inveigh
• to speak or write about something with great hostility •

• • •

I took a cab home. Naturally I caught it away from Hydra Headquarters. If someone was suspicious of me then it was best to not lead them right to the base. What kind of agent would I be if I let that happen?

The Soldier had left almost immediately after the little fiasco with Pierce. He merely refilled his ammo and left. That was about five hours ago. It had been radio silence since then. Not a word. I didn't know if Fury was dead. I didn't know if the Soldier was dead. It was like I was being completely kept out of the loop and it was excruciatingly irritating. If there was one thing I hated, it was not being told things. Seeing as though I would also cop the blame if the Soldier managed to fail, being kept in the dark wasn't exactly on the list of things I appreciate.

I kept checking my phone for word from either Hydra or the Soldier. Alexander hadn't contacted me for details either, which was definitely odd. Usually he had to know what was going on all the damn time. Like a leech, or a plague. Something similarly awful and annoying anyway.

I switched the radio off in the car and shut the engine down. I stepped out of the drivers seat and all but slammed the door closed behind me. I made sure the door was locked before I began the short walk up the stairs to my apartment. The sounds on the stairwell echoed loudly on the walls and I surpassed a shudder. It was more than a little creepy.

As soon as I stepped into my apartment, I was out of my suit and having a shower. It felt good to let the hot water run over my skin and ease the strained muscles in my back, shoulders and arms. It also helped ease my mind from the stress of getting this job done. I daresay that if we didn't kill Fury, we'd be out before you can say "Hydra." And then Pierce would probably send men to 'dispose' of me so I couldn't leak information to anyone. I was known for having vendetta's after all.

I towelled myself off and put on my pyjamas. If I wasn't going out then there wasn't really much point in changing into anything else. I grabbed the TV remote and switched on the news. There really wasn't much that was extremely note-worthy. Just some stuff about celebrity couples and updates on the Avengers and whatnot. Nothing they don't talk about daily. But then a story came on that peaked my interest. I sat up straighter, chucking the remote to the seat beside me.

"For those of you unaware, this afternoon, a group of police officers in cars attacked a seemingly innocent van. The van had been passing through when the officers made their attack. Bullets flew, windows were broken. Thankfully, only one onlooker was hit. She is currently in the hospital about to undergo surgery," the brunette news reader said. I perked up, watching the Hydra men dressed as police attack Fury's van. I felt a swell of guilt rise up in me at the news of the woman shot.

"The attack didn't end there. The van managed to get away. The van barged through cars and traffic, causing three crashes, one death and one person fighting for their life. The police continued their assault, shooting through bus windows and weaving dangerously through traffic as onlookers scurried to safety."

More video played. You couldn't see the people in any of the cars, so that meant none of our men could be identified. That was good. Less work for Hydra. My heart sank at the mention of the dead person though. I may be a ruthless Hydra Agent, but that didn't mean I wanted any innocent people to die.

"The van continued down main streets until it was met by a masked figure with black hair and what appears to be a metal arm," the woman spoke over the video. I could see the Soldier as he stood in the middle of the road, launcher in hand. I quickly scanned the video for any signs of myself. Thankfully, there wasn't anything as of yet. "He attacked the van and stepped out of the way just in time for it to slide past him... When the authorities got to the scene, there was nobody in the van, and the masked figure had disappeared. However, we have managed to get a reasonably detailed image of the woman many believe to be his accomplice. Her identity is not known as of this point but authorities are doing everything they can to bring them in."

Two photos made their way onto the screen. One was unmistakably the Soldier. He had a mask on that covered all of his features, so the image was hardly worth showing. No one would be able to pick him without his face displayed. And it wasn't like the Soldier was going to be out in public unless on a mission anyway. But the other photo was of myself. It was terribly drawn so the likelihood of someone recognising me from it were pretty slim. However, I decided that I wouldn't want to take the chance either way so if I went out, I'd wear sunglasses and a wig.

"Shit," I said. I was always so careful. Why didn't I wear my own mask? I hadn't even thought of it. What had been going through my head?

"Many questions are being asked about these two mysterious figures. Who are they? Why haven't we seen them before? What do they want? Authorities are asking anyone with information to step forward. With people like this on the streets, it makes living that much more dangerous. So, please, if you have any information, come forward."

I switched off the television and put my hands on my head. Why? Why was I so stupid? I breathed out deeply. There was nothing I could do about it now. No point punishing myself for something I can't change.

I got up and went to the kitchen. I poured myself a cold glass of water. But before I could take a sip from it, my phone rang. Great, who was it? Alexander, calling to scold me for my sloppy behaviour? I sighed and picked it up. It was Hydra headquarters. I answered immediately.

"Agent Miles speaking," I said calmly.

"Agent Miles, we've had word of the Winter Soldier," came the reply. I sucked in a deep breath.

"Yes, and?"

"It's done. Fury will be dead sometime in the next few hours," they responded quickly. I smiled. Finally, he was gone. Well, almost anyway. He wasn't dead yet but he would be. This thought filled me with an intense rush of satisfaction.

"Thank you. Does Mr Pierce know?" I asked, biting my lip.

"No, not yet. We assumed you would be the one to tell him."

"Right, okay, yes. Thank you," I said, clicking the button to end the call. Immediately I dialled Alexander's number. It rang for a while before the click came, telling me he was on the end of the line.

"Miles, what do you want? It's late," he sighed.

"Fury is going to die. Within the next few hours or so, he'll be gone. The Winter Soldier completed his mission," I informed him proudly. There was unmistakably a grin on my face. My vendetta was finally being settled.

"Good," he responded. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep," he said, hanging up without a response. I sighed again, bringing the phone away from my ear. He was dead. Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., was finally dead.

Updated on the 3rd of August, 2016.