hold on || s. rogers ASSEMBLE ✔️

[ fifteen ]

UNKNOWN
russia

____________________________

CORTEZ

five months later

"Mother fucker."

The curse word spilled from my lips as my head snapped backwards. The hard wall was my only comfort and I braced for the impact of the glistening knife.

An echoing shot ran through the room and the man in front of me dropped to the ground. Specks of his blood decorated the smooth surface of my cheek and I wiped it away. "Thank you, for that."

Natasha smiled and slid the gun into the holster on her thigh. "Looked like you needed some help."

I rolled my eyes and kicked the dead body that was now lying at my feet. A small pool of blood had found home on the floor and I stepped aside to avoid getting it on my boot.

Natasha didn't pause to count the bodies littering the ground, nor did she wait for me to catch up. She walked quickly towards the exit and I could tell that she was fuming.

"It's not that big of a deal. We know where he is." I said and followed after her. The night air was cool when we walked outside.

"He was supposed to be here." Natasha said.

"Georgi Luchkov is a grade a idiot. We'll find him."

Natasha unlocked the black car that was parked across the street and got into the drivers side. When I sat down beside her, she spoke. "We've been tracking him for months. The evidence of the illegal weapons he sold is indisputable. But without Luchkov..."

"Aw, what's the matter, tired of being back in your home country?" I jibed.

Natasha gave me a look. "I'm getting really tired of your jokes, Cortez."

"I know." I smiled and put my feet up on the dash. A loud sigh fell from my lips. "I'll admit, I was more than happy to be assigned to a mission. But... damn if I don't want to go home."

"I know," Natasha softly sighed too and leaned her head back as she drove. "I really miss American hamburgers."

"Me too."

"And other American things."

"I never should have told you that."

Natasha started to shake her head. "I can't believe that you slept with Captain America. That's so... weird. I feel like you violated the country."

I snorted. "Please. And so what? I slept with Patrick, and remember that agent... um, Zach?"

"Isn't he dead?"

"I think so. I don't know. Besides, that doesn't matter."

"So is Stacy Cortez dating Mr. America?"

"God, no." I waved my hand. "I haven't spoken to him in almost five months. We slept together once, no it was twice, but that was it."

"I don't know. Nia told me that you two were getting close."

"When did you speak to Nia about me? Let me guess, is Barton in on it too?"

"No," Natasha laughed. "I spoke to Nia between missions awhile ago. And Barton is at NASA right now with Fury."

"What I wouldn't give to be there." I sarcastically said. "Fuck Fury. I think he did this on purpose. Sending me out a mission for months."

"Weren't you pissed that you weren't on missions before? Now you're pissed that you are?" Natasha asked.

"What can I say? I'm a woman of many wants." I said.

"Like Captain America?"

"Oh my God, shut the fuck up. We need to actually talk about how we're going to get Luchkov."

Natasha's smile fell as a level of seriousness overcame her. "I have a plan."

____________________________

The gun was light in my hands. A glock nineteen. Nothing special, but it was lightweight and I could fight with it easily. Thankfully for me, I wasn't convinced that I would need to.

My feet were tapping against the hard floor of the balcony above. I was hidden completely in the dark. The only light stemmed from the center of the room.

It was the day after our failed attempt at finding our good old friend Georgi, but we redeemed ourselves. Natasha's plan worked marvelously and she was now tied to a chair in the center of the room.

I was several feet above her. Weapon hot and ready; and I was almost wanting them to make a move. Any sudden jumps, any actions I don't like, I'll put a bullet in their brain.

Natasha was talking to them in Russian. I could just barely hear them, only loosely being able to translate in my head. Spanish was more my forte.

But I could hear enough of it; and Natasha was playing them like a fiddle. Within minutes she had the answers we'd spent months searching for. If only we thought of this plan then.

It wasn't until the ring of a cell phone that caused the conversation to end, and I watched with squinted eyes as Natasha was given the phone.

In a moment that passed for her to greet the person, her eyes flickered up at me and her body went rigid. It only lasted a second before she moved into action.

I was taken by surprise when I watched her try to fight them, and raised my gun to give her a hand. Then I lowered it and decided to let her have her fun.

"What's going on?" I asked when I dropped from above, after two of the men were dead and Luchkov hung from a chain.

"Barton's been compromised. Fury called us in."

"Where are we going?" I asked and shoved my gun into my side. "What's wrong with Barton?"

"I don't know. But we're picking up Banner on the way."