Chapter 9
Also, check out my Spotify Playlist I put together for this fic.
(Keep in mind the chapters, though. The tracks are kind of like a soundtrack.)
Janet had waited for this opportunity. Ever since the examination team had sent her all the files and photos from that damned apartment in Cologne, the task force leader had been working on her own to find any clues. Well, together with her assistant Neesa. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing here. Four of her men had died in there, trying to understand what Romanoff and Rogers were up to, why the Russian was targeting CIA agents. Janet wasn’t just curious anymore, this investigation felt like a duty that had crossed the line to becoming a personal matter. In the past, a relocation would’ve hindered her from digging, but now the unit’s leader was clinging to these files she’d grabbed hastily before hailing a cab to the airport. Nothing would stop her from researching this case, even if her suspicions and results had to remain in her own head, to be treated with an exceptional level of confidentiality.
And bingo, she’d been rewarded for her endurance. But, against her expectations, it hadn’t been the lab results that had supplied her with the answer to the mystery. The autopsy results were much more surprising and revealed very clearly that none of the four agents had died in the wake of an accident. That sounded really ridiculous now, actually. Janet jumped when she heard a sound from the door. Quickly, but not suspiciously fast, she shuffled her papers into a pile and hid them inside her jacket. She angled her arms close to her torso so everything would stay in place. If this was Colin or even Lomawu, she couldn’t risk anything.
But it was Neesa who stepped into the silent room, carrying two cappuccinos and a brown manila folder. Janet released a breath. She knew the importance of keeping this little investigation secret from her task force co-leader, but Neesa had been a major help and Janet wasn’t sure how to thank her for her support. Even if that was her job as an assistant.
“Thanks“, she mumbled when Neesa put the cappuccino down and the assistant nodded, sending a quick look over the table. She smiled, “It took me an hour and three lies, but I copied our last mission files. Find anything new yet?“
“I’m working on it. But I noticed something strange. I’ve never seen this before. Look, every corpse has an almost identical wound in the upper ribcage, right between two ribs. Very small hole, but if you stick something into the wound and follow the canal, you end up straight in the victim’s heart.”
“That is strange”, Neesa agreed. “Have they checked tissue samples?”
“They didn’t find anything Here comes the strangest thing: There is no bullet. Also, this isn’t your typical bullet wound.”
She held up the photos, pointing out the little wounds in the pale flesh of the dead CIA agents. Neesa nodded.
“Yeah, it’s smaller and there is no exit wound. But are there holes in the clothing?“
“Yes.“
“And in the windows?”
“No. So we’re dealing with an attack from inside the room. Plus, I’m pretty sure these wounds weren’t caused by an ordinary firearm.“
“Have they examined tissue samples?”
“Tearing, but nothing else. No traces of toxins or any known substances. Nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except for the hole.”
Both women stood quietly for a moment, thinking about all the facts they had gathered so far. Neesa’s face lit up.
“What about that attacker from the bridge in Cologne?“ She shuffled through her folder, searching for the photo on her mind that she knew had to be in here.
“What do you mean?”
“Look. On the back of the military agent who attacked Steve Rogers. That Hydra operative.”
“You think he’s Hydra.”
“Of course he’s Hydra. Who else wants Captain America’s head?”
“We do? As far as I can remember, his head is pretty far up Ross’ list.”
“Fine. Hydra or not, check the photo. On the back.”
“Looks like a… dark stick.”
“It’s a blowpipe. I built one myself when I visited a summer camp as a teenager. There are versions issued by foreign military units, but they’re not a common weapon for a reason. Shooters have to be very skilled to actually achieve precise hits. And even then, you can’t create as much force as a gun can.“
“Precision. How precise can a skilled user be?“
Neesa pointed at the photos of the autopsy report. “With a military blowpipe? As precise as a shot between the ribs and into the heart.“
“Okay. So, if we assume, and it’s only a far-fetched assumption so far, that the unknown attacker, who we think belongs to Hydra, killed our four agents, the Black Widow would be off the hook. Great. We need more than just proof to actually have anyone listen to us.“
“And we need to figure out the motives of the Hydra asset. Why would he kill our agents? If he wants Rogers, we’re after the same thing.“ Henderson nodded, walking back and forth as if that could her brain to work faster. Thankfully, no one would enter this level of the multistoried building that was only used by the owners on the first three levels. The CIA had occupied the fifth, so Neesa and her should remain unnoticed on the fourth.
Suddenly a thought struck the woman who was sure that solving the riddle could include a promotion that would mean she could finally leave Colin Whittaker behind. He was no help. And, as always, he stood opposed to listening to her, seeing how she was so much younger and quieter than him.
“What if Steve Rogers is just running for his own life? What if that fight on the bridge wasn’t the first time that Hydra soldier has attacked him? What if that is the reason that he resurfaced at all?“
“That sounds legitimate. He was running in Paris.“
“Exactly. Can you check if the asset was there? At the station, Gare du Nord?“ Neesa checked the filed reports.
“There is not a single mention in the report or the communication transcripts, so I’m guessing no.“
Henderson walked over to her assistant, examining the communications transcript. This was from before, when Colin had seized his opportunity and taken this mission from her.
“Why is there a pause in communications?“
“Where?“
“Right here, the field agent asks for Instructions for the local asset? and four minutes later, someone in the operations says We located the Falcon’s phone. Four minutes is a long pause. The instructions are missing.“
“That means that either there was a disturbance in communications someone is trying to cover something up. It’s always one of the two, Janet, you know that.“
“Okay, that means this really has to stay between us. Whoever is involved with this can’t find out. The transcript states that we had intel that Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were gonna be there. Do we know anything more specific?“
“Not really. The report says that there had been an anonymous informant who… well, informed us the night before.“
“Anonymous means he wasn’t trying to blackmail us with that. Wow. I call that a wasted opportunity. That means the informant either wasn’t interested in money or just really couldn’t risk being exposed.“
“But who would know that Rogers was going to be there? Even we didn’t have a clue about his whereabouts.“ Neesa scrunched her nose. The CIA knew a lot, but every underground search for Steve Rogers in the past six months had been without results.
Janet tensed up. Steps were audible from the hallway and she stuffed all the photos, reports and transcripts into a folder as fast as she could. The door opened.
Mr. Lomawu stepped in, clad in a neat blue suit. His eyes fell onto the two agents, then on the empty hall. His smile turned into confusion.
“Where did our office go all of the sudden?“
He came closer, just close enough the notice the two folders on the table. Janet prayed he didn’t see anything suspicious. She grabbed her cappuccino that was still half-full.
Neesa smiled back and pointed at the ceiling.
“You’re on the wrong level. The office is on the five. We should all go there, actually. Hopefully, Whittaker has some good news for us.“
“What were you two doing down here?“
Janet and Neesa exchanged looks, both wrecking their minds for a plausible excuse.
“That must’ve been intense if finding an answer is that hard. Forgot I asked“, he chuckled, “I’m not sure if I’m ready for that much commitment this early in the morning.“
The women almost simultaneously sent him a nervous smile and as soon as the lift stopped, seized their opportunity to escape and bring their prized files to safety. Work called and they soon found their way to avoid Mr. Lomawu for the most part, at least until the team briefing.
One shot. One bullet.
Was all it took to drown the world in a deafening silence. Waves of inaudible roars brushed over everyone in the room. Everyone on the floor. The thud of a single body crushing, hitting the ground. The loudest sound of them all, realization. Not the shot. The shot came without any noise, drowned the world in thick, damp sullenness. But realization hit the team like thunder. The realization that, while they had done their best to follow orders, to protect the world, they themselves were exposed. And now, they paid, they sacrificed. Another agent.
Neesa opened the door to the hallway leading to the office, still talking to Colin, reminding him to share their new findings about the Remnant with Janet. As her assistant, Neesa was glad these two had finally found peace. This morning, Colin had smiled at her, even done her a favor. Maybe it lasted only for this operation, but hopefully longer. Maybe they could even figure this hijacked operation out. But who knew how deeply he was involved. And Janet hadn’t been the same after the fight she’d had with Colin. As siblings, they should’ve worked something out, but well, that wasn’t really Neesa’s job. She wouldn’t meddle, only encourage. After all, Janet and Colin had gone through so much, lost their father tragically, and they could be a great team if they would want to find a way. Their new ally, Mr. Lomawu, trailed behind them. He’d attended the briefing with them and had been assigned with a task. Neesa was on edge every time the Wakandan was around, but she took all her professionalism together and didn’t let him see behind her façade. Janet and she had worked too hard on uncovering whatever game was being played here. As authority holder of a foreign government, it was none of his business anyway.
Colin nodded at what Neesa said, agreeing with her on the proposed line of action. The dark-skinned girl smiled kindly and opened the door to the office for him. He stepped in and she followed. His senses were on alarm right away. It was way too quiet here and someone was sobbing. What was going on? Neesa, at his side, screamed behind her hand. Then, she began to run towards something - Oh God, that was a corpse - but Colin grabbed her hand.
“Sniper“, he whispered. “Maybe he’s still out there.“
“How are you so calm?“ Neesa had tears in her eyes, despite her training, despite her field experience. She’d seen corpses, blood and headshots, but never of people she cared about.
“We need to find Janet. Make sure she gets the team on this.“
“Colin. This is Janet.“ He froze. What? What!? His eyes widened, his blood froze. He’d agreed with Lawrence that they’d have to get her out of action for their deal to work. But he never meant- No. That couldn’t have been his friend’s doing.
“No“, he whispered, to himself, while fighting the emotions to take over his body. His heart beat fast right now and he felt dizzy. Janet. It was her, clearly. Her red hair splayed over the floor. Her beautiful cream blazer ruined, stained.
She was gone. Carefully staying in the cover of the office desks, he crouched closer to his dead sister. No. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind, bumping into each other until all he heard and knew was a terrible scream, raw and painful. I didn’t ask for forgiveness. I still loved you. I just - I’m so sorry. Janet, my sweet little sister. Forgive me. For everything.
Blood had soaked through the fabric on his knees, but Whittaker didn’t care. There would be dark stains, reminding him forever of the last moment with her. Where he finally kneeled. And pleaded for forgiveness. Where it tore his heart apart to see her this way, dead and quiet. Where only the idea of her person was left. And no, not one of his words, the words he still had left for her, the words still stuck inside of him, unspoken, would matter now. She was dead. And it was his fault.
They’d provoked the Black Widow. If all this was her - then God help him, he’d not relent until she stood before him, where he could look her in the eyes and show her what it meant to take a life. To put a burden so heavy onto someone that she’d know forever that freedom wasn’t gonna be a part of her life anymore. She’d pay for his sister’s death. But if this was Lawrence’s business, if he’d waited for a moment where Whittaker wouldn’t witness the cruelty that spies were known for, the man could prepare for a storm that would rip him apart. Because, treason, that was fine for the amount of money included in the deal, but his sister, no matter how much hate had been exchanged between them, was untouchable.
Colin stood up, only the trace of tears clouding his eyes. A fiery determination filled his body.
“Lawrence, would you please come with me?“ Whittaker didn’t even wait for the answer, he just pulled the Wakandan with him. As soon as the door closed behind him, he started firing.
“Explain this to me, Lawrence“, he growled, “what does it mean? My sister is dead.“
The dark skinned man raised his hands in defense. His eyes were calm. He knew Colin, had been his friend for a long time. But he didn’t let his feelings and personal attachments get in the way with this mission, just like he had promised to Zola. This was more important, but still, lying to an old friend didn’t feel good. Lomawu pushed it away, played the game Colin was starting to suspect. He’d need to appear serious and credible.
“I’m really sorry about what happened.“
“I gotta know“, Colin said angrily, stepping closer and into his companion’s private space. “Was it you? Was it your asset, the Remnant? No one saw it coming. Just like you promised when we made the deal.“
Yes, the Remnant had killed Janet, but Lawrence knew that she hadn’t left any traces. She never did. And Colin hadn’t seen the little wound between the ribs. No one saw it at the first glance, not even at the second or third. Lawrence was safe with his lie. The past week’s events were enough to conjure up a suspicion in Colin’s mind that would lead him away from Hydra’s path and onto Romanoff’s tail. Janet had come so close to figuring it all out, together with her assistant, the little incident this morning had shown him that. Of course, Lawrence knew where their office was, but he’d needed to play the innocent while figuring out how much they knew. But Colin, well, Colin wasn’t sure. Wasn’t sure what to believe. Had placed a foot on both sides, the CIA and Hydra. He just didn’t know. Lawrence could work with that. It wouldn’t take much to lead his friend to the right trail.
“Colin, look at me. How long have we been together? I went through all the valleys with you, carried your burdens and conflicts. My loss is your loss. Has always been, will always be.“
Well, not if Colin found out. But he wouldn’t. If the Black Widow, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were finally dead, not a single secret would come to the surface. And Bucky Barnes? The Winter Soldier never spilled secrets. As soon as they had him back, Zola would get back to perfecting him.
“Do you really believe I would send an asset, an assassin, to kill your sister while I am in your office, able to talk to her directly, or even your director? I could use two hundred other ways to get her out of here, off the mission, off the unit. T'Challa would have my head for this.“
But he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even know, was gonna think Lawrence died. Wouldn’t care, just like with his father. He hadn’t before.
“Your king? You were furious when his father rejected your anointing as leader of your intelligence commando. You hate him.“
“But still I am loyal. He is not his father.“
It didn’t matter who the king was, really, Zola had taught him how they were all the same. Yes, T’Chaka hadn’t granted him the official and traditional ceremony as the introduction to one of the highest positions in the government. Yes, that had been deeper than just a kick in the gut. And Lomawu had sworn to have revenge for that dishonor.
Colin mustered his face.
“You’re not the same either. You hated him for it with a burning rage, I remember that. We met for coffee, before a conference, when you told me. How no one appreciated your choice to find out how the world worked before serving your country. Although you had studied abroad to serve Wakanda. They just didn’t see that; they hated you for being different.“
Lomawu swallowed, just like he’d swallowed all the hate and the shame back then. It had brewed deep inside of him, back then, and the boiling soup had bubbled up when he met Alexander Pierce. He smiled. He had been lucky to meet Pierce. To have met Zola, who was a genius thought dead. Who had a vision greater than T’Challa had a nation.
“I forgave him, Colin. Even these enhanced people are just humans.“
It surprised Lawrence how easy these words flowed from his mouth. The more lies he told, the calmer he became. He was better at this than he’d thought, Colin believed him. It was all for the greater good.
“Does your offer still stand? Your special task force, is it still ready?“, Colin asked. He’d make this a kill mission, he’d send them after the Black Widow.
“Yes. As soon as we have a location, I can send them in.“
“This better be worth the 40k you promised me. Let’s do this.“
Lomawu nodded.
Everything happened according to the plan. With Colin’s wish for his special team, he finally had the go on sending them out. They’d go after the Black Widow, yes, but Colin had no idea who this team consisted of. Barton, Maximoff, and Lang would never kill Romanoff, but they wouldn’t hesitate to kill the Remnant on his order, on T’Challa’s order. Not if they were sure she was not at all like their Bucky. And she wasn’t. Sure, she was a killer like him, merciless and obedient, but right now, she was his bait.
This had all been much easier than he’d hoped for. Basically, he was only acting on commands, always had hidden safeties. He was telling a few lies. But his reward would be great.