Kayla landed the jet in the outskirts of Lagos, putting it in stealth mode so nobody would stumble across it. Kayla prepared to stay in the jet, but Steve motioned for her to follow him, and she happily did. The group split up, Natasha and Wanda heading towards a little cafe in the city where they could get a close look around since they were in civilian clothes, Sam took off flying to the rooftops to scout from above, and Steve led Kayla to a run-down hotel where he quickly paid for a room on a high floor and led her up the stairs to it.
They set up camp there, Kayla sitting on the bed while Steve peaked out through the windows. Kayla pulled her long blonde hair up into a ponytail on top of her head, then began to braid it tightly while Steve observed. She listened through her comm as she worked, but all she could hear was Wanda ordering tea and the gentle clang of her stirring it when it arrived.
Steve could see the brunette from where he stood, but Kayla didn't want to intrude on her friend's moment. Kayla had tried to comfort the psychic as she got ready on the jet, placing a green baseball cap over her hair to make her more inconspicuous.
"You can do this Wanda. Steve and Nat will walk you through it. I have faith in you." Kayla rubbed the arms of Wanda's green jacket as the girl looked around nervously, the whites in her eyes bright against her normal dark makeup.
"What if I mess it up? I know how much catching this man means to you." Wanda answered weakly, straightening the cap on her head.
Kayla smiled as she shook her head, "We all mess up. If you mess this up, we'll forgive you and try again. Sometimes the best-learned lessons are from messing up."
"Easy for you to say, you aren't nearly as dangerous as me," Wanda growled, her thick accent making her words sound even more menacing.
Kayla just shrugged, then looked over to Natasha who was placing her light brown jacket over her white tank top. "Danger comes in many forms, Wanda. It just depends on what motivates you to become dangerous. Is it fear, revenge, duty, love? Everybody is dangerous with the right push."
After several minutes of silence and baited breath, Steve began asking Wanda questions. "Alright, what do you see?" He asked once he was sure the girl was settled down with her tea. Kayla made her way to the window, kneeling beneath Steve so she had a view of Wanda instead of the area Steve was focused on.
Wanda looked around, taking in her surroundings, but she appeared as a tourist not a spy. Kayla was proud of her for that. Wanda looked down as she placed down her tea and spoke quietly, "Standard beat cops. small station. Quiet street, it's a good target." She evaluated, but her gaze lingered a little too long on the cops and she quickly turned back to her tea for another drink, shrinking into her chair.
Steve continued to prod the girl gently, "There's an ATM around the corner which means..."
"Cameras." Wanda finished as she scratched under her nose, hiding the movement of her lips. After Steve told her both the cross streets were one way she added, "Compromised escape routes." She then let her gaze fall back toward the newspapers in front of her, both about Rumlow. He had robbed the police station, which was what alerted the Avengers to his whereabouts in Lagos, but his face was also on a different paper under the headline 'Weapons sold to Terrorists'.
"You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?" Steve asked, sparing a glance down at Kayla before his eyes darted back out the window.
"Yeah, the red one? It's cute." Wanda deadpanned, not understanding why the Captain felt the need to point it out.
"It's also bulletproof which means private security which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." Natasha hissed through the comm, taking a swig of her own drink as she gazed casually at Wanda.
Wanda was beginning to crack under the pressure of their scrutiny, "You guys know I can move things with my mind right?"
"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature," Natasha added snidely and Wanda glared at her over her shoulder as the assassin smiled back at her from her cup.
"Come on Wanda, you can do this. Stay cool." Kayla murmured quietly, cheering on the younger girl proudly. She looked from Wanda to Natasha, then at the cops laughing nearby the women, not a care in the world. She had tuned out Sam's banter with Nat until Steve pulled everyone's attention back to the mission.
"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him." He looked down at Kayla, his words for her. He was going to kill Rumlow for what he did to his girl, and stop him from doing any more harm in the process. Kayla lifted her head to meet his eyes, they were soft but determined. She knew her fiance would not fail. He would avenge her death, and take her home to a better world. One without that son of a bitch in it.
"If he sees us coming that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us." Sam muttered under his breath from the rooftop.
Steve moved from the window he was sharing with Kayla to the one on the other wall, hearing honking coming from the street. "What is it?" Kayla asked quietly, keeping her voice low and unbothersome. Steve's eyes were locked on a big red garbage truck making its way through the square.
"Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve ordered as he placed his hand to his ear, eyes focused on the truck as it crashed into several cars on the side of the road.
Sam sent out his drone Redwing to examine the garbage truck, and his response sent the team into combat mode. "Trucks loaded for maximum weight. Drivers armed."
"It's a battering ram," Natasha observed behind blue sunglasses, face calm as it was before.
"Go now!" Steve ordered, and when Wanda asked why he responded, "It's not hitting the police." With that Steve rushed out of the room, turning one last time to Kayla, a finger in the air, "You said you'd wait here!"
"I'm staying!" She yelped as she shooed Steve out the door, rushing back to her open window to see the chaos below. She saw Sam freefalling from the building, wings spreading just before he hit the ground. Natasha stood quickly, dropping a wad of bills onto the table before briskly making her way to her motorcycle parked outside the cafe. Wanda wasn't as smooth, rising quickly, fiddling with her money, and eventually leaving everything she'd been given on the table as she began to sprint after the garbage truck. "Easy kid, let the boys check it out first," Kayla assured Wanda as she saw Steve run out the back door and be picked up by Sam who swooped down just in time to grab him.
Kayla listened over the comms as machine guns went off, she could hear the sound of shattering glass and the bullets ricocheting off of Cap's shield. Finally, Steve gave his analysis of the situation, "Body armor, AR 15s, I make seven hostiles."
"I make five," Sam said calmly over the comm. At least they were taking out the hostiles easily.
Then Kayla heard Wanda's voice call for Sam, and he answered "Four."
"Damn it, Wanda," Kayla mumbled under her breath, pacing the room since she could no longer see what was happening. She didn't like knowing Wanda was there with Steve and Sam, she was still so young and green and Kayla didn't want the girl to get hurt. They were bonded somehow, by something greater than themselves, and Kayla had vowed to keep the girl safe. She pulled up her cell phone, tracking the direction the team had gone to an Infectious Disease Center. "Institute for Infectious Diseases?" Kayla asked incredulously over the comm as she shoved her phone in her suit and put on her mask. She darted towards the door until she heard Sam alert the team that Rumlow was on the third floor.
Kayla stopped in her tracks, knowing Steve would go after Rumlow, and knowing she had to get to them quickly to help because this was turning into more of a situation than they had planned. Kayla turned back towards the windows and took a deep breath before running full speed ahead, crashing through the glass and falling to the ground below. Before she reached the ground, Kayla managed to grab onto a flagpole outside the hotel and swing from the pole to the ground, softening the blow. She took off running in the direction the others had gone, clearly, Wanda had flown to get there as fast as she did. It was easy to find where the group had gone, as poisonous gas spun in a cloud of smoke, making its way higher and away from any civilians. Kayla smiled as she ran, knowing Wanda was going well.
Kayla picked up speed, hearing that Rumlow had a biological weapon. "I'm on it," Romanoff answered as Kayla skid to a stop, seeing Natasha slide off her bike through the gaping hole at the Institute for Infectious Diseases. Natasha easily took out her opponents, until one dressed in thicker gear than the rest arrived, grabbing her by the collar of her brown jacket.
Kayla hid behind a tank, watching the exchange, formulating a plan. She hadn't exactly been called in, but she was here now, and she was going to take out Rumlow if it was the last thing she did. She watched in terror as the man grabbed Natasha's hair and yanked it forcefully to the side. Kayla shrieked, fearing he had snapped her neck, and that momentary distraction was enough for Natasha to pull out her baton and cram it into the man's neck, but he simply responded, "I don't work like that no more." Then he threw her into the open hole of the tank and followed with a grenade.
"No!" Kayla shrieked, running into action, beginning to fight the man who had thrown Natasha in the tank. "I'll kill you for that." She growled as she threw a punch at the man, hitting him harder than he had expected because he stumbled back a step, then steadied himself to engage in combat with the blonde. She kicked at him ruthlessly, elbowing him, until he finally grabbed onto her arm and threw her easily towards the tank as the back blew out, spitting Nat out with it. "Natasha!" Kayla yelped as she ran over to her friend who sat sputtering from the smoke. "Nat are you alright?" Kayla yanked the assassin up roughly, knowing that had to move.
"You were supposed to stay in the hotel." Nat hissed as one of the mercenaries came at them, but Kayla swung her leg out and kicked him roughly, sending him flying back.
"You should know by now I'm terrible at following directions!" Kayla barked as she and the Black Widow fought side by side, rushing away towards the escaping hostiles. Natasha grabbed her bike and Kayla nodded, sending the assassin on her way as she turned back toward the building to find Steve and Wanda.
She saw Steve the moment the man in the tank did, and when he fired at her soldier, Kayla realized just who she'd been fighting. "Rumlow!" She hollered, sprinting towards the tank, but Rumlow only had one thing on his mind: Destroy Captain America.
He continued to fire the tank as Kayla continued to chase after him, finally gaining the upper hand and sneaking past the tank to take the lead since the man was preoccupied with his shooting. She swung around the side of the building and hid behind a giant metal box, trying to figure out how to get to Steve. Suddenly she heard breaking glass and realized the window above her had been blown out and Steve came flying out of it, landing harshly on an overhang on the building before smashing his face against the moving crate Kayla was hiding behind.
He landed on his back and Kayla crawled over to him, back facing the front of the crate to shield him from another attack. "Baby look at me!" She whimpered, stroking his face vigorously as he winced. He rolled over onto his arm, but fell onto his stomach, struggling to get his footing. Kayla held his shoulders as he pushed himself to his knees and called for Sam over the comm. "Sam! He's in an AFV heading North!"
Kayla helped him to his feet, he was hurting, as he should be after a fall like that, but Kayla knew he wasn't done fighting. Steve turned to Kayla, ready to defend his need to go after Rumlow, but Kayla didn't argue, she just kissed his jaw gently and nudged him away. "Go get him." He pushed her soldier, and she brushed off his shoulders before he started running in the direction of the truck.
As Kayla watched him go, she noticed one of the mercenaries preparing to mount a motorbike to escape. The blonde sprinted towards the man, and he revved the engine, threatening to run her over. "Okay, try it." She taunted and the masked man drove quickly at her, but she braced herself and grabbed the bike's handlebars, causing the back wheel to raise and throw the rider off. "Thank you!" She chirped as she mounted the bike and sped off after Steve, her blonde braid flying in the wind.
She found Steve sprinting over taxis into a crowded square after hearing Sam inform the team there were four of them splitting up. Widow said she'd take the two on the left, Falcon went for the two on the right, but Wanda was nowhere to be found. Kayla decided she needed to find the psychic and make sure she was safe. She ditched the bike and went to work looking around the market, trying to find her young friend. She pressed her fingers into the comm in her ear, whispering sharply, "Wanda, what's your twenty? Wanda?"
Suddenly an explosion came from the center of the square and people began to scatter. Kayla saw Cap's shield fall from the explosion and knew it was aimed at Steve. She doubled back to find the shield, grabbing it where it fell near some bystanders. "You can't take that! I found it, it's mine!" A man yelled as he grabbed at the other side of the shield.
"Yes, actually, I can," Kayla growled as she yanked the shield out of the man's hand and went running to where Steve was fighting Rumlow. She found Steve holding his own, but Rumlow keeping the upper hand, his armor strong against a shieldless Captain America. Rumlow uppercut Steve, sending him flying back into a magazine stand. Cap kept fighting, but eventually Crossbones had him shoved up against the side of a building, a large knife coming from his glove. As he thrust it toward Steve's face, Cap twisted and the knife his the building, but Steve ripped it off his hand and discarded it. Once again, Rumlow produced another long blade from his left hand, aiming it at Captain America.
Before he could attack again, Rumlow was his harshly in the back with Captain America's shield, falling down to his knees as the pain overtook him. Kayla circled the man, disgust and hatred on her face. Steve jogged to join her side, grabbing her arm, but she yanked it away, wanting to stare into her killer's eyes on her own. Rumlow removed the mask and stared at the woman, no recognition on his deformed face.
"Who the hell are you?" He spat, almost a laugh.
Kayla grit her teeth and pulled off her mask, revealing her face to the monster before her. Steve stood behind her, shielding her identity from the prying bystanders who had been watching the skirmish. He stared at his girl in disbelief, but he knew better than to interrupt her moment then. Kayla knelt down, meeting Rumlow's eyes as she sneered, "You know exactly who I am. I was Kayla Dawn Ellis, but you murdered her. Only now she's come back to repay you." She brandished a gun from her suit, and Steve's eyes became saucers. He never gave her a gun.
Rumlow looked at the blonde and released a laugh, then turned to the Captain who stood behind her. "She this feisty in bed?"
Steve's temper took over and he stepped easily around Kayla, grabbing Rumlow by the vest. "Who's your buyer?" He asked aggressively, needing to finish the mission before Kayla's need for revenge got in the way.
Rumlow just looked up at Steve, head lulling to the side, "You know he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." He sneered, staring into Steve's eyes as the soldier softened a little at the name.
He gripped Rumlow tighter, needing to know more. "What did you say?"
"Steve..." Kayla trailed, backing away slightly, her anger fading as she saw Steve's resolve hardening. Rumlow was stalling.
"He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it, till they put his brain back in a blender."
Steve's eyes were hardening, but he couldn't look away. Did Bucky remember him? He couldn't even hear Kayla begin to call him, the whole world was tuned out, only Rumlow and precious information he had.
"Cap!" Kayla cried, trying to snap him out of it, but nothing worked, she grabbed onto his shoulders, tugging strongly, but he was stronger than her, and he was a rock at that moment, unmoving until he knew what he needed. His face was full of sadness at Rumlow's words, not wanting to believe them, but somehow needing to know something, anything about Bucky. Did Bucky know him?
"He said to me, please tell Rogers 'when you gotta go, you gotta go'." Rumlow's eyes focused in on Steve's turning sinister in that moment. "And you're coming with me." He pressed a button in his hand, Steve looking down as he did, realizing his error, but it was too late. Kayla screamed and threw her face into Steve's back, preparing to die again.
But as the bomb went off, neither Steve nor Kayla died, as the flame became encompassed in an orb of power, being controlled by the young Maximoff. Kayla's eyes flew to Wanda and she scrambled to be beside her, crawling as she couldn't get her legs underneath her fast enough. Steve didn't move, watching Wanda carefully as she groaned, keeping the blast contained away from her Captain. Safely behind Wanda, she watched as the Scarlett Witch contained the blast, and tried to lift it up into the sky. But she forced the ball of fire too harshly, and lost control of it, accidentally slamming it into a nearby building, causing the upper floors to explode and the windows to shatter.
Steve looked up in horror, seeing the damage Scarlett Witch had done. Several floors were completely decimated. Everyone inside them most likely dead. Steve couldn't hide the shame on his face, because a member of his team had caused this disaster. He was in charge, and Wanda was his responsibility. "Oh my... Sam, we need fire and rescue, on the south side of the building. We gotta get up there." Steve stared, his mouth agape, before rushing into the burning building.
Wanda's hand came to her mouth as she gasped, seeing what she had done. Kayla managed to find her footing, falling into Wanda with an embrace, holding the girl's head in her hand as Wanda's legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees, Kayla going with her. "It's okay Wanda, it's okay. You did what you could. You saved Steve's life. You saved my life. You tried to do the right thing, that's all that matters." Kayla assured the girl, turning her face away from the carnage to look at the blonde, but Wanda kept looking away, silent sobs coming out her mouth as she heard the screams of people running toward the building.
She had killed people. One of the Avengers had killed innocent people. Accident or not, that was on her.
