A/N
So we're getting serious in this chapter!
Have fun!
*Teddy Bear Hugs*
~The Teddy Bear
We're going rogue, rogue, rogue!
Rogues are we!
We are the harlots and the hussies
Rogues are we!
We are the swindlers and the cheats
Rogues are we!
We're rising up from the underground
Rogues are we!
We're taking over your streets!
~Rogues Are We, Team Starkid (Holy Musical B man!)
~one month later~
Laura walked through the glass doors of the Triskellion, and into Director Fury's office.
"Sir, I have the mission reports from the attack on the SHIELD vessel that was hijacked yesterday? It took me a while getting anything out of Nat, but I got most of the details from Cap." Laura passed the file over to Director Fury, and turned to leave. As she made her way to the door, it swung open, revealing the Captain walking forward, like on a warpath.
Things had been slightly awkward between her and Steve since London, and they hadn't spoken nearly as much as they used to. It annoyed Laura for the first few weeks, but when they got a formal letter of apology from the British government, things had been slightly lighter between them.
"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"
"I didn't lie; Agent Romanoff had a different mission from yours." Laura sighed; what had happened this time?
"That you just didn't feel obliged to share? Those hostages could've died, Nick." Laura felt very awkward now, she knew what the mission had involved, and it hadn't been something she had agreed with.
"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."
"Soldiers are supposed to trust each other, that's what makes it an army! Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns." Laura took a deep breath.
"Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye." Laura exhaled; there we go! "Look, I didn't want you doing something you weren't comfortable with; Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."
That alarmed Laura slightly… Everything?
"Look, I can't lead a mission if the people I'm leading have missions of their own."
"It's called compartmentalisation; nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all." Steve smirked, and Laura wondered if she should go now.
"Except you." Director Fury looked down for a moment, and then faced Steve.
"You're wrong; I do share. I'm nice like that. You can go, Agent Stark. I'm sorry you had to see that."
Laura didn't know how to respond to that; she stood still for a moment, and then turned away. "See you, sir." Director Fury raised his hand and waved, and Steve smiled at her before the doors swung shut. Laura walked down the corridor, and sighing when she saw what used to be Coulson's office; she still hadn't really gotten over his death, and seeing his office every few days made his death seem even more painful. She took the lift down to her room, where she changed into her operative uniform and headed down to the operations level, where she would be helping out for the rest of the day.
Several boring hours of watching everyone else having fun and secretly surfing the internet for news about the next series of Doctor Who later, the room was suddenly rife with activity; Agent Hand strutted in.
"Agents; I have been given the task of informing you that an incident happened today in DC. Director Fury was on his way to an unknown location when he was attacked. He made his way to the flat of Captain Rogers, where, after a while, he was attacked again by an unknown assailant. And so, it is my solemn duty to inform you that Director Fury is dead. Back to work."
For the next few hours, no-one did much; Laura sat with her head in her hands, wondering how on earth something like this could've happened, her friends all sat around her, half-heartedly typing away at mission reports. Laura looked around, and she knew everyone was thinking the same question: How?
*ONE DAY LATER*
A quick memorial service was given that morning, to anyone who wished to come. It was a quiet affair, with many SHIELD senior officers and veterans saying a few words, and sniffling in the front few rows. After the memorial, Laura headed to her room, where she changed into some civilian clothes, and signed off for the day. She really needed an evening off, so she had planned to pop to the shops for a new book… or three.
Walking into the bookshop, Laura thought she saw Natasha walking past; the woman's red hair looked incredibly similar to the Agents, but it couldn't be Nat; she was still at the Triskellion, probably with Steve.
Laura brought several books from the store, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian and a hardback copy of The Lost Hero. As Laura approached the escalator, Laura saw the woman that looked like Natasha again, with a man who looked like Steve. As they descended the escalator, Laura had just decided that is was them when they started to kiss… Laura shuddered… really? It's a public place, guys!
When the guy turned away, he briefly locked eyes with Laura; at first she tried to give him a look of 'really?', then her eyes widened… Steve? He reached the end of the escalator, and Natasha started to pull him away, but he stopped her and pointed towards Laura; Natasha's eyes widened, and Laura saw her whispering something in Steve's ear. Steve looked back at Laura, and they started to walk away; Laura ran down the rest of the steps, and rushed after them, weaving in and out of people, until she grabbed Steve's arm, he twisted her wrist, grabbed hold of her arm, and pushed her back into an alcove between two shops, one arm holding her wrist against the wall, and the other pressed against her neck, preventing her from escaping.
"What the hell, Steve? First of all, why did you kiss Nat? And second, what the actual hell? I haven't done anything!" Steve glared at her, but loosened his grip.
"Why are you here, coincidentally at the same time as a load of SHIELD agents who are trying to hunt us down?" at this Laura was shocked… why would anyone order that?
"Wait… what? No, I'm here to get books! I'm not after you!" Steve kept his grip on her, before Natasha put her hand on his shoulder.
"She's telling the truth, Cap; you know I know, with all the training I've had."
Steve sighed, and released her; Laura stumbled forwards, holding her neck and gasping for air.
"I'm sorry, Miss Stark; you can never be sure. Fury told me not to trust anyone."
Laura rubbed her wrist and glared up at him, but her expression changed to one of urgency as she looked towards an upper level.
"We need to move. They're still here."
Steve nodded and pulled her to stand in between him and Natasha; they briskly walked towards the exit, Laura constantly turning her head to check that they weren't being followed. They made their way to the entrance to the car park, where Steve made his way to a random car on the edge of the level.
"Nat, I need a hairpin."
Natasha looked confused, but pulled one out of her pocket and handed it to Steve.
"Steve, I'm pretty sure that trick only works on TV." Muttered Laura, her arms folded. Steve snorted, and inserted the pin into the lock.
"May I ask you a question, Agent Stark?" Laura raised her eyebrow.
"You just did, but feel free to ask me another." Natasha smirked at Laura.
"Since when was I TV?" he asked, as the car door swung open; Laura and Natasha's jaws dropped. They hopped into the car, and drove away, leaving some poor shopper without a way home.
As they passed the New Jersey state border, Natasha turned to Steve.
"When did Captain America learn to steal a car?" Steve smiled.
"Nazi Germany and we're borrowing, not stealing, so get your feet off the dashboard." Laura snorted, and Natasha turned around to glare at her in the backseat.
"Alright, I have a question, which you do not have to answer, although-" The rest of her sentence was lost in a mumble before Steve cut over her.
"What?" Laura leaned forwards, she had a feeling she should hear this.
"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"
"That bad huh?"
"I didn't say that!"
"Well it sounds like that's what you're saying!"
"No… I didn't… I was just wondering how much practise you'd had!"
"I don't need practice!"
"Everybody needs practice."
"It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm 95, I'm not dead!" There was a pause at that, and Laura was fighting back laughter.
"Nobody special then?"
Steve turned his head to look at Laura, then his face flushed and he quickly turned back to the road.
"Well it's kinda hard to find someone with shared life experience."
Laura knew Natasha's response to this before it even came out of her mouth,
"Well make something up!"
"What like you?"
Laura was loosing her focus; what had Steve meant when he looked at her? Did he- did he like her? Was Sherlock right?
"What do you want me to be?"
Laura was snapped back to reality.
"How about a friend?"
"Well there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rodgers."
Laura had had enough.
"So, where are we actually going?" she asked, leaning forwards so that her head was in-between their chairs.
"An old military base. It's where I got my training." Laura smiled.
"What, back in the good old days?" Steve turned to look at her.
"The good old days? Is that what they're calling it?"
"Steve, eyes on the road." Called Natasha, breaking their eye contact.
"Are you seriously 95? How old were you when you got frozen in ice?"
"I was in my twenties." Laura raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose being frozen for seventy years does wonders for your complexion." Steve laughed, and Laura heard Natasha sigh.
"There's a sign there for the base. Left."
"Rogers, Steven; born 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alionofna, born 1984. Stark, Laura, born 1992." Natasha looked confused at the digital face that had appeared on the screen.
"Must be some kind of recording"
"I am not a recording, Fraulien." They all jumped when the computer addressed Natasha. "I may not be the man I was when the captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am." The voice was German; and sounded slightly computerised.
"You know this thing?" Natasha asked, looking incredulously between Steve and the computer screen.
"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." At that comment, Laura started to get scared.
"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you; I have never been more alive! In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving; on two hundred thousand feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain."
"How did you get here?"
"I was invited."
Natasha looked down for a moment. "Operation paperclip… after world war two, SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic values."
"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own."
"Hydra died with the Red Skull."
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."
Laura clapped her hands to her mouth; no way was Hydra still around.
"Prove it." Said Steve, a tone of utter hatred in his voice.
"Accessing archive; Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom."
"Sounds like Loki." Laura muttered.
"What we did not realise was that if you try to take that freedom, they will resist." Images flashed on the screen of Steve in his Captain America suit, fighting off Nazi soldiers.
"The war taught us much; humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded, and I was recruited. The new Hydra grew; a beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years, Hydra has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed."
Natasha stared at the screen.
"That's impossible, SHIELD would've stopped you."
An image popped up that made tears spring to Laura's eyes. 'Howard and Maria Stark die in car accident' her grandparents, Tony's parents, killed by this organisation.
"Accidents will happen. Hydra created a reality so chaotic that it is ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, Hydra's new world order will arise. We won, Captain; your death amounts to the same as your life; a zero sum."
Steve lost his temper, and punched the screen, cracking the glass, and turning off the face tormenting him.
"As I was saying" The face reappeared on a different screen. Steve turned towards it.
"What's on this drive?"
"I wrote an algorithm." Natasha stepped forwards.
"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?"
"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it."
There was a crash, and Laura spun around, trying to see the origin of the noise.
"What the hell was that?" She asked frantically. The lift doors from which they entered were closing; Steve threw his shield, but it bounced off the doors, and back towards them. He caught it, and turned to Natasha, who was checking her sat phone.
"Guys, we got a bogey; short-range ballistic, thirty seconds tops."
Laura ran her hands through her hair and looked at Natasha. "Who fired it?"
Natasha looked back at her phone and her eyes widened.
"S.H.I.E.L.D."
The robotic voice broke through their panic.
"I'm afraid I have been stalling, Captain." Natasha reached for the flashdrive that was plugged into the computer. "Admit it, its better this way." Steve ran down the steps, followed by Laura and Natasha. He looked around, and Laura pointed at the vents below the room. Steve nodded, and pulled open one of the entrances.
"We are both of us… out of time."
They all jumped in, as an explosion ripped through the room. Steve covered them all with his shield, and Laura covered her ears, her whole life once again flashing before her eyes. Rock and metal toppled on top of them, burying them inside the vent.
