The Price of Freedom
SHIELD was abuzz as everyone was getting ready for the launch of the helicarriers. On the main floor, Pierce walked through the lobby with the rest of the Council by his side.
“And how was your flight?” He asked as they headed to their destination.
Councilwoman Hawley shrugged. “Lovely. The ride from the airport, less so.”
Shaking his head, Pierce sighed. “Sadly, SHIELD can’t control everything.”
“Including Captain America.” Added Councilman Rockwell. “And now, it seems, that list includes Supergirl as well.”
Giving him a look, Pierce ignored the comment and gave them each a badge. “This facility is biometrically controlled, and these will give you unrestricted access.”
As the council put on their badges, they were unaware of the commotion happening outside the weakest entrance of their facility.
“So I told her I’d be late, and what do you think she said?” The first guard asked his partner.
The other man shrugged. “Let me guess; she freaked out.”
“Bingo!” The first man said. “You’d think that celebrating a huge accomplishment at work would earn me a little bit of free time, but apparently not.”
The second man was about to speak when he paused. “Hey, do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
His face showed confusion. “It sounds like…Britney Spears?”
Oh, baby baby, how was I supposed to know that something wasn’t right here.
Confusion crossed their faces, and the guards watched as a blue cruiser pulled up close to them with a smiling Supergirl behind the wheel. “Hi! Hi…”
“What the hell?” The first man asked as they slowly walked forward with their guns drawn. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Uh…I’m uh, I’m sorry to bother you during, um, whatever it is you are doing,” Kara told them as she leaned over the driver’s side door. “But I think I took a wrong turn at Krypton and…ugh, can any of you give me directions back to New York?”
She got out of the car with the music still playing, and the guards pointed their guns at her. “Stand down!”
Walking forward casually, she ignored them and continued with her story. “You know, I thought I took that tunnel, but my GPS is all screwed up down here, and it keeps trying to get me to make a suicidal left turn.”
“I said, stand down!” The guard yelled again.
Still smiling, she put her hands on her hips. “You might want to check your rearview.”
Spinning around, both guards were instantly knocked out by Steve and Sam, while Maria held her gun on them. As the unconscious men fell to the floor, Steve looked at her.
“Good distraction.”
She shrugged. “Hey, what can I say, I grew up with Tony.”
Walking forward, she fried the DNA lock on the door, allowing her to pry the door open. Then she turned back to her friends. “Be careful and call if you need me.”
“Will do.” He told her. “Now let’s get into position. It won’t be long until they discover we’re here.”
Nodding her consent, she shot off into the sky and waited for her cue. It didn’t take long before she heard Steve’s voice echoing from every intercom on base.
“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.”
Kara watched from above as the agents on the airstrip pulled their guns on each other in panic. Inside, she could hear Sam talking to Steve.
“Did you write that down first, or was that off the top of your head?”
Smirking, she waited as the agents tried to figure out what to do. Hearing a door slam open, she saw a group of agents walk out with their guns drawn and knew they were HYDRA when they started to fire on the other group.
Shooting her heat vision on the ground in front of them, she swept down and started to fight as many of them as she could. They knew the fight was coming, and now she knew it was here.
Then suddenly, a loud grinding noise filled her ears, and after taking down the last of the agents, she shot back into the sky and groaned. “Uh, guys, we have an issue!”
“What is it?” Steve’s voice rang through her comm device.
Maria answered for her. “They’re initiating launch.”
Outside, Steve and Sam ran next to each other towards the carriers.
“Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?”
“If they’re shooting at you, they’re bad,” Steve grunted. “Supergirl?”
“On it.”
Knowing she had to stall the carriers, she flew off in the direction of their ascent and prepared to slam through the closest one to her. Holding both fists out in front of her, she pushed herself to fly faster and rammed right through the side of it.
It took a moment for her to realize the screaming she heard was coming from her. Falling, she crashed into the asphalt of the airstrip, leaving a massive crater in it.
“Kara!”
She recognized Steve’s shout but could only groan in response.
“I’ve got her.” Sam’s voice said.
He landed quickly next to her, and his wings retracted back into his pack. “Kara, hey, what happened?”
Hissing, she looked at him. “It’s lined with Kryptonite.”
Looking down at her arms, he could see the glowing green pieces sticking out of her skin. “I’m gonna get them out, just hang on, okay?”
Moments later, the pieces were out, and Sam was tossing them into his pack to hide them from her. She was on her feet immediately and nodding to him in thanks. “I’m good.”
“Stay back and keep the fire off of Sam,” Steve told her. “We’ll figure out a way to get you in.”
She shrugged at Sam. “You heard the man.”
“Let’s go, Supergirl.”
Then the both shot into the sky as explosions rained down on them. Kara used whatever power she could to keep the fire off of Sam as he raced toward his designated carrier.
“Falcon, status?” Maria asked him as he dodged bullets.
“Engaging.” He shouted over the noise.
Landing on the deck, Sam shot some guards and started to move to the main control panel. “Alright, Cap, I’m in.”
Then he turned and saw a fighter jet headed his way. Taking off again, he tried to shake it off but couldn’t. Just when he thought he was done for, he turned in time to see the jet fly off into the air.
“That makes us even!” Kara shouted to him with a smirk before turning and flying away.
In the briefing room, Pierce was being held at gunpoint while Natasha hacked into all of SHIELD’s regular and secured files.
“What is she doing?” Asked a member of the council.
“She’s disabling security protocols and dumping all the secrets onto the internet,” Pierce told him.
“Including HYDRA’s,” Natasha added.
“And SHIELD’s.” Pierce reminded her. “If you do this, none of your past is gonna remain hidden. Are you sure you’re ready for the world to see you as you really are?”
Looking up at him, Natasha barely blinked. “Are you?”
“Eight minutes, Cap,” Maria told them hurriedly.
A few moments later, he responded. “Alpha lock.”
“Falcon, where are you now?”
“Had to take a detour.” He yelled over the wind as he flew. “Give me a minute.”
Kara saw that there were missiles following him, so she took off in his direction and blocked some of the worst ones from hitting him. Only a minute later, he was blasting a hole into the ship and confirming his actions. “Bravo lock.”
“Supergirl, you’re the last one,” Maria told her. “Think you can find a way in?”
“On it,” Kara responded.
“Kara, you can’t. You’ll never get through it without getting hurt.” Steve panted through the comms, telling her he was in the middle of the fight.
“I have no choice.” She told him as she shot towards her target. “I’ll find a way it.”
As she shot up to her target, she saw a fire of bullets go past her, blowing open a hole in its side. “You’re welcome.”
She laughed at Sam’s comment but continued on her journey. Once she got to the bridge of the ship, she stopped in her tracks.
“Hey, Steve?”
“Yeah?” He sounded out of breath.
“We’ve got company.” She said calmly. “I’ve got Bucky on the bridge in front of me.”