Even After Everything | Steve Rogers

Chapter 17

Maria took us to a secret facility, and upon arriving, a man ran towards me.

"She needs help, major head damage," Hill said to the doctor.

"Woah woah woah, I'm fine," I put my hands up as he reached for me.

"Let me take her," He stepped forward another step, and I ducked under his arm, sweeping his feet from under him. I straddled him whilst forming a dagger to his neck, "Don't... Touch... Me," I whispered close to him.

"Okay, lets go Cora," Steve picked me up straight off the doctor, throwing me over his shoulder.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Cora, we don't try to hurt people who try to help us," Steve ordered, a hint of a smile on his face. He put me down and Maria walked up.

"She'll want to see him first." I was confused on who 'he' was, but she took us to a room, an unwell looking man laying, alive, on a bed.

"About damn time," Nick Fury said, laughing. The doctor didn't try to help me again, and stayed out of my way. But on the bright side my head was now doing fine.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache," Fury said.

"Don't forget your collapsed lung," The doctor added.

"Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open, your heart stopped," I said, astounded.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it," Nick explained.

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asked.

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful," Maria said.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust," Nick Fury added, speaking of Natasha.

I sat down at a small table, Fury across me and Steve and Sam standing behind me. Fury showed us a picture of Alexander Pierce, "man declined the Nobel Peace Prize, he said, 'Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility.' See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch," I said.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore," Fury scoffed, while opening a case containing three chips.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized," Maria explained.

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Fury said.

"One or two won't cut it," Maria added, "We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left..."

"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD," Steve stated.

"SHIELD had nothing to do with it."

"You gave us this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed," I said getting frustrated.

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did?" Steve retorted.

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes," Fury rolled his eyes.

"Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too? SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes."

"He's right," Maria said while Fury looked at me, then Sam.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower," Sam said while I laughed quietly.

Fury looked at Steve, "Well... Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

After a few minutes, Steve went outside, the rest of us talking. After Maria and Sam got into a deep conversation, I decided to go out and join Steve.

"Hey," I smiled, walking to the bridge.

"Hey," He smiled back. I stood next to him and looked to the nature surrounding us.

"It's so beautiful, sad we couldn't enjoy it under different circumstances," I looked at the trees, the stream, heard the birds chirping.

Steve laughed, "Yeah, our lives are pretty chaotic. But, hopefully someday, we'll all be able to settle down, but not now. Now, we have big jobs to do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I paused, "Hey, about what happened in the car earlier, or I guess what almost happened in the car-" I was stopped by Steve grabbing me by the hips, slowly pulling me close to him, our lips inches apart for the third time and counting.

"Oh hey... Am I... interrupting something?" I heard Sam's voice from behind me. Steve sighed and I reluctantly pulled out of his grasp.

I turned around, "Hey Sam..." I said slowly, my cheeks reddening. Sam walked over to us, standing between Steve and I. 

"He's gonna be there, you know?" Sam said, speaking of Bucky.

"I know," Steve breathed. 

"Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop," Sam said looking over to him.

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn't know you," I said, agreeing with Sam.

"He will. Gear up, it's time," Steve turned and walked off.

"You gonna wear that?" Sam called after him.

"No. If you're gonna fight a war, you gotta wear a uniform,"  he walked off to who knows where and Sam looked over to me.

"So, Steve," he smirked.

"What? Pfft, no..." I said slowly.

"Yes, because him about to kiss you, and by what you just said, there is definitely nothing there," he laughed.

"Ah, I don't know. I mean sure, yeah, he's like really attractive, and you know maybe I do like him, but we've had so many 'moments', and they've all been interrupted, maybe its not meant to be."

"Oh come on, maybe your moments have been interrupted, one by yours truly. Sorry about that by the way. But that doesn't mean you won't end up together. I can see it," he said looking over the bridge.

"You can see it?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you guys just look good together."

"Well, thanks I guess," I laughed again. We headed back inside to get ready to go to the triskelion.