Solaris ⋯ Steve Rogers|Marvel Cinematic Universe

[chapter 45]

Evelyn and Steve quietly moved through the kitchen, Steve picking up his shield, just in case as Kitty Kallen's voice rang through the apartment. Finally making their way to the living room, Evelyn saw Fury sitting in the armchair.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve spoke up, leaning against the doorframe and Evelyn relaxed her shoulders, seeing it wasn't a threat.

"You really think I'd need one?" Fury asked lifting up his head. "My wife kicked me out."

"Didn't know you were married." Steve replied and saw the look of confusion on Evelyn's face. She was sure he wasn't married.

"A lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve shook his head and turned the lights on.

Evelyn's eyes widened seeing the state the man was in, cuts and bruises all over his face. She made a move to rush towards him but he held up his finger, telling them to be quiet. He slowly reached up and turned off the lights, typing something on his phone to show them.

Ears everywhere.

Steve looked around the living room with an almost annoyed look before looking back at the man.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." He spoke up, showing them his phone again.

SHIELD compromised.

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked as Evelyn felt clammy all over, trying to come up with any idea how SHIELD was compromised and by whom.

Only us.

"Just..." Fury groaned and got on his feet. "My friends."

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked but Evelyn was asking the man a thousand other questions with her eyes.

"That's up to you." Fury replied right before there was a shot.

Evelyn and Steve helplessly watched as three bullets came through the wall and hit Fury before they could do anything. The man collapsed to the floor, Evelyn's hands quickly lighting up with flares as she looked out the window. She rushed back to Steve who had dragged Fury towards the hallway, frantically looking around.

"Don't..." Fury breathed out, holding out a flash drive. "Trust anyone."

He passed out and Steve quickly put the flash drive in his pocket. Checking his pulse, Evelyn waited for a response when someone kicked the door open, breaking into the apartment. Thinking it was the shooter, Evelyn sent a flare towards the door, hearing someone scramble out of the way.

"Captain Rogers?" They heard Steve's neighbor's voice. "Agent Townsend, don't shoot! I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service." The woman walked in, holding a gun.

"Kate?" Steve asked with a frown and she lowered her weapon.

"I'm assigned to protect you."

"On whose order?" Steve questioned when she walked into the apartment and saw Fury lying on the floor, bleeding.

"His." The woman quickly got on her knees and took out her radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs."

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" A SHIELD agent asked over the radio.

Evelyn and Steve saw movement through the window, assuming it to be the shooter.

"Tell him I'm in pursuit." Steve replied, grabbing his shield and smashing through his living room window, jumping into the next building.

"Shit." Evelyn hissed, looking after Steve then at Fury. "Shit, shit, shit."

Evelyn ran her hand through her hair, pacing in the living room as she turned off the record player. Hearing sirens wailing in the distance, Evelyn walked downstairs and waited for Steve. As the EMTs rushed upstairs, Steve came around the corner with a defeated look. He shook his head to answer her silent question.

"I'll call Nat."

Evelyn was nervously watching the doctors operating on Fury through the window with Steve, Maria Hill standing back. She heard the door open and turned to see Natasha rushing in.

"Is he gonna make it?" She asked seeing the condition he was in.

"I don't know." Evelyn replied not tearing her eyes away.

"Tell me about the shooter." Natasha asked crossing her arms.

"He's fast and strong." Steve shook his head, looking down for a moment. "Had a metal arm."

Natasha and Evelyn momentarily looked at each other hearing it as Maria joined them at the front. They both knew who it was.

"Ballistics?" Natasha asked to confirm their theory.

"Three slugs, no rifling." Maria replied, looking at Fury. "Completely untraceable."

"Soviet-made." Natasha stated making Maria look at her with confusion.

"Yeah." She mumbled not knowing how Natasha knew when suddenly Fury's state deteriorated. "He's in V-tach." A male nurse stated, all of them hectically moving around.

"Crash cart coming in."

"Nurse, help me with the drape." The doctor spoke as they watched on edge behind the window.

"BP is dropping."

"Defibrillator!" The doctor raised his voice as Fury was flatlining. "I want you to charge him at one hundred."

"Don't do this to me, Nick." Natasha whispered, Evelyn subconsciously reaching out to her friend, both of them grabbing the other's hand tightly.

"Stand back! Three, two, one. Clear!" Fury was given a shock with the defibrillator but nothing happened. "Pulse?"

"No pulse."

"Okay. 200, please. Stand back!" Evelyn felt like she couldn't breathe as they watched their friend die in front of them. "Three, two, one. Clear! Give me epinephrine!" The doctor quickly injected Fury and they all waited for something, a small beat. "Pulse?" Evelyn bit her lip to keep herself from crying as her throat burned.

She felt how tightly Natasha was squeezing her hand but she didn't mind as the pain kept her grounded. Steve turned around, not wanting to look as he walked to the back of the room.

"Negative."

"Don't do this to me, Nick. Don't do this to me." Natasha started mumbling as the doctors continued trying to revive Fury.

"What's the time?"

"1:03, Doctor." The nurse replied and Evelyn let out a shaky breath, blinking rapidly to get the tears out of her eyes.

"Time of death, 1:03 a.m."