I still don't own Marvel, or any related merchandise.
"Sometimes we must choose between what is right and what is easy." ~Albus Dumbledore
Steve was on a jet with Natasha and an extraction team in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them. 93 minutes ago."
"Any demands?" the Captain asked.
"Billion and a half."
"Why so steep?"
"Because it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s."
"So it's not off-course. It's trespassing." Steve wasn't happy about that.
"I'm sure they have a good reason." Natasha said.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor."
"Relax. It's not that complicated." He thought Nat was missing the point but he let it go. There were more important things at hand.
"How many pirates?"
"25. Top mercs led by this guy. George Batroc. Ex- DGSE, Action devision. He's at the top of interpol's red notice. Before the French demolilized him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."
"Hostages?"
"Mostly techs. One officer. Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley."
"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship? Alright, I'm going to sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to the life-pods, get them out. Let's move."
"STRIKE, you heard the Captain. Gear up."
"Secure on channel seven?" Cap asked into the comm.
"Seven secure." Nat replied. "You doing anything fun Saturday night?"
"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so, no, not really."
"Coming up on the drop zone, Cap."
"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes."
"That's why I don't ask." Steve said, buckling his helmet.
"Too shy or too scared?"
"Too busy!" he walked down the jet's ramp and jumped. He dove into the water beside the ship and scaled the anchor's chain. The captain snuck up behind one of the hostiles and knocked him out. Steve took out as many hostiles as he could on the deck, sometimes using his shield, sometimes his fist, and once or twice his knife. Until one snuck up behind him with a gun. The captain froze.
A shot took out the hostile behind him. Rumlow. "Thanks."
"Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless without me." The rest of the team landed and Nat fell into step with him.
"What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice."
"Secure the engine room, then find me a date."
"I'm multitasking." She said jumping over a railing. Steve kept moving.
"Targets acquired." Rumlow.
"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve whispered into the comm. "Status, Natasha."
"Hang on!" Steve waited. "engine room secure."
"On my mark. Three, two… one." Steve threw his shield through the window to the bridge and climbed through after it. Batroc kicked him and ran. Cap grabbed his shield from the wall where it had stuck and ran after him.
"Hostages en route to extraction. Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, cap. Hostiles are still in play."
"Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha."
Batroc attacked. The two fought, both landing hits, though the captain was getting the worst.
"I thought you were more than just a shield…"
Steve put his shield on his back and took off his helmet.
"Let's see." They continued fighting, this time Batroc got the worst of it. Steve tackled him, knocking them both through a door. He knocked Batroc out with one more punch.
"Well, this is awkward."
Nat appeared behind one of Batroc's men. "Hey sailor."
She took him out, wrapped her grappling hook and rope around his neck using him to anchor her descent. She fired and took out everyman she saw on her way down, using one man's body as a shield as she took out two more.
"Natasha what's your status?" came through her comm. She landed just as Steve asked again. "Status, Natasha."
"Hang on!" she practically shouted into the comm as she took out yet another hostile. She took out two more in about thirty seconds before she gave Cap an answer. "Engine room secure." She grabbed a pipe and hit one of the men in the head as he tried to stand. Natasha dropped the pipe and walked away. She had her orders from Fury.
"On my mark. Three, two… one." She heard Steve through her comm followed by Rumlow.
"Hostages en route to extraction. Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, cap. Hostiles are still in play."
"Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha."
She ignored him. He had his mission, she had her's. Natasha worked on the ship's computer. She didn't even look up when Cap and Batroc crashed through the door.
"Well, this is awkward." She looked over and smiled as she continued to work on what she was doing.
"What are you doing?"
"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into."
"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" Steve walked over and looked at the screens. "You're saving SHIELD intel."
"Whatever I can get my hands on."
"Our mission is to rescue the hostages." She could tell Steve was upset so she figured her best option was to remain calm.
"No, that's you mission, and you've done it beautifully." He grabbed her arm.
"You just jeopardized this whole operation."
"I think that's overstating things." Just then Batroc got up and threw a grenade as he jumped through the door. Steve diverted the grenade using his shield, grabbed Nat and jumped through an office's window just as the grenade went off. They scrambled back to the wall just under said window. Natasha's face contorted in pain. She probably bruised her ribs and got glass in her from the window.
"Okay. That one's on me." She said trying to lighten the mood.
"You're damn right." Steve basically spit out, getting up and walking away.
Natasha let her head fall back against the wall. Damn it.
Please Review! And sorry it's been so long between chapters, school work has to come first.