nat and I look at each other, our thoughts along the same lines.
"I thought you said you were a pilot?"
"I never said, pilot." Sam recounts with a smirk on his face.
"I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason." Steve reasonably states to the other male.
Sam scoffs at Steve, "Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"
"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," I mull over the information; it seems easy enough.
Steve looks at Natasha, who shrugs before looking at me.
"It shouldn't be a problem," I state with a Cheshire grin.
After their meeting, Steve has me track down the whereabouts of Sitwell, who walks out of the building with Senator Stern.
Senator Stern has some bullshit discussion with the bald weasel, "Listen; I gotta fly home tonight, cause uh...I got some constituency problem, and I gotta press the flesh."
"Any constituent, in particular, Mr. Senator?" Irritation is becoming more and more evident the longer I listen to their conversation.
"Uh...no, not really. Twenty-three, kind of hot. Real hot. You know, she wants to be a reporter, I think. I don't know; who listens at that point?"
Snorting, my arm comes to my mouth so I can speak lowly into the mic, "500 says that the girl is blind and dumb as hell." Three chuckles make their way over the line, and satisfaction rushes me.
"Doesn't sound much of a problem to me," Sitwell tells the old man.
"Really? Because she's killing my back. Look, this isn't the place to talk about it." The Senator touches Sitwell's pin on his jacket, "This is a nice pin."
"Thank you."
Senator Stern commands the younger man, "Come here." They embrace, and as they do, Stern whispers to Sitwell. "Hail, HYDRA." Stern steps away, and when he steps down, he slouches before touching his
back. "See, it's right there..." The desire to run over there and snap a couple of his vertebrae is enormous, and I'll show him what real pain is.
"I just saw that, yeah."
"Should I get it checks?"
"I think you should." With Jasper's last piece of advice, Stern walks away. Sitwell gets a call from "Pierce," Nat uses one of the programs SHIELD gives us to trick people. Sitwell turns to his men. "I need a
minute. Bring the car around." Once his men leave, Sitwell answers the phone and brings it to his ear. "Yes, sir?"
Sam speaks into his phone, "Agent Sitwell, how was lunch? I hear the crab cakes here are delicious."
"Who is this?"
"The good-looking guy in the sunglasses, your ten o'clock." Sitwell looks around but doesn't see him, "your other ten o'clock." Sitwell turns the other way and sees Sam sitting a few feet away from him, "there you go."
"What do you want?"
"You're gonna go around the corner, to your right. There is a grey car two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride."
At Sam's last word, it is the cue word, the scope of my sniper gun opens, and I take aim, pressing the tracker button, letting the red dot be directly over his heart.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because that tie looks expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up."
Sitwell looks down at his tie and sees a small red light from the gun pointing at him. The look of panic causes a sick smile to cover my face, still finding the thrill of deciding another person's life and death.
Steve throws Sitwell across a rooftop; Natasha follows behind him, with me bringing up the rear. "Tell me about Zola's algorithm," demands Steve as the other man stumbles across the gravel.
"Never heard of it."
"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"
"I was throwing up; I get seasick." Steve forces Sitwell to the rooftop's edge; Sitwell smiles, "is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style,
Rogers." Steve lets out a haunting chuckle before smoothing out Sitwell's jacket.
"You're right. It's not. It's theirs." Steve steps aside. Natasha and I march forward and kick Sitwell off the roof in tandem. The look of fear on Sitwell's face gives me a rush and the satisfaction of him
plummeting to the concrete and screaming like a little girl puts the cherry on top.
Natasha turns to Steve, "Oh, wait. What about that girl from accounting, Laura...?"
Nat knows that Steve and I like each other, and she hopes that by trying to set Steve up with someone else, one of us will crack and announce their feelings.
"Lillian. Lip piercing, right?"
"Yeah, she's cute."
"Yeah, I'm not ready for that."
Suddenly, in his Falcon jet-pack suit with wings, Sam flies up, holding Sitwell, and throws him down on the roof. All three of us walk toward Sitwell, and he holds his hand up in fear.
"Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!"
"What targets?"
"You! Nikolina Volkova! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, and a high school valedictorian in Iowa City. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."
"The Future? How could it know?" Sitwell laughs at Steve's question. Looking down at my phone, there is a message from an unknown number; making sure no one else sees, I tuck the phone away and pretend nothing has ever happened.
"How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." Steve and Natasha look at him in confusion. At the same time, I glare in anger, knowing the only direction this conversation can go is downhill, "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."
"And what then?"
"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."
"What then?!"
"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."
A deep hill sigh resonates from my chest before I mutter, "God fucking damnit."
As Sam drives us to the Triskelion, Jasper Sitwell starts talking, "HYDRA doesn't like leaks."
"So why don't you try sticking a cork in it?"
Natasha pipes up from the back right side of the car while I sit on the left, keeping Jasper in the middle. "Insight's launching in sixteen hours; we're cutting it a little bit close here."
Steve responds to Nat while glancing back at me, "I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly."
"What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea."
Suddenly, something heavy lands on the car roof, pulling Sitwell out through the window and throwing him into the oncoming traffic.
"I think it is safe to say Sitwell's dead."
"Are you seriously making sarcastic comments right now?!" Nat yells at me as she climbs her way to the front seat and climbs on Steve's lap.
"Well, there isn't much else I can do at the moment, now is there?!"
The figure then starts shooting at us, throwing my arms over to cover the neck and head of Sam while moving to sit on the center console until Steve pulls the car's emergency brake handle. The force of the abrupt stop almost sends me flying through the windshield before Steve grabs my waist to keep me in the car. The Winter Soldier drops down onto the street, and as another car smashes into ours and pushes us along, the Winter Soldier jumps back on the car's roof, breaks through the windscreen, and pulls out the steering wheel.
"Shit!" Natasha starts shooting at him, but the Winter Soldier jumps onto the vehicle behind us; as the car pulls off the road, Steve holds on to the car door.
"Hang on!"
"To what!" I shout back, and Nat grabs my torso, keeping me on top of her side.
Steve breaks open the door, holding onto Natasha, Sam, and me, while sliding on the car door through the streets, throwing my arms up to form a shield around our bodies, stopping any severe injuries from sliding full force on asphalt. HYDRA agents join the Winter Soldier, and they start shooting at us; we all scatter and run off in different directions, with the Winter Soldier shooting at Natasha. Still, she manages to hit him in his goggles and runoff, but then the soldier turns his attention to me.
Barely dodging the bullets, I hear the Winter Soldier tell his men, "Она у меня. Найди его. (She's mine. Find him.)"
The Winter Soldier goes in pursuit of me as the Hydra agents go after Nat, Steve, and Sam, who both manage to fend off as they shoot at them; Steve then notices the Winter Soldier in pursuit of me as I sprint towards a line of parks cars.
Looking down, there is a phone with a voice recording queue up to play. Turning my head to the side, I fail to notice the Winter Soldier approach the cars where I am hiding.
Finally, understanding, once Natasha's voice begins coming out of the speaker, "I make an LZ, twenty-three hundred block of Virginia Avenue. Rendezvous two minutes. I am taking fire above and below the expressway. Civilians threatened. Repeat, civilians threatened. I make an LZ, twenty-three hundred block at Virginia Avenue. Rendezvous two minutes."
The metal clanging against the pavement finally tears my eyes away from the phone. Looking over, a small bomb rolls to a stop once it hits the curb, and I jump out of my crouch position, trying to escape. As the bomb explodes, I go flying and land harshly on the bonnet of a truck, the metal caving around me. Breathing hard, trying not to think about the pain, I see Natasha jump onto the Winter Soldiers' back, throwing punches and whatever else would land to kill him, but he throws her off; she starts running off as he goes after her.
Natasha yells to the civilians as she tries to escape the Winter Soldier, "Get out of the way! Stay out of the way!"
The sound of a gunshot goes off, and Nat arches her back as she gets shot in the shoulder; she falls and looks around her. Seeing the panic in her eyes is enough for me to push myself off the car and draw his attention; the Winter Soldier turns his gun on me, firing three times in rapid succession. Two bullets hit my left leg and one in my abdomen; the force of the bullets and the pain cause me to crumple to the floor.
"I didn't really think this one through." Muttering to myself while watching the soldier, quickly grabbing my belt and tying it tight above the gunshot wounds.
As the Winter Soldier comes up to reshoot me, Steve jumps in and attacks him; relief courses through my veins as I force myself into a standing position, trying to gather the strength to get back into the fight.
"Bucky?" At the sound of Steve's voice, my attention turns to the now bare-face Winter Soldier.
"Who the hell is Bucky?"
As Bucky shoots at Steve, Sam flies in and kicks Bucky aside, and Bucky retakes aim. Still, before he can shoot, Natasha uses the grenade launcher Bucky dropped earlier to shoot at him; right after Nat fires the weapon, the sound of sirens follows shortly after, with HYDRA agents being ls by Rumlow surrounding them.
Brock Rumlow raises his weapon, "Drop the shield, Cap! On your knees! Get on your knees! Now! Get down! Get down!"
Steve holds his hands up, "Get on your knees! Down!" Rumlow kicks Steve's leg, and Steve kneels. "Don't move."
Quietly watching Steve look down in defeat, a group of Hydra agents makes their way to me with weapons at the ready. One drops his gun and kicks the bad leg that has the bullet holes. Grunting in pain, I fall harshly to my knees, sending blinding pain up my leg. With so much happening, my body lurches forward on its own accord, and a mouthful of blood is spat onto the ground.
Rumlow looks at the helicopter flying above them and warns Rollins, who's holding Steve at gunpoint, "Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!"
Steve is now staring at the blood spat out and the growing pool of blood on my shirt and leg with panic. Trying to ease his alarm, a slight smile twitches at the corners of my mouth, and to be honest, it probably isn't my best moving because the motion causes more blood to leak out of the corners and down my chin.
Rollins lowers his gun, and the HYDRA agents take Steve, Sam, and Nat into custody while two agents lift my injured body and carry it to the truck. Throwing me onto the truck floor, two agents climb in after me and roughly force me into a seat.
"Wow," voice scratchy from the blood, "I guess chivalry is dead."
Nat, Sam, and Steve look at me with worry as my body slumps on its own, causing me to lean heavily on Steve's shoulder.
Heading leaning back against the wall and counting backward from 100 in Russian in my head to stay conscious, is interrupted when Steve speaks. "It was him. He looks right at me like he didn't even know
me."
"How's that even possible? It was like seventy years ago." Sam tries to reason with the super-soldier.
"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, and Zola experiments on him. Whatever he did helps Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..."
Natasha pipes up from her spot, "none of that's your fault, Steve."
Steve looks at the ground, sorrow in his eyes, "even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." The sadness and confusion are rolling off Steve so firmly that it clenches my throat. Sam notices how badly the gunshots
are bleeding from my stomach and leg and he looks toward the guards.
"We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound. She's gonna bleed out here in the truck."
Suddenly, one of the guards angrily pulls out an electric rod, causing everyone to tense in anticipation before the guard turns and shocks the other guard enough to make him lose consciousness. The guard removes their helmet, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion before shooting up in surprise when the mask is completely off to see Hill.
"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain."
Chuckling under my breath while Hill looks at Sam curiously, Sam returns her look with his own. Hill turns to Steve, asking, "who's this guy?"
Hill takes us to a secret facility underground; a man runs towards us while Steve lets me lean on him but, in reality, is practically carrying me, referring to both mine and Natasha's bullet wounds.
"GSW. She's lost at least two pints. Natasha lost half."
"Maybe one." Sam chirps up while helping Natasha.
The doctor tries to take Nat from Sam's hold to begin trying to treat her, "let me take her. There is a bed in the room where you can lay down for me to treat the bullet wounds." The doctor tells me, well, not talking to me, but Steve.
"They'll want to see him first." Hill takes us down the hall, and in a large room is Fury lying on a bs with machines all around him.
"About damn time," Fury says to us as we come into his line of sight, head rising from Steve's shoulder as I stare at the man.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me," the words spill out before I can stop them, and Steve squeezes the thigh that isn't shot as a warning while giving me an amused glare.
Leaning against Steve, he takes it as a sign and moves toward the empty bed. Carefully, his arms lower me down and gently slide out from under me while trying not to jostle and irritate any of the wounds. His hand rests on my neck as he slowly lowers my head onto the pillow.
A weak smile in thanks is all that I can manage, but he seems to understand; when he goes to move away, I grasp his left wrist with my right hand and hold it, tightening as the pain finally starts to register. Steve's eyes are saddened, and he maneuvers to sit on the cot's edge while holding my hand.
Natasha's wound is being treated while Fury lists all of his injuries. "Lacerated spinal column, a cracks sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache."
The doctor sews up Natasha's wound before moving over to me; as the man approaches, Steve moves away from my side, but as if he read my mind, he grabs a chair and sits near my head. The doctor grips a pair of tweezers and comes over to me with a glass bottle, groaning quietly as the doctor begins digging around, searching for the bullet. He holds the first one in my stomach and plops it into the bottle; a slight clink sounds as it rolls around. Alcohol is pouring into the wounds, and my teeth grit as I try to silence my pains and groans.
Steve grabs my hand and gives it a tight squeeze trying to provide me with comfort without saying anything, and as if he didn't know that he was doing it, his fingers move over the skin of my face. The slightest touch, like a feather, is enough for me to close my eyes and submerge myself in the feeling. His fingers trace every inch, from my forehead, over the bridge of my nose, tracing the lips down the jawbone before moving to my eyes. The feeling is so gentle and comforting that I would have fallen asleep if I wasn't getting bullets dug out.
"Don't forget your collapsed lung." The doctor pipes up as he shuffles down to the leg wounds. The last two bullets are pulled out roughly, and the alcohol is used again. Laying gauze on the punctures and tying it with some cloth, the man steps away, completely done with the bullets.
Nick begins snarking back to the doctor, "Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good." Everyone is looking at us, but they decide not to comment on the interaction that just took place between us. Steve grabs my right side and places his large hand on my back, helping me sit while standing behind me and allowing me to rest against his chest. The wounds slowly close under the bandages, and I pull the top down slightly and see the tissue slowly knitting together.
"They cut you open; your heart stopped."
"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner develops it for stress. It didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."
"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve's chest rumbles against my back, and his hand, still holding my side squeezes slightly as the anger begins to roll off of his form.
Hill tries to reason with Steve, but everyone can tell that he doesn't care, "any attempt on the director's life had to look successful."
"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." Offends at that comment but having no energy causes my response to be the middle finger.
Fury holds up a picture of both him and Alexander Pierce, "this man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, "Peace wasn't an achievement; it was a responsibility." See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."
"We have to stop the launch." Natasha tells the group, rolling my eyes, "No shit, Sherlock."
Nick rolls his eyes at us like an exasperated dad, "I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Fury opens a case containing three chips lying in Styrofoam holders.
"What's that?"
Maria answers Sam's question, "once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized."
"We must breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own."
"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work because if even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die." My face scrunches at Hill's words, knowing that getting this job done will require effort and bodily harm. Not my body but everyone else's bodies.
"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get past them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left..." Steve cuts off Nick before he can finish his sentence.
"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick; we're taking down SHIELD."
"SHIELD had nothing to do with it."
Steve taps into his Captain America tone, causing a little smile to pull at the corner of my lips, "you gave me this mission; this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised; you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose, and nobody noticed."
"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."
"And how many paid the price before you did?"
Nick looks to me as if I can control Steve but receives nothing from me, "look, I didn't know about Barnes."
"Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too? SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes." Steve's words finally resonate in everyone's mind, we all nod slightly in agreement, and I turn to the rest.
"You know he is right, Fury."
"He's right." Fury looks at Natasha, and then Sam looks for backup once Hill, his second in command, agrees with Steve.
Sam notices Fury's gaze, "don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower."
"Well... It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."
*3rd POV*
Steve's thoughts of Bucky are interrupted as Sam joins him on the bridge. Sam walks closer to his friend; Steve looks over at him and notices a small figure walking up behind Sam. The sight of the woman walking toward Steve causes a shiver to run down his back.
Sam takes his place, standing on Steve's left, "He's gonna be there, you know?"
A solemn nod comes from the super soldier, "I know." Steve looks to the ground in sadness. A small hand reaches his shoulder; Nikki stands there, giving him a small but heartfelt smile.
"Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop." Nikki glares lightly at Sam as she makes Steve feel better, but that must be ruined.
"I don't know if I can do that."
Sam nods in understanding but warns Steve, "Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn't know you."
"He will. Gear up; it's time." Steve turns and starts to walk off.
"You gonna wear that?" Slight judgment comes from Sam. Nikki stands in her place, admiring the view and the peace around, knowing that the fight that is about to come will be a hard one.
"No. If you're gonna fight a war, you gotta wear a uniform." Steve turns around for a quick second and calls out, "Nikki," the woman's attention snaps over to him, "I'm going to need your help with something."
A mischievous grin crosses her face before she jogs to catch up to Steve, "This is gonna be good, I can tell." Steve lets out a deep chuckle that causes Nikki's heart to stutter.
*3rd POV, with Nikolina and Steve*
Steve and Nikolina open the door to the control room, and the tech's eyes go wide at the sight of the two, "Excuse us." At Steve's words, the tech holds his hands up and steps aside to let them enter.
Steve heads to the control board and stares at it for a moment. Nikolina stares in confusion for a moment before it dawns on her.
"You're so old." She teases the super-soldier, twisting her body slightly to move around Steve, and presses the intercom button. Steve chuckles breathlessly before reaching over and thumping Nikolina on the forehead. Before she could retaliate in any way, he began speaking.
"Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days; some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was; it's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury, and it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."
At the end of his speech, Steve hits the off button, "did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?"
"Oh, five dollars says that he has been working on that speech since we arrived at Fury's bunker." Steve rolls his eyes playfully, chuckling at the woman's words.
*3rd POV*
Steve, Nikolina, and Sam make their way to the Helicarriers. Steve points to the far one, and Nikolina breaks into a sprint going for the closest Helicarrier.
"Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?"
Steve tells his two friends, "If they're shooting at you, they're bad."
"Wow, and here I thought that it was a form of love and appreciation," Nikolina says while panting slightly, still in a dead sprint and barely making the jump in an attempt to land on the Helicarrier. In his Falcon suit, Sam flies off, and Steve heads down; the HYDRA agents start shooting at them; Sam flies around, avoiding getting shot.
"Oh shut up, Nikki," The woman responds with what Steve can only describe as a cackle.
"Hey, Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about."
"You okay?"
Sam flies off as the HYDRA agents continue shooting at him, "I'm not dead yet."
Steve looks over to Nikolina and sees the brunette assassin making her way through the small army of men they sent to stop her. The soldiers soon surround Nikolina; she grabs one of their guns and shoots a
man in the foot before jamming the butt of the weapon into the closest man's throat. One agent runs at her, and the only thing she does is sidestep him, her foot sticking out, and before the man can stop, he trips over the foot and goes sailing off the side of the Helicarrier.
"You should be clear on Bravo, Sam."
Nikolina looks up and sees said man flying above her, "Sam," she begins running to the edge, and as she jumps up into the air, Sam swoops down and grabs her.
"Well, what now?" Sam yells to Nikolina. She smirks before pointing to the last Helicarrier, "Drop me off."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, why not? It's not like I got anything better to do." Swinging the Russian, Nikolina flies to the Charlie Helicarrier; she rolls herself to a stop to break her fall.
Maria's voice comes over the comms, "Falcon, status?"
Sam Wilson "Engaging" Sam manages to fly down to the Helicarrier bay, taking down the HYDRA jets and chasing him, "All right, Cap, I'm in." Just then, another HYDRA jet heads his way and starts shooting at him; in a panic, he voices, "Shit!" Sam manages to fly off and avoid getting hit. Meanwhile, Steve is fighting off the HYDRA agents as he tries to get inside the Helicarrier.
Maria's voice chimes in, "eight minutes, Cap."
"Working on it."
Steve maneuvers his way into the control center of the Helicarrier, able to open up the chip compartment, which he places in the correct one.
"Alpha locks."
"Falcon, where are you now?"
"I had to take a detour!" Sam is flying towards one of the Helicarriers when heat-seeking missiles are shot at him by HYDRA, so he flies back towards the Helicarrier and manages to get the missiles aimed at him to hit the Helicarrier, giving him entrance.
"Oh, yeah!" Sam flies into the Helicarrier and places the chip into the system.
"I'm in. Bravo locks."
"Two down, one to go."
"You know," Nikki's voice comes at with a slight pant, "I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything, but you announcing the obvious is fucking irritating Hill." Both males hold in their snicker, neither having the balls to say it.
"I will shoot you, Nikolina."
"Ha! Looking forward to it."
Bucky appears and starts firing at the SHIELD pilots and agents, killing them all, after which he gets into one of the jets and flies off.
In the SHIELD control room, Maria Hill reads the coordinates, "Charlie Carrier's forty-five degrees off the port bow." She notices two HYDRA agents breaking into the headquarters; she shoots and kills them as they enter, "six minutes."
Steve tries to escape the HYDRA agents shooting at him on the Helicarrier.
Seeing his only choice, Steve calls to his pigeon friend, "Hey, Sam, I'm gonna need a ride." At the end of the super-soldiers, he launches himself into the air.
"Roger! Let me know when you're ready."
As a HYDRA agent shoots a missile, Steve barely manages to jump off the edge.
"I just did!" Sam flies in just in time to catch Steve and Sam glides himself and Steve onto the last Helicarrier. Sam lets out a slight yell as he lifts the super-soldier ignoring the minor pain of plucking Steve in midair.
"You know, you're a lot heavier than you look."
A slight smile. "I had a big breakfast." Steve sees Nikolina finishing off the last of the soldiers that never seem to stop coming. At a particular punch to her jaw, her head snaps to the side to suddenly see
Bucky appears and pushes Steve off the edge.
"Steve!" Nikolina and Sam shout with slight panic in their voices.
Finally fed up with the agents, Nikolina's veins turn black for a moment before all the agents grab their throats in a panic. Running to the edge of the carrier, Nikolina glances back one more time at the agents, and with a squint of her eyes, they all drop dead.
Nikolina jumps after Steve without hesitation, she jams her feet on a ledge, and as Steve slides off, Nikolina manages to grab his hand. Teeth gritting at the strain on her shoulder as Steve tries to grab something else to hold onto instead of just Nikolina's hand. Nikolina braces her body and pulls Steve up, her stomach catches the edge, and the metal causes a chunk of flesh to rip off her side.
As Sam flies off to help give cover to Nikolina and Steve, Bucky grabs one of his wings and throws him back, and Sam starts shooting at Bucky. As he goes flying off, Bucky uses his weapon to rip off one of Sam's wings and kicks him off the Helicarrier; Sam manages to get his parachute out and lands on the roof of the Triskelion.
"Cap? Cap, come in. Are you okay?"
At Sam's words, Nikolina pulls one more time, and Steve comes flying over the edge. Steve grabs Nikolina as the momentum sends them rolling away and onto the runway of the Helicarrier.
"Yeah, I'm here! I'm still on the Helicarrier." Steve continues talking to Sam, "Where are you?" he pulls himself up and grabs Nikolina, still lying on the cement, while discreetly holding her side. Nikolina brings herself to her feet, making sure not to draw any attention to her bleeding wounds.
"I'm grounded; the suit's down. Sorry, Cap."
"Don't worry; I got it." Nikolina looks at the super-soldier, "You got it?! Um, you wouldn't have gotten anything if it weren't for me. Need I remind you that I was the one who hauled your ass back onto the Helicarrier."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Steve places his hand on Nikolina's back; the contact with her causes his heart to slow slightly, feeling better now that both of them aren't dangling thousands of feet in the air on the edge of the Helicarrier. "I will thank you later."
"You bet your fine ass you will, Cap," Nikolina smirks as his eyes widen at her words. A slight blush comes across the tops of his cheeks, and before he can respond to the Russian, she runs off the door that leads to the glass dome underneath where the control panels are held.
Inside the Helicarrier, Steve is confronted by Bucky. Nikolina stands slightly to the side and calculates the two men facing off.
"People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen."
Bucky stares at him coldly, and a sinking feeling enters Steve's stomach; the look in Bucky's eyes is one that he has never seen before, putting him on edge.
Steve pleads with his lifelong friend, "Please, don't make me do this." The Russian woman uses the exchange as a chance to map out multiple routes to escape when the time comes.
"Nikki!" Seeing Bucky won't back down, Steve throws his shield at him, and they start battling each other; as they fight, Steve manages to bring up the targeting blade system, but as Bucky attacks him, the chip falls from Steve's hand. The woman's head snaps over to the super-soldier, and without hesitation, she jumps on the Winter Soldier.
Wrapping her legs around the Winter Soldier's waist, Nikolina places a chokehold on Bucky, not enough to kill him but make him unconscious. To get the woman off of him, Bucky runs backward, slamming Nikolina's back against the metal railing. She grunts harshly at the pain of two ribs cracking under pressure but refuses to loosen her hold. Reaching behind with his metal arm, Bucky grabs Nikolina by the shoulder and pulls.
Nikolina's hold breaks as she feels her body flying through the air; Bucky has been able to get a good enough grip on the woman to throw her to the other side of the platform harshly. Body making contact with the metal flooring and breaking the handrailing, Nikolina lays in a heap, trying to get oxygen back into her lungs and to stop the world from spinning.
"That's going to leave a bruise in the morning," groaning and grunting, Nikolina makes it into a somewhat stable standing position and focuses on the two men as they are battling it out; Bucky stabs Steve in the shoulder with his knife and then grabs the fallen chip. Still, Steve manages to get the knife out, grab Bucky by the throat, throw him down, and armlock him.
Steve yells at his best friend, "Drop it! Drop it!" as Bucky continues to hold the chip, Steve breaks his arm and has onto his throat until he passes out and lets go of the chip; Steve then grabs the disk and rushes off to the main panel.
"One minute."
Nikolina keeps her eye on Bucky while placing herself between the two men as a barrier; at Maria's words, Bucky's eyes open. Not wanting to distract Steve, Nikolina runs at Bucky; she raises her knee, hitting him right in the chest. Bucky regains his balance before charging at Nikolina.
"James." Nikolina's voice causes Bucky to stop for a moment. Forcing away the confusion, Bucky begins advancing again. "You know me, James. They tried to make you forget me, but they can't." Nikolina still talks to Bucky, and flashes of what seem to be memories come to the front of his mind.
"You told me never to let you forget me. So, this is me keeping my promise." Confusion all over Bucky's face, "I need you to look me in the eyes, James." Eyes meet eyes, and everything stops no mission, no fighting, no Helicarriers, no time.
Eyes are desperately searching for any sign of recognition. For a moment, Bucky recognizes the woman before snapping back into Soldier mode; however, when he tries to fight her, it is like something is holding him back from hurting Nikki too severely. To get away from her, Bucky kicks her back, and Nikki trips over a piece of broken metal and falls backward.
"Thirty seconds, Cap!" Steve's attention snaps over to Nikolina as she lets out a sharp scream; his eyes widen at seeing a piece of metal impaling Nikolina and pining her to one of the beams. Before he registers what is happening, Bucky is up again and arms; Bucky shoots at Steve in the left thigh and then the right shoulder, but Steve still manages to climb up.
"Stand by." He gets the chip out. "Charlie..." Bucky shoots Steve in the stomach, and he falls.
On the Helicarrier’s bridge, Hill watches as the weapons are targeted at Washington, the White House, the Pentagon, and Stark Tower, aiming to kill over 700,00 people.
"Firing in, three, two, one." At that moment, Steve manages to get up and place the chip in the Helicarrier's targeting blade overriding the system and locking it down.
"Charlie locks." Maria and the other agents watch the targets go offline.
"Okay, Cap, get out of there." Hill then gets the Helicarrier's weapon targets to open fire upon each other, Steve looks over to Nikki, and she meets his eyes. A silent conversation happens, and they both know what ness to happen. Nikolina nods at him, telling him it is okay and that she is with him.
Steve brings his fingers to his earpiece, and while holding Nikolina's eyes, the super-soldier mutters, "fire now."
"But, Steve..."
"Do it! Do it now!" Reluctantly Hill makes the Helicarriers open fire on each other; Steve, still inside the Helicarrier, looks at Bucky below him; back at the Triskelion, Pierce watches the Helicarriers as they are firing at each other.
Natasha comes on the line now that she and Fury are safe, "Hill, where's Steve? Did you get a location on Rogers and Volkova?"
Inside the third Helicarrier, Steve jumps down to a metal pole and helps Bucky out from under some fallen rubble.
"You know me." Blue eyes pleading with Bucky to understand
Bucky lashes out at Steve angrily, "NO, I DON'T!"
"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." Bucky hits Steve, but Steve chooses not to fight back. Nikolina sees what is happening, and with a heavy heart, she watches as the two men who were once like brothers fight. One with words and the other with his fists.
"Your name...is James Buchanan Barnes."
Bucky hits Steve in the face again, "SHUT UP!"
"I'm not gonna fight you."
Steve removes his mask and lets his grip on the shield go; Nikolina watches as the vibranium disk bangs against the metal beams before finally falling out of the Helicarrier.
"You're my friend."
Bucky pushes Steve to the ground "you're my mission." He then mercilessly punches Steve repeatedly across the face.
Bucky screams in anger and confusion, "YOU'RE!" hit "MY!" punch, "MISSION!"
"Then finish it..." Bucky hesitates to hold his fist up, and a tiny flicker of recognition flashes in his eyes. "Cause I'm with you...to the end of the line."
Bucky looks at Steve as if he's starting to remember, and he looks over to Nikolina, who has metal still sticking out of her body and blood trickling out of her mouth. She says something; just then, the bottom
of the Helicarrier falls, sending Steve down into the river below as Bucky watches from the Helicarrier; his eyes move to Nikolina's limp form, and he sees her body sliding to the edge. It is as if she is falling with blood all over her, and unconscious triggers Bucky to remember something. The Helicarrier continues going down, and Nikki falls and hits the water hard. A comatose Steve and Nikolina are pulled out of the water and dragged onto the shore by Bucky; his eyes stare at the blond man before moving to Nikolina.
Crouching over her, Bucky wraps a cloth around her stomach wounds and gently places her head on the grass, the word barely leaves his lips, but she hears them.
"I remember you."
In a hospital room guarded by two arms agents, Steve wakes up in a bed to hear Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" playing with Sam sitting beside his bed.
"On your left."
Sam looks at Steve and smiles; Steve's eyes scan the room and notice the absence of one woman. "Where's Nikolina?"
"Good question; the hospital tried to keep her so they could monitor her, but she checked out AMA. I haven't heard anything since she left the hospital."
Natasha is then sworn in at a committee hearing,
The bailiff begins questioning Natasha, who raises her hand, "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
Natasha agrees, "I do." Before swiftly sitting in the seat across from the council. Nat can hear Nikki's voice saying, "Do you think they take turns brushing each other's mustaches." It takes everything in her redhead not to laugh, so she settles with pursing her lips.
Committee General makes it his mission to speak first, "why haven't we heard from Captain Rogers? Or even better, your fellow Russian, Nikolina Volkova?"
Natasha snarks to the men, "I don't know what there is left for him to say. I think the wreck in the middle of the Potomac made his point fairly eloquently. And as for my fellow Russian, as you put it, I think her hand in helping to assist in the crashing of multi-billion-dollar aircraft carriers makes her point.”
Committee General, "well, he could explain how this country is expected to maintain its national security now that he, Nikolina, and you have laid waste to our intelligence apparatus."
"HYDRA was selling you lies, not intelligence." Her patience for these 'men' came to an end fairly quickly.
Committee General, "many of which you seem to have had a personal hand in telling."
Scudder makes his opinion that no one asks him for known, "Agent, you should know that there are some on this committee who feel, given your service record, both for this country and against it, that you belong in a penitentiary, not mouthing off on Capitol Hill."
Nat smirks in amusement; the thought is so laughable, "You're not gonna put me in prison. You're not gonna put any of us in prison. Do you know why?"
Scudder mockingly puts his hands out, "Do enlighten us."
In all her glory, Natasha Romanoff states, "Because you need us. Yes, the world is a vulnerable place, and yes, we help make it that way. But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it. So if you want to arrest me, arrest me. You'll know where to find me."
She gets up and walks away, smirking as the reporters make a path for her to walk out, her vision filling with bright flashes but never letting it deter her.
Nick, now wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, Fury meets Steve and Sam at a cemetery at his own grave. "So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?"
"You get used to it."
Fury's gravestone bears the epitaph "The path of the righteous man. Ezekiel 25:17"
"We've been data-mining HYDRA's files. It looks like many rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm heading to Europe tonight, and I want to ask if you'd come." Fury offers to the super-soldier.
Steve shakes his head, "there's something I gotta do first."
"How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities."
Seeming slightly stunned at the offer, Sam looks to Fury, "I'm more of a soldier than a spy."
"All right then." Sam and Steve shake Fury's hand. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." Fury looks to his gravestone and walks away; Natasha joins Steve and Sam.
Natasha tells both men, "You should be honored; that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you."
"Not going with him?"
"No." The redhead says to the men.
"Not staying here?"
"I blew all my covers; I gotta figure out a new one."
Steve thinks over her words, "that might take a while."
Nodding in agreement, Natasha informs the super soldier, "I'm counting on it. That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kyiv."
She hands Steve a file titled "дело No 17" (file No 17). "Will you do me a favor? Man up and talk to Nikolina. It could be an epic love story, a spy and the super soldier."
"She's not a spy."
"And you're not a SHIELD agent. She will need something stable in her life at the moment." She kisses Steve on the cheek and turns to walk away. "Be careful, Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread."
"Nat," she turns slightly, "where is Nikolina? I haven't seen her since we fell into the river."
A slightly troubling look covers her face for a moment before she hides with a smirk, "She'll find you, Cap."
As Natasha walks away, Steve opens the file about Bucky and the information regarding his Winter Soldier transformation; Sam walks over to Steve.
Sam glances at the Russian and English translations file, "You're going after him?"
"You don't have to come with me."
"I know. When do we start?"
*Hydra Base*
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker talks with a HYDRA scientist while walking over in a dark room.
List talks to von Strucker, "it's over. Fury has released everything to the public."
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker smirks at the man, "everything he knows about."
"Herr Strucker, if they get word of our work here, they find out we serve HYDRA..."
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker: "HYDRA, SHIELD, two sides of a coin no longer currency." They walk over to the corner of the lab where Loki's scepter is kept, "What we have is worth more than any of them ever knew. We've only scratched the surface, and already..."
They start walking out of the lab, "other facilities are doing HYDRA's good work around the world. We'll feed them to Captain America and his colorful friends. Keep them off our scent."
"What about the volunteers?"
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, "The dead will be buried so deep their own ghosts won't be able to find them."
"And the survivors?"
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, "The twins." A set of twins is kept in glass cells, each exhibiting their powers, the male slamming from wall to wall in a blur while the girl stares at a set of blocks captured in a
red mist emanating from her hands.
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker: "Sooner or later, they will meet the twins. It's not a world of spies anymore, not even a world of heroes. This is the age of miracles, doctor. There's nothing more horrifying than a miracle."
"No matter how much you test on her," List points to the girl in the room with red mist flying all around, "she will never be as powerful as Nikolina."
Von Stucker growls lowly, "Nikolina is the product of HYDRA's most successful experiments, and whatever that idiot doctor injected into her, he didn't write it down. This is the closest we have ever gotten and have the test subject live."