The tracker point hadn't moved from the warehouse for the past 3 hours and the microphone had been going off for the past two, fluctuating between Nadia, his child, screaming and pleading with the man evidently torturing her, and deathly quiet only interrupted by the occasional sniff – not that it lasted long before her tormentor was back. But for the past hour there hadn't been anything.

It hurt like hell waiting, hearing his daughter go through all of that and simply standing by. He stayed nevertheless. It had been agreed that Nat would give the go ahead. Much longer, though, and he would be going in with or without her agreement .

"The tracker shows she's in the back of the building." Natasha whispered from behind the stack of crates they were currently using as cover, pointing at the screen on her phone. Despite not being in her Black Widow gear, she still had her widow bites with her as well as a gun and who knew what else.

"The only entrance is in the front." Steve gestured at the screen, not daring to touch it lest he mess something up, "No men have come in or out." He shifted the bag at his feet, wanting to unzip it and bring out his shield to get the rescue started. There had been discussion on making a 'undercover shield' until it was pointed out that only one person threw shields around and the idea was dismissed.

"Are you saying we could walk right in and have a talk with them?" The former assassin arched an eyebrow. "Or bust in guns blazing?"

"No, I'm saying," Steve finally did fish into the bag, pulling out a gift from Stark, "Let's make our own entrance."

XxX

"They won't be coming in through the doorway." Nadia said in a low voice, using German. Between all of the screaming, pleading, and supposed torture, they'd taken off her clothes and put them in another room with a track playing various sounds that she would potentially make. It wasn't certain there was a bug but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Now, clad in some old Hydra gear, they waited in the farthest room from the entrance. Subject Five, or Puppet as the Weasel was keen on calling him, was in the front room on the second floor where the only window was with easy access to the front door if they entered that way.

The building was laid out in two floors, each with two rooms on their respective level. An office and the storage area. Currently, Nadia and the Weasel were in the bottom floor office in the back while Five was in his aforementioned spot.

"Then where?" Came the sharp, Polish reply, "Who will come?"

"The Widow and the Captain will come," Nadia answered, still in German, "They see me as their responsibility. They will come in at a closer point." She paused, thinking it over, "But it is good to have your little puppet of a guard dog in the front – just in case." She nodded her head in the direction he would be, "Without being capable of making his own decisions, how can he fight? If he has little in the area of skill then he won't be much use against the Avengers."

There was a certain terror and freedom that came with treating this man with such a casual air. As though he hadn't been the source of night terrors and being put through experiences that made them look tame. As though he were nothing to her. The fear he had put in her was still there. He also gave her the power to ignore fear. After all, what was a soldier if they feared?

The Weasel dismissed her with an arrogant wave of his hand, "His skill may not be the best but his strength and healing make up for what memorizing cannot do. Certainly enough for -"

Nadia held up a hand to silence the man. There was a noise, just outside of the thin metal walls not far from them. Two heart beats, the sound of shuffling, a machine powering up. If they came in through the point it sounded like they were at then they would come in on the storage side and have to come into this room.

Silently, she motioned for the doctor to stand behind her. Do not move. He will hear you. She signed quickly. At his blank look, she slowed down so he could understand.

A gun was produced from his jacket pocket and handed to her. Nadia gave it a good look over and a sniff. It was a real gun, ready to fire. The chemicals didn't smell like the sort that would blow up in your face. Not a trap - as far as she could tell. The Weasel looked at her a contempt and yet approval. Trust no one. That was the rule.

There was a soft clang as the piece of the wall hit the floor, evidently trying to be quiet. The scent of burnt metal wafted from beneath the closed door.

A beat of near silence. No movement from upstairs, seeing as Five had been merely been told to stay upstairs and engage if he saw anyone. Doctor Grante moved to press his beacon for his little puppet.

No. She signed. They made this personal. Just me and them. He stopped moving. Good.

Footsteps outside the door. Heartbeats but no words. Smart. Hinges creaking as it opened to reveal The Captain and the Widow in defensive positions. Her father, in civilian clothes, low with his shield, her mother behind and above with a gun.

"Weren't you taught to knock before entering?" Nadia grinned, holding the gun casually out in front of her, she continued, "I see you've decided to be stupid enough to pay me a visit this fine morning."

XxX

No. Please no. This couldn't be happening.

There she was. Standing in front of them, whole and unhurt. A gun aimed directly at them. Behind her, a man stood looking as smug as a fox. He was short, with handsome features, and eyes as dead as a fish. Nothing terribly remarkable about him. Yet there was something about him that set Steve's stomach churning.

"Nadia," Steve kept the shield in front of him, moving a step forward, "Let's talk this out."

The girl spat something in German, before going back to English, "There is no Nadia anymore. Never was. I'm Three."

"Why?" Natasha's voice behind him cracked. "Why do this?"

"Cut the fake tears, spy." The girl's face was rigid, "I know you only came because you don't want a loose end."

Steve dropped the shield down a bit, he could bring it up to defend fast enough but maybe even the little gesture would help her see the truth, "Nadia, we came because we thought you were in trouble."

Nadia shook her head, that look on her face that she had when toying with the man she tortured, "And that's why it's so much easier to kill good people than bad." Her features stilled, "Now hold still while I shoot you, please."

XxX

Natasha was moving before the girl even finished her sentence, diving back behind the wall. A gunshot went off. The sound of a body dropping.

No.

Steve.

The world went dim for a moment. It couldn't have been him. He had to have dodged the bullet. Yet he was the only one the girl could have been shooting at.

"Get your ass over here, you Dummkopf!" The world pulled back into focus as Nadia yelled, "I didn't bait you over here just for you to hide behind a fucking wall."

What? Natasha stood and came around the corner, gun up, to see Steve rising from behind his shield. Not shot then. The supposed doctor was another matter all together. He was lying in a heap, lightly gasping on the floor.

"Why?" Natasha managed to get out, keeping her gun trained on her daughter. "What's going on?" This was not what was supposed to be happening. She was prepared for betrayal or even having to rescue the girl. Not whatever this was.

"I didn't get you guys here to save me or to kill you." She snapped, her gun now aimed at the prone figure lying in the rapidly expanding pool of blood. In one quick step she was next to him, muttering something to the man before standing and shooting him in the head twice. "I got you here because I can't fight him by myself."

"Who?" Steve asked right before a loud scream echoed through the building.

Smearing some of the man's blood on her arms, Nadia looked up towards the screams, "My brother."

A/N ~ Hey all! Sorry it takes so long to update, I honestly keep forgetting when I've updated or not.