"I know it's a lot to take in and probably doesn't even make a lot of sense to you right now. I can tell you all you need to know, within reason, as your questions arise, but I want to make one thing clear", she says.
"Go on", he replies.
"I'm not dangerous. I swear. I'm not a threat to global security or whatever else the WSC will likely conjure up to justify locking me back in that hellhole, but I'm not dangerous. I'm not out for blood, I don't want violence or revenge or payback even though I'd totally be justified in pursuing it."
"Then what do you want?"
A moment of silence follows as the two of them regard each other.
After a minute she replies, "Freedom."
The room descends into a pensive silence as Steve considers Nukoni's confession. She's right, it is a lot to take in. Too many conspiracies and buried secrets about an organization he's supposedly loyal to, but Steve knows better than that. Just because he worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't mean he was particularly loyal to them and after everything that surfaced in light of Nukoni's confession, his loyalty can't and won't be bought so easily.
He lets out a soft laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Sitting in his own kitchen with a stranger that broke into his home with enough secrets to bury the whole state of New York in.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asks.
"You're gonna need more than a penny," Steve replies.
Nukoni gives him a wry smile at his joke and lets out a soft laugh of her own.
"Well, then humor me, captain. What's on your mind?"
"I just...remembered yesterday and what happened in the elevator," he says. "If it wasn't for instinct, I wouldn't have been able to see that coming at all."
Fear and confusion as his allies turn against him.
"If I hadn't been paying attention, the STRIKE team could have taken me down just by virtue of surprise alone and I don't know, I guess that kind of worries me. About who I can trust and the legitimacy of S.H.I.E.L.D. And then to learn all of this? To be told that HYDRA still operates even in shadow, doesn't just worry me, it makes me feel like a failure."
The captain gazes just past Nukoni's shoulder, a faraway look in his eyes as she watches him with sadness. To see that even the Captain America can be made to doubt himself is so very humanizing. Then, the weight of his words registers in her mind and suddenly she's resolved to make that doubt disappear.
She reaches out a gentle hand and places it on top of his across the kitchen counter top. Nukoni is staring him straight in the eyes with an intensity that Steve can't look away from even if he wanted to. The feeling of her hand on top of his and her eyes looking at him brings his awareness back to the quiet humming of the kitchen appliances, the still air of the atmosphere, the soft caress of Nukoni's thumb over his knuckles.
"You're not a failure, okay?"
Her voice, like her hand, is soft and gentle, like a parent soothing a child. The captain says nothing, not trusting his voice to be anything but shaky and uncertain, instead opting to let the silence hang while her words sink in.
"How on Earth can you be held responsible for something you didn't even know of?"
"But that's just it, isn't it? Why didn't I know? Seventy years in the ice, Nukoni. Seventy years of just nothing, no memories, no family, no feelings, no legacy. Just frozen in time while the world moves on."
The hard edge in his voice is replaced with a whisper as he says,
"I thought it was a sacrifice, you know? That even if doing the right thing killed me, at least it was for a greater good. That even in death, I did good by my people, the people I swore to protect. And after the ice, even in my darkest moments when I felt so out of place and time, that thought kept me going. I couldn't let myself regret anything about who I was and who I am because it served a purpose greater than myself and now, all of that seems like it was for nothing."
Nukoni's hand tightens over Steve's, prompting him to look at her again. She's not looking at him anymore, instead she's gazing at her hand resting atop his with a solemn expression. Her eyes are faraway, much like Steve's were just moments before and he knows she's in a different world at this moment. He considers redirecting the conversation, away from the depressing atmosphere it's creating around them. He doesn't get the chance however, when Nukoni's voice drifts across, soft and hesitant.
"It's still not your failure, nor does it make you one. Look, I know I've burdened you with this knowledge, hell, with my presence even, given everything that's happened since yesterday. And instead of answering your questions, I've only raised new ones."
She raises her head to meet his gaze and continues.
"What I'm trying to say is that while this isn't easy to hear, you're not...alone. This isn't just your fight anymore, it's not just your burden to carry. This whole thing with HYDRA is still so much more complicated than what meets the eye, parts of it that even I don't know despite being their pet project. HYDRA's existence, their motives, their subsequent infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D, isn't a product of your failure but rather a product of their success. And besides, maybe your legacy isn't over just yet."
A silence follows for a moment before Steve says,
"An interesting take but I'll let it go, for now."
Steve gives Nukoni a small smile as he gets up from his seat. As he's putting the dishes away and cleaning up, he can see Nukoni move from her seat as well and towards the living room window. He lifts his head to see if she needs anything, only to find her looking slightly startled and moving slowly towards window. He's about to ask her what's wrong when she lifts a finger in his direction and silences him with a quick "shhh", all without looking at him.
She's now positioned next to the window, her back against the wall as she peers past the curtain. Her eyes are darting around but her face is eerily blank.
"There's someone here", she whispers.
Steve is already positioned in an offensive stance as he grabs his shield and props himself on the other side of the window, mirroring Nukoni's stance. However, unlike Nukoni, Steve isn't looking outside but rather looking at her.
"What's happening? You see someone?" he whispers.
"No. But I sense a presence."
The captain thinks she should elaborate on what that means exactly but doesn't get the chance to think it further when she's suddenly gripping her sword handle and swinging it at a figure entering through the window.
The next few moments are quick and blurry, and before he can understand what's happening, he sees Natasha pinned to the wall with Nukoni's sword edged at her throat. Something seems to be different to Steve because he knows for a fact that Natasha is skilled enough to get out of the situation she's in, but she seems subdued.
It takes Steve a moment to notice the other, smaller blade in Nukoni's hand, positioned right above the assassin's heart.
Oh, she's good, Steve thinks.
"Whoa, stand down Nukoni! She's not an enemy!"
She doesn't move for a moment before slowly lowering her weapons and backing up. Natasha takes this opportunity to swipe at the smaller blade by kicking it out of Nukoni's hand to disable her but isn't successful for long before it's back in her other hand. The transfer was quick and invisible and Steve wonders when Nukoni even sheathed her sword, considering it is now safely tucked behind her once again.
She smiles at Natasha in a manner of mockery, side-stepping the assassin and positioning herself next to Steve.
Her voice is playful as she says, "That was cute but next time, don't be so predictable."
Natasha ignores the jab and cuts straight to the point.
"Steve, what the hell is going on and who's the sidekick?"
The captain sighs as he places his shield on the ground. "She's not a sidekick, first of all. Secondly, I couldn't tell you to be honest because I'm not entirely sure what is going on."
"Well then you better get started."
She gestures to him to take a seat as she moves to do the same, purposefully brushing shoulders past Nukoni. The other woman doesn't acknowledge the act but also chooses to remain standing. Nukoni moves to lean against the wall she was previously taking cover at, while Steve and Natasha take a seat on the couch.
"No need to look at her like that, Nat. If I thought she was dangerous, she wouldn't be here."
"Or you wouldn't be here", Nukoni mutters. Steve throws her an exasperated look.
"Well forgive my skepticism Cap, but you're not exactly known to sleep around", says Natasha as she shoots Nukoni an accusatory glance.
"Okay, I resent the implication that a one hundred year old man could successfully seduce me." Nukoni gives a wry smile but Steve suspects she may actually be offended. I should be the one offended.
"Well I don't have much to go on considering I have no idea who you are and I've been here for at least eight minutes", Natasha replies. She then turns to Steve without giving the other woman a chance to respond and continues.
"So are you going to elaborate on why I was attacked by an unknown in your apartment?"
"Sure, as soon as you can explain why you were entering through the window in the first place. Forgot how to knock?" Steve retorts.
"I like to keep things interesting, keep you on your toes and all that." Natasha offers up a wry smile as Steve chuckles softly.
"Well I appreciate your concern but I think I'm doing fine. And to answer your question, I only met this unknown yesterday."
Nukoni's voice is faintly heard in the background as she protests being referred to as unknown, while Steve and Natasha continue their conversation.
"In all seriousness, things are not as we know them, Natasha. I know I was supposed to contact you after meeting with Pierce yesterday but I ran into some trouble."
"The kind of trouble that 'STRIKE's?" says Natasha.
Steve's gaze turns sharp as he says, "yea, exactly that kind of trouble. How did you know?"
"I have my ways", she says.
The captain gives her a look of warning. "Don't play that game right now, Nat. How many people know?"
"Okay, relax Cap. I might have hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers when I didn't hear back from you. Why do you think I'm here?"
Steve suddenly feels a little sheepish having jumped to such a conclusion, about Natasha of all people too, and jokes "to keep me on my toes?"
He supposes that it makes sense Natasha knows. It's not exactly abnormal for a spy of Natasha's caliber to practice a healthy level of paranoia. Natasha rolls her eyes at Steve's attempt at humor and crosses her arms.
"We can discuss the STRIKE debacle later. First, let's get to the heart of the matter. Who's she?"
The spy points to Nukoni who is watching Natasha warily. Nukoni is silent for a moment before standing properly and moving closer to the two. Steve nods at her to take a seat but she refuses, opting to practice caution and remain standing instead. Not that she was worried Natasha could hurt her, she's much more skilled than that but she also isn't ready to lower her defenses just yet.
"I have a feeling you won't appreciate my story telling ability so I'll just get to the point. I'm a project of S.H.I.E.L.D., a type of enforcer if you will. My existence is not known to many and I mainly operated within the shadows. All you really need to know about me is that I am now a defective enforcer who belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. who, by the way, is also now defective under, drum roll please, HYDRA."
Natasha straighten's her posture and her expression becomes tight.
"That's not possible. I know everything about S.H.I.E.L.D. and there's no record or sign of a HYDRA takeover. Who do you think you're fooling?"
Steve's hand reaches out to Natasha, motioning her to settle down. He locks eyes with her and says, "She's not lying. Do you know why the STRIKE team even attacked me? Because they work under HYDRA, not S.H.I.E.L.D. and they've been an undercover operative for who knows how long. I'm not sure what their motivation was or why they chose that specific moment to attack but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with Nukoni, which is why for my sake, I need you to trust her on this."
Natasha looks at the captain incredulously. "Trust her? I barely know who she is and I'm going to make an educated assumption and say that neither do you."
"Nat, listen-"
"You don't have to trust me", says Nukoni. "Like I said to Steve yesterday, I just need you to hear me out. Whether or not you believe me is honestly up to you, but I wouldn't be standing here, exposing my most vulnerable secrets in front of two members of the Avengers if I didn't have good reason to."
Her face is hard and serious, unwavering even under Natasha's steely glare.
"I'm not here to fight you, Black Widow, and I know it's a lot to ask of you to trust me but you've really got no choice. Your now former employer is compromised and despite your doubts, you need my secrets in order to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA.
Natasha considers Nukoni for a moment before softening her expression and settling back down. She's not one to be rattled so easily but nothing is making sense to her right now and she's supposed to know everything about S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Tell me everything", she says.
Nukoni takes a seat on the arm of the couch Natasha is occupying and props her feet up on the seats.
"I can only tell you what I told Steve. You're not the only one with trust issues after all."
The assassin offers a knowing smile to Nukoni.
"Sounds about right. Fine. I'm all ears."
And so Nukoni tells Natasha everything, from escaping HYDRA (formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.), about her origins and purpose, and finally to how she broke into Steve's apartment to enlist his help (though she omitted the part about the coat rack to save Cap the embarrassment, for which he nods his gratitude for). After all is said and done, the three of them enter a pensive silence as the former S.H.I.E.L.D. spy mulls over everything she's been told. Natasha has to take a moment to gather her thoughts, and when she finally speaks, she's addressing Steve.
"This is all...overwhelming. And I have half a mind to restrain this woman," which Nukoni scoffs at, "while I verify her story but if you believe her, then that's good enough for me. I guess it wouldn't make much sense for her to be exposing HYDRA if she worked for them but it's my job to have a certain level of skepticism."
Natasha turns to look at Nukoni who is appraising her with a bit of admiration, she thinks. She raises a brow in response but Nukoni just shrugs and says,
"I get it. I can respect the hustle", she says, sounding slightly indignant. "I'm not looking to make best friends here so your skepticism has been acknowledged."
Natasha rolls her eyes, sighs and continues.
"This is beyond anything I imagined you telling me. These aren't just secrets, Nukoni. This is...a revelation. A bad one. If word of this got out, it would put a target on your back."
"In case you haven't been listening sweetheart, there's already a target on my back. And likely yours too if Steve's little parlay with STRIKE is anything to go by."
Steve is silent as the realization dawns on him. He sharply looks up at both women who seem startled by his sudden shift in demeanor.
"If what you say is true, would it be fair to assume that HYDRA thinks you've contacted all of the Avengers?"
Nukoni thinks about it for a second before replying, "Well, I suppose they would. I mean, sure. Yeah, they could assume that. Why?"
Natasha is the first to catch on to the captain's train of thought.
"Should we be worried about the others?" she says.
"We need to get to them, now!"
Nukoni finally catches on and shares a look with the two Avengers. She a little worried about having to get more Avengers involved but realizes that if she needs their help, she's going to have to compromise.
"Alright, yeah, you should be a little worried", Nukoni says. "HYDRA is a little overprotective about me, which I mean in the worst way possible, and we've already wasted a fair bit of time. However, we're going to need a safe house because whoever's pulling the strings behind my manhunt, will definitely have a wide reach."
"So what you're saying is, trust no one."
"That shouldn't be problem for you, right Natasha? I thought it was your job to trust no one."
Natasha throws an exasperated look at Steve, but the captain is busy creating a plan of action to pay attention. He looks at the both of them, ignoring their bickering and says,
"I think I know just the place."