The Chase
Everyone I am so sorry this has taken so long to get up. My new job is going great but is keeping me super busy. I hope you enjoy.
Phil left the others to settle into Tony's D.C. mansion in order to make his way to SHIELD's D.C. headquarters. The building was busy as usual as he walked briskly through the hallways to the directors office but Phil could not help the way he watched the agents around him with a little more caution, wondering which agents might be compromised.
"Enter," Nick called immediately as he knocked on his office door and Phil slipped inside careful to shut and lock the door behind him.
Nick held up a finger to forestall anything he might say and flipped on a small, square device resting on the edge of his desk. The device flashed a red light several times before settling to a steady green light.
"Alright we should be ok to talk now," Nick told him but a flick of his eyes warned Phil to still be cautious.
Phil lifted an eyebrow in question then indicated the area around him with a sweep of his eyes. Nick nodded having understood that Phil was wondering why the call to the D.C. area and Phil was grateful that the two of them had worked together so long that they could read each other so well.
"Remember a few years ago when you told me that a certain project was a bad idea. Well I was over ruled," Nick told him calmly and Phil blinked in confusion then almost cursed outloud as he realized what project Nick was talking about.
"I remember a lot of projects I said were bad ideas," Phil prodded hoping against hope that they had not really gone ahead with Project Insight. Nick merely looked at him, a hint of apology in his eyes, and Phil turned abruptly away from his old friend before he started actually yelling at him for allowing something like this to go forward. He knew that the WSC was likely behind this, as well as the US armed forces, but he knew Nick and if the man had truly put his foot down he could have halted the project.
He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly and finally allowed himself to turn back to face his friend. He knew his expression still showed how upset and angry he was by this revelation but he honestly could not have cared less.
"You have to kill the project," Phil told him firmly.
Nick's expression was pinched as though he had swallowed something bitter as he said "I have tried. I have been removed as head of the project and have been informed that I have no more authority over the project."
Phil's breath hissed out between his teeth as he realized exactly how bad this situation was. They had been out maneuvered, likely by the same people who had been responsible for the strike team going rogue and Phil shuddered to think what Hydra might do with those carriers.
"How long till they are ready and who is the new head of the project," Phil asked plans running through his head. If he could convince the Avengers of the danger that the carriers posed he might be able to recruit them to help him destroy them. He winced internally, he would have preferred to have taken out the carriers without anyone knowing who had sabotaged them but he knew the Avengers strength was not stealth but he knew they could destroy the carriers before they were able to kill thousands of innocents.
"Two days and Pierce," Fury answered his questions quietly making Phil wince as he realized how little time that gave them and who they would be up against. Alexander Pierce had always raised Phil's hackles for no reason he could name but he had to admit that the man was great at planning for all eventualities. That thought had him immediately casting his thoughts onto the Avengers. Just the fact that they had landed in D.C. might have drawn Pierce's attention and without a word he drew out his phone. He shot off a quick text to Natasha telling her in code to keep the others close and not allow them to go wandering outside the mansion. He knew she would understand that something dangerous was going on and make sure that the others actually stayed safe.
He had just put his phone away and turned back to Nick when his phone buzzed alerting him to a text message and he tensed when he saw 'T and B went for coffee and food with SB on my way to collect them.'
Of course the most physically vulnerable and the member they least wanted getting into a random altercation would have gone out for coffee just when they might be being hunted by a crazed organization with Nazi ties.
"I have to go," Phil told him as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and started for the door.
"Cheese," the old nickname made him turn back to his friend and Nick met his eyes.
"Be careful," he said simply his eyes serious and Phil nodded. They both knew the risks and that Phil would do whatever he had to to stop those carriers.
He strode out of the office, careful to keep his steps to a normal pace for him as the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself, however, by the time he was down in the lobby he knew he had gathered a tail.
Calmly, he got into the black jaguar he had borrowed from Stark and pulled out of the parking lot. His tail followed him in a black SUV and he grimaced as he noticed another SUV joining its fellow. He had to give his followers credit they were good but not good enough to escape his notice. Thinking quickly he contemplated what to do, he could easily lose them but if he could capture one of them alive he might be able to get information he and the team could use.
Decision made he calmly made his way to the outskirts of the city heading in the direction of where a minor SHIELD lab was located. As the areas they were driving through became more deserted he saw as his followers abandoned stealth and began moving in for an attack. Without breaking stride he gunned the engine and brought the car roaring down a side street. The SUVs raced after him as he calmly raced through the abandoned streets around him. His pursuers were gaining on him, and Phil could see that several men were leaning out of the pursuing cars windows in an effort to get a shot off when he spotted the building he was looking for. He silently apologized to Tony as he floored the accelerator and pointed the car directly at one of the abandoned warehouses lining the streets. The car shot forward and Phil allowed a small smile to play along his lips as the car collided with metal hanger doors at the front of the building.
Phil was out of the car and rolling across the floor of the warehouse as soon as the car had broken through the metal doors. Regaining his feet he moved quickly to the building's office located on the ground floor and hummed in satisfaction as he saw the old metal desk sitting against the wall. Without hesitation he ripped the desk away from the wall and grabbed the automatic rifle he had stashed here years ago along with a several hand grenades. A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he remembered setting up safe houses and weapon stashes around the city with Nick for emergencies.
Phil moved to the broken out windows of the office and watched as his pursuers streamed into the warehouse. He nearly growled as he noted that the people were wearing SHIELD issused tack suits and it pissed him off to no end that one man was even still wearing a SHIELD badge. He was going to teach these bastards that you didn't wear that uniform unless you were one hundred percent committed to the goals and ideals it represented.
He waited patiently until the group were through the door before he threw the first grenade. He watched in detachment as several heads turned to look as the grenade landed before people were scrambling away but not fast enough to completely escape the blast. He lobbed another grenade into the main room before following it into the main room after he heard it detonate. A few of the traitors were still alive but he ignored them in favor of flipping out of one of the side windows and sneaking around the edge of the building in order to get the SUVs in view. Just as he thought a guard had been left in place to secure the vehicles and Phil could see that the man had not expected any sort of major resistance and was still trying to process the explosions. Phil snorted as he noticed that the fool had not even drawn his weapon and had apparently not even made an attempt to contact anyone over the radio for backup.
Phil wondered if the man wasn't trying for backup because Hydra wasn't well enough entrenched to have backup ready for their people or if the man was just a complete fool. When the man had still not reached for his weapon when one of his own team stumbled out of the building coughing and clutching her side from a possible pierced lung he decided the man was just an idiot. Without hesitating further Phil took aim and shot the man in the temple. The body didn't even twitch as it hit the ground. The woman who had just exited the building was smarter than her team mate and dived back into the relative safety of the warehouse at the first sound of gunfire. Phil heard her muffled scream as she landed on her battered ribs and noted that she would likely be easy to subdue for questioning.
Scanning the area one more time he was thankful that no civilians seemed to be in the area. The last thing he needed was the police called to the scene or worse a good samaritan trying to help. Quickly he made his way to the back of the warehouse, careful to avoid the window he had used to exit the building in case anyone had seen his exit and thought to cover it. The backstairs were as dilapidated as he remembered but by staying to the right side of the staircase he was able to keep the noise of his assent to a minimum. At the top of the stairs a balcony ran along a bank of windows on the second story of the warehouse and Phil peered though one of the dirty panes. Three people had managed to find their feet and Phil noted that the woman with the broken ribs was trying to get the people still mobile into some semblance of order.
Slowly Phil pulled one of the ventilation grates up so that the sounds in the warehouse filtered out to him.
"....Marcus, take point, Lewin get up to the second floor and keep a look out, sniper position on the yard. I will cover from the door. We have to get to the vehicles before that bastard does," the woman's voice sounded hollowly from the vent.
"What if he has already done a runner," a large man, persumably Marcus, asked as the second man still mobile was already making his limping way up the stairs inside the building.
"Then he won't have gone far without a car," the woman snarled angry to have been questioned.
"This is Coulson we are talking about. If even half the stories about that bastard are true then he is like an attack dog. We need to think before we go after him," Marcus said then cut off abruptly as the woman, still holding her ribs, pointed her pistol between his eyes.
"Are you wavering in your commitment to Hydra," the woman hissed and Phil stilled as he recognized the tone of a fanatic in her voice.
"No, of course not. Never," the man said backing up a step with his hands up.
"I am just saying we need to think things through in order to make sure we succeed with our mission," Marcus tried again his tone trying for soothing but coming out scared. The man was obviously smart enough to realize that this woman was more than a bit unhinged.
"We follow the plan," the woman hissed and Phil grimaced as he saw through the window that blood was coming from her mouth clearly indicating that one of her lungs had indeed been punctured but the fact that the woman didn't seem to notice the wound made up Phil's mind for him. Fantic's in this woman's class were too dangerous to allow to live.
Positioning himself he fired twice taking the sniper out with a clean shot to his head but his second shot missed its mark slightly as the woman ducked causing him to strike her in the throat instead of the chest. Phil winced as she went down drowning in her own blood but he had no more time to worry about her as at the sound of his shots the third man had raced toward the door. Without blinking Phil blew out one of the man's knee caps and watched grimly as he collapsed down to the ground screaming.
Quickly, he made his way to a door at the end of the catwalk and raced down the stairs to where the man still laid screaming and clutching his leg. Gun aimed Phil started toward the man but spun abruptly to the side as a movement to his left caught his attention causing him to point his gun at where the woman still lay. Phil cursed as he saw her bring up her gun and aim at the man he had shot in the knee cap.
He brought his gun up for a kill shot but before he could fire the woman had already pulled the trigger shooting the man, Marcus, in the chest. Marcus stared down at the bleeding wound in his chest for a moment before he fell back already twitching in his death throws.
Without hesitation, Phil charged the woman as she struggled to bring up her gun for a last shot at him but Phil stepped on her wrist hard enough that he felt the snapping of bones under the heel of his loafer. Unfazed by the sensation of the woman's bones snapping he flipped her onto her side and struggled to stop her from chocking in her own blood as he now needed her to stay alive long enough for him to get some answers. He efficiently cleared the blood from her mouth while avoiding the teeth trying to take his fingers.
"If you want to live you will tell me what Hydra is planning," Phil growled as he kept the woman on her side.
A bloody, crazed smile spread over her lips just as she bit down hard on her back tooth and Phil heard a crunching sound and realized, too late, what the woman had done. He tried in vain to get her to spit out the poison but he could tell that it was too late by the way blood flecked foam was already coming from her lips.
Phil backed away with a grimace as the woman curled up grinning with fantic glee as bloody foam dripped to form a pool beside her head as she died. He checked the body to make sure she was really dead before he calmly checked the others hoping to find one person still alive to question but he was out of luck. With a sigh he pulled out his phone and texted Fury with one of his personal codes, letting him know he had been attacked but was alright and sending the address of the warehouse. He pocketed his phone, sure that Nick would get the bodies and warehouse cleaned up without his name being mentioned.
Looking back at the Jaguar he considered its bent in front end and the multitude of scratches covering the body.
'Well I can't leave it here. It will be too easy to link it back to Tony,' he thought calmly as he swung the driver's side door open and tried to start the engine. To his surprise the car started up with a purr and Phil wondered if he could convince Nick that Jaguars were good field cars, considering the cost Fury would likly have him committed for even suggesting it.
It took a little work to maneuver the car out of the warehouse through the much smaller back bay doors but he managed after a few minutes and was soon driving calmly back to Tony's D.C. mansion.
And as an apology for being so late I will be posting another chapter where we finally get a visit from a certain archer.