A/N: Okay, so I reread it, and I was cringing through the whole thing. So this is the rewritten version of it, and hopefully the better one.
This will become a story and I'll be updating this when I have time.
This will also tie in with Ripper somewhat, so if you want to check it out, that'd be great….. (Shameless self-promotion)
Oh, and I know next to nothing about Prague. I just picked a random city and went though Google Maps. Sorry if I get stuff wrong!
December 27th, 2008
Agent Adelaide Hohlt cursed under her breath as she glanced back, her pursuers hot on her tail. "Damn. This was not supposed to happen."
Her black boots thudded on the roof as she ran. She vaulted over the railing surrounding the roof and leapt over the gap separating the two buildings, pulling into a roll as she landed on the opposite roof. Without pause, she jumped down onto the fire escape, and began running down the metal stairs, wincing with every step. A bullet had grazed her left thigh, going through the Kevlar, and it was not pleasant.
"This is Agent Hohlt requesting extraction. Lane's in Prague, and my cover's been blown," she said, listening for a response from the SHIELD-issued earpiece.
"Are you sure Lane's there? Our intel said he would be in London."
"Which is two hours away from Prague. No offense Agent Krasky, but your intel sucks. Lane is definitely in Prague. I know because he stuck three of his men on my trail, and I can't take them out without revealing myself."
Adelaide ran down an alleyway, using the darkness of the night to her advantage and leaping over stray trash bags and the occasional street cat, waiting for him to say something. "I thought you said your cover was blown, Agent Hohlt."
She rolled her eyes at his insistence to call her Agent Hohlt while on the comms. "It is blown. They know someone was there, they just don't know it was us."
"Copy that, Agent Hohlt. Extraction will be in front of the McDonald's near The State Opera in five minutes. Look for a red beanie. Good luck Agent."
The connection was cut, and she sighed. Survive for five minutes with three of the best people Lane had on her tail. Easier said than done.
But she was a SHIELD agent, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her. Adelaide made her way out of the alley and onto the busy streets of Prague. She didn't dare to look back; that would only attract the attention of the men chasing her.
So she kept her head down, dodging families and people who were probably hung-over despite it already being two days after Christmas, and thanking the fact she had plain, brown hair instead of the outrageous pink her sister once had. The familiar sign of the golden arches loomed into view, and she looked around for a flash of red.
"Excuse me? Do you know where the American embassy is? I'm an American, and some crazy dude robbed me of almost everything I had."
Adelaide turned around to face an old man in a red beanie and a bald eagle shirt. This could not be her extraction. He looked about 70, with frail hands and wrinkles all over.
"God, the sun is bright, isn't it? I like your hair, sweetheart," said the old man.
She froze. They wouldn't have. They wouldn't have dared. The history between the two was unpleasant, to say the least.
Agent Harry "Hal" Fauster.
Her old partner.
Adelaide shook her head, pushing everything she wanted to say to the back of her mind. That could wait. Her mission was to get out alive, and she could deal with him later.
She let him lead the way to a small, battered sedan and got into the passenger seat as he took the driver's side. They pulled away from the McDonald's and drove past the goons that had been chasing her, who were oblivious to the fact she had left and were still searching the crowd.
Hal's face and hands were now back to normal, much to her relief. She still remembered that dirty blonde hair and those hazel eyes.
But there was a tense silence hanging in the air. She absolutely refused to talk to him. Sure, she would work with him, but that didn't mean she had to talk to him.
30 minutes passed. Maybe less, maybe more. Adelaide didn't know and she didn't care.
"Okay, I've had enough of your silence. You can't just not talk to me," Hal said. Her head snapped around to face her extraction.
"That's a double negative, genius. And watch me." She clenched her jaw and turned back around, looking at the trees speeding past the window.
"C'mon, at least make some small talk. It's an hour drive to where we have to be. You telling me you're going to sit in silence for an hour?"
"Yes." Hal threw his hands in the air, evidently frustrated by her. Good. She could care less. He was already on her nerves.
"Are you trying to torture me?"
She finally snapped. "Do you know what torture is, Hal? It's watching your sister DIE IN YOUR ARMS! WATCHING HER BLEED OUT, AND KNOWING YOU CAN DO NOTHING. KNOWING THAT PERSON THAT YOU TRUSTED LET YOU DOWN, AND HE'S-" Her voice broke off, and she couldn't continue.
He just looked at her for a while. Looked at her not in the pitying way, but as if he was trying to defuse a ticking time bomb. Her.
"You think I didn't beat myself up after your sister's death? That I didn't blame myself and tell myself endlessly that if I had done it differently, then it wouldn't have happened? I still have nightmares about it!"
"SHE WAS MY SISTER!" Adelaide was back to shouting and Hal turned back to look at the road, to look at anything but her.
She felt her chest tighten and turned away from him. Adelaide bit her lip, her body trembling and her breaths hitching. It was a battle between her and her emotions, and she lost.
Like a dam, it was sudden. Her breath was short and shaky between the sobs, and it suddenly became hard to breathe. The tears were clumped on her eyelashes and plastered onto her face. She could hear the ugly sobs she was making, and hated every moment of it. It made her feel weak and out of control.
There was silence in the car, except for her. Adelaide knew Hal wanted to do something, but he just hovered there, unsure what to do. Slowly the tears dried up and she was able to breathe again, albeit shakily.
Adelaide was reaching back to get the first-aid kit when she noticed the truck behind them. Despite it being nighttime, the headlights were off and it was driving a bit too close to them, especially on this desolate road.
"Hal, there seems to be someone following us." He glanced into the rear-view mirror and swore.
"Push the button on the glove compartment." She did as he said, and blue lights flickered on the windshield.
The SHIELD logo was visible on the top left, and she turned around at him in disbelief. "You outfitted this piece of junk with the same technology as our cars?"
"Better safe than sorry," was his response. "Scan the car following us."
The screen automatically rearranged itself, showing everything from the schematics of the car to the year it was purchased.
"There are six life-forms on board," said the automated female voice. "The vehicle is equipped with machine guns. Would you like a profile of each passenger?"
"Show us just the basics. No need for detail here," she told the computer, hurriedly bandaging her leg. Hal was making a call to headquarters informing them of the situation.
"Each is a contracted killer, hired by an unknown source. There is reason to believe Lane Enterprises is behind this, however. The passengers and the driver all seem to be connected to Elias Lane and his company in some way. Do you want to engage defensive action?"
Hal cut in with a firm "No."
"What's the plan then?" asked Adelaide. The two of them could probably take down all six with their combined field experience. But charging in heads first wasn't always the greatest idea.
"Headquarters said- "
He was cut off by the voice of the computer. "Sir, the vehicle seems to be taking offensive action. The machine guns are deploying and they almost have a lock on this vehicle."
She looked at him, and he slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The car shot forward at an unbelievable speed, pushing her back into the car seat. The truck followed them, directly on their tail.
Multiple shots rang out, and they both ducked.
"Outer armor at 75%. Heavy artillery is being aimed at us. The vehicle- "
Her seat jerked forward and glass shattered. The car had spun off the road after being suddenly rammed by the truck.
Adelaide groaned and glanced over. Hal's head was bleeding, and a huge piece of glass was imbedded in his right leg. He was out cold. She was lucky, getting away with only a few scratches and bruises.
Wreckage was strewn across the road. The truck was sitting on the other side of the road, and she could hear the men opening the car doors.
Adelaide fingered the knives strapped to her side and made her decision. She grabbed her gun and clambered out, her back to the side of the car.
"Computer," she said, "can you deploy the outer shields?"
"Affirmative," replied the voice.
"Concentrate all power to the driver's side. Protect Agent Fauster. And if you have to, erase your memory. Make sure everything SHIELD is wiped." He was supposed to be her extraction, and he would be useless dead.
She lowered herself down to the ground, and looked under the car. Six pairs of black combat boots were approaching.
Taking a deep breath, she crept around to the trunk of the car, a gun in each hand.
Three. Two. One. Now.
Leg-shot. Chest-shot. Another leg-shot. She was aiming to injure, not kill. They needed information on Lane, and the men currently groaning in pain could provide it.
No longer shocked, the men still standing rushed her. They weren't carrying any guns. Their orders were to bring her in alive. Killing her wasn't Lane's style.
The big one barrelled at her and she ducked, kicking him at his legs and sweeping him off his feet.
The next one punched her in the face and she spun around, bringing her leg up. Her boots connected with his face.
He grabbed her legs and she hit the ground. She could taste the blood now. The man leaned down to punch her, and she rolled away to her left, leaping back up.
The third man kicked her in the chest, and she fell back. He was leaping forward when she pulled into a forward roll and turned around, shooting him in the foot.
The big one had got up again, as had the second one. One of them aimed a kick at her face and she ducked, pushing him into the other one.
Bang. One shot. Bang. Another one. Both were clutching at their shoulders, and the less bright of the two charged at her again with his fists.
Block. Punch to the face. Another block. Punch. Punch. Knee where it hurts. She grabbed his arm connected to the shoulder she had shot, and twisted it. He fell to the floor.
Arms grabbed her from behind, holding her tight, and she dropped the guns. She stomped on her assailant's right foot, bringing her right elbow to connect with his middle, and he momentarily let go. Taking advantage of this, she spun around and head-butted him. He stumbled back, and charged at her again, kneeing her several times in the gut before grabbing her and throwing her forward.
Adelaide handspringed, and landed on her feet, facing him, knife in hand. She slashed his face, and he grabbed her arm, flipping her. She landed, and stuck her knife right into his boot, then clocked him on the jaw.
Something heavy smashed into her head, and she felt a sharp pain in her leg. The last she saw was black.
A/N: Oh my god I hate action scenes. Like fight scenes, car scenes, all the action scenes. Hate them. That took so long to write and it's so short. Ugh.
Oh well.
Review? That would make me an incredibly happy fanfiction writer.