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"I know who killed Fury," Natasha blurted out.
"Who?" Nadia gasped, whipping her head around to look at her.
"I think you know who," Natasha interjected.
She didn't have any memories of him. She only knew of him what her file told her and how her instincts compelled her. He trained her—made her what she is. She completed his missions while he was on ice.
"That's impossible. He wouldn't be careless enough to leave any witnesses," Nadia denied. She wouldn't believe the Winter Soldier was behind the attack until she laid eyes on him herself. And if he stuck to his usual pattern—the one he ingrained in her—she wouldn't have the chance to.
"You know him better than anyone else. I need you on this. Going after him is a dead end. You know I've tried," Natasha pleaded.
"Nat, if this is really him, there's no mission to stop him. The only mission here is the one he has," Nadia continued.
Their conversation was interrupted by Natasha's cell phone vibrating so aggressively it almost fell off the center console. They watched for a moment as Steve Rogers' name flashed across the screen.
"You should take that," Nadia sighed hesitantly, nodding at the phone.
Natasha whispered cautiously into the phone, facing her body away from Nadia.
"Oh, you're not going to like this," Natasha said, pulling the phone away from her ear and looking at Nadia. Nadia furrowed her eyebrows, motioning for Natasha to continue.
Nadia raised the phone to her ear cautiously. Before it ever reached her skin she could hear Steve's breathing on the other line. She knew he was angry. His every breath was short and heavy, laced with rage. She hadn't heard him this angry since she had to tell him he had been frozen for 70 years.
"Nadia, you have any reason why your boyfriend just tried to kill me?" Steve seethed.
"What are you talking about? Steve, what happened?" Nadia gasped. She wanted to furrow her brows deep into her forehead and wrinkle her skin beyond repair out of pure confusion. But, she knew better than to let her emotions get the best of her, let alone show any emotion at all.
"He's Hydra, Nadia. They're all Hydra," Steve rasped into the speaker. Nadia closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking in what she had just heard. She knew Steve wouldn't lie to her.
"You hiring me to kill him or what?" Nadia snapped.
"Don't get defensive with me, Ace. I need you on this, okay," Steve sighed, his tone softening. Nadia exhaled sharply out of her nose.
"She's in," Natasha calls from the drivers seat. Nadia nodded curtly.
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The two women picked Steve up back at the hospital, peeling out of the parking lot before anyone saw him there. He pulled down his hood, exposing his blonde hair, matted with sweat.
"We need disguises. My apartment is around the corner we can grab clothes from there," Nadia suggested, motioning in the direction of her apartment.
"No. Rumlowe could go back there. We don't need him to catch up to us," Steve cut in.
"Brock thinks I'm at home, asleep with no idea what's going on. He's not coming home," Nadia assured him. He nodded quickly at Natasha to confirm that they should head towards Nadia's apartment.
"I'll go alone. If Brock shows up, leave me behind. I can deal with him," Nadia ordered, slamming the car door behind her. She tramped carefully up the stairs and into her home. Everything was just as she left it. Brock's keys weren't on the hook next to the door so she knew he wasn't home. She ran into her bedroom and swung open the closet door. She rifled through both Brock's and her own clothes and grabbed enough for the three of them to last a few days.
Her hands stalled over one of Brock's dress shirts. She ran her fingers over the sleeves delicately, pondering whether she should rip it apart. He wore that shirt on their first date. She never planned on dating anyone, especially anyone from work. But there he was. Handsome and cocky and charming in the way that assholes can be. He made her feel like her baggage made her interesting, mysterious and sexy even. But it was all a facade. He was a Hydra monkey. He didn't love her, he was watching her. All this time she was still with Hydra and she didn't even know.
"He won't notice these are missing," Nadia said shortly as she tossed a pile of clothes into Steve's lap as she climbed back into the car. Natasha pulled out of the parking garage as fast as she could, whipping down the street to put as much distance between her and the apartment complex as she could.
"Hey, you okay?" Steve asked Nadia gently, placing a caring hand on her arm, his fingers pressing softly into her skin.
"Of course I am," Nadia lied quickly, patting Steve's hand tenderly. He squeezed her arm reassuringly and then backed off from his line of questioning. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of her.
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Natasha pulled into the local mall parking lot, motioning for everyone to change clothes and get ready to go in. They needed to find out what was on the drive Fury had given to Steve.
"You guys go to the Apple Store and use one of the public computers. I'll play watchdog and maybe a little bit of attack dog when the Hydra goons show up. I have a bit of unfinished business with the head of the flying monkeys," Nadia scoffed, pulling a baseball cap over her dark hair.
