Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Marvel/Kingsman Crossover)

Chapter 52: Come Back Home

"I had to, Gretchen. The Avengers believe I am still on their side. Besides that oaf Dreykov wasn't giving me a deal that Hydra deserves that I deserve." I protested. "Gretchen, would you doubt me, your friend? We went to the Academy together, grew up together. You and I were both taught to serve Hydra that everything else comes after that."

I watched as Gretchen inspected me for what felt like hours. My heart violently hammered against my chest, waiting for her response. Gretchen then smiled. "Why don't we head to my bar? This room is starting to get crowded."

I let out a sigh of relief. Yelena's eyes lit up. "What're we waiting for? Lead the way."

With that, we followed Gretchen into her private bar, which was a spacious room, which had a bar table, several chairs, endless shelves of bottles, a few tables, and a pool table. Gretchen made her way to the back of the bar table.

"A whiskey?" Gretchen inquired as she looked over at me.

I nodded. "You know me."

Gretchen took out a bottle, pouring it in a glass. Once she handed me the drink, Gretchen glanced over at Yelena. "And you?"

"Vodka." Yelena replied.

As soon as Gretchen finished making the drinks, she made her way to sit on one of the stools next to me. Immediately she wasted no time in asking more questions. "So, what exactly are you here for?"

"Hydra is in shambles once again, it's time to rebuilt once again. But this time, we do it right." I explained. "Which is why I'm here. I need you. This time we don't have our fathers to hold us back. We can do what we please, create Hydra the way we want to. You and I can be the new heads of Hydra, ruling side by side." 

Gretchen raised an eyebrow. "Sounds tempting. But what about this Ebon Flame? This vigilante is targeting Hydra. What have you done to stop them?"

I could feel my palms growing sweaty at once. Calm down, Rose. She doesn't know it's you. I can fix this, I have to. I remained calm as I replied. "I've had to deal with other threats, but I will personally deal with this now."

"You know I have a theory as to why you haven't stopped Ebon Flame yet." Gretchen mentioned.

I then slowly watched as several men began to make their way into the room. I glanced over at Yelena, who was already aware of the situation. Yelena's eyes met mine and she nodded. I turned back to face Gretchen, letting out a sigh. "Oh Gretchie, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

"Me too, Rosie." Gretchen responded.

Gretchen grabbed a glass mug towards me. Immediately, I dodged in time. Gretchen ran towards the back of the bar, taking out a katana. I mentally cursed. But fortunately, I came prepared. I took off my coat, revealing my quiver filled with arrows and my bow, which were hidden. Yelena charged towards the men, who made their way to the pool table. Yelena took off her coat, revealing her Black Widow outfit underneath. Yelena lunged towards the first man, using a cue stick, lying on the pool table, knocking out the man. There were two more men who entered the room, trying to sneak upon Yelena. I quickly fired two arrows, piercing both men in the side. Gretchen swung her katana towards me. Immediately, I turned the bow into a staff, clashing it against Gretchen's katana.

"I never thought I'd see the day where you betray Hydra. We were trained from a young age, raised together. You were a sleeper agent, one of the best!" Gretchen spat. "You had everyone's respect, my father's, my mother's, my uncle's, nearly all of Hydra was impressed with you."

Gretchen raised her katana again towards me. I quickly lifted the staff, colliding it against her blade. We used all our strength, trying to outdo each other. As soon as she lifted her blade up high, I took the opportunity to kick her knee. She let out a cry as her knee bent back. I quickly swung my arm, hitting her jaw. Gretchen staggered back, hitting the bar table. She then grabbed another glass bottle from behind the counter before throwing it back towards me. I hastily moved out of the way, but part of the bottle scraped one of my cheeks, creating a cut. I grimaced, but ignored the sting as Gretchen pushed against the table, lunging back towards me.