01. the man out of time

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  VICTORIA REMEMBERED THE DAY Nick Fury called her for this mission. Just after the Battle of New York, Steve Rogers, otherwise known as Captain America, was going to be stationed at the Triskelion. He needed someone to keep tabs on him. 

"Just in case," Were his words. 

It was exciting to be trusted with something so critical. It meant she was doing her job right—being a double agent.

She also remembered when Secretary Pierce got the news. Her excitement turned sour quickly. When Fury appointed her, he was paranoid. The secretary told her he was becoming suspicious, though he wasn't quite sure who or what just yet. Watching Steve Rogers meant more than just keeping tabs on the Avenger; it also meant keeping him out of harm's way.

Fury put the Captain directly in the line of fire. And Victoria was tasked with pulling the trigger. 

"Project: Insight will be ready in just a few months," The Secretary explained. "If you fail to keep the Captain's nose out where it doesn't belong, before Insight is operational, you must be prepared to take him out." 

Victoria nodded, stoic. "This is what I'm trained for, sir." 

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know," He said solemnly. "But, I am also aware of your fondness for the Director."

Victoria paused, brows knitting. "I'm...not sure what you mean, Mr. Secretary." 

"It's understandable. I'm fond of the man, myself. But he is not one of us." 

"Are you questioning my loyalty?" Victoria couldn't help but scoff. "After all I've done?" 

Secretary Pirece shrugged. "One can never be too careful. You understand, Victoria. I know you do."

For a brief moment, the fuzzy memory of her mothers face appeared in her mind. Her mom had left her and her dad when she was four. She had betrayed Hydra, stealing documents that could expose them. There was a time before the age of ten when Victoria couldn't believe her mother would do that. She nearly got herself killed looking for proof. In the end, she found the truth, as dark and bitter as it was. 

Victoria gritted her teeth. "I was a child then, sir; naive. I can still perform my duties without loosing focus on the true mission." 

Pierce seemed satisfied with her answer. He patter her on the shoulder. "I have faith in you, Victoria. I always have." 

She nodded, then bowed her head. "Hail Hydra."

Waiting in the Triskellion's elevator as it blew through its hundred floors gave Victoria time to think. Captain America was a symbol of the old America, one that threatened Hydra. Victoria could kill him if it came down to it. She had killed thoughtlessly before, this would be no different. In fact, it would be historical. She would be a beacon of peace. 

The elevator slowed at the twentieth floor. Rumlow and some of his special ops stepped in. He smirked down at Victoria. "Heard you got babysitting duty." 

"Good to see you too, Rumlow." Victoria rolled her eyes. 

He chuckled, leaning against the elevator wall. "Don't give me that. I know how much you hate undercover work." 

"Not when I'm watching Captain America," She shrugged casually. "This is the job that makes names for people, Rumlow."

The other ops around her chuckled quietly. Rumlow just continued to smirk, rolling his eyes. "I think your heads getting a little too big for those shoulders of yours." 

The elevator stopped at atrium level. "Screw you." Victoria flipped her middle finger as she exited. 

  SHE MOVED INTO THE apartment down the hall from where Captain Rogers would be two weeks in advance. To be undercover, she first needed to establish her cover. She got to know the neighbours around her; Ms. Kent lived alone with her two cats and smelled strongly of moth balls, Diana lived with her boyfriend Alex and had sex every night, Mr. Raymond and his daughter, Elizabeth, were quiet and kept to themselves. 

She brought them all cookies two days after she moved in with handwritten notes, as instructed by Fury. In the halls, she placed hidden security cameras, as instructed by the Secretary. 

When the Captain moved in, the apartment complex was buzzing with excitement. Whispers of Captain America potentially living there echoed through every hall. 

Victoria had seen footage of Captain Rogers when he first was pulled from the ice. It was old WW2 footage, grainy and hard to see any detail. She didn't truly see him again until the Battle of New York. Fury had called her back from a special ops mission when Loki took the Tessaract. She didn't arrive on the Helicarrier until the Chitauri invaded. 

She never directly interacted with any of the Avengers, but she could see the live feeds. That was when she first saw Captain America as a real man, not just a story her grandfather would tell. 

Victoria was a trained agent, but it was garring seeing the Captain in the flesh. She planned her every move down to the tiniest detail. When she exited her apartment, he was just coming up the stairs. She held a large laundry basket that blocked his way. She caught his gaze. His blue eyes were striking in person.

She acted bashful. "Sorry!" 

He shook his head, smiling in a way that would melt any woman's heart in seconds. It would take longer on Victoria, but it would work if she stayed too long. She was only human, after all. "Not at all. I'm the one in your way." 

"Small hallways," she giggled as he flattened his body against the opposite wall to allow her through. "Old buildings, huh?" 

"Yes...old," he chuckled softly. "I'm Steve. I live just down the hall if you ever need anything." 

"Thank you, Steve," Victoria bowed out before she would be expected to introduce herself in return. 

It would continue like that for weeks—brief, short meetings in the hall and awkward small talk. All the while, Victoria would wire updates to both Fury and the Secretary. And Steve was none the wiser. 

He did, eventually, ask her name, when Victoria was unable to avoid it. 

"Tori," She told him as she leaned against her apartment door. 

He nodded, pleased. "It's nice to finally put a name to the face."

Just by giving him a name, she had already gotten too close. Her job was to watch and interact as minimally as possible. But if the mission called for it, she tried to convince herself that it was okay. She needed to keep her cover, and constantly avoiding him would only make him suspicious.

Another week went by of quick 'hellos' and 'how's your days'. Victoria kept sending her updates. And Steve knew nothing. 

He was so oblivious, in fact, that he knocked on her door one afternoon. Victoria jumped the couch and hastily unholstered her gun. She peered through the peep hole and saw him. She put the gun away, hiding it under her shirt so he wound't see it. 

"Steve?" She opened the door. He stood before her, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Hi, Tori. Sorry to bother you," he said softly. "Could I borrow some sugar? I'm all out." 

Victoria stared at him for a moment. "You really need sugar? That's cliche, Steve." She chuckled lightly.

Steve chuckled, too. "I know. It's embarrassing but I'm baking cookies for an old friend and forgot to buy more sugar." 

Could he get any more perfect? It was almost sickening. America's golden boy was baking cookies. Of all the stories Victoria had heard, none of them were ever about how kind Steve Rogers was. She was slightly taken aback. 

"Uh...sure. I'll see if I can find some," she softly shut the door, stomach flipping. She felt like she was being torn in half. She had been trained for exactly this and had even been on similar missions. What makes Captain America so different? 

She rushed to her bare bones kitchen. There wasn't any sugar. Huffing, she headed back to the door. Steve was waiting patiently. "I'm sorry. I don't have any." 

Steve didn't seem at all disappointed. "Ah, I see. That's alright. I guess I'll just have to head back to the store. Sorry again for bothering you, Tori."

Victoria smiled slightly, but the pit in her stomach seemed to weigh her down. "You're not a bother, Steve. Come by any time." 

This seemed to excite Steve slightly. Victoria bit her tongue. She had spoken before thinking. "I might just take you up on that." 

Victoria shut her door, biting her tongue harder. The familiar taste of iron filled her mouth as she bled. She unclipped her gun and tossed it onto her couch as she sat down. Her body felt hot. Everything felt wrong. He had to be playing tricks on her. He knew, somehow, what she was really doing. Because how else could he affect her like this? 

As an Agent of SHEILD and Hydra, Victoria had over one hundred confirmed kills. She was a soldier, and she wasn't weak. 

She dug around in her pocket for her phone. It was an old model Blackberry, practically untraceable—perfect for undercover work. She dialled her dad's phone number by heart. 

"Veni, vidi, vici." He said as soon as he picked up.

"I came, I saw, I conquered," Victoria replied. It had been their code when answering the phone since she was twelve. "Dad." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's wrong? Have you been compromised?" 

She rolled her eyes slightly. "You know I would call Pierce before you if that were the case." 

Her dad scoffed playfully. "Clever girl. What's really wrong?"

"This was supposed to be easy—wiring information, keeping tabs." 

"And...it's not?" 

Victoria ran a hand through her greasy hair. "Steve Rogers is..."

"A fraud?" Her dad spat, as if it were a kneejerk reaction to hearing the name.

"No, Dad," She chuckled. "He's...kind. To me. And everyone else in the building." 

Her dad was quiet for a second. "You listen to me very carefully," His serious voice scared Victoria. He rarely ever put his foot down, always opting for soft-spoken words. He was never like this unless there was something big going on. "I have raised you better than this! You cannot let a nice smile get in the way of the mission. We are so close, honey. It's mere weeks until Project: Insight is ready. You can't screw up. You know what Pierce will do if you do."

Victoria's throat went dry. The sweat on her body turned cold and she began to shiver. "Yes. I do." 

The line went dead. Victoria was left with a dark, heavy cloud of dread hanging over her head. She remembered her excitement in the elevator with Rumlow, boasting that this job would make a name for her. She was right, in some capacity. Either, she would become a legend amongst Hydra, or a cautionary tale. 

AUTHORS NOTE

first chapter ahhh! I haven't written for marvel in ages and it feels so good. Victoria is kind of a new character for me, cause she is a double agent, but she believes in both shield and hydras overall mission. So shes constantly conflicted, even though ultimately she listens to her dads (hydra) words. she pretty much was groomed into hydra so that'll be hard for her to break. she isn't likable by any means and she flip flops a lot so it might be annoying at times.

besides that, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I have sooooo much planned for the future so please stick around!