(A/N): And we're back with our Friday update! This time, let's check on someone a little closer to the Hydra side of things, with Sinthea Schmidt, written as always by the talented Silmarilz1701!
Thank you as always to our writers who continue to be the best reviewers. We're so psyched that you're psyched!
Chapter Two - Fractured
The Capitol
Sinthea Schmidt, Formerly of District Six
Written by Silmarilz1701
"In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times." - Winston Churchill
Sin could feel the earth beneath her feet as she dashed onward, pulling a confused Kate behind her. She trusted Natasha would be able to handle herself, but with Kate in the state she was in, the little purple spitfire was more likely to walk into combat by herself than take the smart route. She dodged a bullet from a SHIELD operative to her right, ducking into a small overhang of a building with two columns. She pushed Kate roughly behind her and peeked out from behind the column, sending a bullet straight into the SHIELD agent's head.
Sinthea ducked back behind the column and dropped to a knee beside Kate. "Kate, look at me!"
"I have to kill him!" Kate's face was set in a dangerously angry frown.
Sinthea could hear a strange indecision in her voice. Personally, Sin had nothing against Logan Howlett. She'd never interacted with him in their Games, and her few moments with him in the Capitol had been tolerable. But he was the enemy, one of Fury's prize pets. So if she had the chance, she would kill him too, for the glory of Hydra.
No, Sin mused, for my own glory, my own advancement. Or perhaps for Viper. Nothing that will benefit my fath- the Red Skull.
A blast resounded nearby, and both girls covered their heads without even thinking. Sin seethed in anger, remembering how easy it had been to get to this position earlier thanks to Viper's intel. But there had been no extraction plan, and ever since their attack on Fury, the area had been swarming with SHIELD agents. As she poked her head around the corner, she caught sight of two more lackeys of SHIELD and took them out quickly, grabbing Kate's arm and hoisting her up.
"Come on, Kate," Sinthea muttered. "We have to go."
Kate gasped for breath, choking back a sob. "You can't tell Hydra!"
"About Kurt?" Sinthea paused to look at her for a second. "I won't. But we have to keep moving!" She raised her gun and took out another SHIELD agent as they rounded a corner. She had a vague idea of where Viper's hideout was, having seen maps of the Capitol in mission briefings. Sin hoped Natasha had picked up as much.
"Where's Nat?" Kate asked. "She'll tell Kilgrave, Sin. She has to make a report. She doesn't know. She'll—"
"She won't say anything," Sin grunted, dropping her hold on Kate to pick up two fallen pistols off a SHIELD agent and disregarding her own in favor of these with more bullets.
"But—"
"But nothing, Kate." Sin spun to face Kate and pushed her against a building wall to keep them in some cover. Distant explosions caused the ground to rumble, and a plume of smoke rose nearby. "I will protect you, Kate. I promise. We'll figure out what to do. Viper can help; we just have to figure out how to tell her what we want to tell her."
Kate nodded, muttering something that Sin couldn't catch as she led out ahead. They crept quietly along the building facades, stepping over shattered glass. Sinthea groaned inwardly at how loud their steps sounded on the shards. But there wasn't much else they could do; Sin could hear fighting a block over, so staying on this wall was imperative.
As they reached the edge of the block, the shrieks and shouts sounded much louder. Sinthea paused, breathing deeply, before turning to Kate. "Listen, you stay right behind me, understand?"
"I can fight," Kate protested, grabbing her bow off her back and notching an arrow.
"No. Your hands are shaking too much, Kate. You will stay behind me, understood?" Sin frowned. "I want to keep you safe. After all, you won't be much use to Hydra if you're dead."
Sin didn't wait for Kate to agree, stepping out into the cross street and rushing to the far building. Bullets sprayed not twenty feet from her, but whether they were SHIELD's or Hydra's, she couldn't tell. Bullets were bullets, and friendly fire was just as deadly as enemy fire. She raised her pistol and shot the first black-armored agent to come into view. The green guys, her guys, continued laying down suppression fire with automatics as she and Kate rushed across to them.
"Where's Lady Hydra?" Sin demanded of the Hydra commander on the field. She grabbed him and shook him as he hesitated for a moment, looking around at his men. "Tell me where she is. That's an order! Hail Hydra," she added after a second or two.
He nodded, snapping back into focus. He glanced at Sin and Kate before pointing off into the distance. "Lady Hydra will be in her usual location."
"How far?" Sin shouted over the din of the constant bullet streams.
He shrugged. "Thirty minutes by foot; some spots are heavy fire areas!"
"Is there a jet or a transport nearby?"
"Negative."
She sighed and nodded, turning back to Kate, who had mentally drifted off again, so Sin grabbed her and shook her. "Kate. Kate!"
"Sin," she muttered. "It was him, it was Kurt. But Logan hurt him…"
Sinthea nodded and pulled her to a corner of the building in the direction they needed to go. "We all died, remember?"
"Yes. Right. And then Hydra brought us back. Compliance will…." She frowned and shook her head.
With a sharp intake of breath, Sinthea shook her head. Damn Kilgrave and Whitehall and all of the men at Hydra. Damn them all. I hope this war gets all of them killed.
Sin nodded to Kate. "Here's the plan. We're going to make it to Viper's and wait for Natasha. Once Nat gets there, we'll make another plan. And another, until we're all safely given new orders. Follow me."
Once again, Sinthea didn't wait for a confirmation from her friend before moving. A great rumble sounded nearby, but it didn't echoe like the bombs or grenades common in the firefights. Instead, it rumbled steadily on, without stopping and without variation. As they went through the city, hugging the walls, Sin finally saw it.
In the center of a one time traffic circle, a massive fountain had stood. But the fountain had broken, and the water shot out rapidly, filling the area a few inches deep. They picked their way carefully through the dirty water, listening to the grating melody of machine gun fire and grenade explosions, which sounded in their own twisted way like drum beats.
Suddenly Sinthea heard the slightest sound of metal hitting the water. She looked over and saw a spherical device in the shallows and nearly froze in terror. After a pause, she rammed into Kate and shoved her away, following quickly. But the grenade exploded beside them, and Sin lost her hearing except for a loud, constant ringing. Water and rocks sprayed up around them, soaking Sin. She shouted, but she couldn't even hear herself.
She tried to get the mess out of her eyes, choking on the smoke, dust, and water, but could barely make herself move because of the pain of being thrown. She looked over at Kate, who had somehow managed to scoot away and sit up but looked as disoriented as Sin felt.
Finally, the ringing began to subside. Still the noises were muffled, but Sin thought she could make out two distinct voices, one talking much more than the other. She rolled herself onto her back, confident that since she wasn't dead yet, whoever had tried to kill them now was either dead or gone.
Another redhead wearing black offered her a hand, and Sin smiled. She took it and hoisted herself up, staggering slightly before straightening up. Natasha said something, but Sin shook her head.
"I can't make out what you're saying," Sinthea told her, hoping it came out the way she intended. Since she saw Natasha nod, she assumed it had.
Natasha tended to Kate, whose forehead had a scrape, while Sinthea scrambled around for weapons. Her guns had been lost in the explosion. She found nothing, which worried her. But when at last her hearing returned to normal, she rounded on her allies and sighed.
"I'm weaponless."
Natasha turned around and tossed her a pistol. "I picked up a few on my way."
"So did I," Sin replied quickly. "Good thing you didn't get hit by a grenade."
"Where would you be then?" Natasha agreed with a smirk. Then she turned to Kate. "Are you ready?"
Kate nodded but didn't speak, adding to Sin's worry. But together, they led the way, Natasha taking up the lead and Sin guarding the rear. They made their way between overhangs and alleyways, keeping their heads down and eyes up. For a long while, no one stirred; only the small beat of their footsteps against concrete made any noise. But then they reached an area of heavy fire.
A crash sounded as a spray of pulverized concrete exploded into the air. Instantly, Natasha, Kate, and Sin dove into cover behind the Hydra operatives nearby. They kept their heads down. Sin looked around, trying to figure out where the enemy was.
"Left, twenty five feet," Natasha told her.
Sin turned to the men of Hydra. "Give us suppression fire on our mark."
"Grenade?" Natasha looked around for one.
Sin nodded, grabbing two of the explosives from a nearby agent. She looked closely at Natasha, and together, the girls counted down. At 'one,' Sin lobbed one of the grenades over in the direction Natasha had pointed. As soon as it went off, both Sinthea and Natasha rose with the sound of machine gun fire from their allies, running to the next point of cover. From there, they sent one more grenade flying and rushed the enemy line.
When the dust settled, Natasha and Sin went to retrieve Kate. She looked a little worse for wear, still with the same conflicted expression on her face. But they grabbed her and kept going. Viper's nest was nearby.
Sin took point, leading them out as they skirted the streets as best they could. At last, they recognized the marble steps of The Princess Bar. Sin noted that some of the windows had been blown out, but overall, the bar had escaped the majority of the fighting. Natasha guided Kate as Sinthea approached the double doors. She raised her gun and slowly opened them.
They slipped inside. Sin secretly relished in the calm that this safehouse offered. She smiled to herself and then turned to Kate. "I'm sure Viper will be here soon."
The click of heels against marble sounded behind them. Natasha and Kate, both facing the stairwell, instantly stiffened. Sin turned.
"Ah, girls, it is so very good to see you back here," Viper cooed. "You bring good news, I hope? Has our little problem been taken care of?"
Sinthea smiled. "Yes. Fury is dead."
"Then my plan went off without a hitch? Tell me he suffered at least a little bit. He deserved it."
Sin resisted the urge to glance sidelong at Kate. Looking right at Viper, she nodded. "Yes."
"I see." Viper tilted her head and sent her calculated gaze toward Kate. "Anything you'd like to share, my dear?"
Sin hesitated. "Our next assignment?"
"Now, now, darlings. Don't be in such a rush when we're having such a good time together. I still have a few questions for you. Mainly for our lovely little Hawkeye." Viper's eyes narrowed as she turned from Kate to Sin. "I believe you've left out some vital information that I had to hear from my guards. Something about a victor that I have an interest in. You should know him. You were all in the same year … Logan."
Kate immediately became rigid. "He did… He did something to..."
Viper's eyes narrowed to slits as she turned toward Kate. "You've made things a bit more difficult for me, Katherine." Without taking her gaze from Kate, she continued, "Tell me, Sinthea, were you going to tell me that your sister tried to kill Logan Howlett? Even after I'd asked you to be sure he wasn't harmed?"
"He's an enemy," Natasha pointed out, folding her arms across her chest defiantly. "And he got away. We didn't see the need to inform you."
Viper stalked closer and gently tipped Kate's chin up, tuning her head from one side to the other, examining her closely, like a sculptor looks at one of her creations.
"Zebediah Kilgrave was your handler?" Viper turned from Kate to Sin. "Was he not?"
Seething, Sinthea nodded. She watched as Viper composed herself, but clearly, she was as furious as Sinthea had been when she'd seen Kilgrave's methods. And yet Sin wasn't sure it was for a good cause with Viper.
"Katherine, you will not touch Logan again, is that understood?" Viper ordered Kate and then the others. "Logan is not a target. If you see him again, I fully expect you to capture him and bring him to me."
But Kate, still somewhat loopy, refused to acknowledge Viper's command. She glared. "I have to kill him."
Sin jumped in as Viper rounded on the girl. "We'll keep her from doing anything, Lady Hydra."
Viper watched them all carefully. "Perhaps … it would be better if our little Hawkeye spent some time with Kilgrave after I set him straight."
Sin nearly gasped but restrained herself. "I assure you, Lady Hydra. I can keep Kate in line. Trust me; that won't be necessary."
Viper turned her full focus to Sin, the corner of her mouth quirking upward. "Then you can carry the responsibility. I want him brought to me whole and as unharmed as possible."
"Of course." Sin nodded, but inside, she was seething. "We will not fail you."
"I should hope not," Viper said. "I'm not nearly as tolerant as your father when it comes to failure."
Sin did not respond right away, taking a moment to calm herself. She forced a smile. "Of course, not, madame."
Viper watched them still for a moment as she slid toward what amounted to a throne. "I'll be watching for any further missteps, I'm not so foolish as to believe you'll have another shot at Logan any time soon. He was one of Fury's favorites, after all," Viper said. "I'm sure he'll be well protected. If you happen to come across him … while you're going down my list …" She waved a hand at one of her guards, who quickly stepped forward with a file folder to hand to Sin. "These are some of the names of those we know managed to slip out of the attack. They are enemies of Hydra. Enemies of myself personally. Simply put, they need to die. Just remember that Logan belongs to me."
Sin took the folder and opened it to the front. Werner Von Strucker was the first name to pop out at her. She smirked ever so slightly before lifting her gaze toward Viper. "Any of these?"
Viper was watching her reaction with a sedate sort of expression on her face. "Any at all. Though … there's no need to rush off. I'm sure you're all tuckered out after all that excitement …"
Sin smiled graciously, glancing at the ever-observant Natasha. "We are trained to work even when 'tuckered out'. This is what we enjoy. I'm afraid we'd best get going."
Viper's eyes narrowed for only an instant as her gaze flicked toward Kate, then back to Sin. "Suit yourself. I'll expect reports on your progress."
Sin nodded but didn't respond. She took Kate's arm and guided her toward the door quickly. Natasha followed close behind after another split second of staring at Viper and her guards. Together, they went out into the war-torn street and ducked into an abandoned building a few blocks away to make their plans.
The echoing drum beats of war resounded around them constantly, to the point where it nearly became background noise. Sin gestured for Natasha to come over from where she stood watching the street from behind a broken wall.
"I don't trust her," Natasha instantly murmured. "Not even a bit."
Sin sighed and rubbed her temple before pushing her hair out of her face. Dirt and grime from sweat and the dust in the air had gotten all over her face and made her feel disgusting. Almost as disgusting as she felt after Viper's little talk in the Princess Bar. "She's just like all the rest." Sin frowned and looked out at the darkening sky, catching a glimpse of one or two stars behind the terrible smoke clouds. "Red Skull, Kilgrave, Viper. They're all going to try to tear us apart."
Natasha nodded. "So, what are we going to do?"
Sin glanced back at Kate, who was picking at the arrows in her quiver, examining them closely but staying quiet. Sin turned back to Natasha. "For now? I don't know."
"I do." Natasha glanced at Kate and then at the rubble heaps outside their makeshift safe house. "We stick together. We take out these marks, because they're bad news to us, not just Viper. And then, we reassess the situation."
Sin nodded. "Right. Werner Von Strucker is the first name that seemed interesting. We should figure out where he is."
"Is it in the file?" Natasha asked quickly, taking it from Sin's hands. She perused it carefully. "This should have enough to get us started."
But Sin turned her head toward Kate for a moment before looking back at her partner. "Kate isn't fit for this, and if she by chance does see Logan…"
"We'll have to make sure she doesn't."
"We can't stay even this close to Viper's for too long." Sin turned to Kate. "Come on, Kate; we have to keep moving."
"Are we heading to kill Logan?" She asked them hopefully, looking up with an eagerness that reminded Sin of how Kate had been before this whole incident.
Natasha shook her head. "No. We're moving to kill Strucker's kid."
Kate went to protest, but Sin didn't give her a chance, heading out into the former battleground again, prompting all of them to go silent. They snuck through streets, climbing around broken vehicles and burning rubble heaps. A stench permeated the air, one of death. Sin had smelled it once or twice, but this overpowering odor only came from the aftermath of war. Nevertheless, she put her head down and kept her gaze up.
They had work to do, not only to rid the world of more enemies — but to keep their new enemies from laying hands on her sister.