"Hey there, Soldier."
Steve's heart sunk as Brooklyn took a bold step towards him, her smile never faltering, "Brooke… what is this?"
She sighed, running her tongue along the bottom of her molars to show her frustration as she let the rocket launcher fall to her side, "Honey, listen, this doesn't have to get messy. Come with me, I'll take care of you, I promise."
He looked from her to the agents behind her, noting how tense they were. Unlike Brooklyn, they were ready to fire. Steve looked back to Brooklyn, seeing how defeated she acted. He wondered how much of their relationship was real- because she couldn't have turned on him in the last five minutes.
"Steve…" She purred as she took a step forward, but he shook out of his daze and swung his shield to the side, causing the elevator to screech down the shaft.
"Steve!" Brooklyn screamed as she leaned through the open doors, watching as he plummeted to the ground before the elevator caught and stopped. She thrust the rocket launcher into an agent's hands and ripped a grappling hook off of another STRIKE member before latching it to the side of the elevator shaft and repelling down.
When she landed above, Steve ducked, preparing for the agent to fall through the ceiling as he slid the doors closed to avoid the agents chasing after him. Bullets shot at the ceiling above him, trying to break through the vent he'd dented by throwing Rumlow against it, but despite her best efforts, Brooklyn couldn't get through.
"Honey, let me explain!" She droned from above, stomping her foot and causing Steve to glare upward, hating how she was trying to soothe him. "Steve, let me in!"
"Give it up, Rogers! Get that door open, you got nowhere to go!" An agent called, and Brooklyn groaned loudly as she shot at the vent again, "You're not helping!"
Realizing it was only a matter of time before Brooklyn got through the vent and STRIKE got the doors peeled open, Steve took a quick breath and threw himself out of the glass side of the elevator.
Brooklyn heard the shattering and pressed her body against the glass wall as she saw Steve plummeting towards the atrium below. Her heart stopped for a moment as she fell to her knees on top of the elevator, hearing the STRIKE agents below her prying open the elevator doors below her. "Did he jump out?" She heard one of them say in disbelief, but a moment later she heard Sitwell in her earpiece, "Are you kidding me?" Brooklyn raised her head at his words, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, "He's heading for the garage, lock down the bridge! Hayes?"
"I'm kinda trapped above the elevator, sorry, you're on your own." Brooklyn droned into her comm, leaning against the glass as she saw Steve's motorcycle fly through the closing bars onto the bridge leaving the Triskellion. A quinjet appeared to try to stop him and she just sighed as he swerved out of the way of its fire, "God, I love that man."
Sitwell growled into his comm, "Get Hayes out of the elevator."
She lulled her head to the side in time to see several of the STRIKE agents ram open the vent and she jumped down, landing on her feet and leaning out of the shattered elevator into the April breeze as Steve managed to take down the quinjet and land back on his feet before jogging away.
"Huh." Brooklyn slid one ankle behind the other as she heard groaning behind her. She turned to see Jack Rollins pushing himself to his knees, looking up at her with squinty eyes as she snorted, "How many STRIKE agents does it take to capture Captain America?" Jack narrowed his eyes at her as she laughed, "Who knows? They haven't done it yet!"
"Go to hell, slut."
Brooklyn chuckled as she threw her head back, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, "That's funny, coming from you. Really. It's almost as funny as you thinking you could stop Steve." She laughed harder, doubling over with laughter as Sitwell appeared down the hallway with a scowl on his face, "You'll never catch him."
"This isn't a laughing matter, Agent Hayes."
"It's just funny that you think for one damn second that I'll help you find him." She sneered as she instantly stopped laughing to threaten Sitwell, "Maybe you should have thought of this before you killed Fury."
"He knew something was up, we didn't have time to waste. After the stunt he pulled with the Lemurian Star, it gave us the perfect alibi. Somebody killed Fury. Maybe it was you."
"Wasn't me, I was there when he got shot, which, thanks, by the way, for putting three holes in my wall." Brooklyn slurred while stomping away, waving her hand over her shoulder.
"Pierce has something on you." Sitwell called and Brooklyn stopped where she was, looking ahead before turning to face him. Once he had her attention, Sitwell added, "He says you'll comply, whether you want to or not. Is he correct?"
Brooklyn looked past Sitwell to see Rumlow stumbling to his feet, staring at her darkly. Jack had a shit eating grin on his face, reminding her that the two STRIKE agents knew about her sister and probably her aunt. Brooklyn bit her tongue, then stared at Sitwell with her best poker face, "I have a little sister. She's doing her residency in Manhattan. There. No more secrets."
"You sure you should have done that?" Rumlow asked darkly and Brooklyn shrugged as she looked from Rumlow back to Sitwell with a sad smile.
"What's it matter anymore?" Brooklyn asked softly, "Pierce already knows where she lives, he flew out my aunt from California just to have more leverage. I'll play along, I'll help you find Steve, but he's too smart to go back home and he doesn't trust me anymore, so I don't expect a phone call. Blackmail me all you want; it doesn't change the fact that Steve Rogers never gives up on what's right. You'll never find him in time."
Sitwell smiled, and Brooklyn practically grimaced at how confident he looked, "We don't need you to find him. He's Captain America. He's a little hard to hide."
Meanwhile, Steve pushed through the back door of a public gymnasium, sneaking past the men playing basketball to hide behind the bleachers. He peeked through them, seeing the game head to the opposite side of the court before grabbing a duffle back and pulling it through the crack. He looked over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching him as he unzipped the bag, pulling out a blue zip up sweater and dark sweatpants. "That'll work." He grumbled as he pulled out the tennis shoes in the bag, finding them close enough to his size to make work.
While the men obliviously played their game, Steve stripped out of his stealth suit and shoved it into the duffel bag, occasionally looking up to make sure nobody had noticed their bag was gone. He pushed it back through the crack moments before one of the men limped back to take a seat. Steve froze, holding his breath to make sure the guy wasn't about to open the bag or notice there was somebody beneath him, but he didn't look away from the game. Steve let out his breath and quickly pulled on the sweatpants before zipping the sweater over his undershirt. He pulled the shoes on last, finding the fashion sneakers poorly made and flimsy, but he was hoping to hide, not run.
He flipped the hood over his head to hide his face before striding out of the gym, knowing SHIELD wouldn't be far behind him.
Back at the Triskellion, Brooklyn was agitated that she'd been taken away from her perfect life to stand silently behind a desk while Sitwell and Pierce told lies about her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. They hadn't broken up, but the feelings Steve had about the matter were loud and clear on his face when he saw her trying to apprehend him. There was no scenario where Steve forgave Brooklyn for her lies and they lived happily ever after, so she had to push the might have beens from her mind to get the job done. If Steve took down Hydra, he'd take her down with it, and her desire for self-preservation overtook her desire to do what was right.
"The gym was a bust." Rumlow called as he entered Operations Control.
Brooklyn looked from her station over to Sharon Carter, who rolled her eyes and glanced over at her. Brooklyn licked her lips, then nodded her head to the side, motioning for Sharon to join her. "I'm going to use the restroom. If that's okay? If it doesn't interfere with finding Steve?" Brooklyn taunted Sitwell as he spoke quietly with Rumlow. He waved her away, and she smirked as she looked over her shoulder to see Sharon following behind.
When they reached the women's room, Brooklyn quickly kicked open each of the stalls, making sure they were all empty before doubling back and locking the door behind Sharon, "I know who you are."
"Excuse me?" Sharon stammered, raising her brows, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know who you really are, Agent 13. That's why I didn't say anything to Steve when you moved in across the hall."
Sharon shook her head in surprise as she looked around the empty bathroom before crossing her arms, "I don't understand."
"You're Sharon Carter. Your grandfather was Peggy Carter's brother, but nobody here knows that." Brooklyn explained dully as she leaned against one of the sinks and motioned back towards the door, "I did a little digging, well, I did a lot of digging while I was at the Retreat. Steve would spend hours sketching by the lake and I got bored, so I went down a few rabbit holes, and low and behold, Triplett isn't the only SHIELD agent with ties to the Howling Commandos. So do you! Sharon Carter."
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to keep that private." Sharon said slowly and Brooklyn just raised her hands, chuckling lightly.
"Believe me, I would too. Because if a certain someone knew who you were, I'd be chopped liver. Especially now…" She trailed off, scratching the back of her neck beneath her tight ponytail as she pursed her lips, "I don't believe Steve did anything wrong, but they won't listen to me. They think I'm too close to the situation and aren't 'thinking clearly'" She said as she put air quotes around the words, "You believe it too, right? That Steve's innocent?"
"Of course, I do. He's Steve Rogers." Sharon said, as if that enough was enough to prove his innocence. She wasn't wrong.
"Alright, great." Brooklyn nodded as she stared out the small window stretching above the stalls, "Glad we're on the same page."
Sharon nodded, then pointed to one of the stalls, "While I'm here…"
"Oh. Right." Brooklyn said quietly as she pushed away from the sink, "Well, nice talk, Agent 13." She unlocked the bathroom door and swung it open to find Rollins waiting on the other side. She groaned loudly, "What do you want?"
"They're at the Apple Store. You're coming."
"Okaaayyy." She drawled as he led her towards the garage. "What's he doing there?"
"He's trying access some level ten information."
The flash drive Fury gave him.
"Huh. Okay. I'm surprised he knows how to do that." Brooklyn grumbled, but as they drove away at top speed, she got her answer.
"It's because Romanoff is with him. She's been missing since Fury passed." Rumlow called from the driver's seat and Brooklyn let out an 'ahh' in response. Rumlow looked up at her in the rearview mirror, "No shit from you. I'll make you a deal, if you bring him in, I won't put a bullet in his brain on sight. Deal?"
"You shouldn't shoot firearms in public places, it freaks out the civilians."
"Well, considering Captain America is a dangerous, enhanced fugitive, we have the go ahead to use any force necessary, and I'd love to watch him bleed out in front of you. Whether he lives or dies is up to you." Rumlow threatened and Brooklyn's stomach churned as the image of Steve dying in her arms danced around her mind. It had always been a possibility, but it felt so much closer to reality now.
"I'll bring him in. I'll-" Brooklyn paused and considered her plan off attack, "I'll do my best. Understand that he won't trust me any more than the rest of you, so the likelihood of him listening to me is exceptionally low."
Rumlow didn't respond and Brooklyn breathed slowly through her mouth as they whipped into the mall parking lot. She flung the door open and sprinted towards the mall entrance, giving herself a head start before the rest of STRIKE entered the building.
Steve pulled the flash drive from the computer and shoved it in his pants pocket before following Natasha out of the store. She easily kept pace with him as he looked around for the STRIKE team, seeing them spreading out around them, "Standard tac-team. Two behind, two across, two coming straight at us. If they make us, I'll engage, you hit the south elevator to the metro."
"Shut up and put your arm around me, laugh at something I said."
"What?" Steve asked, but she bit back, "Just do it!"
Steve did as he was told, throwing his arm around Nat, and leaning in close to chuckle before looking over his shoulder to see the two Strike agents walking away, "That worked."
"Do you never do anything fun with Hayes? You can't actually spend all your time having sex in your apartment…" Natasha trailed off, but Steve felt his cheeks heat up at the thought of being tangled up in bed with Brooklyn. Suddenly, all his memories and fantasies felt cheap and fake, because she hadn't batted an eye when she was told to apprehend him. "You think she's on the wrong side, don't you?"
"She came at me with a rocket launcher. She's clearly not planning on running away with me." Steve grumbled as he looked up, seeing two more agents scanning from above, "We should head below. Try and make a break for the parking lot."
"Thought you wanted to take the metro?"
"Change of plans. We need to get to Wheaton without leaving a trail. We'll take a car."
Natasha led Steve to the escalator, and he scanned the upper floors casually as they descended. Suddenly though, she whipped around and gazed up at him seriously, "Kiss me."
"What?"
"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."
Steve stared at her in disbelief, breathing out, "Yes, they do."
Before he could protest more, Natasha reached up and pulled his lips down to hers. He instinctively placed his hand on her hip, holding her lightly despite being frozen in shock from Nat's actions. After a few moments, she slowly pulled away, and Steve felt himself leaning forward to chase after her before widening his eyes and realizing she was turning away.
"Still uncomfortable?" She asked as she bopped off the escalator without stopping.
"It's not exactly the word I would use." He grumbled as he followed, looking over her head and running into her. He looked past her, realizing why she'd stopped.
Brooklyn stood before them with her arms crossed and her foot tapping. She was trying not to smile, but her wicked smirk appeared anyway as she gestured towards them, "I'm extremely uncomfortable. I'm speechless really, I could hardly look at you. We talked about this, if you wanted a threesome with Natasha, I was down! I never agreed to this though, this isn't any fun for me." She motioned towards the two of them as Steve clenched his jaw. She smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes up at him as she sighed, "Don't look at me like that, Sweetheart. You didn't even stick around to hear my side of the story."
"I don't think I want to." Steve spat, pushing past Natasha to stand toe to toe with Brooklyn. As he surged forward, she backed up quickly and he kept walking her back towards the exit of the mall, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't subdue you right here and right now."
She could see that his eyes were pleading in spite of how resentful his voice was. Brooklyn reached out to touch him, but he grabbed her wrist, staring at the promise ring on her finger, "Steve, there's something you need to know-"
"Cap, Rumlow's seen us." Natasha warned and Brooklyn pulled against Steve's grip, worried he would break her wrist.
He slung her to the side, sending her flying through the air a few feet into the mall's fountain, which caused several patrons to gasp and run towards her to see if she was alright. While Brooklyn sputtered out of the dirty water, Steve took off sprinting as fast as he could towards the parking lot while Natasha followed as best she could. Through all the noise, Steve heard Brooklyn yell, "They're heading towards the Metro!"
Steve slowed down when he heard that, whipping around to see Natasha catching up to him, "What is it?" She asked nervously as she followed his gaze, "Why did you stop?"
"She told them we were heading towards the Metro."
"Well, then let's prove her wrong."
He shook his head a little, pulling off the glasses and shoving them in his pocket, "She must have seen us head the other way. She's sending them to the wrong place."
"Steve…" Natasha shook her head to stop his hopes from growing, "You've got to let her go."
Knowing Nat was right, Steve pushed open the door to the mall as several security guards ran past them. He slung his arm around Natasha's shoulders as they power walked towards her car to grab his shield. While she collected it, Steve worked on hot wiring the pickup truck next to her, having it roaring to life before Natasha had even locked up her vehicle.
She chuckled as she climbed into the passenger seat, carefully tossing his shield into the back. Steve pulled on his seatbelt and looked over his shoulder before throwing the truck into reverse so they could get out of D.C.
Back at the mall, Brooklyn was massaging her wrist as the mall security officer asked her questions about her attacker.
"He didn't attack me, he's… he's a friend. It was a misunderstanding." She assured the security officer as Rumlow approached. He flashed his SHIELD badge and the mall security scurried away while the STRIKE commander took a seat on the edge of the fountain beside Brooklyn. She leaned over the water and wrung out her hair, causing the water to splash as she sighed, "I'm sorry, I tried."
"Did they really head towards the Metro? Because nobody saw anyone who matched that description." Rumlow asked as he rubbed her back, causing Brooklyn to stiffen at his touch and release her hair. "You sure you didn't lead us the wrong way so they could get away?"
"Why would I do that? He threw me into a fountain. I was hurtling through the air, there was a lot happening." Brooklyn spat, but Rumlow moved his hand from her back to the nape of her neck, squeezing uncomfortably as she squirmed, "Let me go."
He kept his fingers tightly pressed to her neck as he stood and drug her with him, shoving her towards the doors, "Just got a call from the Secretary. No more bringing them in alive. Next time they're shot on sight."
Brooklyn quivered in his grip as he thrust her forward, finally letting go so he could pass her, "Let's move. We'll wait for further instructions. I suggest you join us, unless you want to see your sister in a coffin next time you go home."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she followed the STRIKE team back to the vans. She pulled out her phone, sending a text to her sister telling her to stay home and not answer the door, no matter who said they were there.
As Steve and Natasha crossed the border into New Jersey, the Black Widow was having a grand ole time harassing Steve Rogers about his love life.
"So, have you kissed anyone who wasn't Brooklyn since you got out of the ice?"
"No."
"Not once? Not even while she was in Belarus?" Natasha pressed and Steve groaned as he shook his head, "How did you survive all that time? Being the sexual fiend that you are?"
"Nat." Steve snapped as he looked over and shot her a dirty look. She tilted her head to the side, studying his firm expression as he drove. His breath hitched and he grunted, "I'm sorry about the sex pollen incident. I was out of control and I made a mess of everything. I shouldn't have been so cruel to you. You were trying to help."
"I didn't realize what you and Hayes had." Natasha said quietly, shoving her feet up on the dash, "I thought you were being overdramatic about the whole thing, but the way she looked at you the next morning… I couldn't believe how she looked at you. Like she adored you, even though you'd really hurt her."
Steve sighed loudly, rubbing his molars together before muttering, "I thought I knew who I was sleeping beside. I gave her my mother's ring, I got to know her sister. She was gonna be my wife. Now I'm not even sure if she ever loved me. I just don't know what was real and what wasn't. I don't know if anything she said was true."
"Well, truth is a matter of circumstances. It's not all things to all people all the time. Maybe neither is she." Natasha said quietly as Steve stole a glimpse at the woman beside him. "Just because she was told to bring you in doesn't mean you can't trust her. Things are clearly complicated. I wouldn't give up on her just yet."
He shifted in his seat, rolling back his shoulders as they grew closer to their destination, "Maybe. It's just more lies. I just want to hear the truth from her." He looked to Natasha again, eyeing her tennis shoes where they pressed against the windshield, "Take your feet off the dash. We're borrowing this, not stealing it." Nat did as he said, smirking at how he deflected his feelings.
While Steve was several states away, Brooklyn was back at their apartment. She looked around sadly. She'd been told by Sitwell to gather her things because she wouldn't be going back. She didn't need Hydra to order that, because Steve wasn't going to let her back into his life after all of this. Assuming he found a way to survive.
Despite her best efforts, Steve had a kill order out for him, and she'd been stripped of any power she had once been promised. Brooklyn had tried to play both sides and was promptly abandoned by both of them. Had it not been for their distrust of her, Pierce would have had her fired and sent away. Without her though, Hydra had no chance of capturing Steve. She was the only one who could find and subdue him without leaving a trail of bodies in his wake; at least, that's what they believed.
Brooklyn knew better than to expect any sort of mercy from Steve. She was lucky that she walked away with only a fractured wrist and a bruised hip.
She ran her fingers along the books on his shelf, a mixture of historical textbooks and her romance novels that she loved to read by the fire while Steve did work for SHIELD. He did his research, always showing up as prepared as possible for every assignment he was sent on. She moved over to his record player, tearing up a little at the bloodstains on the floor where Fury had fallen. She sat in Steve's chair and shoved her face in her hands, crying softly as she mourned the life she'd had over the past two years with Steve. Even away on her mission for Fury, she knew she had Steve waiting for her. Maybe she should have never left. Maybe she shouldn't have told Fury she needed time away. Maybe she should have enjoyed every moment she had with the man, because now that it was over, Brooklyn felt like she didn't appreciate it as much as she should have.
She raised her hand, gazing at the old ring. She should have never let Steve give her that ring. Sarah Rogers was rolling in her grave knowing that Brooklyn wore her wedding ring as a promise that she didn't intend to keep. She pulled off the ring and sucked in a sharp breath, looking around before pulling open the drawer. When she did, she realized Steve had kept all her letters from her time away.
Brooklyn set the ring down in the drawer, then pulled out the letters to reread them. Her hands were shaking, and she was putting too much stress on the paper, but she didn't care. They were all lies. Brooklyn pushed the drawer closed on the ring before standing and lighting a match on the fireplace to start it ablaze. She ripped the letters in half and threw the paper into the fire, gazing bitterly at it as she watched her lies burn, while deep in a bunker in Wheaton, New Jersey, Steve and Natasha saw flashes of Hydra.
The Winter Soldier.
Howard Stark.
Nick Fury.
Brooklyn Hayes looking nervously over her shoulder at the security camera with the Winter Soldier in the background some time in the late 2000s.
"We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum."
Brooklyn's cell began to ring, and she answered it bitterly, "What?"
"We've put a hit out on Romanoff and Rogers. Just, thought you want to know." Jasmine said softly on the other end before hanging up.
Brooklyn sat on the floor in front of the fire and sobbed as Rumlow called from the doorway, "We have a confirmed hit. We're being dispatched to find the bodies. You want to come?"
"Not really, no." Brooklyn mumbled, but Brock tossed his water from his canteen onto the fire and put it out, causing a loud hiss as the smoke wafted around Brooklyn. She looked over her shoulder, seeing her old team leader hovering over her with his hand on his holster, "Why don't you just put me out of my misery? It's the least you can do, you ruined my life."
"I saved your life." Rumlow grabbed her arm roughly to pull her to her feet, "I should have shot you on sight, but I saw something in you. Determination. Resilience. Rogers fucking ruined you in every single way. It's a waste."
Brooklyn spit at Rumlow, ripping her arm away before pulling her gun from its holster, "He's the best thing to happen to me since you recruited me. I don't care if he ruined me for Hydra because I was enough for him. You'll never be half the man Steve was."
"Doesn't matter, because he's dead." Brooklyn stiffened as he threw his arms out and laughed, "C'mon, Sweetheart, it's over. Snap out of it. You already went through your process, let him go. This is your last chance before Pierce gives up on you, and your pretty little sister gets her name added to the Insight list." She looked up at him at that, trying to find some sign of deceit, but there wasn't any. He was telling her the truth.
"Alright. Let's go." Brooklyn mumbled as she looked over her shoulder at the smoldering firewood. She gestured towards the door with her gun and Rumlow took the lead, allowing Brooklyn to lock up and hide her key under the mat so she could find it later.
STRIKE and Brooklyn were the first ones on the ground in Wheaton to look for Steve and Natasha. Quinjets swarmed overhead with massive lights, shining down on the rubble that used to be the military base. Brooklyn felt sick at all the history that had been destroyed to kill her boyfriend. It was his history that died with him.
She followed behind Rumlow as he scrambled down the debris, peaking underneath a chunk of building before turning around to stare at her in disbelief. She drew her brows questioningly before it dawned on her: they were alive. She shoved past Rumlow to see what he'd found, seeing a footprint in the dust as she gasped, "They're alive."
"Call in the Asset." Rumlow grumbled, and Brooklyn's head snapped up as her jaw trembled. She looked back down to the footprint, feeling her chest plummet into her stomach. If Steve didn't hate her before, he was about to despite her with every fiber of his being.