Everly || Steve Rogers

46. To the End of the Line

*I'm just going to put a warning at the beginning of this chapter due to the violent nature of the following events. Though, I'm sure you already knew it was coming. I don't know if some people are bothered by that, but It's better to be safe than sorry. So please, read at your own risk.*

Everly plucked the blade from its place on her thigh and silently padded down the hallway. She slowed to a stop when a voice boomed over the PA.

"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Steve Rogers." Her empty hand curled into a fist as anger coursed through her veins. "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think It's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building." She finally decided that she'd stood long enough, and continued down the long corridor. "They could be standing right next to you." 

The metal door at the end of the hall swung open and a man stepped out. Without missing a beat, Everly slid up behind him and yanked back on his hair to expose his neck before slipping the knife across his throat. She lowered his body slowly to the floor to keep from making a racket and alerting anyone else.

"They almost have what they want." The voice continued as she spun the blade between her fingers and stepped over the lifeless man in the doorway. "Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not." 

Everly lifted the bow from her back and softly ran her fingers up the string, nocking an arrow into place. It wasn't her weapon of choice, but the longer she could go unnoticed, the better. She pressed her back against the wall and peeked around the corner to see a pair of men talking amongst themselves. As they debated their loyalty to Alexander Pierce, she drew the string back, exhaled, and let the arrow fly. Upon hearing the quiet thud of it hitting its target, she rolled across the open gap to crouch behind a crate. One of the men crumbled to the floor, an arrow sticking out of his back. The other whipped around, pistol in hand, searching for its source. She let out another breath and jumped atop the crate, meeting his eyes before piercing an arrow through his chest. 

Distant gunshots rang through her ears and she let out a frustrated sigh, tossing her bow and quiver aside. Their cover had been blown, there was no sense in even bothering to keep quiet. An alarm blared through the building and the ground lightly shook as the hangar doors began to open. She grabbed the pistol from her thigh and quickened her pace.

The sky was filled with explosions, the air riddled with gunfire as she stepped out onto the landing strip. Her fingers tightened around the pistol in her hand, her jaw clenching as she strolled into the center of the chaos, putting a bullet in anyone who crossed her path. A group of pilots caught her eye and she hurried up behind them, taking aim when a grenade whizzed past her head, burying itself in a jet that had just lifted off. The aircraft crashed to the ground in a ball of flames, a blaring wave of heat washing over her, the hood slipping from her head. She spun around to see The Winter Soldier brush past her, firing another grenade that sent men flying in all directions. 

A man rushed toward them, pulling the pin of a grenade when the soldier fired a few rounds into his chest. The grenade clinked to the ground and Everly scooped it up, tossing it inside of a jet that was about to take off. If these jets made it into the air, it could be game over. The soldier stepped toward a man and used his metal arm to shield his face from the bullets. He punched the man to the ground and threw his foot into another, sending him flying backwards into the spinning propellers of another jet. The engine burst into flames, taking out a few more nearby agents.