Chapter 18- Under Attack
Fury drove down the road as he tried running encryption again on the files that had locked him out. "Activating communications encryption protocol," Fury's car computer said in a flat monotone.
"Open secure line 0405," Fury ordered.
"Confirmed," the computer said, giving off a metallic sound of confirmation.
"This is Hill," Maria Hill's voice said briskly.
"I need you here in D.C. Deep shadow conditions," Fury said.
"Give me four hours," Hill said.
"You have three. Over," Fury said, ending the call. Fury parked at a stop sign alongside a police car. He looked over to see two men in the car, looking like they were running security for a funeral. "Want to see my lease?" Fury snarked. They activated the siren and drove off. When Fury hit the gas, another police car sped to him and rammed into the side of his car. The car that had pulled away rammed into the front of Fury's car and another car rammed into the back.
"Fracture detected," the car computer said, pulling up an x-ray that showed Fury's skeletal structure and a broken arm. "Recommend anesthetic injection," the computer said as Fury reached under the passenger seat and pulled out said anesthetic. Looking out the window, he saw police officers surrounding his car, guns in their hands. "D.C. Metro Police dispatch shows no units in this area," The computer said and Fury looked around.
"Get me out of here," Fury said, breathing hard and the police opened fire on the car.
"Propulsion systems offline," the computer said.
"Then reboot, darn it!" Fury ordered, fear and anger in his voice. Fury looked in consternation as a big gun on a tripod was brought out and aimed at the car.
"Warning. Window integrity compromised," the computer said.
"You think?" Fury asked and pressed a button. "How long to propulsion?" Fury asked.
"Calculating," the computer said. The car was rocked by a blast that released the airbag from the steering wheel. "Window integrity 31%. Deploying countermeasures," the computer said, pulling up the schematic of the damaged car.
"Hold that order!" Fury said as the car was rocked by another blast.
"Window integrity 19% Offensive measures advised," the computer said.
"Wait!" Fury bellowed as another blast shattered the glass further.
"Window integrity 1%," the computer said.
"Now!" Fury yelled and a side hatch beside the driver's seat popped open. A gun came out and Fury opened fire, causing cars to explode and police officers to hit the ground.
"Propulsion systems now online," the computer said.
"Full acceleration ! Now!" Fury ordered as he took shots. Fury fired as the car backed and then sped away. "Initiate vertical takeoff!" Fury ordered as he stopped firing.
"Flight systems damaged," the computer said.
"Then activate guidance cameras," Fury ordered. "Give me the wheel!" Fury said as he got back into the driver's seat and sped off at breakneck speed. Police cars followed in hot pursuit. "Get me Agent Hill," Fury ordered.
"Communications array damaged," the computer said.
"Well, what's not damaged?" Fury asked annoyed.
"Air conditioning is fully operational," the computer said almost cheerfully. Fury weaved in and out of the traffic, barely noticing the brakes acted sluggish too.
"Traffic ahead," the computer said.
"Give me an alternate route," Fury ordered.
"Traffic alert on Roosevelt Bridge. All vehicles stopped. 17th Avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead," the computer said as Fury rammed into the car in front of him and pushed it out of his way as he accelerated on the gas pedal. Cars then hemmed him in and he heard people scream at the sound of machine gun fire that peppered his car. Fury came alongside a bus as police officers started firing through the windows at him. He hit the police officer that was firing at his windshield and knocked another through a store window. as he moved the stick in his car into overdrive. He pulled onto another street, police cars pursuing him. He pulled back to avoid bullets that the police were shooting through the window. Fury got alongside the shooter and pulled him into his car through the broken window. "Warning. Approaching intersection," the computer said, Fury nudged the two police cars forward and one of them got hit by an incoming truck and it got thrown back into the other police car.
"Get me off the grid!" Fury said as he drove, breathing hard to control his fear.
"Calculating route to secure location," the computer said. Fury's blood turned to ice as through the windshield he saw a man in black in the middle of the road. He raised something to his shoulder and fired it at the car. Nick heard an explosion and felt himself being lifted into the air and upside down. He pulled out a cutter and sliced through the roof.
The Soldier watched as the car flipped, skidded and landed. With his metal hand he jerked the door off. Behind his goggles his eyes widened. The target had eluded him as had the girl Markova. He had his team members show her picture at the nursing home and one of the nurses had said she had left. Markova was the same age as his daughter, Elizabeth, if she had lived. The Soldier had felt insulted that this girl could live while his wife mourned every day for their dead daughter. Never mind that Markova looked like what he had imagined her to look like at 14. He had to find the girl. Pierce said she had to be punished for her defection. He would go to where it was said she was going to be next. Maybe even the target that had eluded him just now would be there too.
Steve and Yelizaveta arrived at Steve's apartment building as a blonde woman in a nurse's outfit, who lived across the hall, came out of her apartment. "So sweet. That is so nice," the woman said into her phone as she juggled a basket of laundry. "Hi," she said to Steve and Yelizaveta before going back to her conversation. "I've got to go though. Okay. Bye. My aunt. She's kind of an insomniac. Yeah," the woman said, dropping her phone back into her laundry basket.
Steve smiled. Hey, if you want... if you want you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement," Steve said. Yelizaveta turned her head. For 95 years old, Steve's asking a woman out was kinda lame.
"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?" The woman asked.
"A cup of coffee?" Steve asked, looking like the world's biggest idiot. Yelizaveta covered a laugh with a cough.
"Thank you, but, um, I already have a load in downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward, so-" the woman started to say with a smile and a whisper.
"Ah. Well, I'll keep my distance," Steve said.
"Hopefully not too far," the woman said. Yelizaveta bit her lips to keep from laughing. Steve turned to his apartment as music from the 1940's came out of his apartment. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on," she said as an afterthought.
"Oh. Right. Thank you," Steve said as he pulled out his key and she walked away. Yelizaveta and Steve put their ears to the door and Yelizaveta slid her sword out of it's sheath. They enter the apartment through a window going into the kitchen and Yelizaveta lowers her sword when she sees Nick Fury reclining in a chair.
"I don't remember giving you a key," Steve said, lowering his shield. '
Nick raised up and grunted in pain. "You really think I'd need one?" Fury asked. "My wife kicked me out."
"We didn't know you were married," Yelizaveta said in a low voice.
"A lot of things you don't know about me," Fury said.
"We know, Nick. That's the problem," Steve said as he flipped on a light. Yelizaveta's eyes widened as she looked at Fury's face covered in scrapes and bruises. Fury turned off the light. Fury holds an android phone up with the words "EARS EVERYWHERE" on the screen.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, but I had no place else to crash," Fury said as he held the android down again with the words "S.H.I.E.L.D. COMPROMISED" on the screen.
"Who else knows about your wife?" Yelizaveta asked as her eyes went from the screen to Fury's face. He held the screen with the words "YOU AND ME" on it.
"Just my friends," Fury said as he got to his feet.
"Is that what we are?" Steve asked.
"That's up to you and Markova," Fury said as an explosion and a hailstorm of bullets came in. Fury screamed as the bullets hit his body. Fury hit the floor groaning and Yelizaveta and Steve dragged him across the floor, looking out the window. Fury gave Yelizaveta a hard drive. "Don't trust anyone," Fury gasped out as doors started banging and someone knocked on Steve's.
"Captain Rogers? Agent Markova?" A female voice asked as the door opened. Steve and Yelizaveta looked around and saw the nurse from across the hall with a gun in her hand. "I'm Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Service," the woman said briskly.
"Kate?" Steve asked
"I'm assigned to protect you as was Agent Markova," Kate said.
"On whose order?" Steve asked.
"His," Kate said as she looked at Fury's still form. Kate put her hand on his plus as she knelt beside him. She pulled a walkie-talkie out of sheath on her waist. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs," Kate said. Steve and Yelizaveta looked out the kitchen window and saw a figure and something metallic.
"Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" Some one asked.
Tell him we're in pursuit," Yelizaveta said as she and Steve jumped out of the window and to the next building that the shooter had jumped to. Yelizaveta pulled her sword free from it's sheath as they ran through doors and to the roof. Yelizaveta took a roll as she saw a man all in black run to the ledge. Steve and Yelizaveta tossed the shield and her sword at him and he caught them both. If it was possible the man was staring right at her and something in his eyes changed when he looked at her.
"Duck!" Yelizaveta screamed as he tossed the shield and sword back at them. She pulled Steve down and the man went over the roof. Steve and Yelizaveta ran to the roof and looked over the ledge. The man was nowhere in sight.
The Soldier looked up at the girl. Forgotten memories rushed him of a small dark-haired little girl gripping his fingers and tickling her stomach with his flesh hand. The Soldier felt tears come to his eyes. Elizabeth. The girl he had just seen was Elizabeth. How he didn't recognize her in the picture he had no idea, but it was Elizabeth he had just seen. She looked like his mother and sister when he remembered them and even his wife, Diana. Diana. How was he going to tell Diana that he had seen Elizabeth and HYDRA had lied to them about her being dead?