Naomi
"You've got to be kidding me," Naomi spat, reading the message on her phone. Steve Rogers. Wanted. Dead or alive. She shot off of her couch, throwing several pillows in a rage.
"What the hell did you do now, Rogers? Give me a break," she continued on to herself, kicking her coffee table. Ouch. Cursing loudly, she trudged to the door and grabbed her shoes, slipping them on. She was in sweats and a t-shirt, not exactly SHIELD attire, but she didn't care. Even when she was on 'vacation' she couldn't catch a break, it seemed. She slammed the front door as she left.
She never liked Pierce. And she especially didn't like him now as she stormed into his office, looking at his wrinkly old face, fuming.
"Care explaining to me what's going on?" she asked, trying to pull up her sweats as they threatened to drop over her hips.
"Ah, you're shocked too. We all are," Pierce said, his hands behind his back. He was looking out one of his back windows, a curious look on his face from what Naomi could see.
"What did he do? Why in the world would we suddenly be on a manhunt for Captain America? He's the purest thing I've ever met in my life."
"I can't relay too many details, but it has to do with Fury's death," he explained. Naomi's heart skipped a beat. She'd gotten the call late last night about Fury, and she still hadn't had time to process it. Hearing Pierce talk about it so lightly made her even more angry.
"Steve wouldn't kill anyone that didn't deserve it. And I'm sure Fury didn't deserve what he got. He was a pain in the ass sometimes, but not enough of one to drive Captain Prettyboy to kill him. This is ludicrous," she said, her words getting faster and faster as she spoke.
"We have the facts. We've issued the order. I understand that you're still on leave," he examined her, taking in her appearance, "but we'd like you to join the hunt if you're up for it."
"Eat my ass," she spat, then cringed at herself. Not one of your greatest insults, Naomi. "Steve is innocent, I can guarantee it. I'm going to prove it to you before you can get some junior agent out there after him. Got it?"
"Do what you must. But I've got to warn you, I don't think it would be in your best interest to go against me."
"Sounds like something a dictator would say," she commented, then waved him off. "Fire me if you want. I'm not hunting down Steve Rogers. No way."
"Suit yourself."
"Where's Annabelle Green?" She has to be out looking for Steve, Naomi thought. That girl was completely devoted.
"Agent Taylor, you expect me to keep track of everyone? Besides, she isn't even an agent, and therefor not my responsibility." He wouldn't turn to look at her, eyes still gazing outside. She breathed heavily out of her nose, trying not to lash out at him any more than she already had.
"Fine. I'll find her myself. I'd be a fantastic Director of SHIELD." She said the latter more to herself as she exited the office, more peeved than when she went in.
The Triskelion was a madhouse. People were bustling everywhere, on their phones, toting around suitcases or files, most likely all on the search for Steve. Naomi couldn't believe that everyone was just going along with it. They couldn't really think he was guilty, right? Was she the only one that realized what a cinnamon roll that guy was? She passed several people and stopped before the elevator, hitting the button. The sooner she could get out of here and get home to investigate, the better. Would Steve pick up if she called him? Did the forties show-boy even have a phone? The elevator doors didn't open. She pressed the button again, then again, then eventually banged her fist on the door.
"Of course," she said loudly, getting the attention of a few people passing by. She wasn't supposed to be using her legs a lot, but it was looking like she'd have to make the long journey down to the other side of the building to find another elevator, or even take the stairs. She went for stairs. There was something thrilling about doing everything her doctor told her not to. She pulled open the door to the stairwell and started down briskly, her legs already aching from the sudden exercise after so long. Still, it felt good to be up and around again, taking two steps at a time. She could only hope her legs wouldn't give out in the process.
A little way down she had to abruptly stop, a man laying on the floor of the stairwell. Naomi ducked down and took his pulse, concluding that he was unconscious.
"What happened to you, buddy?" she asked, checking his ID tag. Jonathan Weist. Level five. She tucked it back into place and stood up, glancing around the stairwell. Must have fallen down the stairs, she thought, carefully stepping over him. She didn't have time to drag him out into the hall.
"Sorry, dude, hopefully someone else will pick you up," she said, continuing on down the stairs alone. By the time she reached the bottom floor her legs were killing her, but she tried not to show any sign of it as she emerged out into the main hall. Just as on the previous floors, this one was bustling with people. She walked past a clean-up crew who was shoveling glass into bins, speaking to each other in hushed whispers. Looking up, she saw that the glass was from the roof, where a large hole had been busted open just above her. Her heart fluttered slightly. Had Steve done that? Had someone else, while chasing him? She picked up her pace, aching legs aside. There was an ambulance outside. This made her feel even sicker.
By the time she made it home she was a mess, her thoughts running wild. Where were her friends? What the hell was going on? She expected things to fall apart after Fury's death, but she didn't expect this. She quickly plopped herself onto her couch and slid her laptop over and onto her lap, starting it up and tapping along the keyboard, as if this would make it run faster. She wasn't a whiz at computers, but she knew enough to get her search going, checking social media and news reports to see if she could find anything. The only problem was that if she found something, SHIELD had probably found it first. She alone in her apartment couldn't compete with thousands of SHIELD agents searching for the same thing. After realizing this, she threw her laptop away from her in frustration.
"New plan," she told herself, pulling out her phone. She found Annabelle's number and pressed 'call' waiting eagerly as it rang. One ring. Two rings. Three. The voicemail came on. Naomi had to resist chucking her phone at the wall. She was out of ideas. Still, she wasn't going to give up. She'd call her little sister, her friends, family, get everyone she knew to look out for Steve, and Annabelle, if they could. She wasn't going to let anything bad happen. She couldn't.
It was nearing midnight, and Naomi hadn't stopped searching. She'd tried hacking into SHIELD, which even she knew was a ridiculous thing to do, but she was getting desperate. She'd skipped dinner. She didn't plan on going to bed. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep, even if she tried. Her legs still ached and she grew more and more agitated as the hours flew by. She'd called everyone she could. She'd done everything in her power. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't just wait.
A light knock on her door made her jump, her body tense. She took a moment to calm herself down and run a hand through her messy hair before standing and going to the door, holding her breath. When she pulled it open, a wave of relief rolled over her.
Annabelle was on the other side.
"Oh, thank God," Naomi said, pulling her friend by the arm inside. "Everyone has gone crazy. Everything is such a mess."
"I know," Annabelle said, patting her once on the shoulder.
"Please tell me you know where Steve is." Naomi's heart leaped with the idea of Annabelle knowing something, anything. Anything was good.
"I saw him, but I wasn't able to catch up with him. He got away from me. Now I have no idea where he is. Trust me, I've been searching all night," she said. Naomi's shoulders slumped.
"Me too. Well, as much as I can from here. I wouldn't be much help on foot," she admitted.
"Your legs are still giving you trouble?" her friend asked. She nodded very slightly.
"I did too much walking today. Should be back to normal in no time." She took a deep breath. "I've called everyone I know. I have them out looking for him. Hopefully they'll find him before SHIELD does. I hate to say that...but SHIELD is in the wrong this time. Or, rather, Pierce is. That guy is kind of a creep anyway."
"He's doing what he thinks is best," Annabelle said, meeting her eyes. Naomi decided not to make another comment. She didn't know her friend had such a high regard of Pierce. Or, knowing Annabelle, she was probably just trying to get on his good side. After all, he was basically the leader of SHIELD at this point. And Annabelle was so desperate to impress SHIELD.
"I'm going to keep at it. Cause SHIELD some problems, if I have to. I just want all of this crazy to blow over, and for Steve to be safe."
"But what if he's guilty?" Annabelle asked. Naomi could hardly believe the words had come out of her mouth.
"What do you mean? Of course he isn't. You know Steve. How could you say something like that?" she said, almost snapping. She didn't want to yell at her friend, especially not at a time like this, but she was being way too ridiculous.
"I'm just saying, there's a lot of evidence against him at this point," Annabelle continued.
"Steve Rogers. This is Steve Rogers we're talking about. The guy you've been infatuated with for months, years, however the hell long. How could you say that?" She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to collect herself, but quickly lost it as Annabelle put a hand on her shoulder. She knocked it off.
"Are you so desperate to please SHIELD that you're willing to throw the love of your life under the bus? Are you going to wait around for some agent to find him and take him in?" she spat.
"I'm going to be the one to find him," Annabelle said after a moment, a strange look in her eyes. "And I can't have you getting in the way of that."
"What, you think he'll go all googly-eyed on you if you save his ass? 'Oh, Annabelle, my savior, my love!' Call me crazy, Annie, but I don't think it's going to go down like that. We can work together on this. Okay?"
"I can't," she responded. Before Naomi could react, Annabelle had thrown a fist at her, knocking her hard on the mouth. Naomi stumbled, stunned, and looked down at her friend with wide eyes. Her lip stung. Not only had Annabelle just hit her in the face, hard, but she had added a little bit of that electricity to it. What the hell?
"Are you crazy?" she asked, but was met with another fist. This one she managed to avoid, barely, swooping to the side. Her legs complained at the sudden movement. Deciding not to ask any more questions, she quickly got some distance between herself and her friend, wiping the blood that had started pooling in the corner of her lips. Annabelle followed after her, silently, her eyes ablaze with blue light. Naomi recognized that. The only time she'd seen it before was when Annabelle was fighting the enemy. She channeled that blue energy to destroy those against her. But why was she doing this? Why now? Had she gone crazy? She dodged another swing of Annabelle's arm, her hair raising with the narrow miss. That meant Annabelle really was using her abilities seriously—it wasn't just a spark now. And she was using them against Naomi. Her friend. Her good friend. Annabelle, please tell me what's happening, Naomi thought, swooping out of the way again. The way Annabelle moved was so fluid, almost like she was dancing, and Naomi found it hard to keep dodging. Not to mention that Annabelle was fast.
Naomi swallowed some of her unease and ducked behind her, striking her hard in the back of the neck with two fingers. Annabelle's legs quivered and she lost her balance for a moment, enough time for Naomi to make it to her drawer and pull out a gun. She didn't really use guns, relying more on her martial arts and knowledge of pressure points to get the job done, but this was a different situation. Annabelle seemed like she was here to kill, and Naomi couldn't let that happen. She held the gun up in defense.
"I will shoot you, Annie, so cut it out," she spat, trying to keep her cool. Her legs threatened to collapse under her.
"Then do it. I'll bet you won't," she responded, running at her again. Instead of pulling the trigger, Naomi ducked out of the way.
"See?" Annabelle said again, keeping her distance for a moment.
"You're my friend. I thought we were friends. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I have to. This is what I'm supposed to do."
"What are you talking about?"
"This is my job, Naomi," she said, her tone exasperated. For a moment Naomi recognized something familiar in her friend's face, that frustrated annoyance that she got when she was complaining about something she had to do for work, or something she wasn't allowed to work on. "Don't you see? I can finally do my job. And you're getting in the way of Steve, so I have to put you down first. Okay? Please don't make this difficult. I don't have to kill you. I only need to make sure you stay down, and let me do my work," she continued.
"You sound like a crazy person," Naomi said, holding the gun up again. "What are you going to do once you find him?"
"I'm going to kill him. It'll be good for him. And I have to do it. I have to be there. I love him, and I have to be the one to end his life."
"What kind of messed up logic is that?"
"I don't need logic. Not anymore. Logic was tearing my life apart. All I need to do now is trust and obey. Obey Hydra." Naomi thought she saw Annabelle's lip quiver at the name, though her eyes were still cold, calculated, and...distant.
"Hydra?" Naomi backed up a few steps, until her back hit the wall. "Hydra was destroyed."
"No. I was raised Hydra. My family has been loyal for all of these years. And there are others like me. Others like my family. It's finally time to stop hiding."
"You're not Hydra, Annabelle, who told you that?"
"No one needed to tell me. This is what I am. This is my grand purpose. Why else do you think I'm here?"
"To be a good person and work with SHIELD and the Avengers, and to protect people, and to prove that you're the superhero I know you are."
Annabelle let out a harsh laugh.
"Superheroes don't exist, Naomi. I waited for years. Years. My father abused me, beat me, experimented on me. He made me feel like I was nothing. SHIELD knew who I was and what I did, and you can't tell me that they didn't know what he did to me. But no one came. No one saved me. I have to save myself now." Annabelle had never looked so angry. Naomi pressed herself closer against the wall.
"How is this saving yourself?" she asked.
"Because I'm giving up. Don't you see how stupid I was to assume that there was good out there that would come get me? There is no good, not that we can judge. That's why this has to work. I love Steve, I do. With every fiber of my being. But he doesn't know the pain I do. And I need to put him down so that he doesn't have to be in a world so cruel." She inhaled, deep and prolonged, almost as if she had completely run herself out of breath by talking. "After Hydra does what they need to do, everything will be okay. Those who are in the wrong will be erased. No one will hurt anyone again."
"This isn't you. This isn't right," Naomi said.
"You know nothing about me," she snapped, then ran at Naomi again. Out of space to move, she was forced to pull the trigger. The bullet collided with Annabelle's shoulder, sending her back a few feet. Naomi felt sick.
"Final warning," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Her legs quivered.
"I didn't want to have to kill you. This is your own fault," Annabelle countered, then started towards her as if the bullet hadn't even done anything. Naomi braced herself. Before Annabelle could get to her, however, the door swung open. A shower of bullets were released into the room, sending Annabelle to the ground in a pool of blood, her body falling just as gracefully as Annabelle herself always was. Naomi couldn't move, her body still, her legs unresponsive. She tried not to look down, even though she could already see Annabelle's hair sprawled out around her face, her eyes dim and out of focus.
"Agent Taylor, are you alright?" The voice was Maria Hill's. She let out a silent breath of relief, though her body stayed tense.
"Did you kill her?" she asked desperately, refusing to look at the rest of Annabelle's body on the ground. Her heart clenched. She turned her eyes away from her friend's face.
"She's a fast healer. She'll be up soon. I suggest you come with me before she has the chance. Don't worry, I'm one of the good guys," Maria said.
"How do I know that?"
"The same way I know you're good. You're on our side. Steve's side. Fury's side." Naomi could only nod. She tucked her gun into her sweatpants, pulling the elastic tight to make sure it stayed.
"Where are we going?" she asked, after a moment of collecting herself.
"You'll see when we get there." Maria left, and Naomi had no choice but to follow. She braved a last glance at Annabelle as she pulled the door shut on her way out, her friend's body sprawled out, full of holes, covered in blood. Being a part of SHIELD had always been rough, but she hadn't been prepared for this. Then again, nothing could have prepared her, she felt. It was going to be a long night.