Double Agent (Fem Reader X Tony Stark)

Chapter 24 - Alive

After escaping the Van, Steve and Sam both hold onto me and help me walk as we go into some sort of hide out.

"GSW. She's lost at least a pint." Maria says as a man runs down the hall.

"Maybe two." Sam yells.

"Let me take her."

"She'll want to see him first." Maria suddenly says.

She leads us into another room, we step in front of a curtain to see Nick laying in a hospital bed. "About damn time." The Doctor helps him sit up and sits beside me as he works on my wound. "Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache."

I try to hold my anger in as I stare at him. "Don't forget your collapsed lung." The Doctor says.

"Let's not forget that....Otherwise, I'm good."

I shake my head. "They cut you open. Your heart stopped."

"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."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asks.

Maria crosses her arms, "Any attempt on the Director's life had to look successful."

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." Nick nods. My eye twitches as my anger rises at his last line, the doctor bandages my wound and has me take some medicine, helping Nick up and over to the table. Nick looks down and shows us a photo of Alexander Pierce. "This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility. See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch."

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Nick nods.

Maria brings over a small case. "What's that?" Steve asks.

"Once the helicarriers reach 3,000 feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites, becoming fully weaponized. 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 have to get past them, insert these server blades. And maybe, just maybe we can salvage what's left..."

"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick. We're taking down Shield." Steve nods.

"Shield had nothing to do with this."

"You gave me this mission. This is how it ends. Shield's been compromised. You said so yourself. Hydra grew right under your nose and nobody noticed." Steve says.

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

"How many paid the price before you did?" Steve tilts his head.

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

"Even if you had, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that, too?" Steve asks, Nick stays silent. "Shield....Hydra. it all goes."

"He's right." Maria says.

Nick looks at Sam. "Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower."

"Well...It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

Steve walks outside, I stand up and crack my neck angrily. "Don't be mad at me." Nick sighs.

"Of course I'm mad!" I instantly yell. "You didn't know who you could trust? Your the closest thing I have to a father! I thought I meant more to you." I shake my head.

"You and Natasha are my family....I do trust you I just didn't want to drag you into this. But you did that yourself." He points.

"I can't believe you, Nick!"

Sam awkwardly gets up and leaves. "I'm sorry...okay?" Nick shakes his head. I turn as I start to cry, trying not to show weakness in front of him. "Come here."

My lip quivers as I pull up a chair next to him. He carefully hugs me and rubs my back. "Never do that again....I was lost without you."

"I'm sorry." He says again, something that was rare.

"You gonna be alright to fight?" Maria asks.

"Oh I'll be fine....pain only makes me stronger." I smile to myself, thinking of my mother. "Now that we're takin Shield down...what's gonna happen to Nat and Clint? I mean I don't even know where they are."

"Got that figured out already...they'll be back in two days." Nick nods.

"Thank god." I look back as Maria walks out. "You know I am glad Clint's gonna have time off now. See his family more." Before Nick can respond, my phone rings. Somehow surviving after all this fighting. "It's Tony."

"Don't tell him anything."

I nod and turn away from him, "Hi, honey."

"I'm so sorry I didn't answer your call...baby what's going on?"

I glance back at Fury. "Just was having a bad day...I'm sorry if I worried you. I'm okay now. Nothing to worry about."

"Huh...that's funny. You know what I just found out? You and Rogers are on the run? And Nick is dead? What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know what your talking about. I have to go, I'm buying new lingerie."  I sigh.

"Fine, call me when you can. I love you."

"Love you more." I hang up.

"What the hell was that?" Nick shakes his head.

"Tony and I made up some code words....well Tony did. Lingerie means someone is listening....don't ask why he picked that." I shake my head. "He also picked, cowgirl which means that we are in danger."

"Cowgirl?"

"Don't ask." I point.

"And how did you both just randomly think to make code words?"

"After I was kidnapped by a freak." I shrug.

I look over as Steve rushes in, "Let's go."