BACK TO WORK
We were all pretty much scattered,all around the world for the next months.
Fury surely made it his life mission to keep us busy. I was supposed to follow up on Mister Key's reports,bring in as many of his accomplices as possible,though all things considered,this was not an easy task.
It was a greatly big network,many people involved,even more being traded. Mister Key was solely one toe out of the entire leg of this shithole. Our target, Nikolai Tsusinov,a former Soviet politic. One with many connections,easy to lose out of your sight,as it appeared.
Steve's mission was completed soon after,in the next month,and as soon as that happened,Fury sent him over to me. As he would often say,much to my displeasure,Steve was the only one to make sure I wouldn't go completely rogue,considering just how emotionally involved I was to this case.
I'd already been to Glasgow for three weeks when Steve arrived,Natasha being there with me since the very beginning. After that it was New Jersey,Moscow,Budapest..until we finally came to Peru.
As much as I knew,the doctor and Tony were both in Manhattan,though we had no way of knowing about their whereabouts. Communications were only allowed back and forth to Fury,for reports and orders of action.
SHIELD wasn't exactly paying 5-star hotels for us to stay; we were living in a 40 square meters apartment, in a rather old and poor neighborhood,the complex itself some buildings away from the one Tsusinov was staying and holding his meetings.
“Who is it this time?”,Natasha asked me,eating a banana as she was sitting on the bed.
“Dear mr Mikhail”,i hummed with a forced smile,tossing the binoculars on the bed right next to her as I fell on it,groaning.
“We don't have much time”,Steve sighed,his arms crossed as he leaned on the window's frame.
“We've been doing that for almost 9 months Steve...if anything,time is never on our side”,i said,sarcasm filling my throat.
Natasha was there due to her Soviet connections; she knew of these people. Steve was the veteran,the strategist. Me? I didn't know what the fuck I was even doing. Was I the brains? The brawn? Beats me.
I was growing impatient.
Mikhail Toth was a Hungarian accountant,though he was suspected to be working with Tsusinov for a while now. Possibly a front to deal with his works,to somehow oversee the trading.
“Hey”,Steve said approaching me,putting one hand on my shoulder as I stood up. “We got him”,his eyes were firm,his lips curved upwards.
I sighed,feeling somehow a little more at ease. I put my hand on top of his,trying to pull off a weak smile.
Not all was bad.
It had been nine long months after all; Natasha had been trying to give us pop culture trivia in between the long stakeouts,which Steve was scribbling down in a notebook he always carried with him. She'd throw in quizzes,we'd laugh it out.
Steve handled the cooking,and we would make jokes about how back in the field it would be a golden day if could eat a boiled potato. This man's roast beef,i kid you not,was phenomenal.
We had one bed,and Steve's decision to sleep on the floor was irrevocable. Though,us three living together had it's challenges. I would wake up to watch Steve taking pictures,watching through the window,sometimes even being out for hours,while Natasha would casually walk out from the bathroom with one towel over her,Steve throwing a tantrum about keepingboundaries and all.
Also,turns out Tasha..snores. I can't even keep count of the days i'd stay up,Steve laughing from exhaustion,since none of us could sleep through her snoring. She would never admit it though- to anyone.
And..i kinda sorta had this extremely bad habit of never knocking,which was rather uncomfortable,mostly happening during the mornings,when I woke up and wanting to brush my teeth I would burst in,just in time to have Steve throw towels at me,because this was usually the time he would take a bath.
It was a challenge alright.
But,this was not a vacation.
Our move was about to finally take place;
Our entire apartment was filled with equipment,guns,blades,pictures of Tsusinov's many meetings and accomplices.
We had Toth,and other than him,one more big head was Alexandra Aireen. This woman was a Soviet spy back in the day,one whom Tasha had heard about,even clashed with.
The trade was supposed to take place in one hour; Toth and Tsusimov were already on the move,and so were we.
They would meet in an abandoned church in Pachacamac District. There were five jeeps parked all around,thankfully nothing much was in the surrounding area,two big cargo ships staying by the high way,their drivers waiting.
It was possible one of them had people,armored men inside as well. We had to be careful.
We were staying up a hill,keeping our distance.
Tasha's equipment helped, a parabolic sound collecting dish – that's what she called the gun looking device. She pointed towards the church's direction,giving us all one set of earphones.
The sound was rather muffled,many noises disrupting the conversation until it somehow got stabilized.
“Sokovian”
We suddenly heard a voice,possibly Tsusinov's. It was hoarse,deep,with a distinct accent.
“Ten of them,ages thirteen to twenty”,he continued.
“How much?”,another asked,his voice suggesting he might be a bit younger.
“Oh,mister Atkins!”,Tsusimov laughed out,his throat basically grumbling, “We have talked about this. The price don't change”,he hummed,though his voice suggested he was not making a joke. “This is a serious business. We don't make bargains”
“Your price has risen”,he noted. Tsusimov laughed.
“Of course! My girls are of great backgrounds,they are good trades mister Atkins. Dare you question their quality? Are you calling me a charlatan?”
“No- Of course not...we go way back..I..I wouldn't do such a thing”,he said,then took a small pause.
“Fine. Let's take a look on them”
“Not here. Let's go back to your place,it's safer there”,Tsusimov said.
“We have to act now”,i whispered to Steve.
“One wrong move and the girls are dead Pers”,Natasha warned me.
Steve remained silent,calculating our choices.
“One truck is probably filled with men. The other has the girls,plus security”,he stated,his eyes fixed on us both.
“I can take the trucks. Both of them”,i said,my eyes pleading.
Steve's eyes lingered on me,trying to study this course of action,taking in consideration my personal feelings as well.
“Saving these girls is more important than taking Tsusinov in,Pers. You have to keep that in mind”,he noted,his words strict.
“I..i know”,i huffed. “You take Atkins and Tsusimov. Inform Fury,his men are on standby”,i said and he nodded.
“There's also Aireen; She's dangerous”,he said.
“Leave her to me”,Natasha spoke,her voice determined. “We have some unfinished business”,her face was stiff,though we didn't ask.
Steve spoke with Fury though the intercom; his men were waiting on our signal,only seven minutes away with the Quinjet.
“You sure you got them?”,he asked me concerned.
“It's two trucks Cap. Do you really think so little of me?”,i asked with a half smile and he smiled,his head lowering for a second before he looked at me.
“Don't die on me soldier”,he said,his voice playful.
“I'd never dare”,i said.
It was all in action;
Steve and Tasha headed towards the church,though my move had to be the first. Fury's men were waiting for a signal after all.
I had to make sure the drivers wouldn't spot me,not before I held some sort of leverage on them. Now,choosing the right truck,this would be a tricky thing.
We've been waiting for this trade to take place,carefully watching from the shadows,learning all of Tsusinov's tactics,gathering evidence,for almost a year now. I couldn't afford a screw up.
I was quick,enough to hide behind a tree,about thirty feet away from the trucks; one had a foreign plate,the other's were Peruvian. It was slightly moving,some muffled noise coming from inside. The first one's wheels were more pressed to the ground,suggesting the weight was heavier; probably caused by the armory,the guns,the men.
But,i had to be certain.
I closed my eyes,trying to control my breathing,emptying my head of every thought.
Kalios stood by my side,his hand on my head,coming down to brush my cheek. I could see them;
On the second truck,one driver on the front,ten people all together,crouched down,ten more ahead. On the first,there were about...thirty? Plus the driver.
I opened my eyes.
Aight; enough talking to myself. I got a job to do.
I slowly lifted my arms,needles began to form around the wheels; I formed two fists,and they all pierced the tires,causing the vehicles to fall a bit downwards. The drivers both got out,one big gun on each one's hand,as they spoke in broken English,trying to understand what had happened.
A big rock emerged from the ground,catapulting me their way; the tried pulling their guns,though just before landing I pulled my fists together,stone embracing their bodies,burring them under.
I heard some noise coming from the first vehicle; I had to be quick.
I covered the doors with stone,making it so it couldn't open,not easily at least,by making cyclical movements with both my arms.
I punched my fist upwards,a shot of fire coming out,up to at least ten,twenty feet above my head. That's a signal alright.
I ran towards the second vehicle,men already coming out in order.
They held heavy armory; vests,helmets,and those damned guns. There were ten of them just like what I saw earlier,their weapons all pointing at me. I put my hands up.
“I'd be careful with that if I were you”,i said with a smile. “Might shoot somebody”
“Yes,that's the point you dumbbitch”,a man growled at me.
I pursed my lips,lowering my head as I shook it.
“Really bad choice of words. I hate it when people call me a bitch”,i murmured to myself.
“The fuck you say?”
I pressed my hands to fists,stone rods emerging,not to pierce them,just to throw some back,and to generally surprise them.
I heard them yell to each other in Spanish,trying to understand what had happened. Most of them were on their asses,others looking around,their eyes fixed on the rods,ten feet tall above them.
I marched towards them,my step swift as I stretched my back.
“Hey!”,one shouted at me.
I jumped,flames surrounding me as I punched a flame his way,pushing him away,the others all running my way,calling me names,generally yelling.
I tapped down,the ground shaking as I flipped over,kicking fire their way.
Some shot,and although I managed to easily dodge most of them,lifting a wall and sending fire waves,one got me on the right arm,
“Motherfucker! Okay,which one was it?”,i yelled strictly,my eyes widened,angry glares thrown at them.
None spoke though.
I was ready to shoot again,a big one this time,though the air waves getting stronger around me made me curse under my breath.
I looked up,the Quinjet's weapons all pointing towards the men,while agents were coming down a ladder,forming a line around me as they lift up their guns.
Tsusinov's men all threw away their guns,and just as the first vehicle's doors finally opened,another thirty men came out.
But see,my arm was bleeding,and it hurt like a motherfucker. I was mad,okay?
I lifted my left leg,pushing it down fiercely; my torso was turned only to push my arm away. A cyclical wide rod emerged,embracing them all,pressing their bodies together In a circle.
Their guns were thrown down,their voices muffled as they were partly scared,partly trying to get out.
An agent threw his arms up at me.
“How the fuck are we supposed to get them out?”,he asked me baffled.
“Sorry”,i shrugged. “They pissed me”,i tried to explain myself.
I watched some of the agents getting out the second truck,a line of women with chains around their hands and torsos following. I sighed; at least they were alive. At least we had done something good.
My arm was bleeding non stop,and I could feel a piercing,stingy pain all over it. I flinched; but this was no time to play the wounded soldier card.
Steve and Tasha were still back there.
I marched towards the church,taking five agents with me,while the rest were taking care of Tsusinov's men and the women.
As soon as we got in...i saw Steve,sitting on a wooden box,his foot pressing Tsusinov's back,his body on top of another man's,probably Atkins.
Toth was in there too,passed out.
Men were scattered all around,in a semi conscious state.
Tasha and Aireen were battling. Steve was watching with his arms crossed,looking mostly bored.
“What the fuck are you doing?”,i asked throwing my one good hand on the air and he turned at me,his brows lifted. “Want a coffee too?”
“Oh,Pers. I..she doesn't want me to interfere. I don't know,it's been like that for like..ten minutes now?”,he said in a carefree manner and I sat next to him,making myself comfortable as my back crouched.
It was a beautiful scene to be honest. Natasha's kicks followed by Aireen's punches,everything in complete harmony. It was the first time i'd actually seen Tasha being this serious about something.
“Everything alright on your end?”,he asked,his eyes fixed on the battle,as were mine. We should have brought popcorn...
“Yeah..why,had any doubts?”
“Of course not- Hey,what happened? Pers,you're bleeding!”,he yelled out as he grabbed my arm. I flinched and yanked it away.
“Dude”,i said,eyeing him,”it hurts- don't do that”
“Damn it Pers,for fuck's sake,we have to take you to the infirmary!”
“I'm finee”,i sighed.
But,maybe I wasn't. The agents were gathering Tsusinov's men,putting cuffs on their arms,until someone came to take Atkins and Tsusinov. It was getting late,and I was getting tired. Physically tired. My arm was going numb,and Steve's grabbing and studying the wound wasn't helping.
“Aight”,i said getting up.
Steve turned to me,his brows knitted together; I pushed my left fist,a stone column punched Aireen in the face,throwing her almost ten feet away until she crashed on the wall. She fell down,unconscious.
“That's enough now. We don't got all day”,i said,my boredom and tiredness obvious to everyone around.
The agents eyed me for a second,though Steve tried to hide a smile.
“Hey!”,Natasha yelled at me.
“Well,excuse me”,i said sarcastically.
She then saw my almost too red arm and her eyes widened.
“My gosh,Pers,are you alright?”,she asked,running towards me.
“Yeah,yeah...let's just..go home already. Please?”
“Yes”,Steve said in a soft,low voice. “Let's go home”