I Can't Help It - Steve Rogers

Chapter 16

Rachel, Nat and the Strike team all land on the deck and remove their parachutes. Rumlow shoots an agent with a gun pointed at Steve's head as he landed. Nat and Rachel land beside Steve as he walks across the deck. "What about the nurse who lives across from you guys? She seems kind of nice" Nat questions, still on the topic of Steve's dating life. "Secure the engine room then find me a date" Steve orders. "I'm multi-tasking" Nat argues as both her and Rachel jump over a railing, leaving Steve behind.

A man in the engine room answers a phone call while Nat and Rachel stand behind him. He hangs up the phone and turns to see the ladies stood behind him. "Hey sailor" Nat flirts before Rachel kicks him in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees. Nat wraps a hook around his neck, using him as an anchor as she uses the wire to fall down to the lower levels. Meanwhile, Rachel jumps down and uses her powers to break her fall and allow her a soft, gentle landing on her feet.

Rachel hears everyone else confirm their required positions while her and Nat approach the final area of the engine room. "Rachel, Natasha, what's your status?" Steve asks them but neither of them reply as they try and remain quiet and undetected. "Status?" Steve questions again and Nat states a "Hang on" as she attacks one man. Rachel runs past her and towards the corner where she can hear more men coming. She uses her powers to pull the gun from one man's hand before kicking him backwards. 2 other men round the corner and Nat starts fighting one while the other runs towards Rachel. They both share a look and Nat swings her leg at the man's face, sending him backwards. Rachel thrusts her hands towards the 3 men in front of them and her barrier of energy throws them into the walls, knocking them unconscious. "Engine room secure" Rachel informs Steve before turning around to see Nat gone. "Nat?" she calls but gets no response.

"Hostages on route to extract. Romanoff and Forbes missed the rendezvous points Cap. Hostiles are still in play" Rumlow informs Steve. "Steve" Rachel calls as she sees him coming down a flight of stairs. "Rachel, where's Nat?" he asks her. "I don't know, we secured the engine room and then she disappeared" she answers. "Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha?" Steve orders but gets no response. Suddenly, Steve catches a glimpse of Batroc moving to attack him and Rachel. He quickly raises his shield while using his other arm to push Rachel out of the way. Batroc hits the shield and Steve's sent to the floor. Batroc attempts to kick Steve while he's down but Rachel quickly intervenes and uses the powers to hold his foot in one place. Batroc looks to Rachel to see her holding her hands up with violet energy surrounding them. Rachel throws Batroc foot behind him, causing him to flip away from Steve.

Rachel stands in front of Steve while he stands and Batroc runs towards her. She deflects his hits and kicks by using her powers and her combat skills. She defends herself well until she deflects a punch and Batroc kicks her in the gut. She's sent to the floor and the air is knocked from her lungs. Before Batroc has the chance to attack Rachel while she tries to catch her breath, Steve jumps in front of Rachel and attacks Batroc. Steve eventually tackles Batroc into a door and knocks him unconscious while Rachel climbs to her feet.

"Well this is awkward" Nat states as she looks over at Steve and Rachel while they pant. Steve gets to his feet and looks at Rachel, checking her for injuries. "Are you ok?" he asks her concerned. "Yeah" she nods with a smile. "What are you doing?" Steve questions Nat as they both make their way over to her while she's hunched over in front of a computer. "Backing up the hard drive, it's a good habit to get into" Nat answers sheepishly. "Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" he continues to question. "You're saving Shield intel" Rachel states after she scans all the screens. "Whatever I can get my hands on" Nat replies. "Our mission is to rescue hostages" Steve states, frustration rising in his voice. "No, that's your mission. And you've done it beautifully" Nat responds as she takes the hard drive and starts to walk past Steve.

Steve grabs her arm to stop her from going any further. "You've just jeopardized this whole operation" he states in frustration and anger. "I think that's overstating things" Nat replies. "Sorry Nat but he's got a point" Rachel interjects with a shrug to Nat. Before the conversation can proceed any further, Batroc climbs to his feet and throws a grenade in their direction. Steve hits it away while Nat starts running away. "Go!" Rachel tells Steve when he looks at her. Steve reluctantly obeys and grabs Nat before jumping through a window with Rachel just behind. She throws up a barrier of her violet energy to try and protect the three of them from the explosion. She manages to maintain the barrier while Steve and Nat crawl up against the wall and Rachel lands roughly on the ground in front of them.

Once the explosion is completed, Rachel lowers the barrier, checks on Steve and Nat and practically collapses on the floor. She can feel the blood running from her nose as she tries to get some of her energy back in deep breaths. "Okay, that one's on me" Nat states in defeat. "You're damn right" Steve replies in frustration. He gets to his feet and kneels beside Rachel. "Rach, you ok?" he asks as he rests a hand on her arm, taking note of the blood running from her nose, knowing it means she started overexerting herself. "I'm fine" Rachel pants as she nods. He helps her to her feet and wraps an arm around her waist when she struggles to stand steady. He helps her out with Nat following silently as they evacuate the ship with Strike and the hostages.