Deciding there's only one person right now whose place is safe, they make the trip back to DC and arrive at Sam Wilson's by early morning. Fortunately, Natasha had been able to track him down while they were on the road. Steve parks the truck around the corner before they walk to Sam's house. Going around to the back alley, they walk up to the tinted sliding glass door. Dirty and beat up, they knock and wait for Sam to answer it. Moments later, the door opens and he looks out at them in complete confusion.
"Hey, guys..." he says slowly. His eyes dart back and forth between Steve and Freya while he waits for one of them to explain.
"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low," Steve frowns.
"Please, Sam. We have no where else to go," Freya pleads.
"Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Natasha adds for good measure. Sam glances at the three of them before inspecting their surroundings.
"Not everyone," he replies quietly. He steps aside and gestures for them to come in. Freya guides Natasha in first before following. She gives Sam a quick hug in thanks as she passes him. When they step into the kitchen, he walks up behind them. "There's a guest bedroom at the end of the hall with a bathroom you can use to clean up," he points down the hall. "My room is next to that if someone wants to use that bathroom as well."
The three Avengers nod and head off down the hall to the guest bedroom. Natasha sits on the bed with a defeated look on her face and Freya drops down next to her.
"What's wrong?" Freya asks.
"Nothing," Natasha glances between the two blondes before looking down at her hands. "I'm fine."
"Natasha..." Freya warns as she gets up from the bed and kneels in front of her. Sighing, Natasha stares at her hands for a moment longer before looking up at her.
"When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I thought I was goin' straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA," Natasha shrugs. "I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."
"We're gonna figure this out, okay?" Freya grabs her hands and smiles. "Yeah, we were fooled into working for them. But that doesn't make us the bad guys too."
"I owe you," she smiles back at Freya before looking up at Steve. "Both of you."
"You know I'd do anything for you," Freya squeezes her hands and nods.
"It's okay," Steve waves her off.
"I know what Freya's answer already is," Natasha says to Steve as she shows a rare moment of insecurity. "But if it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, now you be honest with me... Would you trust me to do it?"
"I would now," Steve nods before sending her a small smile. "And I'm always honest."
"I'm gonna use Sam's bathroom," Natasha nods in thanks as she stands. The mask she usually wears is back on again. "You two figure out the situation for this one."
She slyly smirks at Freya before leaving. Freya climbs to her feet and shakes her head with a chuckle while she watches the redhead leave. Turning to Steve, she finds him staring at her. He walks over to her and brings up his hands to cup her face.
"What you did back there scared me half to death," he tells her. "But, thank you. I'm proud of you."
She gives him a soft smile as he stares down at her. Before she can register his movements, he leans in and connects their lips. She sighs into the kiss. It's gentle and sweet and everything Steve is. Pulling back, he looks her in the eyes.
"I've really been wanting to do that again," he admits. "This time, there's no Tony to interrupt us." Freya throws her head back with a loud laugh, causing him to grin. Reluctantly backing away, he nods toward the bathroom. "Ladies first."
An hour later, the three Avengers are in the kitchen with Sam, having just finished breakfast. Freya sits at the table while Steve sits at the end to her left. Natasha is leaning against kitchen island while she thinks out loud.
"So, the question is, who at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha asks.
"Pierce," Steve immediately answers. Natasha nods in agreement and moves to stand behind the seat to Freya's right.
"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world," Freya sighs in annoyance.
"But he's not workin' alone," Steve points out. "Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."
"So was Jasper Sitwell..." Freya realizes out loud as her stomach twists into knots. Another realization crosses her mind. "And just a few days ago, we were on a mission to rescue him with S.T.R.I.K.E... Rumlow, Rollins, the rest of the team... they're all HYDRA," she says shakily.
Natasha gives her a sad look and places a hand on her shoulder. Knowing she's been friends with all of them almost as long as the two of them have been friends. Steve looks at her and frowns when he feels an almost overwhelming feeling of betrayal from her. Reaching out, he grabs her hand in an attempt to comfort her before sighing and moving the discussion forward.
"So, the real question is, how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?" he asks.
"The answer is, you don't," Sam states as he walks up to the table and drops a file in front of them.
"What's this?" Steve asks curiously.
"Call it a résumé," Sam says as he leans back against the kitchen island and folds his arms in front of him. Natasha leans forward and picks up the folder while Freya and Steve stand to look at it with her.
"Is this Bakhmala?" Natasha asks Sam with wide eyes.
"The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you?" Freya asks in amazement.
"You two didn't say he was a Pararescue," Natasha says to Freya and Steve.
"Is this Riley?" Steve grabs the photo in the file and looks up at Sam.
"Yeah," Sam nods.
"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs," Natasha says in wonder.
"What'd you use? A stealth chute?" Freya asks.
"No. These," Sam says as he hands a folder to Steve.
Freya peeks over his arm while he studies the file. It details the sickest set of mechanical wings she's ever seen. Her inner Stark is drooling at the thought of tinkering with them.
"I thought you said you were a pilot," Steve looks up at Sam with a raised eyebrow.
"Did he ever actually say the word 'pilot'?" Freya asks as she nudges him. Sam nods with a smirk.
"We can't ask you to do this, Sam," Steve shakes his head as he continues to study the file. "You got out for a good reason."
"Dude, Captain America and Mercury need my help. There's no better reason to get back in," Sam answers seriously. Steve and Freya give each other a small grin. He raises an eyebrow at her and she nods, causing him to give in.
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asks Sam.
"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall," Sam answers. Steve instantly looks at Freya and Natasha, who then look at each other. They shrug and nod as they look back at Steve. Letting him know it will be a piece of cake.
"Shouldn't be a problem," Steve then looks at Sam again and nods as well.
They quickly make their way over to Fort Meade where Freya and Natasha easily snag the wings. Making it in and out before anyone knows they're there. After making it back to DC, the two women are currently waiting on a downtown building rooftop for Steve to come back up with Sitwell. Sam had retrieved him and is now waiting down below for the next part of their plan. So far, it's going smoothly with Sitwell thinking there had been a sniper rifle pointed at him. When in reality, it was just Natasha with a high-powered laser pointer.
"Sooo..." Natasha says slowly.
"Hm?" Freya hums in question.
"You and Rogers kissed?" the redhead smirks.
"Wh-What?" Freya's eyes go wide and her mouth falls open. "Natasha, were you spying on us?! You were supposed to be cleaning up in Sam's bathroom!"
"Wait, you two kissed again?!" Natasha screeches with wide eyes this time.
"What do you mean 'again'?!" Freya stares at her incredulously. "How do you even know about the first time?!"
"I got it out of Rogers on the way to New Jersey while you were sleeping," Natasha grins proudly.
"Nat..." Freya groans and closes her eyes.
"What?!" the redhead laughs. "I was curious! I knew something was most likely going on between you two. The way you guys are always so attentive to each other. Plus, he also told me that he l-"
Natasha's sentence gets cut off by the door slamming open next to them. Turning toward it, they see Jasper Sitwell tumble onto the rooftop with an angry Steve trailing behind him. He scrambles to his feet as Steve starts interrogate him.
"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," Steve growls. Without Sitwell realizing it, the two women fall in step behind Steve. He walks backwards, trying to keep distance between him and the Captain.
"Never heard of it," Sitwell says quickly.
"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve demands.
"I was throwing up. I get seasick," is Sitwell's smart-ass reply. His legs suddenly hit the edge of the roof and he starts to fall. Steve grabs him, pulls him back up and stares him down. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof?" Sitwell smirks. "'Cause it's really not your style, Rogers."
"You're right. It's not," Steve releases him and calmly straightens his jacket. "It's theirs."
Sitwell's eyes go wide as he looks at the two women Steve had just revealed behind him. Freya stands in between Steve and Natasha. Her face is emotionless, but anger is bubbling just below the surface. Threatening to burst.
"You wouldn't do that to me, right, Merc?! We've been friends for years!" Sitwell starts to panic.
"Yeah, and now you're nothing to me," Freya says in an eerily calm tone before looking at Natasha with a bored expression. "You wanna do the honors?"
"We can share," Natasha shrugs.
Without warning, Freya quickly turns on Sitwell and puts a hand out. Silver wisps engulf him and she lifts him into the air with her powers. Natasha steps forward and gives him a hard kick to the midsection. He flies off the roof, flailing and screaming the entire way down. Freya puts her hands on her hips and sighs in satisfaction.
"So, you two have kissed twice, huh?" Natasha smirks at the other two. The two blondes quickly look at her with wide eyes. Freya stays silent while Steve attempts to stutter out a reply.
"Uh... We... Well, I mean. Uh-"
He's interrupted by Sitwell's screams when he's brought back over the edge of the roof and dropped by Sam. Who lands a few feet away, turns to them and retracts his wings. Freya grins while the three Avengers walk over to Sitwell. Happy to have another flier on the team. When they approach him, Sitwell cowers on the ground and sticks a hand up in defeat.
"Zola's algorithm is a program! For choosing Insight's targets," Sitwell finally admits.
"What targets?" Steve asks as they stop in front of him.
"You! Freya!" Sitwell points. "A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA. Now, or in the future."
"In the future?" Freya furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "How could it know?"
"How could it not?" Sitwell laughs at her obliviousness and stands. "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." Looking around at the three of them, he rolls his eyes when they don't reply. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores! Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."
"And what then?" Steve questions.
"Oh, my God," Sitwell's face starts to go pale as he looks at the ground in realization. "Pierce is gonna kill me."
"What then?!" Steve raises his voice. Causing Sitwell to take a step back. Sam steps forward and grabs him by the collar to force him to answer.
"Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list," Sitwell mutters. "A few million at a time."
Everyone's eyes go wide as they look around at each other. Steve roughly grabs Sitwell by the arm and quickly drags him down the stairs. Ten minutes later, they're on the freeway packed into Sam's car. Steve, being the biggest guy, sits shotgun while Sitwell sits behind Sam. Natasha is in the middle back seat with Freya behind Steve.
"HYDRA doesn't like leaks," Sitwell says nervously as he attempts to dissuade them from their current mission.
"Then why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam snaps at him from the driver's seat. Causing Sitwell to glare at him and sit back in his seat with a huff
"Insight's launching in 16 hours. We're cutting it a little bit close here," Natasha informs the others.
"I know," Freya nods. "We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans."
"It'll allow us to access the helicarriers directly," Steve adds.
"What?! Are you crazy?" Sitwell protests. "That is a terrible, terrible idea."
Suddenly, something lands on the roof with a thud right before a metal arm breaks through Sitwell's window. He's pulled out of the car and thrown into oncoming traffic, dying instantly. Freya stares out the window, feeling nothing for him. She looks over at Natasha, who turns to her, sharing the same look of realization.
Winter's here.
Listening to the movement of his footsteps, Freya notices he's standing directly over Natasha. She grabs the redhead and yanks her to herself just as a gunshot is heard. A bullet goes directly into the seat where Natasha had been sitting. Quickly releasing her, Freya leans back and puts a barrier up against the roof. She instantly begins blocking more incoming shots. Though, she notices not a single bullet is being fired in her direction. She feels slight hope tug at her. Wondering if enough of himself is there for Winter to be saved. Steve grabs the emergency brake and makes the car screech to a stop. Effectively throwing Winter off of it and onto the freeway in front of them. He slides to a stop as he digs his metal hand into the pavement like an anchor. Dropping her barrier, Freya leans forward and watches him as he stands in the middle of the freeway and eyes their car
"Winter..." she whispers.
Natasha quickly pulls out her gun and aims it at the enemy assassin. Before she can pull the trigger, it flies from her hand and onto the floor when they're rammed from behind by another car. Scrambling back into her seat, Freya turns around to look out the back window in panic. She turns back to the front as they're pushed right up to Winter. He jumps and twists, landing back on the roof of the car. His feet hit the back window and shatter it. Showering both women with glass. Natasha reaches for her gun while Sam tries to control the vehicle. Suddenly, a metal arm punches through the windshield and rips the steering wheel from his hands.
"Shit!" Sam yells in panic.
After finally locating her gun, Natasha turns and fires through the roof. But Winter leaps to the car behind them and avoids all shots. Without a steering wheel, the vehicle swerves across the freeway out of control. They're rammed from behind again. Causing the car to hop up on the center divider and begin to flip. Knowing they have to ditch the car, Steve mentally reaches out to Freya.
"Get Nat out of here! I've got Sam!"
"I've got her, go!"
Reaching to her left, Freya grabs Natasha and throws herself against her door, knocking it off its hinges. The two women go down with it and slide across the pavement. Using the door like a sled. Once they come to a stop and stand, Freya realizes Steve had lost Sam after they bailed from the car. Looking around, she sees him standing up behind them, seemingly okay. Hearing the screech of tires, she looks back ahead of them and watches Winter approach them with a grenade launcher.
Aiming it straight at Steve.
She starts to throw up a barrier, but can't do it in time. Steve barely gets his shield up before he's blasted off the side of the freeway.
"Steve!" Freya screams as he drops out of sight.
Hearing more footsteps, she turns around and watches more HYDRA agents join Winter. She grabs Natasha by the arm and dives behind the same car as Sam. As shots rain down on them, Sam quickly gets up and moves to another car while Natasha and Freya move around the side of theirs in an attempt to fend off the attack. Freya puts a barrier up in front of the redhead. Who quickly leans around it and takes shots at the approaching group. Bullets bounce off of Freya's silver barrier, making loud thunks as they hit it. She instantly knows these are the types of bullets she can't withstand. "So much for Steve making Fury get rid of armor piercing rounds..." she thinks to herself.
Watching Winter, her eyes go wide when she notices him turn toward Natasha with his grenade launcher. She quickly grabs her and dives over the freeway barrier to the other side. The car explodes behind them seconds later. They scramble to their feet and dodge cars as they cross the lanes to the edge. Without any hesitation, they both jump as another car behind them explodes.
Natasha uses a grappling hook to swing down while Freya free falls and lands beside her. Both of them turn and break into a run as soon as their feet touch the ground. As they approach the edge of the underpass, they see Winter's shadow above them scouting the area for movement. They skid to a stop and look at each other before nodding in silent agreement. Freya's priority right now is Natasha, not Winter. She needs to help contain him or, as much as she doesn't want to, put him down if necessary. They simultaneously pop up from underneath the freeway as he aims his rifle at an overturned bus. Freya creates a barrier to shield Natasha, who shoots upwards. The redhead catches Winter in the goggles, temporarily disorienting him. They quickly take the advantage and run out from cover. Going for the cars across the intersection. Turning around again to fend off Winter, Freya creates another barrier while Natasha fires her pistols.
"I'm out!" Natasha yells at Freya, letting her know she's out of ammo.
"Go! I'll cover you! I'll be right behind you!" Freya yells over her shoulder.
Thinking she's really going to follow, Natasha gives her a quick nod before sprinting away. Leaving Freya to fend off Winter and the HYDRA agents. As soon as Natasha disappears down the street, Winter stops firing. Now watching Freya as she disappears behind the truck she had been using as cover. He gives the agents orders to split up before leaping off the overpass. She quickly ducks down and slips by the cars. Deciding to hide behind one a few down. Freya knows he'll come this way. She's ready. Hearing the nearing footsteps, she glances under the car to see Winter's boots approaching her location. As soon as one of his feet appears in front of her, she leaps out and throws a right. Solidly connecting with the side of his face. He stumbles to the side a few steps before turning to her. They stare at each other in tense silence. Neither person moving.
"I don't want to hurt you, Merc," he says quietly.
"So you know me?" she asks as she tries to remain emotionless. He slowly nods in reply. "Then you know I won't let you go after them without a fight," she frowns.
"They're my mission. You're my mission..." he says sadly.
"Winter, I can't let you do th-."
He suddenly lunges at her and takes her by surprise. Pinning her to the car behind her by her throat with his metal arm. She struggles as she tries to get free. She's beginning to lose air and it's making her panic. He's actually going to hurt her. Most likely kill her. Instincts kicking in, she lets out a strangled scream as her hands push out toward him.
Winter releases her when he suddenly goes flying. Two beams of energy shoot out from her hands. Blasting him to the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Freya stares down at her hands in shock, having never done something like that before. While she's momentarily distracted, Winter stands and shoots a grenade at her. Not having time to put up a proper barrier, she dodges the grenade and throws a small barrier up behind her. Hoping it's enough to save her. It barely shields her just enough as the car next to her explodes. But the force of the blast still sends her careening into another car. Knocking her unconscious. Winter looks at her limp form on the ground, having an internal conflict. He starts to take a step toward her before changing his mind and heading off in the direction of Natasha.
It isn't long before Freya comes to. Looking around as she sits up, she realizes what happened and quickly stands to sprint in the direction of where she last saw the redhead. Hoping that Steve is okay wherever he is. An explosion up ahead makes her stomach sink in fear for the other woman. Leaping into the air, she initiates flight. Coming up on an intersection, she can see Natasha running as she gestures at people to take cover. Movement makes Freya look to her left. She finds Winter lining up a shot. Unable to do anything, she watches as he tags Natasha in the shoulder. Her eyes follow the redhead while she collapses behind a car and tries to take cover. Freya closes in as Winter leaps onto the hood of a car and aims at Natasha again. Diving down, she lands harshly and skids to a stop right in front of Winter. Blocking Natasha from his view. The barrel of his gun is directly in her face. She throws her hands into the air and waits.
Winter freezes and doesn't pull the trigger.
"Winter, I know you're in there. Please. Don't do this," she begs. Her voice is shaky with fear. He can easily kill her right now. All he has to do is pull the trigger. But he stares at her in silence. "Please... Don't. Do. This. Fight it, Winter," she whispers.
He lets out a low growl and puts the barrel of the gun to her head. She doesn't break eye contact with him. She can see the internal struggle. His eyebrows are furrowed and he's beginning to shake with indecision. Suddenly, movement to Winter's right makes him whip around. He turns just as a pissed off Steve approaches at a sprint and throws a punch with his metal arm. Steve gets his shield up in time and the two collide. The contact makes his shield emit a deep ring. Standing in shock, Freya watches as they begin to fight. But she quickly snaps out of it when she remembers her best friend that is currently leaning against a car with a gunshot wound. Spinning toward her, she runs to her side and presses a hand to the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
"It's through and through, but you're starting to lose a lot of blood," Freya tells her.
"Hurts like a bitch, too," Natasha grimaces in pain.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Freya chuckles humorlessly. "But you're a tough cookie, Red. We're gonna get you out of this."
They both duck on instinct as gunshots go off on the street behind them. Quickly peeking around the car, Freya checks to make sure Steve is okay.
"You need to go help Steve. I'm okay," Natasha orders her.
"No. No, I'm not leaving your side," Freya vehemently shakes her head.
"Frey, I'm okay for right now," Natasha smiles weakly. "He needs your help. Go, please."
Freya stares at her before hesitantly standing and locating the two men. She spots Winter as he jumps down from the hood of a car. The sound of his metal fist colliding with the pavement echoes down the street. Taking off at a sprint, she makes her way toward them as Winter kicks Steve, who's now missing his shield, against a van and brings a knife down on him. Blocking it, Steve moves his head to the side and lets the knife puncture the side of the van. He tries to side step out of the way, but Winter follows and the knife cuts a huge line down the side of the vehicle.
As they come to a stop and Steve struggles against him, Freya runs up on them and tackles Winter at full speed. Sending them both tumbling. She quickly stands and backs up next to Steve while Winter climbs to his feet. His eyes bore into hers. The two Avengers stand in a stare-off with the Winter Soldier. No one moving. Steve notices how Winter's eyes won't leave Freya. Suddenly making up his mind, Winter charges them. Taking them both on hand to hand. He blocks a right from Steve and a knee from Freya. All Winter can do is dodge and block while he waits for an opening. He suddenly sees one and takes it. Turning and throwing a left, Winter's metal fist connects with Freya's face, sending her into the side of a nearby car.
Trying to shake off the hit, she slowly stands. Seeing that Steve now has his shield back and is digging it into the back of Winter's metal arm. He quickly brings it under the arm and up, connecting it with the assassin's face. Disoriented, Winter stumbles as Steve spins around, grips him by the face and throws him over his shoulder. Running back over to Steve, she sees Winter's mask on the ground and realizes that Steve must have accidentally ripped it off when he threw him. Winter slowly stands and faces them, sending both Steve and Freya into a state of shock.
It's James Barnes.
Steve's childhood best friend. The one Steve always tells Freya stories about. The man she's been repeatedly seeing in Steve's memory from the train. And now revealed to be the same man she's ran into on missions over the years.
Bucky.
"Oh, my God..." Freya whispers.
"Bucky...?" Steve asks shakily. Unfazed, Bucky fully turns toward him. His face emotionless.
"Who the hell is Bucky?" Bucky asks.
He quickly pulls a gun on Steve, but is knocked down by Sam before he can fire. Swooping down, Sam lands off to the side, his wings now back on. Still too shocked to move, they watch as Bucky gets back up and hesitates before pulling the gun again. This time, a grenade flies between Freya and Steve and hits the truck next to Bucky. Causing it to explode. They turn to see where it came from. Their eyes land on a struggling Natasha who had made her way across the street to grab the weapon. Turning back to Bucky, they find the spot where he had been now empty. The sound of sirens suddenly closes in on them as S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV's surround them. Agents pour out of the vehicles and approach Sam and Natasha first. Cuffing them and taking his wings. Rumlow, Rollins and a few other S.T.R.I.K.E. personnel walk up to Steve and Freya at gun point. Coming back to her senses, Freya quickly glances around at everyone surrounding them.
"Drop the shield, Cap! Get on your knees! Get on your knees!" Rumlow screams. Steve slowly complies. Rumlow turns on Freya next. "On your knees, Merc! Keep your hands down! Don't even think about raising them!"
Dropping to her knees next to Steve, she watches Rumlow cuff him. Unaware of the men behind her. One of them grabs her by the hair and jerks her head back. Causing her to let out a pained yell. Steve's attention is instantly on her. He watches the agents put a collar around her neck. As soon as it's on, she instantly feels weak and collapses down to her hands. Steve begins to freak out when he sees her get pale and struggle to breathe. Pulling at his restraints, he attempts to get to her.
"Hey! What are you doing to her?! Leave her alone!" Steve screams.
Rollins puts a gun to Steve's head, begging for a reason to shoot him. Freya looks up at Rumlow, her former friend and teammate, and weakly shakes her head. Rumlow looks down at her and struggles with indecision. He notices the news chopper above and finally tells Rollins to put the gun down. After a few moments, the other man obeys and yanks Steve to his feet. Rumlow gently pulls Freya to her feet as she continues to stare at him.
"Were we ever friends?" she weakly asks him. Betrayal clear in her shaky voice. He quickly looks around as he helps her get steady on her feet before slightly leaning down. Pretending like he's checking her collar.
"You were my best friend, Merc," he whispers.
They take the two of them to the armored transport and shove them into the back with Natasha and Sam. Pushing Steve and Freya into the seats next to each other, they secure them into steel cuffs. Rollins tosses Sam's wings on the floor at their feet before locking them in.
HYDRA finally has them in custody.
