She's Electric ϟ An Avengers Story

Dieciocho - Hello Again.

We limped our way to Steve's apartment, trying to blend in with normal civilians but failing miserably. The moment the apartment came into eyesight I cheered mentally, needing to sit down and feel safe.

We struggled to make it up the stairs but poured into the apartment when we did, Fury hobbling over to the armchair. I slid down the wall and listened for any unusual activity, even though i knew HYDRA wouldn't just merrily bound up the stairs.

We both knew what this meant. SHIELD was compromised, and that meant that trusting certain people was a burnt out rule. God knows how many people are in on it. We sat in silence as noises from the bustling streets filled the cold room, waiting for Steve to arrive.

Fury played some music, trying to cover any noise that we made incase we or the apartment was bugged. We sat there for what felt like hours as the sky grew darker and the street lights of Washington light the room.

I hadn't bothered to wipe the blood off my face or look at myself when I heard talking outside. I immediately listened in, glancing at Fury who was holding his side in pain.

"That's so sweet. That's so nice. Hey, I gotta go though. Okay Bye." A female voice said over what i was assuming was the phone. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac."

Steve's voice replied, filling me with comfort and safety as I sighed in reassurance.

"Hey if you want.. if you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."
He offered, his inner gentlemen shining through.

"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?" The female replied, rather flirtatiously.

"A cup of coffee?" My heart dropped to. my stomach as I heard Steve ask the women out on a date, causing myself to - rather loudly - heave myself over to the couches to the left of Fury, passing the signature shield that sat beside the door. My mind flashed back to a while ago when Steve asked me on a coffee date and HYDRA agents came on the look for us before we went back to his and I scolded him for leaving his suit in the middle of his apartment. I momentarily relaxed, before stiffening at the burning pain in my side.

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation as the door to the apartment opened, knowing Steve would be rather suspicious of the war-time music that echoed through the house. I leaned back on the couch, trying to get a look at a bruise forming on my lower ribs as the tall, muscular figure turned round the corner.

I waved at him slightly, hissing with pain as I lifted my arm. He looked at me before looking at Fury, confusion and slight anger in his gaze. He was wearing a blue bomber jacket over a tight white tshirt, looking good as hell.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve stated, still standing hastily at the door.

"You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out." I watched as Fury played this out, making it seem as casual as possible.

"I didn't know you were married."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." An obvious tension was in the air as Steve turned on the light, noticing our injuries for the first time. Fury silenced him, turning off the light and pulling out his phone. He flashed it at Steve, letting him read it.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." He wrote another message on the phone, repeating his previous actions.

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked, playing along with the game.

"Just.. my friends." Fury replied.

"Is that what we are?" Steve's voice was hasty, and you could tell that another conversation about secrets had happened between them that made them wary about each other - hence all the questions.

"That's up to you." Suddenly, three shots ring out, hitting Fury and causes him to collapse. I sit up and rush to Fury, helping Steve to pull him to the next room. My side aches as Fury hands him a flash drive and looks at us both.

"Don't... trust anyone." The Director passes out, and Steve jumps up to catch the shooter when someone breaks into the apartment. A female voice calls out before a body follows into where we were.

"Captain Rogers?" She has her gun pointed and I recognise her voice as the one from earlier, an immediate scowl spread across my face.

"I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD's Special Service." She continues.

Steve's face is a mix of emotions; confused, upset, angry as he tries to piece everything together. I check over Fury, applying pressure to his wounds to stop the bleeding and checking to see if he's hurt elsewhere. A million thoughts run through my head - who did this? why? what were they looking for?

What would SHIELD and the Avengers do if the Director didn't make it?

"Kate?" Steve asked, unsure of who the woman really was.

"I've been assigned to protect you." She replies, still wary of any threat.

"I highly doubt Captain America needs protecting. And if he does, that's why I'm here." I stand up after checking Fury, brushing myself off.

Kate or whatever her name is, looks at me and ignores my comment before turning her attention back to Steve.

"On who's order?" Steve's tone becomes more aggressive as he realises that he's not got the upper hand and instead, he doesn't know what's going on. I feel the same; out of control.

"His." Kate responds, referring to Fury as she slides down beside him and speaks into her comms. "Oxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMT's."

A SHIELD Agent's panicked voice speaks through the device. "Do you have a twenty on the shooter?"

I realised that the shooter was probably on his way home by now, and chose to ignore the pain in my side by taking off after him. "Tell them I'm in pursuit." I order her, before running through the window and after the shooter.

Steve followed slightly after, catching up to my speed that came with the serum. I notice that it's the same mysterious HYDRA man from earlier.

Damn this guy gets around.

We chased him through an office building, before we finally caught up with him on the roof. I shot a burst of energy his way, but he ducked it and it hit a window of an apartment, sending it to smithereens.

Steve then threw his shield, but he caught it with one swift motion before sending it flying backwards. He looked at us one more time before jumping down the building and disappearing into the cold night once more.