"Alfa, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot, golf, hotel, india, juliet, kilo, lima, mike, november, oscar, papa, quebec, romeo, sierra, tango, uniform, victor, whiskey, x-ray, yankee, zulu. Secret agent code."
"Jay? You hear me?"
"Well, hello to you too, Dimarco." The brown replied sarcastically, letting me roll my eyes in annoyance.
I really wasn't in the mood.
I readjusted my cap and hood before casting a discreet glance over my shoulder in the hustle and bustle. I swallowed as I could still feel that itch along my veins to run.
"Someone follows me."
"What? What's happening ? Where are you?" Inquired the brown in panic.
I tried to act as relaxed as possible as I put my hands in the pockets of my bombers before discreetly readjust my wireless headphones."I'm at the corner of the Sanchez bakery." I said after a quick scan of the surroundings. "But they had to start spinning me for at least two blocks."
"You see anyone who can match the description?" He asked gravely as he immediately went into professional mode.
"Do you seriously think that the type of guy against who we are is the type to be spotted so easily?" I said in a biting tone. I was frustrated and annoyed. "Damn spy agency, Khallahan."
I took a sudden step to the right at the sight of a new intersection before sneaking in between passersby. I tried to keep my head down in the hope of sowing them before checking my jaw in irritation at this lingering feeling. I was so distracted I barely registered the rain soaking in my clothes.
No matter who was on my heels, they were fast and experienced. They knew how to stay in the shadows in order to be invisible. I swallowed in the hope of erasing nervousness down my throat. My blood was pulsating at full speed along my veins under the effect of adrenaline.
I suddenly accelerated my pace at the sight of familiar surroundings. I could feel my heart speeding up in my chest as the feeling of creeping under my veins suddenly seemed to intensify.
They were getting closer.
"Do you see a place where you could take refuge?" Jay suggested in concern.
I scanned the area briefly before wrinkling my lips in frustration as I avoided another passerby who was going to bump in my shoulder."I'm stuck between passersby. They're not really the most accommodating on rainy days."
I struggled to keep my cool as I took my hand out of my pocket to test the waistband of my jeans to calm me down. The slight hump of the butt of my gun slightly soothed my frantic mind. After discovering the target on Fury, I made a special point of wearing it wherever I went. I released an inaudible breath as I readjusted the bottom of my jacket on my jeans to hide it before stretching me again to the sensation of being observed. I now understood the paranoia running in the veins of my victims now.
However, I strove to act as neutral as possible. It was exactly what they were looking for. If I continued my calm and measured pace, I was more likely to be able to go home.
Unfortunately, it seems like this was the last of my worries as I suddenly felt a new presence right behind me. I didn't even have time to do anything that one hand grabbed my arm while another landed in my lower back to force me to keep going.
"Don't stop. You're followed." An unknown female voice comes up against the shell of my ear.
"Yeah. By you!" I lashed coldly.
I tended to the feeling of the woman's hand tightening a little on my arm before swallowing at the Jay's voice in my ear. "What-what is this?"
"Hang up." The voice promptly ordered. "I'm not the one following you."
I felt my heart leap into uncertainty as I immediately frowned at the confusion.
If it was not this person then who? Better still, who was she?
My mind had initially suspected Natasha but I knew enough the voice of the redhead to make the difference now. No, this one was more serious.
"Do you seriously think that I will believe you?" I muttered in disbelief and impatience. "I don't even know who you are."
"I work for Fury." She whispered against my ear making me stretch out more."It seems to me you've been trying to contact him lately."
I narrowed my lips as I took another look at the hand holding me simply to see long, thin fingers holding me in place. "Is it really necessary?"
"Dee? Dee, what's going on? Answer me !"
Deciding to bet everything for everything, I reached for my wireless headset before turning off the call. The woman's grip seemed to loosen considerably from my arm, letting my eyes go ahead as we continued to move between the passers-by.
"What do you want ?"
"Do you see the coffee in front of you?" She asked instead, letting me take a critical look at the distant sign."Go inside."
Just like that, the grip on my arm and my back disappeared, leaving me to glance over my shoulder in the hope of catching a glimpse of the woman.
However, I let out a small grunt as everyone behind me seemed to look alike. None of them shouted spy in my opinion. I shook my head in frustration as I rested my eyes on the coffee opposite before chewing the inside of my cheek as a sign of consideration.
However, I was not long in letting my curiosity win as I put my fists back in my pockets. The feeling of a vibration along the back pocket of my jeans forced me to pick up my phone just to roll my eyes at the sight of Khallahan's tenth texts.
He had not dragged.
I tapped a quick response in the hope of stopping his ceaseless spam before putting my phone back in my jeans pocket. I really could not handle Khallahan and a super spy whose identity was still unknown.
There was a very strong possibility that it was a trap. I was aware of it.
Nevertheless, I had decided to throw myself in the mouth of the wolf. Something told me that I had to trust my guts on this one. It was maybe a Russian roulette game but I was going to bet my chances on my guts. I stopped on the sidewalk to cross before crossing the road with a quick step. I glanced over my shoulder as I approached the little neighborhood cafe before pushing the door. A clang of bell announced my arrival while I removed my hood completely soaked.
I quickly scanned the coffee in search of the woman from earlier. The coffee itself was absolutely nothing special. There was a long counter where a senior couple had gathered while a family of four was in one of the benches near the window.
Only one person was on one of the benches closest to the entrance. I frowned immediately as I took in the visibly feminine silhouette.
The person was wearing a long black trench coat while her jet-black hair was loose on her back. The light curls worked down to her shoulders.
I weighed my decision for the last time in my head before taking a step towards the woman. I slid into the bench opposite hers before arching an eyebrow impetuously. "Who the hell are you?"
"Maria Hill. I'm the P.A of the director Fury." She answered immediately after placing her cup of coffee on the table. "And you're Danae Dimarco."
I simply did not know her knowledge about me as I took more in her appearance. She seemed a superior class in her professional fitted dress and neat nails. She was a pretty tall woman with exposed curves and an oval face that could easily be considered attractive. Her blue-gray eyes seemed to pierce my soul as she bent her head in observation. Obviously, she had absolutely nothing to envy to Romanoff. Whether in terms of physics or in terms of competence. With the exception that Natasha seemed much more teasing and nonchalant in the way she acted. Only for me, they were both in the same boat. They worked for a corrupt organization.
The waitress's approach interrupted me in my observation process. "Hi, sugar. What can I get for you?"
I did not even lift my eyes from Hill as I placed my order." A coffee. Black. Sugar free."
"I'll be right back." Announced the waitress, probably more in her fifties than in her twenties. Not that I really knew it since I was too focused on the woman in front of me.
I finally caught an eyebrow in impatience as Hill gave a smile to the waitress before turning back to me. "How did you go through our firewalls?"
"I don't do it. But the person who came into your software was deeply disappointed by the lack of challenge. You may want to consider hiring more competent staff." I explained with a touch of arrogance before leaning against the back of the bench with my arms crossed over my chest. "Fury liked The Sister of Mercy?"
The briefest of smiles curled the brunette's pale pink lips to memory. "I doubt he adds it to his playlist."
I relaxed a bit as the waitress returned to us with my cup of coffee. I gave her a short nod as a thank you before leaning over the table with my arms crossed. I took the steaming cup between my hands before suddenly shuddering with thermal shock.
I had been so distracted by the spinning and intervention of the Fury Minion that I did not even realize how cold I was. I raised the steaming cup to my lips to take a sip before resting it in front of me with my hands around in an attempt to warm myself up.
I narrowed my eyes in mistrust of the still somewhat doubtful woman. "What proves to me that you're the one you claim to be?"
"Fury warned me that you weren't really the confident kind." Maria Hill nodded before tugging on me again as she ran her hand under her trench coat.
She almost immediately took out a picture before handing it to me. I gave her a curious look as I took the picture of her long fingers worthy of a pianist before raising my eyebrows at the sight of the photo. It was a snapshot of Steve's cosplay group. They seemed to be in a kind of foreign restaurant. My gaze lingered on the blond beaten patriotic uniform before stopping on the face of the woman currently in front of me.
There was absolutely no proof that she was not a Hydra agent but given her knowledge and ability to share I assumed I could give her the benefit of the doubt. For the moment, at least. At the least shady sign, I was out of this damn coffee.
I gave her the picture before looking at her as she hid it in her coat again.
She raised an eyebrow at the sight of my expression. "You still don't believe me."
"Sorry if a little family photo is not enough to convince me." I replied with attitude.
Another small smile bowed her lips to my attitude before she resumed seriously."But I'm the one you have to interact with, Danae. Fury said that your message seemed important."
"Where's Fury right now?" I asked gravely at the thought of the reason for my message.
"He ... manages some slight setback." Mysteriously replied the woman in neutrality before giving me a new attentive look. "The Lemurian Star has been compromised."
This had the gift of practically erasing all my doubts about the woman in front of me. There was absolutely no chance that Fury would deliberately leave this kind of information out of Hydra's reach.
On the other hand, it had the gift of making me all the more nervous about the fate of the director of the organization. "It's bad. Very, very bad."
Maria raised an eyebrow at my statement, letting me shake my head as a silent message. I just could not say out loud what I knew. Now that I was certain of the woman's loyalty to me, it was certain that she was not following me. I took another sip of coffee to calm my nerves before looking at the street through the window. The rain seemed to have calmed down in a light drizzle, giving the inhabitants of Washington a moment of respite.
I could perfectly feel the woman's patient gaze on my profile letting me take a fresh breath before turning to her again. "What he's planning to do to manage this setback?"
Maria seemed to weigh the pros and cons in her head to share this type of information before taking another sip of her own coffee. I watched all the time in a deep bad feeling.
Somehow, I was already aware of Fury's solution.
A fact that Hill also seemed to share as she gave me a knowing look. "He will send our best asset."
I felt my breath get stuck in my throat despite me as I realized that what I had been dreading for weeks could very well happen much sooner than I thought. Being so near of the debacle with Hydra, Steve could very well learn what was going on behind his back. It also meant that he was going to discover my involvement and the secrets I had kept for myself all this time.
A new weight of guilt settled on my shoulders as I tried to pass the pill with a new dose of coffee.
Unfortunately, Steve was one of the least concerned at the moment. Fury's life was at stake.
"I think he should pull out of the game." I suddenly announced in a cryptic tone.
Hill frowned as quickly as she took in my slightly arched form before scanning my expression a little deeper.
"You have discovered something." Realized the woman after her analysis before accentuating her observation. "What do you know? "
"I know nothing more than what Fury lets me know. That's ... nothing." I lied in an attempt to convey the message to Hill as I put my bag on the table, patting the outside pocket. Her eyes traveled between my poker face and my hand in realization.
I took my bag to my side by discreetly opening the outside pocket to recover the USB in my fist before taking my cup of coffee with my free hand. I threw my head back to swallow the rest of liquid before resting my cup. I covered it with my hand before dropping the key inside the cup.
"I hope Fury can fix the problem." I replied with a double meaning as I did nothing. "Agent Hill."
I was already halfway to the exit when the high heels of the brunette rushing to me called me."Danae, wait." I raised an eyebrow in question before glancing at my mug still on the table. Hill hastened to discreetly show me the key now in her palm before giving me a nod."You should try the kitchens. I heard it gave on another street."
I raised my eyebrows with a small smirk before nodding as I turned back. I was quick to sneak behind the counter under the confused eyes of the waitress before entering the kitchen.
"What are you doing, it's a private kitchen. You have not seen the sign at the entrance. Employees only."
I did not know the cook's cries as I quickly scanned the kitchen for the door.
A new smile appeared on my lips at the sight of an iron door on my left. I gave the cook a salute on my way before pulling my hood over my head again as I made my way down the street.
