Mercury // S. Rogers (Bonus Book)

Fucking Budapest

Freya fights the exhaustion of flying such a long distance as she closes in on the signal of the crashed quinjet. She's been using her phone to track her route. Which is now getting a low battery. She sighs as she glances at it one more time before shoving it in her back packet. Flying around a mountain and following a meandering river, she finally spots the crashed jet still smoking as it hangs half way off a bridge. Freya pushes back her exhaustion and flies toward it as fast as she can.

"Nat?!" Freya calls out when she lands. Hoping to still find her but knowing she most likely won't. "Natasha?!" She sighs when she doesn't receive a response.

The sound of an approaching car makes her whip around. Her eyes widen when she sees a Norwegian police car pull up and stop. Two men hop out and start walking toward her.

"Hva gjør? Er denne tingen din?" the driver says.

"Uh, I don't speak Norwegian. Surprisingly," Freya tells him awkwardly.

"It's okay. We speak English," the driver says in a heavy Norwegian accent. "What are you doing here? Is this thing yours?"

"I'm looking for a friend," Freya says carefully, not truly answering his questions. "I think she's in trouble."

"Who are you?" the driver asks.

The passenger, who had been quiet, stands there with wide eyes. He nudges the driver before whispering something in his ear. Making the driver's eyes go wide as well.

"You're Mercury!" the driver gasps.

"Uh..." Freya hesitates.

"We love you!" the driver exclaims.

"Wait... huh???" Freya tilts her head in confusion.

"It's okay, we won't turn you in," the passenger tells her. "We agree with you not signing the Accords."

"Wow, really?" she asks. "Why?"

"Because I'm like you!" the driver grins.

"I'm still confused..." Freya says slowly.

"I'm an inhuman," the driver whispers.

"Why are we whispering?" Freya whispers back.

"Oh, uh," the driver scratches his bearded chin. He suddenly sticks his hand out and smiles. "I'm Henrik." Freya politely shakes his hand before looking at the passenger expectantly.

"Oh, and I'm Jakob," the passenger introduces himself.

"Freya Rogers," she says as she shakes his hand.

"We know," Henrik grins. "Wow, you're so beautiful in person."

"Oh, definitely," Jakob nods vigorously.

"Uh, thanks," Freya says awkwardly before clearing her throat. She looks at the crashed quinjet and sighs. "Do you guys know anything about what happened here? I'm looking for Natasha Romanoff. She was flying this and got shot down."

"We love Black Widow!" Henrik shouts.

"Shh!" Freya shushes him.

"Oh, right, sorry," he cringes. "But I think I can help with what happened."

"How?" she asks.

"That's his inhuman ability," Jakob gushes. "He's kind of a tracker." Freya's mouth forms an "O" and she grins.

"That's so cool! Show me!" she smiles.

Henrik grins and starts walking toward the quinjet. Freya is right on his heels with Jakob at her side. She watches Henrik's eyes as they dart over the scene quickly. His eyebrows suddenly furrow and he gains a far away look.

"There was a woman here," Henrik points at the quinjets broken pilot's window. There's a small, single footprint in the dirt below it. A woman's shoe size. "She was attacked by something with a thin, rounded edge." His hand traces a perfectly cut line in the side of the jet. "The object was also completely round. Circular. Then shots were fired." He points to a scattered pile of ammo casings. "Six. She fully climbs out of the window and a scuffle happens next as a bigger person comes into the picture." He points to a larger, unisex footprint that isn't discernable as male or female. "Nine more shots were fired over here." He points to another scattered pile of casings. "All of the bullets here look like they were deflected off of a hard surface. They're flattened." He shuffles a few steps to the side and tilts his head as he looks at the ground. "There was a struggle here. Both people went down and ended up facing off... here." He points to two partial hand prints on the ground in the gravel." Freya watches him in amazement while Jakob just grins. "The larger person walked away to... here," Henrik points as he follows barely visible footprints back near the quinjet. "Another scuffle. The woman used a knife."

"They were fighting over something," Freya assesses. "Why was he here?"

"'He'?" Henrik asks.

"Yeah, I think I have a feeling of who attacked her," Freya nods.

"How?" Jakob asks.

"Just a hunch," she sighs before nodding at Henrik. "Keep going."

"Okay, so..." Henrik sighs as he looks everything over. "They fought to here... and then..." He tilts his head as his face scrunches in confusion. "I lose the woman. The other person walks away and leaves in..." He follows the footprints and stops at some odd markings. "Some type of small aircraft."

"That sounds about right," Freya sighs. "So you lost Natasha?"

"Yeah," Henrik nods. "She must have gone over the edge of the bridge into the water. It's deep enough."

"Okay, then she got away," Freya says, clearly relieved. She looks over at Henrik and shakes her head, impressed. "You're like a bloodhound."

"Hey, that's what I call him!" Jakob laughs.

"Well, it's true," she chuckles.

"What can I say, I'm just that good," Henrik brags as he brushes an imaginary piece of dirt off his shoulder. Freya laughs in response and shakes their hands again.

"Thank you for the help, gentlemen. I'm gonna check out the river below to see if I can find anything. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I was here," she requests.

"No worries, Mercury. Your secret is safe with us," Henrik smiles.

"We know how to keep a secret," Jakob nods before gesturing at Henrik. He sighs and looks at the quinjet. "We have to turn this in though."

"Yeah, I know," she frowns.

"We won't mention you or your friend," Henrik promises.

Freya smiles thankfully in response before flying down to the river below to scout out any clues. She knows Natasha would've stayed in the water as long as she could before breaching it and going to shore. With how cold it is here, she knows Natasha couldn't have stayed in it for too long. Working her way downstream, she trains her eyes on the shore for any footprints. She's in luck when she happens upon Natasha's small shoe size as they struggle to get out of the water. It looks like she comes to rest against a rock. That also has a message scratched into it by a knife. A message that Natasha knew Freya would find.

BUDAPEST

"Fucking Budapest," Freya sighs.

Short chapter, I know! I'm sorry! I wanted to get at least something out though. It's not my best chapter, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless! I hope you're all happy and healthy!

- Mitzy 💖