The Syndicates || "MARVEL: Avengers" || COMPLETED

T W E N T Y T W O | ' partnership '

. . . STEVE ROGERS . . .

Silver had told him everything.

She'd stayed true to her word, returning to the SHIELD hideout and answering all the questions she'd been asked, no matter how invasive or personal they were. For the first time in over 15 years she'd even discussed her parents- her motivations behind joining HYDRA, or rather the reasons she'd been targeted by the organisation, and all in the hopes of achieving Rogers' forgiveness. 

He hadn't talked to her since.

Barely a few minutes into Silver's questioning, Rogers realised she was nothing more than a pawn in HYDRA's schemes, only being taught the absolute necessities and sent off to complete missions for little profit. A false sense of security was the only thing HYDRA had ever offered her; they'd been coercive and manipulative but she'd let them, hadn't she? He couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps she was playing along now, just to betray him later. All he could do was hope she really had changed.

"I'm going to tell her." Rogers said, leaning against the metal railings of an old bridge near the secret facility. Birds chirped merrily as they flew by and he could hear the pleasant trickle of water moving in the stream below them, and while his mind was in a frenzy, the sounds brought him a moment of calm to savour.

"You trust her, then?" Sam asked, expression doubtful as he adjusted the straps of his suit. They were leaving soon, and the both of them had already geared up. 

"No. No, I can't. But she's a means to the end. We need her, don't we?"

Sam looked away and for a while they stood in silence, trying to admire the scenery while their brains fumbled to understand the chaos around them instead. All this time, HYDRA had existed within SHIELD, hiding right under their noses and no one had noticed. Hell, Rogers had shared countless missions with Rumlow and all this time... HYDRA had been feeding war, reaping crisis, creating desolation in a syndicate founded to promote amity. It was a nightmare.

"Look, Cap you know I've got your back, right? No matter what, but...is this fair to her? It seems like she's really trying to fix things."

Rogers heart ached for her, but he had to be logical, objective, his life wasn't the only one at risk here.

"Maybe she is, but maybe she isn't."

Sam sighed, peering over the edge of the railing,

"Then why stay here? Why risk her freedom for a cause she doesn't believe in?" He leant forward and patted him on the shoulder, "Just think about it, man."

Rogers pursed his lips, watching Sam's figure recede into the forest. 

He was right.

. . .

Rogers found Silver asleep on one of the spare stretchers, curled up into a ball, one hand hanging off the side. He sat down in one of the plastic chairs nearby, watching her for a few moments before reaching out and shaking her shoulder.

She rolled over, eyelids fluttering open.

"Rogers?"

She asked, voice croaky from sleep as she sat up, stifling a yawn. He took one long look at her then let his gaze drop back to the floor. When he spoke, he was grateful they were alone,

"I want to trust you, Silver. I want to forgive you but you tell me, should I?"

She watched him sadly, fiddling with the edge of her sheets,

"Rogers I...I did horrible things under HYDRA. There's so much blood on my hands, so much death. I'm not like Bucky, I was never conditioned, never wiped, all my actions were my own. I knew what I was doing and I did it anyway. So no, I don't think you should forgive me but I want a second chance. Despite all the pain I've caused, I still want my shot at redemption even if it's impossible." The guilt was eating away at her, like an incurable illness she could only dream of escaping.

Rogers nodded, avoiding eye contact in the fear that his heart would betray him,

"And after all this is over, what do you plan on doing then?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I never really thought there would be an 'after-HYDRA'." A small smile tugged at her lips, "Don't blame me if I run away to Hawaii for a few days."

"I know a good hotel." He said, a fruitless effort to lighten the mood. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the seconds tick by.

"I need your help, Silver." He said, finally raising his head and staring her in the eyes, "This mission needs you."

She frowned, running a hand through her hair,  "Why? Why risk it? Why not bring Romanoff or one of the other Avengers in?"

"We can't get a hold of them and believe me we tried. Nat's been missing since Fury's 'death' and no one's seen the rest of them since Loki and Marionette broke out. They may as well be dead."

"You think HYDRA took them?"

He shook his head, "We would know by now, one way or another."

"Rumlow wouldn't have missed the opportunity to gloat, you're right," She exhaled slowly, "It's like the universe is laughing at us."

"I know it's a lot to ask but-"

Silver interrupted, "No, I'm in."

The door creaked open, revealing Director Fury cloaked in his trademark black trench-coat, 

"Good. Because you never had a choice."

. . .

I don't do song recommendations much but y'all should check out Olly Murs' Excuses if you haven't already! Personally, I prefer the acoustic version so I've linked that one above :)

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