I have been working on assignments for S.H.I.E.L.D. I have been on my solo missions for a while before Fury placed me with Clint and Natasha seeing as we were some of the best agents. I am now working with a new team, STRIKE, containing Cap, Nat, and some dick named Rumlow. I am walking out of my house and to my motorcycle when I get a mission. 'Report to SHIELD. Team: STRIKE' I see it is from Fury, and I sigh and place my helmet on. I grab my phone and check the time; Steve is still running at the Constitutional Gardens, I roar my motorcycle to life and speed down my driveway and onto the road.
I glide through traffic on all of the lanes, I feel the wind whipping my hair behind me, and my adrenaline is running hot through my veins. I start driving around the National Mall and make my way towards the Gardens; I make my bike jump the curb onto the sidewalk when I look towards the two men standing next to a tree. I prop my bike up on the kickstand and swing my leg over my bike.
"Hello, boys. I am looking for a ninety-year-old grandpa. You seen one?" I tease Steve with a smirk on my face when I finally saunter my way up to Steve and some guy I don't know.
Steve looks at me with a smirk on his face, "You are so funny. You should go into comedy."
I lightly chuckle while prodding him with my elbow, "Now who's the funny one." I turn my body toward the unknown man and nod my head, "Who are you?"
"Sam Wilson." I nod my head and open my mouth, "I'm-"
"You don't have to tell me how you are. Everyone knows you. Nikolina Volkov." I raise an eyebrow at him, and a small smile graces its way across my face.
"I'm flattered," I say dryly, my attention is soon drawn to Steve once again. "Nikki, what are you doing here?" I hear his phone ding signaling a message. I point my finger directly at it, "Mission." I blandly say while I grab the key to my bike in my hand.
My heels click hard against the cement as we all begin making our way to the curb, I black Corvette drives up to the curb and unrolls the window. "You didn't want to park like a normal person." I bend at the waist lightly as I peer through the window, "Now where is the fun in that, Nat."
Walking over to my bike and swinging my leg over, I turn my bike on; I lean against the top curve of the bike while revving the engine. I watch as Steve hops into the Corvette, he says something to Sam before the engine starts roaring. They pull away from the curb and speed off. I give Sam a two-finger salute as I race past him. I come up behind the Corvette and swerve to the right side. Steve is shaking his head at me while laughing, and I give them the middle finger before I weave my way through the traffic to S.H.I.E.L.D.
I pulled into the parking garage and put my bike in my designated parking area that is next to Nat's and Steve's. I just put the kickstand on the ground when an engine roars, filling the parking garage, Natasha pulls up right next to me. I grab the bag I strapped on the back of the bike and began searching through my bag to find my badge. I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk to the door that leads into S.H.I.E.L.D.
Steve and Natasha walk on either of my sides as we make our way to the badge scanner, we huddle into the elevator and tell it to take us mission ready floor. We enter our changing rooms, Natasha and I go to our cubbies for our uniforms on. I place my thigh holster, swords, hatchets, and my knives all over my body, and I make sure that I have extra clips of bullets for my guns.
We are through getting dressed, all of our weapons on us; we head out to a Quinjet where the rest of the teams are loading waiting for us. I see Steve walk out of the building and head towards us; we all climb onto the jet and greet our team.
"New outfit?" I inquire at Steve, seeing that his uniform is darker and less noticeable. He looks down at the attire that is now adorning his body, the shield attached to his back. He nods his head up and down, "Yeah. It seemed better to have darker colors for the missions." I nod in understanding while silently agreeing with him.
"Well, it looks good on you." My compliment makes Steve's cheeks burn a bright red; his chin falls to his chest in embarrassment. The jet takes off, and soon we are zooming through the air, I sit down in one of the seats, and Steve plops himself next to me. I pull my swords off of my back and begin sharpening the blade, the sound breaking the silence that is surrounding us.
"Where did you get those swords?" Steve curiously asked me while I look over the blade. I look down at them and smile before holding out to him, "Thor gave them to me when I went to Asgard with him." Steve's hand grasps the handle of the blade and holds it in his hand. "It has a good weight to it." I nod my hand before reaching for it again.
About ten minutes from our destination, Brock Rumlow begins to debrief us, "The target is a mobile satellite launch platform: The Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, ninety-three minutes ago." Steve, Nat, and I were all staring at the screen that shows us the outlay of the ship.
"Any demands?" Steve asks Rumlow. "Yeah. A billion and a half."
I watch confusion run across Steve's face, "Why so steep?" Rumlow answers, "It's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s."
Steve falls into a sour expression before he continues speaking his opinion, "So it's not off course. It's trespassing." I peak through my hair to watch him before Natasha defends S.H.I.E.L.D., "I'm sure they have a good reason."
Steve pivots his head towards Natasha, his eyes narrow while glowering at her. He turns to me while I continue to stare at the screen, "You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." I sigh before looking deep into his crystal blue eyes, "Steve, this what we are here to do. We have done this a thousand times." His jaw muscle tightly clenches before he twists towards the redhead.
"Yeah, listen to Nikki. Relax. It's not that complicated." She muttered to the super-soldier. He turns his attention to Rumlow, "How many pirates?" He turns his attention to me, and I realize that he wants me to answer him. "Twenty-five top mercenaries led by this man," I pause and step forward before and drag my finger across the screen, and a picture pops up, "Georges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions. He holds a rep for maximum casualties."
He nods his head in understanding, "Hostages?" I pull a picture of Jasper Sitwell, "Mostly tech, but there is one officer." I point to the image and announce, "Jasper Sitwell."
"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve mutters into my ear, and I look him in the eyes before whispering back, "That is what I would like to know. Something's not right here." He confirms my suspicions by discreetly nodding at me before turning back to the whole team.
"Nik, you and I will clear the deck. I'll find Batroc. Nat, kill the engines and wait for instruction. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to life pods, get them out. Let's move." We all nod in understanding, and I move towards the back of the ship before Rumlow announces for us to gear up. Nat and I are standing next to each other when Steve walks up to my left side. "Secure channel seven." I secure the channel and announce, "Seven secure."
"So, you do anything fun Saturday night?" Nat asks while Steve and I place in our earpieces. "Well, seeing that the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so no, not really." He jokes back to Nat with a slight smile; we girls share a smirk before I head over to Steve. "Coming up on the drop zone, Cap." I hear the pilots echo over the communication line, Steve punches the latch button, and the gate drops open.
"You know. if you asked Kristen from Statistics out, she'd probably say yes." I hear Nat tell Steve while I double-check my weapons, making sure they have been secured appropriately to my body. The ship's lights start flashing red as the gate drops down, we walk onto the platform.
He nods to me and tells me to wait for him to join me, "That's why I don't ask." He fastens his helmet under his chin, "Too shy or too scared?" Nat yells over the wind, Steve grabs my waist and hoists me on his back. "Too busy." He yells back before jumping off the platform, I feel the wind whipping my hair every which way, and soon we land in the water. My hair forms a halo around us as we wait for a moment.
Steve faces me and motions to the ship's anchor, I nod, and we swim over to it. He grabs the heavy chain and begins to climb up, I follow after him, and my hands slip between the chain links. We make it to the top of the chain, and Steve leaps over the railing and motions to me to wait. I see him choke a guy into unconsciousness, he heads back over to me and lifts me over the fence, and we begin running around the ship.
I slide between two crates, and Steve's shield hits them; as they fall to the ground, I kick my legs up and beat them in the back of their heads. I fling myself into the air and chase after Steve, I see him fighting three guys, and he motions me with his head to move on. I run past them, meeting four massive burly men; I peak through my hair at all over them before I drop to my one knee and swing my leg out, causing the closest guy to land hard on his back. I spin myself around before I jump into another man's arms, my weight throwing him off, we fall to the ground, and my arms clench tightly around his neck. A loud snap sounds, and then I have ripped off the dead body, and I tuck in my arms as I roll across the deck before I push my arms out and flip into the air.
I land on my feet, and I grab a sword, I hold it in my left hand and then a furry of movements overtake me. One guy charges at me and I swing my sword above my head, it makes contact with his flesh, and he drops to the ground in a bloody heap. The other guy pulls out a gun and points it directly at my face, I loudly sigh before I throw my sword and it impales him. He flies and hits the wall before staying upright, I walk over and rip the sword from his stomach, and he drops to the ground. I place my sword back into its holder on my back and pant for a moment.
Suddenly, an arm wraps around my waist, and I am now sitting on Steve's back as he begins to run through a corridor. He pushes one guy over the railing, and I snort lightly and duck my head into his neck, I feel him momentarily pause before he grabs my right arm and my right leg and swings me through the air. My left leg comes out, and I kick a guy to the ground while Cap back kicks another. I hear the sound of a knife eject, and our intention turns to the man, Cap throws me at him and I kick him in the stomach before I wrap my right leg around his arm and apply pressure, thus breaking it. I hand Cap the knife, and he spins and throws it into the other man's hand, pinning him to the wall.
Cap and I run by, and I kick him in the head, causing him to fall unconscious, we make our way to the central part of the deck before we part ways. I go off the side and see eight men standing around with guns strapped to them, I hear the sounds of fighting happening right around the corner, and I jump into action. My vision sharpens, and I let out a quiet growl before charging. I make my way to the nearest guy and flip him into the ground and pull out a dagger and stab him in the stomach, in one fluid motion I spin around and chuck the knife into another man's throat. I grab one of my hatches and swing it into the third closest man before I feel arms close around my neck; I kick both my feet out, hitting another man while pushing myself and my captor backward.
We fall in a heap, I swing my leg and catches the guy's neck causing him to become limp and his arms to loosen. I roll over my shoulder, and four men are surrounding me, I pull out my swords, and I slide it under one of the men's armor and rip it out before swinging my other arm and stabbing him in the chest. I spin with blood coating me before I rotate both swords at the same time in an X motion down the back of one man. The other two charges at the same time, and I flop onto my knees and cut their legs at the same before reaching behind and stabbing them in the stomach.
"Nikki?" I hear a harsh whisper, and I pick up my hatchet, dagger, and my swords and place them back in their proper place. I walk around the corner and see the rest of the team making their way onto the deck, I sashay my way over to Steve and see Nat float down next to us, we begin walking toward our stations.
"What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice or Nikki; I know you like her." I look over at them, and I see a faint blush on Steve's cheeks and a smirk on Natasha's face.
Steve refuses to make eye contact with me, "Secure the engine room, then find me a date."
Nat swings her legs across the railing, "I'm multitasking." She disappears from my line of sight and to her position.
Steve turns his back to me and motions for me to climb on, I bend my knees and hop up onto his back, my arms around his broad chest and my legs locking together around his waist. We begin flying through the air as he hops from one item to another to get into a proper position to shoot the radio signal so we can listen in. He stealthily climbs over a railing and hides us behind a white wall, I disengage my limbs and slow detract myself from his body. His hands clamp around my legs to ensure that I don't fall off, I shiver when I feel the heat radiating off of them. I crouch to the ground and peek around his body to see the tower.
"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve whispers into the mic, we don't hear anything for another moment, and I motion for him to repeat it, "Status, Natasha." A moment of silence before she voice yells into the unit, "Hang on!" I hear the sound of grunting and following are gunshots, my body tenses as I wait for Nat to respond, "Engine room secure." Calm as a cucumber, she replies to Steve and me.
"On my mark, three, two, one," Steve whispers in the communication link. We begin climbing our way up to the tower where Batroc and his second in command are waiting; I can tell that they know something isn't right. I see him turn around right as Steve throws his shield, Batroc ducks just in time, but the second in command is hit in the face and falls to the ground. We hop into the tower, and I receive a kick to the chest and Batroc runs out of the control room, Steve grabs his shield which is sticking in the wall, and we run out after the pirate.
"Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, Cap. Hostiles are still in play." Rumlow's voice chimes in our earpieces.
"Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha." Nat doesn't respond to any of us as we search for the pirate.
We make our way down, and I hop off the side of the stairs and head towards the other way when I hear a loud grunt. I whirl around on my heel, and I see Batroc and Steve beginning to fight, I start to run to make my way over to them when Steve gives me the hold position, I sigh before making my way over to a crate. I hoist myself up and watch as the fight progresses, my legs are swinging back and forth like a child, I pull out a knife and begin playing with it out of boredom.
"I thought you were more than just a shield," Batroc says to Steve in French, in retaliation, Steve places his shield on his back and unclasps his helmet and drops it to the side. "Let's find out." I raise my eyebrows in surprise when Steve speaks French. I frown, impressed, and nod up and down. The fight commences, I watch as Steve rushes the guy and runs him through a door, I jump off of my crate in shock when I see them completely disappear from my vision.
I make my way over and see Batroc laying on the ground unconscious, I kick him in the leg and watch as it moves from side to side. I decide to walk around him and head over the two arguing people. "You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D. Intel." Steve accuses Natasha while looking at the screen, "Whatever she can get her hands on," I chime in while watching the files flash across the screen, "by the looks of it. Nat, why?" She points to me as I confirm my theory.
A hard look sets on Steve's face, "Our mission was to rescue hostages."
"No, that was your mission, and you have done it beautifully." She goes to walk around both Steve and me when Steve's hand shoots out and grabs her arm harshly.
"You've just jeopardized this whole operation. Nikki, did you have anything to with this? Did you know anything about this?" He turns his head towards me when asking the last part. I look deep into his eyes and shake my head no. I can see relief flash through his eyes before his attention is drawing back to Natasha.
"I think you're overstating things. And Nikki didn't know about any of this." I hear the sound of metal clanking, and all of us turn and see Batroc leap up and run out the door. He throws a bomb at Steve and us uses his shield to knock it away from us, Steve grabs Natasha and me, and we jump through a window.
I can feel the heat of the explosion flash across my body as glass enters my hands. I shift my body to lean against the wall beside Steve. I grunt in pain as I hit my shoulder wrong and place too much pressure on my cut up hands. "Alright, that one's on me." I hear Nat pant out. Steve grunts, "You're damn right it is. Come on, Nikki." He forces his body up and grabs my waist one more time and helps me out of the room. I groan at I see the bone misplaced in my shoulder, I lean my head heavily against Steve and let him drag me back to the ship.
"Nikki." I look into his blue eyes and see regret manifest in them, "I need to pop it back in before it makes it worse." I heavily sigh before I nod my head; he lays me on the floor and bends down beside me.
"Will you distract me?" I whisper, ever so gently to him, he nods and says, "Why don't you use your power on missions?"
I roll my eyes to the night sky above me, "I don't use them because I don't want to rely on them. When I was with HYDRA, they taught me how to fight first before I was ever able to use my powers. It is just kind on nature, I guess, but I use my healing powers whenever things like this happen. The downside is, I need someone to set me straight before I can properly heal right." I feel my arm being yanked harshly, and a sickening pop rings loudly in the air, "Ah!" I bite my lip in pain as the bone moves back into place. I pant through my nose as I try to catch my breath.
"Come on. I got you." Steve helps me to my feet and steadies me when I stumble. We make our way to the ship where everyone else is when I say one last thing.
"I didn't know you spoke French." Steve chuckles, shaking his head, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
I turn my head and stare deeply in his eyes, "I would like to find out if you will let me."
He gives me a blinding smile before nodding. Giddiness builds up in my chest as I give him a smirk.