Everly || Steve Rogers

38. Project Insight

Nat held her arm out to the side as a sign to stop, and pressed a finger to her lips. Everly froze and hunched down, taking a minute to see the pair of guards on the level below them. 

"Natasha, what's your status?" Everly cringed as Steve's voice filled her ears. Though nobody else could hear, it felt as though he was interrupting the silence. Nat ignored him and gracefully dropped to the platform below. Everly followed quietly as she snuck up behind the guards. Natasha threw herself onto the shoulders of one, driving her electric gauntlets into the sides of his neck. When the second man spun around, Everly lunged forward, stepping onto the wall beside her and pushing off toward him, delivering a fist to his face.

"Eve, status?"

"Hang on." She grumbled as a third man hurried around the corner. Natasha ran toward him, and Everly kicked his gun away when he tried to take aim. He groaned in pain as Nat landed hit after hit. Finally, she reached back and grabbed onto his head, using all her strength to flip him to the ground in front of her. She swiftly sprang back to her feet and grabbed a metal pipe from beside her, whacking the man across the face.

"Engine room secure." Everly breathed, flinching as the pipe clanged to the metal floor beneath their feet. A frown crept to her face as Natasha started in the opposite direction they were supposed to go. She followed hesitantly behind, knowing that her assassin partner had way more knowledge and experience with this type of thing. 

"Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages." Steve's voice breathed through her earpiece. Everly stopped in her tracks and scrunched up her face oddly When Nat simply continued on as if she hadn't heard a thing. "Everly?" Steve tried after getting no reply. Her finger hovered just above earpiece, ready to reply when Natasha sent a stern look over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Everly asked quietly as she followed the red head into what appeared to be a control room of sorts. Her feet carried her just past the open doorway before stopping. Natasha waltzed straight over to one of the many computers that filled the room. Clicking keys echoed off the walls and it was made clear her question would go unanswered. Something more was going on here, and only Nat had been made aware. As she took a step further into the room, one of the walls at the other end crumbled. Dust filled the air and through it, emerged Steve.

"Well, this is awkward." Nat deadpanned, glancing at him with a smirk. His chest heaved as he stood to his feet. Those blue eyes flickered between the women and he frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into." She answered sweetly. Both Everly and Steve neared Natasha from opposite ends of the room.

"Rumlow needed your help." His eyes landed on Everly again, as if she was in on it. "What the hell are you doing here?" She watched as files flashed across the large screens in front of them, all moving too fast for her to understand any of it.

"You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D. intel." Steve added, answering his own question. 

"Whatever I can get my hands on."

"Our mission is to rescue hostages." He argued.

"No, that's your mission," She smiled between them and plucked the flash drive from the computer. "And you've done it beautifully." As she tried to brush past Steve, he held a hand out to stop her. 

"You just jeopardized this whole operation." He said in a stern tone.

"I think that's overstating things."

Everly perked up at the sound of rustling in the corner of the room. Instinctively, she pulled the pistol from her thigh and held it before her. Steve looked past Nat to see his friend's wide, searching eyes. He frowned, spinning around as a man rushed from the room, tossing a blinking device in their direction. Using his shield, he swatted it away and wrapped an arm around Everly's waist. A small squeal escaped her lips as she was swept off her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest and the beeping behind them only grew faster. She raised her gun and shot out a window just as Steve crashed through it. Natasha dove through after them.