Nina crouched down into the wet snow of the hillside poking her head up with just barely enough visibility to catch a glimpse of where they were going. Her unit was scouting out different areas around a military-like base in Russia that had the hairs on the back of her neck crawling. This place was not military. She knew that. Her unit knew that. They needed to scout, observe, and get the hell back to the base. As an acting VMS** in this situation, she didn't have that much time to contemplate anything as they were ready to move to the next point within moments. They'd mapped out the south side of the building, the last remaining point, and from here they would be going back. Her boots found slippery traction in the snow and she knew everyone was having a hard time this close to the base with staying silent. It also didn't help that they had to keep the guns so tightly packed against their snow gear. Someone slipped. Nina stopped cold as their hands scrambled for the gun to keep it from hitting the ground.
"No!" she hissed in a harsh whisper. Let the gun hit the ground! If he touched it…
BAM.
The shot rang out louder than Satan singing in church. Suddenly guards around the base just over the tiny hill were stopped and mobilizing.
"Get out of there!" Riley hissed from the mic in her ear. Riley was their VMO or spotter and sniper cover. She made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat as she pressed forward grabbing the idiot in front of her who'd accidently fired his weapon by the back of his jacket. She hauled him to his feet and shoved him forward hard enough to make him grunt.
"Move!" she snapped in his ear. "Or I'll put the bullet in your ass that they should be." She warned him.
"Move!" Riley hissed again sharply in her ear.
"Trying!" She shot back through the mic at her chest located next to the radio.
"Incoming." Riley said calmer. There were six distinctive shots fired spattering over the crest of the hill. Nina was grateful for Riley. He was always her cover. There were times when Riley and Nina took separate missions for an agency that referred to themselves as S.H.I.E.L.D. These people wanted small, dirty, and clean missions which was what Riley and Nina could pull off. They always had been able too, even since training. Nina was the driving force and Riley stayed behind to give cover and scope out the situation.
"Thanks." She breathed over the line to Riley. In turn the soldiers started firing at the cover that he'd provided and not the hill line where they were now trekking their way back through the woods for cover and to the camp.
Once they were far enough away and within about a mile to the base, Nina opened the communication line back up with Riley. She was marching the marine in front of her that had slipped like he was on death row because he'd given away their position. If Riley hadn't been there, which he wasn't always able to give cover, they'd have probably lost one to two men. As it was they already had to change camp positions tonight in case they sent out a tracking squad. To say the least, Nina was annoyed. She was even more annoyed that part of famed STRIKE team would be joining them for another scouting mission tomorrow. They were to be flown in and dropped sometime in the early hours of the morning, darkness as cover, and hike to join the base. She hated STRIKE or what was left of them anyway after the whole battle with project INSIGHT. There wasn't really a whole lot left to S.H.I.E.L.D. either, but they both knew the Director Nick Fury and that he would contact them as available when needed. The STRIKE team was a large muscled group of assholes that used their fists more than their brains and usually messed shit up. They were what caused most of their FUBAR situations that Nina and other Marines had to dig themselves back out of.
"Riley." She said in a low voice over the line.
"Still here Kitten." She rolled her eyes as they hiked. She hated his nickname.
"That wasn't a military base. Did you run some of the photos we got?" she waited for his response.
"Yes." He shuffled around like there were papers around him. He'd be back at the base sooner than they were because he was only a one person unit heading back. There were six of them.
"And?" she prompted.
"I'm not sure exactly how much of this is supposed to be on file and what we should know." He spoke lower as if trying to whisper.
"Why?" she asked agitated in a clipped tone. Riley and herself were used to stumbling upon information they shouldn't have when helping out with the S.H.I.E.L.D. missions. They were basically sworn to secrecy under penalty of things that were never mentioned, most likely death or a prison cell, or they just never spoke of it; not even to each other.
"Well," he started taking a long breath, "The symbol on the guy's uniforms refers to a group that used to go by HYDRA." Nina almost stopped walking. They'd heard that groups reference name before. S.H.I.E.L.D. had sworn it was a mistake and that the organization didn't exist. Apparently they did very much so exist. It was good that the others didn't know about this, just another thing they'd have to keep to themselves.
"I don't like that." She whispered. "Riley…" she said as they finally neared the base again.
"What…" he responded sighing knowing what was coming.
"I'm scoping that place again tonight when lights are out." She knew what his response would be.
"I'll head out with you…asshole." He added as an afterthought.
"Thanks." She smirked.
(Sometime about a month later…)
Steven Rogers and James Barnes had been slightly concerned when Director Fury had come to them with a mission for recovery of a missing Marine. They'd been even more confused when Tony Stark had walked into the briefing room. A young man stood across the expanse of the board room beside Nick looking itchy, sleep deprived, and unsteady. He had buzzed short brown hair and dark ridden circles under his unfocused brown eyes. He glanced at Fury as the other filed in. Bucky wasn't exactly sure what the kid was doing here but he looked just as uncomfortable.
"Now that all your asses are here, and Stark your fucking late." Fury snapped, "Let's get a move on this. Cap and Barnes, I involved you because I figured this was up your alley." He didn't address Stark.
"Why?" Rogers asked furrowing his brow to look at the young man in his uniform.
"This is Sniper Riley Jones." Nick nodded to him. "About a month ago, his partner and scouter Nina Hedges, became a hostage." Barnes nodded in understanding suddenly. Teams. The two soldiers, the missing and the sniper, bore a resemblance to the way he and Rogers had used to work.
"So what else is there to this?" Barnes asked slipping his metal arm into his pocket of his jeans.
"She was taken captive by a group of HYDRA agents working in a facility that we hadn't mapped yet." Fury finished. Steve saw Bucky tense but he didn't say anything else.
"She and I have worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. before on two man missions. We knew the symbol but not really anything about it. She wanted to get a better scope of the building and the people at the base…possibly get inside for some minor intel then straight back out." Riley spoke rubbing the back of his neck.
"I told her to get her ass back out of there when two guys crossed her back path to get back out. I couldn't get a bead on them. She wouldn't listen. She said there was something being hidden inside, there were too many to just be guarding a building. She was right…I just…I don't know." He sighed looking up at the ceiling.
"I should have gone in after her."
"It would have gotten you killed and her killed. By staying back you will be able to give us information about her and what happened that we wouldn't have otherwise." Steve spoke up immediately. Riley was not a super soldier, it was not the same situation, but Steve felt the same pang of guilt when he was around Bucky at times. He could have done something about his friend being taken…Riley couldn't.
"I guess." The kid looked away from them.
"When do we go get her?" Bucky asked. Steve saw the measure of anger just hidden in his eyes. He wanted to get there. He wanted to beat the shit out of any HYDRA agent.
"As soon as you want. The quinjet is waiting." Fury nodded to them both. "Gear is loaded to change."
"I'm going too." Riley said quickly. Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Let him." Steve said nodding. "Let him go. It's his partner." Relief flashed in Riley's eyes having a back-up from Captain America.
"Why am I here?" Stark suddenly spoke up annoyed. He yawned as if bored by the whole situation but it had actually been rather polite of him to wait for the engagement of conversation without interrupting.
"Oh…yeah…" Riley acted as if he were uncomfortable all over again glancing at Tony Stark.
"We have reason to believe the Nina's last name Hedges, is not really her birth name." Fury interrupted for the kid.
"She's going to hate me for this. She always wanted me to keep my mouth shut about it…but I knew I could get you guys to help find her…if I came forward with it." He said looking at the floor now.
"Riley here has shared information with us that Nina believed, and we've been able to uncover a few pieces of information that we don't have time to get into at the moment…"
"Nina might be your and Dr. Hansen's daughter." Riley interrupted Fury nervously. Tony lowered his chin and raised his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry…excuse me?"
"We'll contact Maury later. Right now, get on the jet." Fury snapped at Tony. "In case a "You are the Father" verdict is announced, I want you to be able to say that you helped rescue your kid Stark. I don't need you with any more of a guilt tripped conscious. It only makes your inventions worse and your brain useless to me." Fury put a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Let's go." Steve said heading for the door.
