AN: Well, it's been almost two years since my last update and it's been one hell of a year in 2020. Between COVID and the world nearly falling apart, I'm not sure what's worse. It may be a while until my next update but I haven't forgotten about this story. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long for me to finish. Thanks to the readers who have been keeping an eye out for updates, it means a lot knowing there are people still reading this.

Chapter Seventy Five

Ada hated hospitals. She hated being stuck inside the stark white walls that surrounded her. More importantly, she hated the fact that they were there for one reason only: Director Fury.

Hours had passed since they were brought to the hospital. Steve hadn't left the room she was kept in while she recovered from passing out. From what the nurses told her, she tried exhausting herself by healing Fury's injuries. They were simply too deep for her powers to work. And it appeared as if her powers had formed a fail safe when she tried healing said injuries. The only thing she really knew was that she had been lucky.

"You can't just go around using your powers like that," Maria scolded her after reaching the room where she was sitting.

Steve had left a few minutes ago to see where Natasha was at. From what Ada gathered, she was the first to arrive at the hospital when news of Fury's attack spread. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip guiltily when she felt Maria's gaze boring through her. She knew Steve didn't need to go out of his way just to be there for her, but the fact that he had was what mattered the most to her. Now that she was thrown under the bus, she knew she would likely be reprimanded for her behavior.

"I couldn't just leave him bleeding out like that," she muttered crossly. "What use is having these powers if I can't actually heal anyone?"

"They're meant to be used sparingly," Maria reminded her with a pointed look. "Healing someone without knowing your limits is going to get you killed."

Doesn't make what happened back there any better, Ada nearly rolled her eyes.

Though, she understood what Maria meant by that. She swallowed hard as she glanced out the door where Steve had disappeared.

"What happened to Fury?" she asked warily.

For a moment, she didn't want to know the truth. Ada remembered what had happened back at the apartment. Bullet wounds like those weren't likely to survive, even if she'd been able to use her powers. The look written across Maria's face told her everything she needed to know. The brunette shook her head and led the way out of the room to where Director Fury was being held.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw Fury's body on the gurney. The doctors and nurses were desperately trying to revive him, but it seemed each attempt ended in failure. Ada finally joined Steve as she caught him giving her a cautious look. Time seemed to slow down as nothing seemed to work. At the end of the day, Natasha finally strode into the room and stood beside the director.

Considering Director Fury was the one who had allowed Natasha to join the agency, she understood why this meant so much to the redhead. Despite what the rest of the world thought of the Black Widow, that hadn't mattered to him. He'd seen the potential she had as a SHIELD agent, just like he'd seen the potential in herself.

Even if it sometimes felt like he was using me as more of an asset, she thought bitterly.

"She's always been loyal to him," Ada muttered under her breath. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

Steve gave her a thoughtful look when he realized what she was implying.

"I'm surprised this hasn't hit you emotionally," he admitted.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip and looked away guiltily, "To be honest I was never a fan of the way he had his own agenda. But he always had his reasons for being that way."

The Super Soldier nodded in agreement to that notion. He was ready to say something else when Maria stepped into the room. She glanced at the window to see Natasha looking down at Fury's body. Ada swallowed hard, knowing full-well how difficult this was going to be. Fury had been their boss, after all. Though they had never been close, she couldn't help but feel as if his loss would take a heavy toll within the agency.

"We need to take him," Maria warned them.

She shared a knowing look with Steve before deciding to lead the way. It was bad enough they were in this situation. Ada could see that Natasha wasn't in any hurry to leave, but Maria was right. Fortunately, Steve was the first to approach Natasha and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Natasha," he said warily. She didn't respond. Instead, she placed her hand on Fury's forehead and finally turned away, quickly leaving the room. "Natasha!"

"Why was Fury in your apartment?" Natasha suddenly spun around to face them, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Ada couldn't help but flinch when she caught the icy look Natasha was giving her. The redhead was fully aware that Fury had other intentions for being at their apartment. The fact that he went out of his way, despite suffering severe injuries, to visit them, told her that there was something deeper going on.

"Captain, they want you and Stark back at SHIELD."

She grimaced at the sound of Rumlow's voice. The STRIKE team agent gave her an icy look, sending shivers of dread through her. She was never happy being anywhere near Rumlow, and the icy glare he gave her was just one of the many reasons.

"Yeah, give us a second," Steve tried brushing him off.

"They need you now," Rumlow snapped.

"They also need to be reminded that we both just went through the traumatic event of losing our boss," Ada muttered under her breath.

Rumlow only glowered back at her, crossing his arms over his chest to make himself look intimidating. She wasn't the least bit moved by his arrogance. She merely returned his glare with a defiant look, ignoring the thick tension in the room as Natasha rolled her eyes at them.

"You're a terrible liar," the redhead warned Steve as he tried alleviating the situation.

Ada let out a sigh of frustration when Natasha left them standing there. Another voice buzzed through the com, ordering Rumlow to bring them in once more. Ada rolled her eyes at the way Rumlow barked back at the agent. More so when she caught Steve looking at the flash drive Fury had given him the other night.

"He gave me this flash drive for a reason," he said after deciding to hide it in the back of a vending machine.

"I'm sure the vending machine will be the perfect hiding place for it," Ada scoffed.

Steve just rolled his eyes at her when he realized what she was implying. He didn't bother arguing with her though as they made their way to the elevator.

…

"For whatever it's worth, you did your best… even at Stark's expense."

Ada stiffened at the sound of Alexander Pierce's voice. She recognized the sound of his voice anywhere. They'd never met in person, but she sat through more than enough phone conferences to know the sound of his voice. She could still remember how he'd fought tooth and nail over allowing her to join the agency. Like Fury, he'd seen the potential she had at being a SHIELD agent. Though she couldn't shake off the feeling that he too had his own intentions of letting her join. The fact that he'd used her name towards Fury's demise was enough to send shivers of unease through her.

"Thank you, sir." Sharon's voice. Ada glanced around the corner in time to see the familiar blond standing in Pierce's office. Though her stiff appearance didn't last long when she left. Sharon's eyes widened for a brief moment when she spotted Steve walking alongside Ada. "Captain Rogers… Agent Stark."

She greeted both of them curtly, though it was clear she was uncomfortable being placed on the spotlight. Not that Ada couldn't blame her. She had been on a mission to keep an eye on them while they were neighbors. More specifically, it was her job to make sure they didn't do anything reckless that could jeopardize their relationship.

"Neighbor," Steve replied in a voice cold as ice.

"Steve…" Ada glanced at him warily, not missing the look of surprise sweeping across Sharon's eyes. "She was only doing her job."

Steve wasn't moved by her quiet plea. Sharon gave her a thoughtful look though. She was taken aback by the fact that Ada was defending her, despite the obvious rivalry they once faced. The blond didn't bother carrying on her statement, deciding it was better to let Steve be the judge of her past. Once Sharon was gone, they headed towards Pierce's office where the older man was waiting for them.

"Ah, Captain. I'm Alexander Pierce," Pierce introduced himself, standing up straighter once they arrived with a handshake. He glanced at Ada skeptically, and she suddenly found herself feeling self-conscious as she felt those piercing eyes bore through her. "Agent Stark… It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person after all these years. Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Yeah… me too," she replied while keeping her own voice flat.

"Sir, it's an honor to meet you," Steve returned his gesture, not missing how wary Ada was around the older man.

"The honor is all mine. My father served in the 101st. Please, come in." Pierce led the way into his office; a room that was surrounded by glass windows. Ada watched the area carefully when she noticed all the activity happening down below. She knew after Fury's death there would be a flurry of activity as the agency scrambled to figure out who was responsible for his death. "You'll have to forgive me, Agent Stark, for being a little cautious around your abilities." She stiffened when he suddenly locked the door behind them, gesturing to the fact that the windows were protected with some kind of energy field. "There are those within the agency who don't believe in allowing those with enhancements among them."

A lump formed in the back of her throat as she could already feel the effects of the energy field. It was enough of a reminder as to why Tony hadn't trusted the agency. She had a feeling this was one of the reasons.

"I would think by now most of them realize I'm on their side," she pointed out.

"She's proven herself on more than one occasion," Steve put in without hesitation.

Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise when he jumped to her defense. Pierce just gave them a look of amusement as he went back to his desk. He knew that they had been seeing each other for a while now, so he was hardly surprised. Ada tried pushing the uneasy feeling aside when she glanced at his desk.

She noticed for the first time a photo of Pierce with Fury sitting on top of the desk. At one point, they had been friends. She recalled Coulson mentioning it a few times when they'd gone through the conference calls. If they had been such good friends, then it suddenly made sense why Pierce had asked for them personally.

"That photo was taken five years after Nick and I met. When I was at State Department in Bogota. ELN rebels took the embassy, and security got me out, but the rebels took hostages. Nick was deputy chief for the SHIELD station there. And he comes to me with a plan. He wants to storm the building through the sewers. I said, 'No, we'll negotiate.' Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter."

Her brows furrowed together at the thought of Fury pulling off such a bold move. She'd always known that he wasn't above breaking the rules. Considering he somehow negotiated with the Council to let her join, she wasn't entirely surprised with that notion. Steve gave Pierce a thoughtful look as he understood the gravity of his story.

"So you gave him a promotion," he concluded.

"I've never had any cause to regret it," Pierce replied while moving to stand behind his desk, "Captain, why was Nick in your apartment last night? I'm sure you and Agent Stark have a good reason."

Again, Ada shared a knowing look with Steve. His expression was unreadable. It wasn't entirely surprising to find Pierce questioning them, or Fury's motives for that matter. His death had shaken the entire agency, and she had a feeling that it was only going to get worse.

"I don't know," Steve replied with a shrug.

"If he had any intentions, he would have likely told us before he was shot," Ada put in.

"You know it was bugged?"

Pierce's question sent another shiver of unease through her. Again, she was hardly surprised with that notion. It made sense for Fury to bug the apartment, even if that made it sound disturbing. It wasn't as if she or Steve had ever gotten intimate or had any embarrassing situations for them to record. She suspected it was more for protection than anything else.

"I did because Nick told us," Steve said without missing a beat.

"And I'm sure if he had it bugged, it was for a good reason," Ada retorted with a roll of her eyes. "He would have likely done so to ensure that we were safe."

Pierce narrowed his eyes at her. Ada knew that she was stepping on thin ice by bringing up the reasons for Fury's intentions. Even if they weren't for the best reasons, she understood why he'd gone out of his way to install said cameras. She had a feeling that Tony would have done the same thing had he thought ahead.

"I want you to see something."

He pulled up a video screen for them to watch. Ada watched with interest as a video began playing. It was a live video feed of Batroc the Leaper, and apparently he was in one of the interrogation rooms. A SHIELD agent was asking various questions, from who had hired him to why he did what he did.

"Are you saying he's a suspect? Assassination isn't Batroc's line." Steve's voice drew Ada's attention once again.

"No, it's more complicated than that. Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the Lemurian Star and he was contacted by e-mail and paid by wire transfer. And then the money was run through seventeen fictitious accounts, the last one going to a holding company that was registered to a Jacob Veech," Pierce told him.

"And exactly how are we supposed to know who that is?" Ada demanded.

"You're not likely gonna know who he is. Veech died six years ago. His last address was 14-35 Elmhurst Drive. When I first met Nick his mother lived at 14-37," Pierce explained, ignoring the glare that Ada gave him.

She knew where he was getting at before he was finished. The accusation didn't make much sense. Fury didn't have any reasons to hire the pirates or to use them for further gain. Sure, she and Natasha had been sent to fetch whatever information they could from the database, but she understood the reason behind doing so.

"Are you saying Fury hired the pirates? Why?" Steve asked, his voice becoming colder as he looked at Pierce.

"Well the prevailing theory was that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. The sale went sour and that led to Nick's death."

And she knew that was a load of lies. Fury wouldn't have done that. He was better than that. And fortunately, Steve seemed to think the same thing.

"If you really knew Nick Fury you know that's not true," Steve retorted.

"Why do you think we're talking?" He was an arrogant bastard. Ada was tempted to say that out loud, but she restrained herself from doing so. She'd already managed to piss off Odin of Asgard along with numerous other enemies. The last thing she wanted was to piss off Pierce. "See, I took a seat on the Council not because I wanted to but because Nick asked me to, because we were both realists. We knew that despite all the diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, that to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down. The Council is afraid of people like you, Ada. And that makes enemies. Those people that call you dirty because you got the guts to stick your hands in the mud and try to build something better. And the idea that those people could be happy today, makes me really, really angry."

Anger churned within her when she realized what Pierce was implying. He had no idea what it was like to piss her off, and he was lucky he hadn't faced her wrath. The problem was, she knew full-well that there were those within the agency who were terrified of what she could do. It was those reasons that Fury had always been cautious of whatever mission she was sent on. Or whatever team she worked with.

"I think it's safe to say that if they don't trust me, then they can tell me themselves," she snapped.

Steve threw her a warning look when Pierce glared back at her. Even he knew when she was crossing the line, though he also knew better than to stop her when she started ranting.

"Captain, you and Ada were the last ones to see Nick alive," Pierce reminded them in a scathing tone, "I don't think that's an accident, and I don't think you do either. So, I'm gonna ask again. Why was he there?"

Her fists clenched with fury as Pierce refused to be intimidated. Every ounce of defiance suddenly came rushing back in the form of arguing with the man. Steve held her off though, not missing the fact that she was beginning to lose her temper around Pierce.

"He told us not to trust anyone," Steve replied calmly.

"I wonder if that included him."

Pierce gave them a look that suggested he knew more than they were letting on. Ada desperately wanted to say that included men like him, but she knew better. This was the last place to fight back, especially in light of recent events.

"I'm sorry. Those were his last words," Steve concluded in a tone that dared Pierce to keep arguing. He glanced at Ada. She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself from losing control of her temper. "Excuse us."

"Captain." Pierce suddenly grabbed hold of Ada's wrist, causing her to lurch back. In an instant, tiny flames danced along the tips of her fingers. Pierce pulled back and released his grip almost immediately, yelping in surprise at the sudden pain that followed. "Somebody murdered my friend and I'm gonna find out why. Anyone gets in my way, they're gonna regret it. Anyone."

He added the last part with a sense of finality. A shiver swept through Ada as she and Steve wordlessly left the office. She could tell that he meant his warning, and something told her that nothing good was going to come out of it.

"He was right about not trusting anyone," she muttered under her breath. "Who the hell says that and thinks it's out of the ordinary?"

"I don't know," Steve admitted with a thoughtful look. He suddenly took hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze when she stiffened under his touch. "You're lucky he didn't try accusing you of anything though."

Ada just rolled her eyes once more when she caught the look he was giving her. She knew he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, she could have gotten into serious trouble for fighting back. The only consolation she had was that they were gone now. She tried taking a few deep breaths as they reached the elevator, though the moment didn't last long when Rumlow suddenly pushed his way through along with a couple other agents.

"Operations Control," Steve confirmed when the elevator asked for a floor.

'Confirmed,' the computer replied.

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Ada narrowed her eyes as she glanced between Steve and Rumlow, not missing the fact that Rumlow hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Not for the first time, she was left feeling uneasy around the man. It was like he was eyeing up a piece of prey, waiting for his chance to strike.

"Captain, we have some specs on the shooter," Rumlow said as the elevator stopped on a couple of floors, picking up other men along the way.

She didn't miss the fact that all of the agents were heavily armed. Or that they'd locked them in a tight circle. Even if they somehow found an escape route, it wouldn't be easy to stop the elevator without getting hurt along the way. This had been a setup. Steve seemed to sense it too when he noticed the way Ada was glancing around, looking for any escape route.

"Before we get started," Steve began as he lifted his shield. He gave Ada a quick nod, which she returned without hesitation. If it came to fighting their way out, so be it. She was suddenly grateful for the training she received from Clint and Natasha. Steve had become a good sparring partner as well, but the two spies had always been her go-to sparring partners for this reason. "Does anyone wanna get out?"

Silence followed. Ada narrowed her eyes when she noticed that a few of the men had already reached for their guns. They had every intention of taking them in, regardless of what damage it caused. She swallowed hard at the thought of fighting in such close proximity. Natasha had given her training in hand-to-hand combat in such areas, but her skills were a little rusty.

Without warning, Rumlow suddenly took a stab at Steve. Ada wasted no time in jabbing her elbow into the nearest agent. The moment he lurched over in pain was when she kicked another that was getting too close for comfort. Another suddenly grabbed her waist and tried to hold her down, but she managed to wriggle her way out of his strong arms, just in time for another to punch her in the face. Pain swept through her the moment his fist made contact with her skin, though she did her best to ignore it as the fight became more chaotic. She ducked just in time to avoid getting kicked in the rubs, but her pain had given the agents enough distraction against Steve.

His arm was pinned to the ceiling by magnetic cuffs. And yet to her amazement and annoyance, he was still able to take on the agents that kept targeting him. Ada nearly rolled her eyes once again as she did her best to hold her own against them. She'd helped train some of them, having taught a few agents what it was like dealing with someone who had powers, so that made her task a little easier. Still, the fact that they were being attacked was what stung the most.

Ada spun around just in time to face Rumlow while Steve was distracted. Her reflexes kicked in just as he reached for his knife, ready to strike. Rumlow was faster though, and before she was able to land a blow, his knife struck a blow across the side of her stomach. Ada bit back a cry of shock from the sudden pain. Rumlow narrowed his eyes when he saw her in a vulnerable position, even if it was for a brief moment.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," he sneered.

Before he could strike again, Steve suddenly slammed into him.

"Touch her again and it'll be the last thing you do," he snapped before turning his attention on her. "Are you okay?"

Her jaw clenched as she held her side, ignoring the blood seeping from her newest injury. She knew it wasn't a fatal cut, so she would survive. She gave Steve a curt nod and glared at Rumlow as he staggered back to his feet.

"Whoa there, big guy! This is nothing personal," he tried defending himself.

"Really? Because targeting me and using me as a distraction sure sounds a hell of a lot more personal," Ada retorted.

She wasted no time in knocking him out before he could inflict further damage. Once that was established, Steve managed to stop the elevator just as it reached the middle floor. Ada narrowed her eyes when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the elevator, telling her that the battle was far from over. Steve quickly slammed the door shut and looked around for another way out.

"You're bleeding pretty heavily," he remarked after reaching her.

Ada let out a sigh of frustration at the concern in his voice. She was grateful that he cared so much, but at the moment they didn't need the distraction.

"Look, my injury is going to heal eventually," she reminded him with a pointed look. "What are our options?"

Steve glanced out the window guiltily, and Ada knew in that moment what he was implying. She let out a heavy sigh when she realized where this was headed.

"We'll have to jump out," he explained after catching the look she was giving him. "We don't have too many other options."

"I don't think that will be too much of an issue," she reassured him.

Though she thought back to what had happened in Greenwich. If she could use her powers like that, then it was possible to prevent herself from falling, at least not to her death. She'd done it during their last mission, and she could do it again. Not to mention she'd also used her powers to keep herself from falling when Loki threatened Earth with war.

Suddenly Steve wrapped his arms protectively around her as he broke through the glass window. Ada held back a scream of terror as he used his shield to slide down the wall. What was only seconds of falling felt more like hours to her. Finally, Steve slammed down on the ground, holding onto her in the process. Her legs still felt like jello the moment they landed on the ground. Steve moved carefully to make sure he wasn't causing any further pain. He knew she'd suffered from multiple injuries during the fight, but at least she wasn't bleeding as heavily as she had been.

"Come on, let's go," he urged once she recovered from her initial shock.

Steve wasted no time in reaching his motorcycle, with her following suit. She was grateful they weren't stuck at the Treskellion. After everything that had happened, she desperately wanted to know why Rumlow and his men had tried attacking them. And why Fury had been shot dead hours ago in their apartment. All of a sudden, it seemed as if they were wanted fugitives of SHIELD. A quinjet was on its way to their location just as Steve started the engine and made his way towards the exit. Ada glared over her shoulder, not missing the fact that they were being pursued. She suddenly fired a boulder in the quinjet's direction, watching as it collapsed to the ground before it could cause further damage.

"How the hell is it that we're wanted fugitives now? I'm guessing that Pierce is after me because of my powers," she grumbled crossly. Her heart was still racing from recent events. She was surprised at how calmly Steve was taking everything, but then again, he hadn't seemed all that surprised. "But that doesn't explain why he's after you."

"That's a question I'd like to find an answer for," Steve replied with a shake of his head. "And something tells me that the answer lies in the flash drive Fury gave me."

Ada narrowed her eyes at the mention of the flash drive. She had a feeling that Steve was right. She just hoped that the answers in question weren't answers she was dreading.