Steve and Nellie waited....

One...

Two...

Three...

Four seconds passed and then the live static hum of electric batons fractured the silence and mayhem descended upon them.

Agent Rollins whirled on Nellie, baton at the ready as he forced the pointed tip against her abdomen. The attack sucked the air from her lungs as she tensed and cringed at the searing pain that rolled through her body. Her vision instantly blurred, and she was suddenly transported back in time to that godawful lab room and the bed she was chained to, the scientists and Dr Zola looking over her and completing their tests as she was forced still by the blistering electronic shocks.

Involuntarily she gasped as the baton was removed for a split second, dragging her back to the present, the tip was then redirected to her ribs as the two men that were on either side of Rollins grabbed at her arms and secured them in their own holds before they spun themselves, allowing Rumlow to slip in behind her to place her in a tight headlock. Nellie fought with all of her weakened might as Rumlow's back slammed into the doors, her body grotesquely against his as her arms were pinned to the doors as well.

His hold gave her visions of Schmidt touching her racing through her mind, the bile rose in her throat as she tried to shut out the flash flood nightmares. Rollins and another came at her again, but this time with cuffs in hand, and she fought the urge to scream in defiance as she slipped back into her torturous memories.

It was all happening so fast for Steve. He lunged forward to help Nellie but one of the suits slipped in between them, his own baton ringing with power. Steve's movements were fast and with a quick swing of his arm, he shoved the man into the closest wall and out of the way. Nellie's whimpers scorched his ears, and he made for her again, but the other four agents pounced on him from behind, stopping him in his tracks.

Steve suddenly felt his shield pulled from his back as, like Nellie, his arms were constricted and the largest man of the group trapped Steve in his own headlock, almost cutting off his airways. Abruptly, the emergency stop button was activated by someone out of Steve's eyeline and the elevator screeched to a shuddering halt as he tried to free himself, but the fiery sting of a baton dulled his efforts.

Nellie was shocked back into reality again and winced as she heard Steve's struggles to break free as well. Gibbson had both her arm and another baton in his clutches holding it to her as Rollins fixed the cuff around her right wrist, her thrashing to get out of his hold was not enough to stop his actions. She was fighting with everything inside her to let her powers flow free but with each attempt the rod's electrical pulses quenched the sparks of the blooming blue fire.

Rollins reactivated his own baton to assist his colleague in securing her left cuff as Nellie's eyes were alternating from green to blue with each second that passed. With all five men's strength they forced her arms up and backwards against the doors, engaging the magnetic cuffs with the steel surface, locking Nellie in place. She then felt Rumlow's body slide away from behind her, ducking under her arm, before he came face to face with her, a prideful smirk on his face.

Steve kept battling on, and the three men trying to keep his body still were beginning to lose their grips. Likewise with Nellie, two were approaching with magnetic cuffs, and one was quickly successful as he clicked it into place around Steve's wrist, the next task was now to force Steve's arm back against the metal detailing.

Steve's growl was guttural as he pushed to keep his arm forward and away from the wall but then his next opportunity presented itself, the agent helping to force his arm backwards had taken a step too close and he was now in Steve's reach. Steve kicked his right leg out at the speed of a cracked whip, his boot connected with the knee of the agent, snapping it unnaturally to the side. The agent fell with a groan and without the additional pressure, Steve pulled his arm free of the agent to his right and then swung his arm back into his face so hard the man dropped to his knees with a cry. With his bodyweight now his own again, Steve shook his left arm free and jutted his elbow backwards into the other restrainer's face, sending him crumbling too, the cuff in his hand scattering away to connect with the wall by itself. Now he just needed to get out of the headlock.

Nellie watched as the men around Steve began to drop like flies and it gave her all the will power that she needed. She was not in that lab, she was not in her cell, she was in an elevator in Washington DC, and she was about to make these men wish they hadn't laid a hand on her. Unpack the baggage, Nellie...

With her outstanding core strength, and using her restrained hands to support herself, Nellie swung both of her legs up into the air in front of her before harshly swiping them to the left and into Rumlow. Immediately Rumlow lost his balance, Nellie's attack was far too fast for his mind to comprehend and react to. He lost his footing and went crashing into the agent standing to his right; the two collided and slammed into the glass panelling before crumpling to the floor in pain. Nellie knew that she had inflicted some damage, but it wouldn't be enough to keep them down for long and out of the game. It would have to do for now.

Rollins stepped away from her side, the shocking electric pulse ceasing momentarily as he gaped at the coiled mess of Rumlow and the other agent upon the floor. His emotionless gaze then fell upon her face again, a fierce glint in his eyes as he charged at her, but again, now that she was no longer debilitated by their batons, she was back to full force.

She lifted her legs and kicked out as hard as she could from her compromised position. The sole of her right boot landed square in the centre of Rollins' chest, and she could almost hear the air leaving his lungs and the crunch of a few ribs as his body propelled backwards and into one of the agents that was taking on Steve. They collided with the other window and fell to the ground stunned, but neither made a move to stand again.

The two remaining agents on either side of Nellie seemed to freeze against her and she hoped it was in fear. Neither of them held batons and that was all that she needed. The welcoming blue hue flooded the edges of her vision and then she really began to let loose.

The agent that was about to taser Steve again suddenly flew backwards, stunning Steve for a moment as he paused mid-attack. He could no longer hear Nellie's cries of resistance but instead saw the sirenic aura taking over his beloved girlfriend's features. She had fought through her terror and now these men were going to pay. Steve was sure she was more than capable of protecting herself now, so he got back to the task at hand.

With a quick deep breath, expecting an element of pain, Steve slammed his head backwards into the face of the bulky agent restraining him. The strength of Steve's headbutt had the agent in a daze and his grip on Steve loosened considerably. Grabbing his moment of opportunity, Steve reached over his shoulder, gripping onto the agent's own thick neck and flipped the larger man over his shoulder. Steve growled with the effort, and he launched the man forward and into the opposite wall. The glass splintered in the man's wake, carvings up the glorious view before them.

To Steve's left, Rumlow had begun to lift himself from the pile of bodies that covered the marble floor of the car. The blonde watched him as he took one glance at Nellie and the two agents before her, and then at Steve who for the brief moment, who was free of any opponents and the wall behind him. Rumlow grinned before charging.

Steve moved to meet him head on, his right arm already pulling back to land an almighty punch, but Rumlow's next move was infuriatingly brilliant. He flicked his foot up with a quick-thinking kick, hitting Steve square in the wrist. The momentum sent Steve's unprepared arm flailing backwards, the magnetised cuff around his wrist came into effect as its slammed into the detailing behind him, securing his arm to the wall of the car. Inwardly Steve cursed. Within the same breath Steve tried with as much strength as he could quickly muster and attempted to free his wrist, however Rumlow's next attack came too swiftly.

In one of his hands Rumlow held an electrified baton, the charge sizzling the air around it. He lunged at Steve, thrusting the baton downwards upon him but Steve's free arm lashed out, swatting away the attack awkwardly before Rumlow collected himself and tried again. He brought the baton down once more, but this time with two hands behind the blow, and he caught Steve in the centre of his back, forcing Steve up against the wall of the car. The blonde soldier gritted his teeth to dull his cries of pain, the electric pulses causing excruciating discomfort.

Rumlow held fast, putting all his strength into keeping the baton pressed to Steve's back. The soldier's body was curled forward as the next agent attacked, hoping to assist Rumlow, but his careless actions were caught instantly by Steve. The agent aimed to land a punch to Steve's face, but the blonde was quick, and despite the pain it caused him he flexed, and shoved Rumlow away from him to free his arm to catch the other agent around the throat. With a quick flick of his arm, Steve sent the agent hurtling across the car and through a growing haze of blue fog.

Each second that passed was critical and Nellie wasted no time knowing she had to act fast before the batons were on her again. Her energy expanded and rushed forward like a tidal wave, the ripples wrapped themselves around the torso of the man to her right and she flung him sideways into the man on her left. As they struck one another head on, she heard the wincing crunch of a broken nose and then her blue haze was replaced by gushing scarlet as blood began to pour from an agent's nose and onto the floor. Both men sunk to the tiles unconscious, and she was finally alone.

She then turned her attention in freeing herself from the cuffs, or better yet, removing herself from the wall. She was cautious of not reaching her full potential in such a small and enclosed space, especially when Steve was so close as well.

Nellie directed her energy towards her right hand, letting it aid her own strength as she tried to pry her arm free from the elevator door. Holding in her labouring scream, her right arm shaking as her muscles were forced into overdrive, she felt the minuscule movement between her wrist and the wall. It's working!

For a brief moment, however long it might have lasted, only one agent was left standing across from Steve. He had recovered from Steve's first assault, and he now stood ready with a new baton within his hands. He was quick, light on his feet as he charged, but from Steve's peripheral vision, one of the very first agents he had faced, began to rise too. 

As the smaller agent lunged, Steve reached out of his free hand and caught hold of the baton. The charge was searing, but he used all of his might to wrench the baton out of his opponent's hand and jabbed it into the second agent's neck. Steve watched as the tendrils of white-hot electricity branched away from the baton and down the larger man's neck. His body writhed and jolted before dropping to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Astoundingly, Rumlow too began to rise again, but Steve's quick thinking gave him another shot at trying to free himself from the metal detailing. He launched himself into the air, split kicking his legs with one foot hitting Rumlow in the chest and the other into the smaller agent's side. Winded and in pain, the two assailants dropped to the floor.

Nellie watched with admiration, her efforts still evolving, as Steve took down man after man. She increased her power's strength minutely, and her wrist began to beautifully lift away from the metal. Millimetre by millimetre she pushed and strained to free herself until finally her arm gave way, a weightlessness taking over her limb as it dropped down to her side. Her chest heaved with exertion, but she was ready to free her left arm, this time with the strength of her right hand aiding her.

She began to turn her attention towards her wrist, her right hand aglow with swirling energy, but the sound of another rising man had her turning around again. He rose shakily, a punch halfway swung as Steve caught his hand in his larger one and twisted, snapping the bones in his opponent's wrist. 

Nellie could see the man preparing for his next move despite his pain, so with what little energy she would allow in the enclosed space, she shot her hand forward in the agent's direction. The glimmering azure maelstrom surged forward, blasting into the man's chest, the force strong enough to knock the man off of his feet. He collided with the glass wall adjacent to Steve, the glass cracking as he slumped to the floor unconscious. 

In the brief moment of respite, the couple's eyes met, a silent check on one another that they were both okay, before they got back to working on freeing themselves. Steve spun on his heels to face the wall he was secured to, and then he jumped so that both of his feet were plastered against the glass. Gritting his teeth together, he used his new position as leverage, his free hand holding onto the stuck one, and he then began to pull. 

Nellie's attention was back on her left wrist, she was pulling with all of her strength, the energy swirling around her to give her the extra boost she needed. But, just as her hand was lifting away, she heard another agent climb reluctantly to their feet. She let her senses kick into gear as she anticipated his attack, swooping under his arm that was meant as an attempted chokehold before standing to her full height again to land a grievous elbow jab into the centre of the agent's face.

Then, like clockwork, another came charging. Nellie just hoped now that she was semi-free, she was able to hit them a little harder to keep them down.

The large man swung, and Nellie pressed herself back again the elevator doors, dodging the punch. She then lunged forward as far as her body would let her and with her right hand, she landed a blow to the man's ribs, causing the air to billow out of him in a hiss. She wasted no time in attacking again, jabbing the man in the jaw, putting all her weight behind it.

Across the car, Steve had finally mustered enough strength to relive himself from his magnetic trap. As soon as his wrist was separated from the metal bar, he backflipped back to his feet. He whipped around, his eyes widening at Nellie's one-armed battle with a man twice her size, he moved to help but of course, another rose to their feet beside him.

Steve dispatched him quickly, with a sweeping kick the man was on his back, his head colliding harshly with the tiled floor and then all that stood between Steve and Nellie was Rumlow.

The blonde soldier fought the urge to almost growl at the man who he had once called a colleague. He rose from the ground warily, a baton in each hand ready and held out in front of him, as if attempting to simulate peace. "Whoa, big guy." Rumlow cautioned, a little afraid of what the bigger man before him was going to do. Steve's breath was coming out of him in heavy puffs of air, the rage boiling inside of him as he took in Rumlow's fear.

Behind the leader of the Strike Team, Steve watched as Nellie's opponent dropped to the floor, only to be replaced by another. She was charged at, and the man crushed his body against her own, using his own shoulder as a battering ram as his opposite arm reached out like a claw to clasp Nellie around the throat.

At the sound of Nellie's choking gasps, Rumlow advanced knowing Steve was going to be distracted. "I just want you to know, Cap, this ain't personal!" The last word left his mouth in a strained shout, the buzzing of the electrified baton coated the air as he lunged.

Rumlow attempted to slam his right baton down against Steve's shoulder, but with a quick step back, Steve moved out of his range. Rumlow didn't hesitate as he moved forward again, this time advancing with his left arm, but Steve blocked him, holding his arm steady as Rumlow tried to use his strength to bear down. With Steve's attention on Rumlow's left arm, he swung his right forward. The charged baton met its target as it sent its searing energy into Steve's ribs.

Nellie felt like she was suffocating... no she was suffocating, the man's weight against her chest, the electrified baton against her stomach pressed between them, and his other hand against her throat had her struggling for breath... and struggling to get herself free. Her left leg was trapped under the agent as well, and she tried her best to kick out with her right, but her efforts were not enough to remove the bastard. 

Through the gap between the agent's neck and shoulder, she watched as Steve batted Rumlow's hand away from his torso, the growl rumbling out of Steve's chest as the two men came together again. Rumlow repeated his actions, and Steve irritatingly fell for it again as he blocked with his right arm and allowed Rumlow the access to his torso. This time, the charge hit his stomach. 

Nellie's agonising groans and almost screams were all that Steve needed to take it to the next level. Through the pain he stopped blocking Rumlow with his right arm and instead landed an almighty punch to the side of his head. The punch disorientated Rumlow, and he dropped his arm away from Steve's torso. 

With Rumlow's head still turned down towards the floor, Steve caught hold of Rumlow's belt and then threw him up into the ceiling of the car. The white lights flickered, and the bulbs and wiring came crashing down around him as Rumlow's body dropped to the floor too, thankfully unconscious. 

With a distraction now in place, the agent pinning Nellie turned his attention away from her and to the commotion Steve had created. He leaned away from her, almost involuntarily, as if he was not aware of his actions, and this allowed Nellie all the room that she needed. 

She lashed out with a sharp kick, the perfect angle now possible as the bottom of her boot connected with the agent's knee cap. The crunch was stomach turning along with his scream, all of his instincts were forgotten as he released his grip on Nellie and the baton. 

Still panting heavily from his own ordeal, Steve crossed the short space in seconds and wrenched him even further away from Nellie. As the realisation dawned on the agent, Steve landed one quick punch to his jaw, his consciousness immediately leaving him as his body grew limp and he dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. 

"It kind of feels personal." Steve spat as stared down at Rumlow and his most recent victim, his breaths still coming out in quick sharp pants. 

Nellie swallowed harshly, her throat aching. "You're telling me." She agreed, letting out a heavy breath. She moved to hunch herself over, to rest her hands on her knees, but winced when she realised her wrist was still attached to the elevator doors. She inwardly groaned. "Could you?" She asked breathlessly, gaining Steve's attention as she gestured tiredly to the cuff, letting her weight rest against the doors. 

"Yeah." Steve complied quickly, stepping over the bodies to reach his girlfriend. With a little force he was able to pull her wrist free, the immediate pressure and with both of his arms available it was light work. "Are you okay?" He asked as Nellie relaxed, falling forward into his arms to rest her forehead against his chest. His arms enveloped her, holding her to him as if he was afraid she would be snatched away at any moment.  

"Yeah." Nellie said bitterly, swallowing again before leaning out of Steve's arms to look at his concerned face. "That was so fun." Her words were dripping with sarcasm, her expression drawn and exhausted. 

Reluctantly Steve released her as Nellie let her blue energy swirl around her, letting it fix all that had been damaged in her multiple battles. Man, these guys really know how to get back up after being knocked out. 

"I thought they would wait until we were out of the elevator." Steve contemplated as he retrieved his shield, stamping down on the edge of it to let it flip onto his awaiting arm with finesse. In the same breath, he brought his shield down onto his wrists, using the strong edge of the metal to cut through the cuff. With little trouble the cuff fell away. He then turned to Nellie and removed both of hers. 

"Thank you." Nellie said with a note of relief, rubbing her hands over where the cuffs had made indentations in her skin. "This was the best chance they had. The enclosed space had them thinking they would have the upper hand. Batons were a good idea too... kept me at bay." She admitted reluctantly, internally wincing as the pain was brought back to the forefront of her mind... along with snapshot of Schmidt. She shook her head not wanting to go deeper. 

"They tried. Now let's get out of here." Steve decided, stepping over more unconscious agents to reach the control panel, shutting off the emergency stop protocol. 

As the doors slid open, Nellie turned to face the exit taking her place beside Steve. She assumed they would have to run for it, they had taken down the Strike team, she was sure they were likely to face another swell of agents at some point soon. Then, as the corridor came into view, a wave of agents dressed in full tactical gear descended on them, assault weapons at the ready. 

Nellie held her breath... the next round was happening sooner than expected. 

"Drop the shield! Put your hands in the air!" An agent from the back of the group ordered before Nellie and Steve heard the telltale clicking sounds of the gun safeties being switched off.  

With quick thinking, and a little unpredictability, Steve completed a spinning swoop to the left. Nellie threw herself out of the way as Steve's shield sliced through the glass wall like a knife through butter to sever the steel cables that were holding the car in the air. The cables pinged with a metallic clink as they broke away, glass shattered around them and then suddenly the car was plummeting to the ground. 

Nellie looked at Steve wide-eyed as her heart became stuck in her throat, her body and Steve's forced to the floor under the pressure of the speed and gravity. Five, ten, fifteen storeys were surpassed at an excruciating speed before the failsafe kicked in and halted the car midair. The brakes screeched and the gears grinded together painfully before the car shuddered to a stop. 

Nellie bit her tongue, refraining from giving Steve a piece of her mind - it had got them of the situation after all - and instead clambered to her feet along with Steve and headed towards the doors. The first set that belonged to car had failed to close upon falling, so instead they were only met with the exterior doors, the concrete slab between the floors visible as they hung suspended between levels. 

Stepping over the men, they moved closer to the door, and each used a hand to slide the partly visible doors open. The doors moved with ease, much to Nellie's surprise, and they opened to reveal another swarm of agents charging down the corridor towards them. Together they let the doors snap back into place. 

"Shit." Nellie hissed, moving back towards the centre of the cart. "Steve?" Nellie's heightened voice cautioned; they needed a plan fast. 

"Give it up!" They heard through the doors. "Get that door open! You have nowhere to go!" 

Steve's eyes were flitting from window to window and Nellie followed his gaze, peering over the edge to see how far the drop was. It had to be one hundred feet at least. 

Nellie bit her lip, feeling a little apprehensive. "There's only one way out of this." She warned Steve, knowing she was the best bet for their safety. She had taken jumps like this a million times before, from even higher altitudes at that, her powers being the safety net that broke the fall. Steve, however, was only used to diving into water or landing with the help of a parachute, this was going to have to be slightly more precise. 

As Steve met Nellie's eyes he sent her an agreeable nod, then Nellie began to let the energy glow around her to prepare. The banging on the elevator doors grew louder and just as the doors began to slip open, Steve knew it was now or never. 

He caught at Nellie's hand and charged, dragging an unsuspecting and unprepared Nellie with him. "Steve!" The scream left her throat in a shriek as he propelled them through the glass wall of the cart, his shield making the break, and then they were suddenly free falling, the glass roof of the headquarters lobby rising up at them with immense speed. 

Before Nellie could even process what Steve had done, or even find the breath to scream, Steve pulled her into his body, curving his torso and limbs around her before they crashed into the glass roof. Nellie squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the shards of glass brush against her skin, and then the rumbling, bone rattling thump as they crash through supporting beams. The vibration absorbing shield helped to protect them against the wall of glass, but it did little to dull the sheer shooting pain that ricocheted through them as they struck the ground. Nellie's almost scream became strangled in her throat. 

Glass rained down upon them, the shouts and screams of onlookers rang though their ears as they tried to catch their breaths. Nellie cursed and groaned as she rolled onto her back and onto the crystals of glass, her side which has struck the shield was aching, the small amount of power she emitted did little to cushion their fall. "Holy shit." She cursed again; her voice hoarse. "You know I could've avoided that crash landing." She said sassily as she rolled to a sitting position, filling her lungs with air. 

Steve was still catching his breath beside her, wincing as he forced himself to his knees. "Yes dear," he said breathlessly, almost amused by her lighthearted glare. "I just thought it was best to have speed on our side." He smiled at her, just as alarms began to blast around them. It was then the couple remembered that they were not alone. 

Nellie surveyed the people watching them, agents and office staff, no one threatening yet. "Well then, let's keep up the pace. Come on." She insisted, pushing herself to her feet, Steve a millisecond behind her, and then they were charging towards the garage in need of Steve's motorcycle. 

The alarms continued to wail but they were met with hardly any resistance as they retrieved the bike and began to hightail it out of the garage just as the heavy, emergency doors began to close on them. Nellie clung to Steve as the early morning sun became blinding as they reached the open air. Their hearts beats were thrumming wildly in their ears as they raced across the bridge towards the safety of the city. 

In the distance, at the bridge's checkpoints, sharp and pointed roadblocks began to rise up out of the ground towards them and then with phenomenal speed a Quinjet sailed past them, banking into a U-turn to hover in front of them also in an attempt to halt their escape. Steve revved the engine, and the bike continued forward.  

"Stand down, Captain, Lieutenant." The Quinjet's pilot commanded. "Stand down!" The order was met with a physical threat as the jet's machine gun extended out under its belly. They aren't really going to shoot us, are they? Nellie's instincts were telling her to not trust anyone, as Fury had said, but to shoot them out in the open... did they have the guts to do that? "Repeat, stand down." 

Steve kept the bike steady, ready to speed away under the jet, knowing that Nellie would be able to lift them over the roadblocks with her powers. As they bike grew closer to the jet, Nellie's inner thoughts were answered; it seemed they did have it in them. The barrel of the gun began to rotate, and the blazing shots began to rain down on the road ahead of them. Both Nellie and Steve hoped it was in warning. 

Again, their faith in Shield was lost as the bullets came towards them. Steve led the bike into serpentine movements, swerving from left to right as he removed his shield from the front of the bike and swung it with ease like a frisbee towards the jet. As always, Steve hit his target with perfect precision, the shield soared through the air, curving at just the right moment before it wedged itself into the jet's right-side propeller. 

Smoke plumed as jet began to waver and Nellie lifted herself up onto the pegs of the bike, her balance impeccable as she let her energy surge. With her right hand she sent the energy whirling towards the shield, the tendrils snaked around the metal disk to yank it from the burning engine. With her left hand she sought control of the jet, letting the masses of blue vapour sink into the bowels of the jet to lift it even higher into the air and out of their bike's path. 

As she brought the shield back towards them, they passed under the flaming jet, and Steve reached out to grasp the shield from the air to secure it back to its position on the front of the bike. When they were clear, and without a look over her shoulder, Nellie launched the jet backwards and pushed it down into the tarmac. Beneath their tyres the bridge shook as machine and road struck one another... the force was not enough to kill those inside, but enough to render the jet inoperative. 

She settled back into her seat and wrapped her arms around Steve once again. With a subtle gesture and flick of her wrist the bike was lifted into the air and over the roadblocks and once again they were racing to safety, putting Shield behind them. 

* * *

Steve and Nellie's first task was disposing of the bike and their gear... no doubt there was some form of tracker sewn into the hems or hidden within the body of the bike. With what little cash they had on them, they managed to buy ordinary clothes in a small store on the outskirts of the city. Keeping to the out roads and using the river as a guide, they made their way back to the hospital where Fury had died and where Steve had stashed the flash drive.

Sneaking into the hospital was easy, Fury's body had been moved and the agents had dispersed. Cameras were everywhere though, so their heads had to be kept low. Steve protected his face with his hood and Nellie had a beanie hat pulled low over her head, her hair splayed out around the sides of her face to jeep her features hidden.

Steve led the way, his fingers intertwined tightly around Nellie's as he took them back to the O.R. floor and towards the vending machine he had cunningly hidden the flash drive in. Nurses and doctors paid no attention to the couple walking the halls, and as the vending machine came into view, Nellie kept her eyes peeled for the telltale hot pink of the Hubba Bubba packets. 

They approached the vending machine, and they searched... but the Hubba Bubba packets were not there. Nellie felt her heart drop into her stomach. Someone had seen Steve stash it there. She gripped his hand, ready to turn to him in panic, but then there was a flash of red in the reflection over her shoulder, and as she focused, a well-known face came into view. 

With a light popping sound, the pink bubblegum bubble burst at Natasha's lips, and Nellie felt her inner age begin to boil. Slowly, she released Steve's hand and turned to face her so-called friend. They searched each other's faces for a short two seconds before Nellie gave in and shoved her backwards into the storage room that was behind Natasha. With one hand on Natasha's upper arm, her other hand fumbled for the door handle, and she continued pushing Natasha backwards until her back hit the wall. Steve closed the door sharply behind them. 

"Where is it?" Nellie hissed, leering over the smaller woman with so much hatred she felt as if her head was going to explode. 

"Safe." Natasha said emotionlessly, her eyes flickering over Nellie's face uncontrollably. "Jesus, Nellie, I haven't seen you like this before." The smarminess oozing from Natasha set Nellie's veins on fire. Who does she think she is? 

"You'll have to do better than that." Nellie threatened, her anger getting the better of her as the edges of her vision began to cloud with the familiar blue hue. She thought Natahsa was her friend, maybe even her best friend, but with the lies and secret missions and now stealing the drive... it was all too much.  

Natasha met her eyes with an expression like steel, even if she was scared, she didn't show it. "That won't work on me Barnes." Natasha warned. "Where did you get it?" She asked back, her green eyes piercing back into Nellie's. 

"Why would we tell you?" Nellie fumed but she loosened her grip on the smaller woman slightly. Natasha wasn't a flight risk and there was no way she could take down the both of them. 

The red head ignored Nellie's question and instead glanced around to Steve who was watching quietly by the door, his own expression like thunder. "Fury gave it to you." Natasha tried to bring confidence to her voice, but there was an essence of underlying doubt in herself there. "Why?" Her voice piqued with insecurity. 

"What's on it?" Nellie pressed again, ignoring Natasha's correct assumption. 

"I don't know." Natasha said casually, her voice low. Her lack of urgency was infuriating Nellie once again. 

Nellie unintentionally tightened her grip on Natahsa, this time both of her hands dug into Natasha's upper arms with vice like grips. "Stop lying!" Nellie seethed, the blue coating her vision once more. 

This time, Natasha faltered, and her poise slipped. "I only act like I know everything, Barnes." She remarked, the sassiness back as she tried to recover. 

From the corner of the room, Steve could see that Nellie's emotions were getting the better of her. This wasn't just because Natasha had taken the drive, it was because her friend had lied to her. In one step he was directly behind Nellie, and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his touch immediately turning Nellie's boiling rage into a simmering unpleasantness. Nellie released her grip and took a step back so that she was closer to Steve as he continued the interrogation. 

"I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn't you?" He speculated, his tone harsh but assertive.

Again, Natasha's eyes flickered between the two of them, her mouth hung open as she stammered over her words before answering. Steve wasn't sure if it was from nervousness or if she was buying herself time to come up with another lie. "Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you." She said maliciously, her jibe setting Nellie back to full heat. 

"We are not gonna ask you again!" She reprimanded, her blonde hair bouncing around her face as she pulled her beanie off of her head, her rage making her skin feel like it was on fire.  

Natasha's expression suddenly softened, and her green eyes hinted at something more, as if she was weighing up options inside her mind. Truth or more lies, truth or more lies... Nellie imagined her brain was currently rattling around inside her head like a pinball machine. "I know who killed Fury." Natasha blurted out, and this gave Nellie and Steve all the information they needed. Natasha wanted in, and she felt information was the price she needed to pay. 

Steve and Nellie watched her unsurely... Natasha was an excellent spy, lying and covering it up was like breathing to her... but this felt real. The emotion welling in her eyes made it feel like the truth. Steve let his hand drift between himself and Nellie, and he grasped her hand tightly in his own, his own way of telling Nellie that maybe they should listen. Fury's death was still fresh in all their minds and bringing it up had seemed to have mellowed the altercation. Nellie squeezed Steve's hand back, agreeing that they should let Natasha speak. 

When Natasha was sure she was not going to be interrupted, she continued with her theory. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, the ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years."  

Nellie and Steve shared a quick glance. Fifty years?! That was highly unlikely, that would make the assassin at least seventy, and that man on the roof was no seventy-year-old. "So, he's a ghost story." Steve quipped, voicing both his own and Nellie's thoughts. 

Natasha kept her expression deliberate and fierce. She believed she was telling the truth. "Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tyres near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out." Her voice seemed to be becoming thicker with emotion and Nellie raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her. Was this genuine? "But the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me." Natahsa went on and then she shifted to lift both her jacket and top up to reveal a nasty scar on her hip. "Soviet slug, no rifling. Bye-bye bikinis." 

Nellie fought the urge to roll her eyes. 

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." Steve leered sarcastically; his jaw set like marble. 

The corners of Natasha's mouth quirked up into a hint of a smile and Nellie resisted from rolling her eyes again. "Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried." She mused, still chewing on the same piece of pink bubblegum. She then retrieved the drive from her jacket pocket, the metal casing glimmering in the dull white light. "Like you said, he's a ghost story." 

The two blondes watched her, a small part of them afraid that this was some kind of joke. If her emotion towards Fury's death was real, if she was really willing to help it couldn't hurt to have her tag along, but there was no trust there... not anymore. It would have to be earnt once again. 

Nellie took the small step forward and took the drive out of Natasha's hand, feeling safer with it back in her possession. Besides, it was her that fury had given the drive to in the first place. 

Steve looked between them both, wondering what he was signing himself and Nellie up for, but they had the drive now... and it was time to find out what the hell was going on. "Well, let's find out what the ghost wants." 

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Hello my lovelies...

What an action-packed chapter we have here... I always get worried I don't write action scenes as well as the other types of scenes, but I don't think I did too bad here. We are getting closer and closer to Bucky and it's making me NERVOUSSS.

As always comments and votes are much appreciated, and if you have any questions, I'm always around to answer them.

Anyway, love to you all.

Talia
💙💙💙