DISCLAIMED
Hey all, thanks for the reviews so far and I hope you continue. I'm glad that you're enjoying it xxx
Chapter 19
Three years later, Chelsea, NYC 2015
Steve still couldn't believe he was in the 21st century, three years after he was out of the ice. It all seemed like just yesterday when he ran barefoot into the middle of Times Square.
It had been hard sometimes, of course it had. He'd had his ups and downs, the nightmares still happened and sometimes he forgot where he was. Luckily, it was a lot rarer now, but it still happened. He'd also stayed at SHIELD, where he felt accommodated by them. It was where he could help the world whenever he wasn't in superhero mode.
The Avengers too, they were all close. When Thor wasn't off world, they hung out a lot. They hung out in smaller groups as well, like when they had guy nights or SHIELD employee only time. It was nice to have a solid group like he had with the Howling Commandos. There were the vets too, led by Sam. No one would ever replace Bucky, but Sam was his best friend and brother now. He was glad to have someone with shared life experience, as Sam knew what losing someone was like.
Steve had lost a lot, but had also gained a lot with a new century.
The best thing was sleeping beside him, however.
Steve couldn't understand how he'd landed a woman like her. Part of him still thought of himself as the scrawny Brooklyn loser who couldn't get a date. A woman like Emily always seemed out of his league, but yet she was here beside him. He loved her more than anything and she was just the best person in his life. His heart still skipped a beat whenever he looked at her and he felt weak at the knees all the time.
Their sex life wasn't too bad either.
Steve just adored Emily. He knew she was the woman he was meant to be with, not Peggy. He'd always hold a torch for her, but Emily was his true love. Emily was just a ball of sunshine, beautiful, spirited and full of joy. He never stopped being wowed at her intelligence, her strength and her bravery. Steve always felt scared when Emily was on a dangerous mission, but knew she was capable enough. Holding her in his arms after a mission was always a comfort.
His bliss was ruined by the alarm ringing loudly.
Next to him, Emily rolled over and hit the button. She groaned and went to move out of bed, but Steve had other ideas, pulling her into his arms.
"I have a mission," she protested lightly, though not stopping him.
"You can wait ten minutes," Steve told her.
She squinted at the clock, "Ugh fine, because I love you."
Steve smirked as Emily settled against his chest, her hair tickling his skin. God he loved her. They lay in silence for longer than Steve had hoped for, his fingers tapping against her spine. Eventually, the inevitable happened and Emily knew she had to get up.
"You're making this too hard," she moaned as she shuffled out of his embrace and onto the bedroom floor.
"What if you were a little late?"
"Steve Rogers telling someone not to be punctual, shocking," she let out a fake gasp, "I am disgusted that Captain America would do something like that. Unfortunately this is an important mission in which I am actually classed as a senior agent, so I need to be there bright and early. Don't give me those sad eyes Rogers, I'm going to be back in the evening. I'm sure I'll have some energy then."
"Yeah, I know, flawless," Emily looked at her reflection, having seen Steve check her out in the mirror, "I'm going to have a shower then make some breakfast. Would you like me to bring you some?"
"Yes please."
Emily air kissed before heading into the shower. As soon as Emily was out of the room and the shower went on, Steve leaned over to open his top drawer. Taking out a box, he flipped open to the engagement ring sat in the folds.
He knew he wanted to marry Emily, he'd known it from the moment he realised he was in love with her. In Steve's day, you married fairly quickly, but things were different. After three years together, Steve knew it was time to pop the question. He still had his mother's engagement ring, something she'd gifted to him as she was dying (she was buried with her wedding ring). It wasn't fancy, not at all- the shine had gone out of the gold and the diamond was a tiny solitaire. Still, Emily wasn't the materialistic type so he hoped that she liked it.
Steve also wanted to work out the proposal before he did ask. It was important that it was private, just the two of them. He didn't want to propose in front of people and he was sure that Emily wouldn't want to be asked in front of a crowd. It was to be intimate and romantic, but not too mushy. To him, Emily deserved the world. The proposal was something that neither would ever forget and he wanted it to be for the right reasons.
He knew he'd been staring at it too long when he heard Emily leave the kitchen. He flipped it closed and stuffed it back in his drawer just before Emily entered with a tray. Shifting up in his seat, he smiled as Emily sat on the bed.
"You gonna go for a run this morning now you're up?" she asked, biting into some toast.
"Yeah, I think I might just."
"Well, be careful to conserve that energy."
"I hope you'll be the same. Can't have my girl getting too tired as she becomes a senior agent."
"I'm not becoming a senior agent, I'm just senior in this regard. That's all. You're the senior."
Steve chuckled as Emily laid her head against his shoulder.
"I have to go, I want to be early," Emily eventually stated. She tightened her ponytail and grabbed her bag.
"Good luck doll, I love you."
"I love you too," Emily leaned down to peck Steve on the lips, "See you tonight."
He smiled as Emily headed out of the door. Steve knew he was lucky and he could not wait to go down on one knee to ask for her hand. Soon enough, he told himself, soon enough he'll ask. Just as soon as he knew how he'd propose- oh, and asking for Tom Collins' blessing. Steve was super traditional in that respect and knew how much of a daddy's girl Emily was.
Sighing, he went to get dressed for a run.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE-
He'd been at SHIELD for a few hours when his phone bleeped.
STRIKE mission, change into kit and meet in the hangar for immediate exit
Clint was in China at the moment, so he'd be absent. At least Natasha would be there, he could tolerate it when she and Clint were there along with Rumlow and the rest of the idiots. Steve still couldn't stand Rumlow, mainly because he was arrogant and made comments about Emily.
At least Emily was open about her disdain for Rumlow and wasn't afraid to shut him down. Her last witty retort about Rumlow's stupid grin had Steve trying his hardest not to laugh in front of several of SHIELD's top brass. Even Fury hid a smile.
Steve quickly changed into his suit and shield before heading onto the plane. He smiled at Natasha, who sat down beside him. As soon as Steve was there, the pilots immediately set off. Whatever was happening, it was extremely important.
The bell rang to indicate that they could take off their seatbelts. As soon as they did, they gathered around the screen.
"Ok, a joint law enforcement ship called the North Dawn has been hijacked off the coast of Nova Scotia. It's one that we use alternately with the FBI, CIA and ICE amongst others. As you can probably guess, it's ours at the moment. Its payload is a set of new technology that is being sent to The Bunker. The tech's worth is several million and includes anti-virus software, new interfaces and virtual scanners. If the hijackers get their hands on it, we're talking a shit load of problems. The tech hasn't been loaded by SHIELD yet, but it could hold previous information that had not been wiped by the technology company. Our job is to take the hijackers out, get the SHIELD agents on board out safely and to ensure no tech has been tampered with."
"Who are the hijackers?" Natasha asked.
"A Quebec militant separatist group called Gratuit Q; they want to attack law enforcement agencies in order to get attention from the world. They're relatively low-key; several of their operations have been scuppered by Canadian intelligence and police. Many of them are related to players from the height of the FLQ days, so they pretty much despise Ottawa and the rest of Canadian politics. Somehow, they've found out the course of North Dawn and have managed to get on board. They shouldn't be too much of a problem- petty thugs with minor criminal records across the board. It shouldn't be an issue. This guy, however, is a completely different ballgame."
He tapped the screen and on it appeared a picture of a hard looking man with neck and face tattoos.
"This stunner here is Emile Sartre. He is wanted on dozens of counts of terror planning, attempted murder, financial crime and physical violence. This guy is like a wrestler, he is massive and incredibly strong. He's also fast and light on his feet, which means he's hard to fight. He's been in hospital many times as a result of gunshot wounds and he wears those marks like badges of honour. In short, this guy could give all of us a run for his money. I've been following him for the past ten years and if he wasn't a bad guy, I'd be impressed."
"Who's on the ship?"
"Senior students from the tech class from the communications part of the academy, mainly. There are about 25 of them. There are also three field agents on board as part of the supervision."
He tapped the screen again. As soon as it opened up, Steve felt his stomach drop.
Emily was one of them, her picture between Agent Sitwell and Agent Irving.
Natasha looked over at Steve, who had gone silent in shock.
"Cap, over to you for tactics."
"Oh right, hem hem," he snapped to attention, clearing his throat and going over to the front, "Alright, Agent Romanoff will kill the engines. Agent Rumlow and the rest of Strike will use heat signatures to work out where the hostages are. If you must use lethal force, then use it, however, it's best that they are alive or intel. I'll find Sartre and knock him down. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads.
"Great, we're nearly there. Get your parachutes ready."
Steve went over to get his parachute, Natasha following him over.
"Emily's going to be ok, you know."
"This is her first assignment as part of a senior team and she's a hostage. This'll kill her confidence; she's been so excited for this mission- she was super prepped this morning. Also, this guy is dangerous and I bet he's willing to kill. What if he decides to single her out? Some of these bad guys have a thing about women; he wouldn't be scared to single her out for whatever. Look, I'm trying to keep Sartre alive because of his intel, but I'm afraid that I will kill him if he's touched Emily."
"You're acting as though she's being tortured. Sitwell and Irving are there, guys like this single out the big brass- not that it's any better, but it's less likely Emily is involved. Just keep your cool, ok? You don't want to risk her life."
"Yeah, you're right. I just worry, ok? I'm always worried she'll not come back from a mission but I always know that SHIELD deaths are very rare. This one, however, is a hell of a lot riskier."
"Approaching landing point," Rumlow called out.
"That's us," Natasha followed Steve to the edge of the jet, "There's this new Eastern European restaurant near me that's opened up. Clint and I are planning to go, are you and Emily up for it?"
"If we all get out of this alive, then I will pay for it."
"I'll be hoping then," Natasha grinned, "Ok, let's go."
"Ladies first."
The redheaded spy jumped straight off, the men following after her. The Atlantic air was freezing, but Steve sped through it before landing perfectly on the deck of the ship.
"Engine's that way," Natasha nodded towards the other end of the ship, "After I've killed it, I'll take out the stragglers."
"Good plan, let me know if you see Sartre."
The redhead jumped over a railing, Steve watching as the STRIKE team zipped down the edge of the boat.
"I have heat signatures here."
"How many?"
"Over thirty, I can count all the hostages I believe. There are several guards on each corner of the room, they have machine guns. Permission to proceed?"
"Blow it to hell."
"Aye aye, Captain."
Steve rushed to the other side of the ship where the captain's cabin was. He avoided several shots from across the deck, firing back without even looking. Ducking behind some cargo, he used his binoculars to look up at the glass.
Sartre stood there, he could see him. He even larger in real life, taller than Steve and twice as wide. Steve, however, was confident of his own abilities.
"Cap, we have a problem."
Steve had heard the gunfire and detonation devices, but had assumed it was ok.
"What?"
"We've got everybody apart from Collins."
Oh crap
"Sitwell said Sartre took her. They were all brought into the same room and tied up, but he immediately came in and took her away. We think she's in the cabin."
"Ok, I'm heading there anyway. Agent Romanoff, please provide back up if possible."
"Roger that, I'll be there after I finish off the stragglers."
Up in that cabin, Sartre was looking out at the vast sea with his binoculars. Emily was behind him, her hands bound to a post. Next to her was a guy with one hell of a machine gun.
"I think we might be close to having your beloved Captain pay a visit."
Emily didn't know how, but Sartre knew exactly who she was- and a lot about SHIELD too. There must have been an info leak, most probably from the tech. She had never expected to be bait for her boyfriend, considering no one in the field knew of their relationship for that exact reason. Unfortunately, she found it was inevitable and here she was.
"Steve vous battra au sol si je ne le fais pas d'abord," she responded bitterly.
"Ah, are you fluent in this fair language?"
"Maybe you should have read my file better," Emily snapped.
"Well, it's always nice to hear someone speak the true language of my people," Sartre gripped hold of her hair, "Maybe that little boyfriend of yours can hear it as his derniers mots."
"You may be a steroid induced rage junkie or whatever, but Cap is a legend for a reason. I for one cannot wait to see you in a maximum security prison or dead. Maybe I'll send you a postcard in French, will that remind you of your people. I hear Quebec is a endroit plutôt fascinant, I'd love to visit one day. Have you got any places you'd recommend that I visit with my boyfriend?"
"You're very brave for someone who could die tonight."
"Touché."
They were locked in a staring contest before something shot through the window, breaking the glass.
Smoke filled the room, the three entrants all coughing hard against it. Steve felt bad for using it on Emily, but he had to do it to incapacitate the others- it wouldn't affect her too much. Through the fading smoke, bullets flew from inside the cabinet. Steve ducked down, raising his shield in order to use it as protection. Heading back upwards, he saw the guy with the machine gun in the middle. Not spotting anyone else, he fired shots and the guy immediately went down.
He was ready to jump into the cabin when a bullet just missed his head. Cursing to himself, he climbed down and began fighting off the stragglers.
"Romanoff, I need assistance on the bridge."
"Already here," he heard her say from behind him.
Natasha did all her amazing semi-gymnastics moves as Steve focused more on his fists, determined to peel through every one of those hijackers. Every so often, his eyes looked up to the cabin, but he couldn't see Emily.
"I got this," Natasha called out, "Find Emily."
Steve nodded, rushing straight to the cabin. He barged through the door, but paused when he saw that it was empty. Desperately rushing around the room, he nearly tripped over the body of the machine gun guy.
It was then that he saw a little bit of blood near the steering wheel.
He was only distracted by the sound of yelling coming from the side of the ship- it was Emily. Tightening his shield against his arm, he rushed straight back out and ran as fast as he could to where he thought it would be.
Up ahead, Sartre was striding up to where the other staff were evacuated, gripping Emily's arms. Steve's blood boiled.
"Sartre!" he roared.
"Ah, Captain, nice of you to join us," Sartre cocked his gun, pressing the muzzle right against Emily's soft temple, "I wouldn't try anything if I was you, you might hit your girl. I'm a fast man, Captain America, I can riddle your girl's body with bullets before you can blink."
"I think he's got a lot of places he could aim," Emily snarked.
Sartre kicked her for that comment.
"Whatever problem you have is with me, not her. Let her go and you can do what you want with me."
"Cliché, isn't it? No, I want to do this to your sarcastic little bitch of a girl. Come a little closer, Captain, I dare you. Shall I put a bullet straight in her head, or shall I put it somewhere that it won't kill her straight away? She can suffer a bit."
Steve really didn't know what to do. He looked over at Emily, who nodded at him, allowing him to raise his gun. In response, Sartre pushed his weapon further into Emily's head.
The Captain steadied the gun, looking for a clearing. Sartre angled his body so that any bullet that travelled through him would almost certainly go through his human shield.
He (Sartre) was so busy focusing on Steve that he thought nothing of Emily. The brunette slowly moved her hand back, moving her eyes to the side to see what she could grab. Sartre had a knife in his belt, quite a sharp one by the look of things.
That would do.
It was preferable that he be kept alive, Emily guessed, so that they could find out how he'd find stuff about SHIELD. Well, that might have to go out of the window.
In one fluid motion, Emily grabbed hold of the knife. It took Sartre by total surprise and allowed the brunette to take control. When he let go of her arms, she spun around and pressed the tip of the blade underneath the Canadian's throat, pulling it upwards until it reached his chin. Only then did she pull it out.
Sartre gasped and gargled as he clutched his cut throat before falling to the floor, having bled out before he hit the deck.
Steve ignored it and not caring about being professional, rushing over to check on Emily. She headed straight to him, letting him wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. After he'd held her for a few moments, he put a palm against her cheek and checked her out.
"Are you ok?" he asked, "Did he hurt you?"
"I was roughly handled but nothing else."
"Thank God," he kissed the crown of her head.
"I know we would have wanted him alive, but I had to get that bastard."
"I understand. Come on, let's get to the others."
He put a firm arm around Emily, steering her away from Satre's body and over to where the rest of them stood.
"That was quick thinking Agent Collins, I will mention it in my report to Fury," Sitwell complimented.
"Thank you," Emily managed out.
"Cleanup crew is a few minutes out, we'll wait here until they're done," Rumlow told them, "They'll sort the tech out."
The Atlantic winds battered them as they waited. Steve's arm was firmly wrapped around Emily and he didn't intend on leaving her side that evening.
LIGHT ME UP-
"Collins was supposed to be killed or seriously injured!"
Rumlow and Sitwell looked at one another as Secretary Alexander Pierce slammed his hands on the table, looking between the two men.
"She graduated top of her SHIELD class by a huge margin, it's not our fault she beat Sartre," Sitwell shrugged, "Look Sir, I didn't expect her to do it- I would have expected Romanoff or Morse, but not Collins. Anyway, at least she tied up a loose end by killing Sartre. He was hardest to buy and we were worried that he would blab. It prevents it from going back to us."
"It wasn't an essential part of the plan anyway," Rumlow added, "It would have helped us, but it's not like she's much bother alive. One junior agent isn't that powerful."
"You're right," Pierce nodded, "You're right. This does help us- dead men tell no tales."
"So we proceed with the plan?" Sitwell asked.
"Yes, we will," Pierce stood up, "I have ensured that Director Fury will be in Europe for weeks and as I am now in charge, we will be able to execute it without interference. It may take a while, but by the end, Rogers will be seen as a traitor and our biggest path to victory will be free from baggage. No longer will SHIELD be a barrier to power, but the three of us will become the most powerful men in the world. Maybe it'll be nice for Agent Collins to see her beloved boyfriend taken out of the picture."
"It made me sick, seeing them all lovey dovey on that ship," Rumlow shuddered.
"Then it makes it all the more satisfying," Pierce smirked, pacing the room, "To see our hero fall. We will put the fear of God in them, make them second guess themselves and look over their shoulders. When we are able to strike, we will ensure that not one person at SHIELD doubts that Captain Rogers is a traitor to us all. Captain America has stopped many people, but he will not stop us. Finally, SHIELD will be reborn in our image and we will control not only the President, but every other world leader. It starts in this room with three men, but it will end with the world."
Pierce, Rumlow and Sitwell each raised their glass, ready to take down Steve Rogers and Captain America for good.
Unfortunately for them, they would face stronger opposition than they expected.
Hello all, I hope you enjoyed the time jump.
Next Time: The three set the plan in motion by arranging fake interviews regarding the leak, but this leads to suspicion from Steve and Emily. Emily hangs out with her best friend.
Thanks again and I hope that you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review and I'll hopefully see you next time xxx