LATER THAT NIGHT, a quinjet is flying over the Indian Ocean. Steve and Natasha are with a group of SHIELD agents in black tactical gear that are being led by Brock Rumlow. "The target is a mobile satellite launch platform: The Lemurian Star." He informs them, his voice deep and monotone, raised slightly over the sound of the engines. "They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago."
"Any demands?" Steve asks, getting straight to the point.
"A billion and a half." Rumlow answers.
"Why so steep?" Steve asks, confused, it was near unheard of that a demand exceeded 50 million, yet alone a billion.
"Because it's SHIELD's." Rumlow explains simply and Steve's eyes widen.
"So it's not off-course, it's trespassing." Steve replies, his eyes darkening, growing suspicious of what is really going on.
"I'm sure they have a good reason." Natasha argues, trying to divert Steve's attention from the subject, trying to remove his suspicions back to the task at hand.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve complains.
"Relax, it's not that complicated." Natasha reassures him.
"How many pirates?" He asks.
"Twenty-five, top mercs, led by this guy. Georges Batroc." Rumlow answers, showing them a photo of Batroc on the monitor. "Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilised him, he had thirty-six kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."
"Hostages?" Steve questions, looking at the information board.
"Uh...mostly techs. One officer, Jasper Sitwell." He answers. "And his assistant, a Russian woman called Sasha Fleiman." He pulls up Sitwell's photo on the monitor, he's a greying man with glasses, beside his photo is a photo of a tanned woman smiling, she has premmed hair, Steve assumed it was Sasha. "They're in the galley."
"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve asks but he's met with silence and he assumes this is something he's not meant to know about. "Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to the life-pods, get 'em out. Let's move."
"STRIKE, you heard the Cap. Gear up." Rumlow orders and the agents all start to get ready to leave the quinjet.
Steve ignores him, setting up his radio. He lifts up his wrist communicator. "Secure channel seven." He says, his eyes trailing at Natasha in her skintight black tactical suit, at the simple red hourglass symbol on the belt. He doesn't know what it means, he's never asked.
"Seven secure." Natasha copies, lowering her arm. "Did you do anything fun Saturday night?"
"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so... No, not really." Steve replies quietly.
"Coming up by the drop zone, Cap." The pilot says over the intercom.
"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes." Natasha informs him, a soft smile on her face.
"That's why I don't ask." Steve admits, putting his shield on his back, ready to leave, it doesn't pass Natasha's eye that the shield is the only thing strapped to his back.
"Too shy or too scared?" Natasha asks smugly, putting a parachute on.
"Too busy!" Steve shouts over the sound of the now open door, jumping out of the jet and into the dark sky.
YOU ARE READING
The Soldat, The Captain and The Asset
FanfictionIn September 1944, Steve rescues Bucky, the Howling Commandos and all other international soldiers who had been held as prisoners of war by Hydra, only to be told by Bucky that he hadn't. When going back for others, he finds out that the last prison...
