A/N: Here is the long-awaited helicarrier chapter. I hope it lives up to expectations. ;)

Big thanks to: Dorisangel, Risen-Demons-and-Fallen-Angels, Croziff, Camelia. Becker. Temple., leahkc. 16, Gianti-Faith, Brazilwolf, superfaraway, SteffiParadox, ImmaTotalWeirdo, Geek By Nature, Futago no Akuma Shimai, sakurablossom142, OreoKitteh, X Valkyrie Prime X, BookLover4Ever Yay and LadyShinkukaze for following/favouriting. Means a lot guys, so thanks :)

Review Response(s):

Guest: Ah, well, Civil War is still a long ways off yet ;)

home3: Oh no... That grin worries me... XP

2000Aerobars: Yeah, exams suck. Luckily, the one I had today was relatively A-Okay, so I'm feeling good. Thanks!

Brazilwolf: Naww, I'm glad to hear it :) I like to think she's a bit like me, but that's kind of a lie. I wish I could be like her ;)

14 - Give Them Hell

I stood by the door, head down, trying to look vaguely like I belonged there. While the Captain was preparing to give his speech, I was instructed to keep guard and make sure no one interrupted.

After a few minutes of silence, Steve's voice echoed out over the entire facility.

"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days; some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was - it's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader."

A group of four men came running around the corner, all of them with weapons drawn. I pushed away from the wall and drew my swords, blocking their path.

"The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you."

The four men started firing, but I moved too quickly for them to hit me. I slashed one of the Agents in the throat.

"They almost have what they want: absolute control."

The second one to go down fell with a large gash along his chest.

"They shot Nick Fury, and it won't end there."

Agents three and four got simultaneous stab wounds to the heart.

"If you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them." Figuring that there would be no more people coming after Steve (by this point they'd probably be too busy listening to him to even consider coming up here to stop him), I entered the room from which he was broadcasting his message. "I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high. It always has been. But it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

Steve stepped away from the microphone and let out a long breath.

"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked with a grin.

"I want to say something," I said.

Steve's brows twitched. "What?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra alike know who I am, so by saying I'm on your side it might make a few Hydra Agents less willing to fight against us, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents more willing to fight with us. But in addition to that... the Winter Soldier might already be here. And if so, having him know I'm okay will make things easier for us all."

Steve sighed, then stepped back. "Be my guest."

I smirked, stepped up to the microphone, and then leaned down, pressing the button so I knew I could be heard. "Okay, listen up," I said, knowing what I wanted to say but not completely certain how to start. That seemed like a good starting point. "After that rather inspiring speech I know what I'm about to say will seem a little dull in comparison, but I still think it's something you should hear. Many of you will have heard of the Winter Soldier over the years. Many of you will have heard of Silverthorn. Well, I've come to inform you that we're not the ghost stories you've been led to believe. We're just as real as you are. Now, I don't know where the Winter Soldier is, but I do know where I am. I am Silverthorn, and I am fighting alongside Captain America. I've been in Hydra's hands ever since 1953, when I was just 16 years old, and believe me when I say I am more than ready for a little revenge." I paused, started to lean back, but then smirked and spoke again. "One last thing... Agent Shadow, if you're hearing this..." My smirk widened. "Give them hell."

I felt rather proud of myself when I turned off the microphone, and turned to see the others giving me curious looks. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Agent Shadow?"

I chuckled. "Who do you think, genius?"

"Did you seriously just tell the Winter Soldier to fight against Hydra?" Sam asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Damn right, I did." I folded my arms over my chest. "The Winter Soldier and I have been prisoners for a very long time, Sam. Hydra may think they control us but the only people we had were each other. And believe me, there's no one we'd fight for more. So, if the Winter Soldier was in hearing range, like I think he was... Well, I dare say we'll have just picked up another ally." I grinned. "And on that note, I think we'd better get started." I then marched out of the room, Sam and Steve following behind me.

We were just getting out into the open when the ground shuddered slightly.

"They're initiating launch," Hill reported into our earpieces.

"Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam asked, turning on his backpack-type thing that contained his wings.

"If they're shooting at you, they're bad," Steve said, breaking into a run just as Sam laughed and took off. I sprinted in a different direction, towards the helicarrier rising from the next hanger. I pushed myself as fast as I could run, concerned that I wouldn't reach my carrier in time.

The sound of artillery didn't even make me pause. It wasn't long before I heard Sam yelp, then say, "Hey, Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about."

"You okay?" Steve asked as I met my first opponent. While I was sure Steve would be mostly using his shield to knock them out, I aimed to kill. Hydra gave no mercy, so they deserved no mercy in return.

"I'm not dead yet," Sam replied.

I chuckled, before kicking out my foot and sending an enemy off the roof of the building and into the compound far below. I then paused, stepped back slightly, then charged off the edge of the building. There was a moment when I was suspended in the air, before I landed heavily onto my assigned helicarrier. A quick glance revealed twelve hostiles, all of whom were aiming their guns at me.

I ducked behind a nearby pile of (what I assumed to be) supplies for the crew. Bullets rained down around me, but they did not hit me. I pulled my pistol from the strap around my thigh, double checked the ammo clip was full, before darting out from behind my hiding space and sprinting towards the next one, firing as I went. Six bullets gone, five enemies neutralised. I dumped my pistol on the ground, picking up my throwing knives before throwing four at four of the men. All of them hit their targets.

"Three to go," I murmured to myself, before picking up my gun again and firing three more bullets. The final three agents went down.

"Falcon, status?" I heard Hill ask.

"Engaging."

I lunged onto the shoulders of an unsuspecting opponent, twisting my hips sharply to the right and snapping his neck. I glanced up. "You okay, Falcon?" I asked. "Seeing lots of gunfire from over here."

"Been better, but at least I'm still flying!"

Ducking under a crude swing from a guy about the same size as me, I yanked out a knife and slashed upwards, cutting him from sternum to throat.

My earpiece buzzed with static, but I got no understandable words.

"How many of you guys are there?!" I cried in exasperation, spinning loosely in a circle and shedding the blood of three men at once. Thankfully, that seemed all for the moment.

As I was running across the length of the carrier, I heard Steve report, "Alpha locked."

"Falcon, where are you now?" Hill asked.

"I had to take a detour!" Sam replied, the sound of gunfire echoing in the background of his transmission. I looked above me at the Falcon's carrier and saw Sam was being chased by a quinjet. I took out my bow, selected an explosive arrow and took aim. Only a second passed before I fired. With the deck of my carrier empty for the moment, I was able to stop to watch as the arrow sailed through the air, before hitting the nose of the quinjet and exploding violently. The jet landed in a flaming heap halfway along the deck of my carrier. "What the hell just happened?!" Sam asked.

I chuckled. "You're welcome," I retorted, before I turned and saw a group of about twenty Hydra Agents were running towards me. I put away my bow and knife, choosing instead to draw my swords, which sparked to life in my hands.

"Bravo locked," Sam reported.

I waited only long enough for the Agents to be within range before I started hacking at them. I took two down in the first stroke of each blade.

"Silverthorn, how long?"

"It's a bit difficult to tell right now!" I cried, swinging my sword and cleanly decapitating the man charging towards me. "Charlie seems a little bit more busy than the other two were."

"How long?"

I cursed, letting myself roll on the ground in order to avoid getting hit. "Ten minutes!" I shouted.

"We don't have that long."

"Well then give me a time limit and I'll work with it!" I shouted in frustration, swinging both blades at once and impaling two soldiers on one while slicing the neck of another with the second blade.

"You've got seven minutes."

"Maybe next time you could just start with that," I growled, finishing of the last of the soldiers by implanting my blades into skulls and chests and stomachs. I stopped, breathing quite heavily, ignoring the blood that splattered my clothes and skin and swords. On the ground below me, a suddenly flash of orange drew my attention, and my eyes widened as I saw the Winter Soldier walking purposefully across the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility roof, grenade launcher in hand. "Hill, I've got eyes on the Winter Soldier," I said, staring down.

"Can you stop him?"

I winced. "Yes, but that would mean getting off this carrier. Not only is it a long drop down, it would also mean I'd have to give up on Charlie."

"I can take over from you," Steve said.

"And I can get you back on the ground," Falcon added as he swooped down to land beside me on the deck.

"It's your call, Hill."

For a second there was silence, then, "Falcon, get Silverthorn off and Steve onto that carrier. Silverthorn, keep him distracted."

"Yes, ma'am," Sam and I said together, before he picked me up by the hand and flew towards the group, where the Winter Soldier was currently in combat with a standard S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. Needless to say, said Agent didn't last long.

I raced towards the Winter Soldier as soon as my feet touched the ground, not bothering to see if Sam was able to get Steve safely on the helicarrier. I threw myself at the Soldier, wrapping my legs securely around his waist and throwing him off balance, simultaneously breaking his attention away from another S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. He grabbed my leg, forcefully tearing me off of him, before throwing me away as if I weighed no more than a feather. To him, I probably didn't.

I jumped to my feet immediately, and saw the Soldier was staring at me with a conflicted expression, his hands balled into tight fists. "Shadow?" I said hesitantly, and his gaze darkened.

"Why did you leave?" he growled in Russian, and for a moment I was taken aback by the hostility in his tone.

I then caught myself, and schooled my expression into one of emotionlessness. "Because Hydra needs to be taken down in order for us to gain our freedom." I frowned. "Why are you even questioning this?"

"They..." He growled, stalking towards me and pressing my back against the body of a quinjet. "They told me you left me to rot in their hands," he hissed, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring.

I raised an eyebrow. "And you believed them?"

"I don't know!" he cried, slamming his fist into the jet. I didn't flinch. I didn't so much as twitch. "Maybe if you had been there, there would be no doubt, but you left me."

Both of us ducked as the quinjet beside us suddenly burst into flames in a violent explosion. I rolled away to avoid getting hit, and by the time I managed to catch sight of the Winter Soldier again, he was climbing into a quinjet, his face blank. I ignored the hurt clawing at my insides as I raced towards the jet, launching myself onto the roof just before it took off.

As soon as the jet landed on the deck of Charlie, I jumped off the roof, only to leap back behind the jet as I was shot at from below. I aimed an ordinary arrow at my attacker, before I raced towards Sam and the Soldier, Steve being nowhere in sight. I caught up with them just as Sam was kicked off the edge of the helicarrier, his suit only bearing one wing.

I rammed my elbow back into the Soldier's face, causing his head to snap back. He glared at me.

"Stop fighting me, Shadow!" I shouted, dodging his own hits. "You know me better than that!"

"Do I?" he sneered, swiping my feet from underneath me and then pinning me to the floor, his knee pressing into my chest. "Do I really know the true you? How do I know you haven't been lying to me the whole time?"

I wanted to cry at the desperation and pleading in his eyes. He wanted to believe me, but somehow Hydra had shaken his confidence in our relationship. And I had no idea what to do to fix it. I rested my hand on his cheek, blinking back tears when he flinched at the touch. "What reason would I have to lie? I have been through everything you have, but before now when have I ever left your side willingly without your knowledge?" The weight on my ribcage lessened. "Remember who we are, Shadow," I murmured. "We are partners. Always have been. Always will be. I'd never leave you willingly. Ever. And if for some reason you and I get separated, I promise I will always fight to return to your side. You're all I have in this world that matters."

The Soldier blinked, his own eyes glistening, before he drew away, yanking me to my feet as he did so. Despite all the explosions and fighting going on around us, he pulled me to his chest, arms wrapping around me tightly. I clung to him, reassuring myself that it was okay, and I wouldn't have to fight him anymore.

"Charlie locked."

"Good, get out of there."

"Yes, ma'am."

I rubbed the Soldier's back, ignoring the noise in my ear. "We're good?" he asked me lowly.

I chuckled, pulling away. "We were never bad," I told him, winking, before moving my eyes towards S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ.

"Falcon, Rumlow's heading up to the council."

"I'm on it."

"Hill, what do you want us to do?" I asked, following the Soldier into a jet to get us back on the ground.

"Us? You got him on our side?"

"I got him back on my side. There's a big difference."

Hill was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking, then she said simply, "Take out as many of those bastards as you can."

I chuckled. "With pleasure," I said gleefully, just as the jet landed and I swung out of the cockpit, instantly drawing my bow. Even though he hadn't heard our instructions directly, the Winter Solider was able to put two and two together, and he also drew his gun. The two of us flashed each other matching grins before we started to take down any known Hydra Agents, one by one.

"Deploying the targeting system," Hill said, and in an instant the three helicarriers started firing at each other. The sight of the explosions caused the Hydra soldiers on the deck to throw down their weapons and put their hands in the air as the Winter Soldier and I neared. They even moved into a convenient little circle.

"We've got surrendering Agents on the roof," I said. "Kill them or no?"

"Leave them alive," Steve said. "They might be useful for information."

"Not even one?" I asked with a slightly whiny tone.

Steve's tone brokered no arguments. "Not even one."

I sighed, before putting my bow away on my back, though the Soldier kept his gun aimed at the men. "Alright you lot," I called in a clear voice over the sound of exploding helicarriers and firing guns. "If one of you shows any sign of making the wrong move we won't hesitate to put a bullet in your brain, understood?" They all nodded. I smiled. "Excellent."