Kayla sat in the back of the Triskellion's Operations Control room for what felt like seven hours before something interesting happened. She mumbled to herself about being kept against her will and how she'd have them all fired when her father found out and eventually whining to Tiffany about being hungry. It was then that Kayla's assistant and best friend informed her she'd only been held captive by SHIELD for approximately twenty minutes.
"Sir, we found him. He's at twenty-first and..." A woman said from her computer, her eyes wide with excitement to have tracked down Captain America. Kayla raised her head, but the woman trailed off when she met the First Daughter's gaze. Pierce caught Kayla's curiosity and smiled as he walked through the rows of computers to speak with her at the rear of the room.
"Miss Ellis, I can assure you, we'll get this all sorted out in no time. For now, why don't Agent Sitwell and I ask you a few questions about last night?"
Kayla narrowed her eyes at Pierce as she saw Rumlow and the other STRIKE members rushing through the doors to go apprehend her boyfriend, "If you so much as touch a hair on his head, I'll-"
"You'll what, Miss Ellis?" Agent Sitwell argued. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the current situation. Captain Rogers has been using you to get close to the President. Fury may have been in on it. It seems a little weird that Captain America would use you as a getaway card and discard you once he realized you weren't getting him through the gate." Pierce shrugged with his hands in his pockets. Kayla turned to Tiffany, looking up at the massive screen sadly as the body cam footage from Rumlow overtook Steve's photo.
Pierce pat Kayla's hand that rested on the table ahead of her, and she recoiled at his touch, glaring up at him with piercing green eyes. To her dismay, her fury elicited a chuckle from the old man, "We won't let Captain Rogers hurt you anymore, Miss Ellis. I can assure you, we'll take care of him."
Kayla gnawed her molars together as the van's sped through D.C. She wasn't about to admit to Pierce that he could be right. She didn't believe for a moment that Steve had the capacity to use her like the Secretary implied. At least, she told herself she didn't believe it.
Memories began to flood Kayla's mind. It was convenient that Steve Rogers, sweet, innocent, old-fashioned Steve Rogers would throw away his morals to be with a minx like Kayla Ellis. She'd told him everything. All about her work and her research. He had her right where he wanted her.
Kayla shook her head, pushing away visions of Steve purposely coaxing words from her lips so Nick Fury could listen to them and keep them on record. Her confliction must have been written clear across her face, because Pierce added, "Once he's in custody, then we'll talk. Okay?"
"Okay." Kayla mumbled, looking to Tiffany. The brunette narrowed her eyes, not recognizing the woman before her. Kayla just shrugged, "Just play along, right?"
"Right." Tiff parroted slowly, not believing Kayla's change of position. They watched quietly as the black SUVs came sliding to a stop outside of an indoor sports complex. Kayla bit her index finger, leaning back in her chair as she held her breath. Tiffany grabbed her free hand and gave it a squeeze, "He'll be okay. It's Steve. He'll be okay."
"What if he's actually on the wrong side?" Kayla uttered, so quietly the words barely left her lips. "I know it's not true, but-"
"It's not true, Kayla." Tiffany assured her friend, looking from the screen to Kayla as the SHIELD agents broke through the doors and began running quietly down the hallway. "Steve loves you. He really loves you, I know it."
"A-Team approaching target." A man's voice cut through the room and Kayla's breath hitched. She looked back to the screen, hoping they wouldn't hurt Steve. She needed him alive and well so he could push away all her worries about his loyalty and intentions. "Everybody on the floor, now!" The men screamed as a basketball team raised their hands and flung themselves against the court. Kayla stood instinctively, studying the men in the room, but none of them were her Steve.
Men with guns pushed the sidelines players away from their bags until the body cam footage showed the tracker beeping wildly at a yellow duffle bag. Rumlow pulled out Steve's helmet, followed by his stealth suit. Kayla breathed deeply when she heard Rumlow growl, "He ditched his gear."
"Damnit!" Sitwell snapped as he smashed hit fist against the table. "Bring it in. Everyone else, back to work. He's still out there."
"Miss Ellis?"
Kayla looked to her right to see Secretary Pierce standing beside her with a gentle grin on his face, "Perhaps we should have our talk now."
Kayla twisted her lips, looking to Tiffany who just stared back blankly, "Yeah, I guess."
Much to Kayla's dismay, Agent 13 stuck around when they moved out of Operations Control to the Triskellion's cafeteria. The blonde agent slid into the booth next to Kayla, effectively pinning her against the wall as Sitwell pulled up a chair for Tiffany to sit at the end of the table. Kayla assumed they were trying to butter her up with food and a casual atmosphere. It only made her more anxious.
"I'm sure you're hungry. It's past twelve-thirty. What can we get you to eat? Both of you, anything you want." Pierce offered warmly, sweetly even, and Kayla narrowed her eyes at the man.
"I'm fine." She answered coolly, and turned to glare at Tiffany who just sighed loudly and said she was fine too.
Pierce nodded, his smile unmoving, "Well if you change your mind, let me know." He stayed calm as Sitwell stiffly sat next to him, clearly as uncomfortable about the casual setting as Kayla. "So you were with Captain Rogers when Nick Fury was shot? What was it like?"
"Terrifying. They shot through the wall... three times I believe." Kayla remembered honestly, twisting her mouth as she recalled what happened, "Steve made sure I was safe. Once Fury was down, Steve pulled him out of the line of fire. Then she showed up." Kayla looked to Agent 13 with a look so cold she hoped the woman would freeze. "Steve went after the shooter. Which was weird, because," Kayla turned to Agent 13 and pointed casually, "You said Foxtrot was down, and the guy on the radio asked if you had a twenty on the shooter. But you never said he was shot."
Agent 13's eyes narrowed at Kayla, but her expression was thoughtful. Kayla could see she was replaying the moment too, and hated that she seemed just as stumped by the realization as Kayla had been. Kayla looked to Pierce, who just nodded thoughtfully, "That is odd. That being said, there were bugs in your apartment, the agent she called probably heard the gunshots, as she did. That's why you came, isn't it Agent?"
"Yes." Agent 13 answered, still visibly shaken by Kayla's suggestion. She straightened up, giving a firm nod to Pierce before looking back to Kayla, "They heard the shots through the bugs. Not only is your apartment bugged, but there's audio/visual cameras monitoring the hallways of the building. SHIELD spared no expense keeping Captain Rogers safe."
"When in the end it was us who needed to be kept safe from him." Pierce lamented and Kayla bit down hard on the side of her cheek to keep herself quiet. She looked up when she saw Rumlow and Collins enter the cafeteria and make a beeline for Sitwell.
"Agent Sitwell. We retrieved the suit. Nobody at the gym saw Cap. Said a man in his forties with brown hair dropped off his bag, dressed to play, but then left to take a call. We showed up before he came back. Several agents are waiting for him, but nothing yet." Rumlow spared Kayla a glance, then turned back to Sitwell and Pierce, "Could I talk to you in private for a moment. We, uh, found something while searching Cap's stealth suit."
Pierce leaned his elbow on the table, looking from Rumlow to Kayla, who looked up at Rumlow with sad, desperate eyes. "What kind of something?"
"A complication. Or a near-miss. I'd like to show you in private." Rumlow stated firmly and Sitwell slid out of the booth to speak with him alone. Kayla looked to Tiffany, seeing the girl's eyes widen until they were so big she looked like they might pop out.
"Tiff?" Kayla hissed over Agent 13, but her best friend looked from her, to the Agent, to Pierce, then back to Rumlow and Sitwell as they talked a ways away. Kayla leaned forward even more, until her head was practically sitting on the table. Nobody, not even Pierce, mentioned her behavior, because they seemed as curious as she did.
Suddenly, Tiffany began to cough loudly, grabbing her throat as she looked up at Pierce, "I'm so- sorry. Would it be possible to get some water?"
"Yes, of course, Agent." Pierce gestured to Agent 13 and she quickly stood to get Tiffany some water, allowing Kayla to slide over to her best friend and rub her back, looking up to see Rumlow and Sitwell looking at them.
That's when she saw what Rumlow held in his hand by his side.
A little black box. Even from here, Kayla knew what was in the box, and why it was a 'complication' or a 'near-miss'. Steve Rogers was going to propose to her. She was going to marry Steve Rogers. She was going to be Mrs. Captain America.
Kayla snapped out of her daze as Tiffany coughed loudly and grabbed her left hand, eyeing her finger quickly in case Kayla hadn't seen the box. Kayla tried with everything she had not to smile. Tiffany knew. Steve had been planning to propose to her, and her best friend knew. The dinner the other night, the one he was so upset about missing. It all made sense. She swallowed as Agent 13 reappeared and handed Tiffany a cup of water. "You okay?" The agent asked earnestly, and Kayla considered bitch slapping her for her sincerity.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, not sure what happened there." Tiffany choked, looking to Kayla to gauge her friend's reaction. Kayla turned to Pierce with a weak smile. "Do you have any more questions for me?"
"I do not, however, we can't allow you to leave. Not until Captain Rogers has been apprehended." Pierce said evenly as Sitwell walked over to Pierce with Rumlow lingering behind. "Agent 13 can escort you back to Operations Control. I need to have a private meeting with Agent Sitwell."
"Okay." Kayla answered, defeat written across her perfect features. She slid out of the booth and followed the blonde agent back into Operations Control, where she was instructed to stay seated near the back of the room where she'd been before. She crossed her arms and stared up at the screens that showed fifty different cameras, all searching for her future husband.
Kayla looked to Tiffany, who just sipped her water slowly, not drawing any attention to herself after the scene she'd purposely caused. Kayla herself stayed quiet, still even, until Rumlow and Sitwell entered the room without Pierce.
They walked past Kayla, and against her better judgement she sneered, "I saw what you found. I want it."
"Excuse me?" Sitwell asked as Rumlow laughed, "I don't think so. You don't know what you saw, and it sure as hell isn't yours."
"Well is sure as fuck isn't yours." Kayla barked back and Tiffany messaged her temples as she looked to the ceiling. Kayla continued her taunting, wanting her ring whether Steve was around to give it to her or not, "What are you gonna do with a diamond ring?"
"You haven't seen it, have you?" Rumlow asked wickedly and Sitwell shot him a dirty look. Rumlow looked to his superior, then back to the women with a condescending smirk, "Tell you what, when I bring Rogers in, he can give it to you before he goes to jail. Gotta at least give the man a chance."
Kayla clenched her fists, but Tiffany held her forearm as Agent 13 shifted her stance to stop the woman from attacking Rumlow. Kayla narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other casually, "And if you kill him?"
"Then you can sell the ring and find yourself a better man." Rumlow grunted as he continued on his way, armed and ready to go after Steve once he got the call.
Kayla's green eyes shifted to look up at Sitwell, seeing the man thoroughly annoyed, which only pleased Kayla more, "I have to go to the bathroom."
"You went to the bathroom on the way to the cafeteria. That was a half hour ago."
"I have a UTI." Kayla whined, sticking her lip out in a pout as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair, squeezing her thighs together, "I have to pee again." Sitwell pursed his lips at her words, looking to Agent 13 for direction, so Kayla continued poking the bear, "I get them a lot actually. It's from having so much sex."
"Yeah, she has lots of sex." Tiffany droned dully, making it clear that this revelation shouldn't be a surprise to the man.
Kayla batted her eyelashes at Sitwell, "Please. I really have to go. This one is really bad."
Sitwell turned to Agent 13 with an exasperated expression, "Watch her. Don't let her try anything. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her."
"You shouldn't." Kayla teased as she stood, winking at Sitwell, but keeping her legs together tightly, "I'll be back, in like, five minutes."
Agent 13 followed Kayla as she made a beeline for the same bathroom she'd used on the way to the cafeteria. There were closer restrooms to Operations Control, but the Agents didn't bother to guide the blonde away, seeing as she was on a mission and in a hurry. When they reached the door, Kayla whipped around, "I can pee by myself."
"We're coming in to keep an eye on you." Agent 13 answered, but Tiffany just cleared her throat, motioning for the Agent to speak with her away from Kayla. "You take more than two minutes, I'm standing outside your stall door."
"Noted." Kayla hummed as she quickly vanished into the women's restroom.
Agent 13 turned to Tiffany, who just smirked, leaning against the wall, "You are so lucky I haven't told Kayla who you are. She'd rip you in half."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Tiffany replied, playing with the ends of her chocolate colored hair, "I know who you are. Kayla would have too, had it not been for Steve crashing through the roof and attempting to take her with him. So I gotta know, did you ask to play neighbor, or did Fury put you up to it?"
Agent 13 sized up the smaller woman, placing one hand on her hips and the other against the swinging door into the woman's restroom, "You don't know anything."
"Sure I do. I know that it isn't a coincidence that you, of all the agents in SHIELD, were assigned to protect Steve Rogers." Tiffany hummed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her slacks and shrugging, "Maybe you aren't just spying on Steve for SHIELD. Maybe your Aunt likes to know how he's doing. I wouldn't blame her, I know how close they were. Steve is very open about his past with Kayla, and she isn't exactly a steel trap."
"She doesn't know." Agent 13 admitted, pursing her lips in frustration, "When I heard he was coming to D.C. I asked to be his handler, but was turned down. Fury asked if I'd keep an eye on him instead, make sure he wasn't getting into trouble with her." She gestured toward the restroom, pushing open the door until Tiffany's voice caught her attention.
"Do you believe he's innocent?"
Agent 13 turned back to look at Tiffany, seeing the woman sincere and curious. She nodded, "Yes. I do."
"Then you have to let Kayla go. He needs her to get out of this mess. Or at least to stay out of the way."
"It isn't that simple, we have to play by SHIELD's rules so he can be found innocent. If I go behind their back, I can't do anything to help." Agent 13 admitted, looking over her shoulder in frustration, "Does she really have a UTI?"
"No. But she does get them a lot."
"Not surprising, I can hear them through the walls." The blonde mumbled, clearly agitated by the direction the conversation was heading, "What is she doing in there?"
"Probably escaping." Tiffany said casually, and the agent shot her a dirty look before pushing her way into the bathroom. She looked around, pushing open all the stalls until she reached the locked handicap stall in the back. She kicked it hard and broke down the door with impressive strength, then turned to Tiffany with a scowl.
The woman just shrugged, pushing her hair behind her ear as she gazed up at the small window that Kayla had jerry-rigged and managed to push through, "I said probably escaping, it's not like I knew for sure."
The Triskellion sat on the bank of the Potomac, making Kayla's escape difficult, but not impossible. She hadn't spent time in SHIELD headquarters, but she'd surprised Steve on occasion with a sack lunch or to personally see him back from his missions when she was particularly anxious. If she could get to the garage, she could get a ride out in one of the SHIELD vehicles. If she played her cards right, she could get a ride straight to Steve.
Kayla stayed hidden in the trees for about ten minutes, enough time for Agent 13 to realize she was gone, but not enough time for them to come looking for her. She began to sneak closer to the building, staying hidden in a thick bush as she saw Agent 13 and several agents storm the grounds outside the open bathroom window. While they were busy looking for her great escape, Kayla took the opportunity to head back into the building.
She trotted down the halls, cursing her clunky boots that made so much noise as she moved. Kayla heard the revving of engines and realized someone had opened the door to the garage, so she followed the noise until she saw the automatic doors ahead of her. Several vans sped away, and Kayla's breath hitched as she realized they'd found Steve. She waited until there was no more movement in the garage, then continued on, passing through the automatic doors into the garage. She looked up, realizing there were security cameras everywhere. She took off running as fast as she could toward the opening, taking in the position of the security cameras until she saw a blind spot, then she stopped and ducked behind a small black car.
"Shit." She cursed as she heard agents enter the garage, yelling orders to spread out and 'find the girl'. Kayla looked around, seeing another SHIELD SUV enter the garage and park nearby. Kayla kept her head down as she approached the car from the passenger's side, waiting patiently until the driver opened their door to carefully open the rear passenger's door as they exited. Once the door slammed closed, Kayla crawled into the SUV, pulling the door closed silently before peeking over the dash to see several agents stop the slim brunette woman.
Kayla carefully climbed over the backseats into the hatchback and held her breath, watching through the tinted windows as the agents crept by with their guns ready. Kayla Ellis was taken back to days prior when Steve had entered their bedroom with a gun in his hand. Suddenly, his fear seemed warranted.
She watched as the agents moved on, trying to find her elsewhere, and Kayla could finally breathe easy for a little while. Once the SHIELD agent drove her out of here, she'd figure out what to do next. She'd figure out how to find Steve.
The woman returned to her vehicle too quickly for Kayla's taste, climbing in and slamming the door hard. Her handling of the SUV was rough and she was clearly agitated. Kayla was tempted to peek over the seat to get a look at what was happening, but then she'd lose whatever chance she had of getting out of the Triskellion. Even now, she wasn't safe until she passed through those gates.
She watched as they left the garage, across the road that Steve had crashed the jet earlier, and finally, through the massive gates of SHIELD. Kayla laid on her back, rubbing her face as relief washed over her. She knew she wasn't out of the woods, but at least she was out of the lion's den.
And to her surprise, her ride may have felt the same way.
"Open secure line two-zero-zero-eight."
"Hullo?"
Kayla's brows drew together when she realized the voice on the other line belonged to Tony Stark. She licked her dry lips, listening carefully as the woman spoke quickly to the billionaire.
"You seen the news?"
"I did. I saw Fury's been murdered and Cap's a fugitive. Almost makes me want to cut my holiday in Fiji short." Tony's voice echoed in the car as Kayla looked up and watched the buildings of D.C. roll by.
The woman cleared her throat, her voice coming out strained, "Well, that's kind of why I was calling."
"You want me to help bring Cap in?"
Kayla gasped, grabbing her mouth when she realized the driver may have very well heard her. There was silence for a moment, then the woman answered weakly, "I don't think so. Maybe just find him."
"Listen, I'll be back in New York in two days. If you still need my help then, you know where to find me Agent Hill."
The woman sighed loudly, "Alright. Thanks." She hung up the call and Kayla held her breath, unsure if the woman knew she had a stowaway. She carefully shifted up so she could see out of the rear of the van, balking when she realized she was being driven out of the city. Kayla closed her eyes and prayed that she could figure out a solution as civilization melted away, until eventually the car stopped at the edge of the trees on the other side of the Potomac.
The woman turned the car off and locked it, trapping Kayla inside. "Fuck." She hissed under her breath as she watched the woman come around to the back of the van, pausing before she opened the hatchback to reveal the President's Daughter. Kayla smiled nervously and shrugged, "I got lost?"
The slim woman smirked and shoved her hand toward Kayla, "Maria Hill. Deputy Director under Director Fury at SHIELD. I hear they're looking for you."
"They or you?" Kayla sneered, shifting into a crouch as Maria Hill backed up a little, gesturing out of the vehicle. Kayla eyed her nervously, and hopped out, keeping her eyes trained on Hill, "Listen, I don't know where Steve went. Nothing you do can get me to talk."
"I don't need you to talk, I just need you to be quiet. I can take you home and you can hide until this is all sorted out, or you can help me find Captain America."
"What do you want with him?" Kayla asked, raising her chin questioningly as she crossed her arms.
Maria Hill laughed lightly, reaching up and closing the back of her vehicle, "We need his help to take down SHIELD."
Kayla nodded a little, narrowing her eyes, "Huh. Okay. I'll bite." Maria Hill smirked, motioning with a tilt of her head for Kayla to follow her.