Losing him was blue, like I'd never known
Missing him was dark gray, all alone
Forgetting him was like trying to know
Somebody you never met
Adelaide Herrmann has so many secrets and is good at hiding all of them.
Only one person knows the real Ad...
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"Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? We're here to pick up a fossil." Natasha said, her window down so the boys could hear her.
"That's hilarious." Steve said walking over to the car. "Outta my seat." He told Adelaide.
"Get in the back, Rogers." She said, refusing to move.
"How you doing?" His friend asked.
"Hey." Natasha smiled back.
"Can't run everywhere." Steve said.
"No, you can't."
- - -
"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago." Rumlow explained.
"Any demands?" Steve asked.
"Billion and a half."
"Why so steep?"
"Because it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s." Rumlow told him.
"So it's not off-course. It's trespassing." Steve said. He looked at Natasha and Adelaide with annoyance.
"I'm sure they have a good reason."
"Money?" Adelaide guessed with a small shrug.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve told them.
"Relax. It's not that complicated."
"How many pirates?"
"25. Top mercs led by this guy. Georges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."
"Fun." Adelaide said, admiring the challenging opponent.
Steve huffed. "Hostages?"
"Oh, mostly techs. One officer. Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley." Rumlow said.
"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve asked. All right, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, Adelaide, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep the aft, find the hostages, get them to life-pods, get them out. Let's move."
"S.T.R.I.K.E., you heard the Cap. Gear up."
"Secure channel seven." Steve checked all the communications.
"Seven secure." Natasha responded. "Did you do anything fun Saturday night?" She asked Steve.
"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so, no, not really."
"Coming up on the drop zone, Cap."
"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes." Natasha said, trying to find him a good time away from his dead quartet.
"That's why I don't ask." Steve said, securing his helmet.
"Too shy, or too scared?" Natasha asked.
"Too busy." Steve's last words before he jumped from the jet into the open ocean.
"Show off." Adelaide mumbled, grabbing her parachute and securing it.
"You try." Natasha told her.
"You know I can't." Adelaide's fear of planes mixed with her inability to swim held her back. "Let's just go." She secured her parachute.
It didn't take long for Natasha to bring up her unfinished conversation with Steve. "What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice."
"Secure the engine room, then find me a date."
"I'm multi-tasking."
"Let's go, Cupid." Adelaide said, jumping down to the main level.
"What about Rue? She's single."
They entered the engine room as silently as they could.
"Hey, sailor."
From behind, Adelaide kicked the back of his knee, Natasha wrapped a grappling hook around his neck and jumped over the railing.
Another man ran in. Adelaide released two knives, both hitting him in the shoulders, the weak parts of his vest.
Adelaide made she the lower level was clear, overpowering all opponents, before she joined Natasha on the lowest level.
"Status, Natasha. Adelaide."
"Hang on!"
They both easily took over the engine room, taking the mercenaries by surprise.
"Engine room secure." Natasha confirmed. Just when she finished, Adelaide punched a guy, blood appearing where her fist hit.
"Well, that was easy."
Natasha held out her hand, waiting for the chip.
"I'll meet you with more intel."
"Be quick."
Adelaide found everything she needed at the back of the ship. She avoided crossing paths with Rumlow and hostages as she ran back to Natasha.
"Romanoff." Adelaide whispered. "Natasha?" Everything in the room was charred and smoking.
"Here." Natasha stood up, looking at Adelaide through a broken window in a room separate from the main one.
"A problem occurred."
- - -
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters Adelaide went to meet Rue.
While approaching her office, she saw a man with brown curly hair talking to Rue. Adelaide cleared her throat for both their attention.
"Oh, Mace. This is Adelaide Herrmann. The Silver Widow." Rue gestured to the woman. "Adelaide, this is Mace. He works upstairs."
"Mhm." Adelaide hummed with her arms crossed.
"I should probably get back to work." Mace left, but not before leaving a small smile for Rue.
"Don't do that."
"I wasn't doing anything." Adelaide shrugged.
"He was just being nice. All he wanted to know is if I was free for lunch tomorrow." Rue explained.
"Uh huh. That's how it always starts."
"Whatever." Rue rolled her eyes. "Oh, by the way, Rumlow needs to talk to you. He didn't say about what though."
"Ugh." Adelaide groaned. "I swear, I never get a day off."
"I haven't had a day off in almost a decade. I don't wanna hear it from someone who started, what, last year."
"Eh, more or less." Adelaide shrugged. "Before I go, I just wanted to see how your day was going." She said.
"Boring. I thought I had a lead on some information from Hydra, but it's gone now. I'm just sitting and waiting for another lead." Rue shrugged.
"Okay, then. I'll see you tonight." Adelaide said, leaving Rue to her work.
