Dancing with Embers - Book Two (Winter Soldier)

3. Soviet Assassins

Chapter three:

*The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.*

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At exactly 12:47 am, I woke up to my phone ringing. I glared at it from halfway under my pillow, laying on the bedside table and glowing brightly.
I sighed dramatically and flipped it over to see who it was that was causing such an inconvenience in my life.
Natasha.
I was instantly awake, sitting up and sliding my phone unlocked to answer it. She never called me unless it was something important, and the time made me worry even more.

"Nat, what's wrong?" I asked quickly.
"It's Fury, he's been admitted to the hospital. He was shot a few minutes ago in Steve's apartment. A car will come and pick you up in three minutes. Be ready." Her voice was strained and I could tell that she was really concerned, maybe even scared.
"I will. Is Steve there?"
"Yes. He even went after the shooter but he couldn't catch him. Just hurry, Kindle, Fury might not have much time."
"Roger that."

I slid my phone shut and pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt in less than a minute. I pushed my hair into a ponytail and slid handgun into a strap around my thigh.
Fury couldn't die, there was no way. He was Fury, the strict and harsh Director that was like a father to me. He couldn't die. He couldn't.

As promised, there was a SHIELD car pulling up to the front of the Triskelion as soon as I stepped outside the huge building. I climbed in and the driver took off towards the hospital without a word. I bounced my leg impatiently as we sped down the nearly empty roads.

There were police cars surrounding the entrance to the hospital, as well as other cars that I figured were from SHIELD as well.
I slammed my car door shut behind me and wasted no time in running into the building as fast as I could, looking for Natasha and Steve. A SHIELD worker pointed me in the right direction and I jogged down the hallway towards the door he had pointed to.
I pushed it open to find Steve and Natasha standing in front of a large glass window that was looking into an operating room. I came to stand next to Steve by the window and saw the Director in the operating room. He was laying on a bed surrounded by doctors and nurses who were all bustling around him. His chest had been cut open and it looked like the doctors were trying to remove a bullet from his chest.

I felt adrenaline kick in as the heartbeat monitor on the wall was showing signs of a dangerously slow heartbeat.
"Is he going to make it?" I whispered to Steve. The Captain looked at me and I saw in his eyes that he didn't want to answer my question truthfully.
"Tell me about the shooter." I asked to change the subject.
"He's fast. Strong." Steve was silent for a few seconds. "He had a metal arm."
I frowned. Metal arm? Who has metal arms? That sounded like something HYDRA would-
My eyes widened in surprise as I connected all the dots. I remembered the man in my cell who had a metal arm, the one who Pierce called Barnes.
But there was nothing saying that Fury's assassin was the same man. I turned to look at Natasha when I heard her speak.
"Ballistics." Her voice was just as dead as I had heard it over the phone. Maria Hill stepped over to the window with us as Natasha made her observation.
"Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Hill told us.
"Soviet made?"
"Yeah." Hill seemed surprised that Natasha knew this.

Our attention was turned back to the operating room when the doctors started shouting.
"He's dropping!" One called as he witnessed the heartbeat monitor start beeping frantically. My heart jumped into my throat at the sound.
No, no, he couldn't be dying.
I gripped the edge of the window until it turned my knuckles white. This was impossible, Fury had to live.
"Don't do this to me, Nick." I whispered desperately. The doctors had brought in a defibrillator for the flatlining man and one was now standing over him with the piece of equipment.
"Charge to one hundred. Clear!"
The doctor pressed the defibrillator to Fury's chest and the Director's body gave a violent lurch.
"Pulse?"
"No pulse."