𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓷𝓲𝓪𝓬 ❖ 𝓫. 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼

C H A P T E R (40) - S H I E L D / A N D / H Y D R A

The silence of the death trip was interrupted when the vehicle drove over a speed bump and Cassie let out a small yelp.

Natasha furrowed her brows at first before her eyes travelled down to her shoulder, seeing the blood soaking through her sleeve.

"I knew you were hurt." She sighed.

"I said I was fine and I am." Cassie concluded, leaning her head against the chair.

"She needs medical attention-" Sam started, but was cut off when one of the guards supervising them pulled out an electric rod, silencing him.

The guard then turned and used it on the other HYDRA agent with them and began to remove their helmet, eyes focused on Cassie.

"Maria Hill." Cassie began with relief, "I've been wondering where you were."

Maria gave a small smirk as she pulled out a piece of technology and glanced between the four of them.

"You ever been on the bottom of a moving car?" She joked.

All eyes turned to Cassie, leaving Maria confused.

"Funny story-"

**

Maria had taken them to a secret facility, and walking through a grimy corridor, Cassie was being led somewhere, following Maria. She turned the corner and entered a room to see what she least expected - a man she thought to be dead, alive.

"Nick Fury you son of a bitch." She sighed as she sat at the end of his bed, "You aren't the first person to return from the dead today."

Fury looked away guiltily and gave a small smile, something he didn't do often. "I heard about that, and I want you to know that I had no idea about any of it."

"If you did, would you have told us?" Steve chimed in as he and the other two entered the room.

"They cut you open, your heart stopped..." Natasha sighed in disbelief.

If it wasn't for the already crazy events of the day, Cassie would've been in shock too. But she had already had her share of dead men turning up alive.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it." Fury explained, sitting up in his makeshift hospital bed.

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve questioned as he leaned against the wall.

"It had to look successful, the assassination." Cassie concluded, bringing her hands from the bed and into her lap, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "We need to stop the launch."

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Fury answered sarcastically, leaning over to the table that stood next to his bed. He brought out a case and opened it, revealing three chips.

"What's that?" Sam asked as he rubbed a finger under his chin.

"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized." Maria explained, "We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own. One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left-"

"No." Cassie cut him off. "We're not salvaging anything, Fury. We aren't just taking down the carriers, we're taking down shield."

"SHIELD had nothing to do with it." Fury retorted.

"SHIELD's been compromised and you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed." Steve backed her up.

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did?" Cassie sighed with glossy eyes, thinking of the one special person to her who paid the ultimate price.

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes."

"SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes."

Fury looked at Cassie, quite surprised she had spoken up and chosen the side for SHIELD's destruction. She didn't give up her stare at him, waiting for his response.

"I guess the Rogers' family is in charge now."

"Damn right." Cassie smirked.

A/N; 40 chapters and 1k reads? Thank you sm omg