Battlefield ★ Bucky Barnes

XII. Tell Me About The Shooter

Natasha parked directly in front of the hospital. She didn't care if she got towed or not. All she was worried about was getting upstairs to Nick, Steve, and Connie and figuring out what the hell was going on. Connie had been very vague with her on the phone due to an extra presence inside her apartment, but Natasha had a good sense of what it was Connie needed to share with her.

It took about three minutes for Natasha to finally get upstairs, and when she did, she wasted no time at all in running to Nick's operating room. She pushed open the door and moved to stand between Connie and Steve, while Maria remained on the phone behind them. Natasha's eyes immediately fell on Nick's body on the other side of the window, and she sucked in a breath.

"Is he gonna make it?" Natasha breathed out.

"I don't know," Steve answered her quietly.

Natasha glanced to Connie before fixing her gaze back on Nick. "Tell me about the shooter."

"He was fast, strong," Steve said.

"Had a metal arm," Connie finished for him as she glanced over at Natasha.

Natasha's mouth parted slightly at the sound of her words and she gulped. It had been years since she had seen the shooter, let alone heard about him. This was one conversation with Connie she was not looking forward to later.

"Ballistics?"

"Three slugs, no rifling," Maria told her as she stepped to the glass. "Completely untraceable."

"Soviet-made," Connie and Natasha spoke at the same time, much to Maria's shock.

The four of them only watched and listened as the nurses and doctors continued their operation on Nick, though things didn't appear to be going so well.

Connie tried to fight back the tears as she watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes. She didn't want to lose Nick. There were very few people in the world left that she truly cared about, and Nick was one of them. He had taken a chance with hiring her after she was found by Agent Coulson. He was among the few who gave her the opportunity to make things right in her life, and for that she would be forever grateful.

It looked as if Connie would not be getting what she wanted, though. The doctors' numerous efforts to resuscitate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director were nothing but futile, and in minutes he was flat-lining.

"What's the time?" Connie heard the doctor ask, and she knew then that it was over.

A few tears slipped from her eyes, which she wiped away quickly. She removed herself from the room as quickly as she could, leaving Steve to follow after her.

"Connie," he called out to her.

She turned to look at him, her brows raised in question.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were once again together in a private viewing room. Steve and Connie stood beside each other, while Natasha stood mourning in front of Nick's body.

Maria walked into the room several minutes later, moving to stand beside Steve.

"I need to take him," Maria told Steve with a pained voice.

Steve glanced over at her before looking to Natasha. "Natasha?"

Connie watched as Natasha placed her hand on Nick's forehead, and before long she was taking off out of the room. Connie followed her and Steve out the door, only stopping when Steve did.

"Natasha," he called out to her.

Natasha stopped and spun around, her green eyes moving between the two super-soldiers. "Why was Fury in your apartment?"

"I don't know," Steve answered before Connie could.

"Cap, they want you back at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Rumlow said, attracting Steve's and Connie's attention.

"Yeah, give me a second."

"They want you now."

Steve looked at him. "Okay," he said before turning back to Natasha.

The redhead shook her head at Steve. "You're a terrible liar."

Natasha took off down the hallway, and Connie moved to follow after her, only for Steve to grab her by the arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I'm just gonna go talk to Nat," Connie answered. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Steve nodded before letting her go, and Connie took off. She ran past several rooms and elevators before finally catching up with Natasha, and when she did, she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Nat," Connie said to the redhead.

"Are you gonna tell me why Fury was in your apartment, or are you gonna lie to me too?" Natasha remarked as she turned to face Connie.

Connie let out a sigh and pulled Natasha into a waiting room. "I honestly don't know why he was in our apartment. I dropped Steve off before going to park, so by the time I got up to the room everything had already happened. The only thing I really know about is the shooter."

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Connie as she tried to determine whether or not she was lying, but given Connie's status as a trained assassin there was a strong likelihood she was much better at lying than Steve was. And it was true, considering Natasha didn't dare question Connie about her words. She decided to believe her, though it was quite the mistake.

Connie didn't want to lie to Natasha at all. She trusted Natasha, she did, but she also respected Nick's wishes. It was the only reason she refused to disclose information regarding Nick's business in her's and Steve's apartment.

"The shooter," Natasha muttered to herself as she sat down.

Connie sighed and sat down beside her. "We spent two years trying to find him and someone delivers him to us on a silver platter."

"I guess we should be thankful, huh?"

"Not exactly thankful," Connie chuckled. "Suspicious, yes."

"You're right," Natasha agreed. "Have you told Steve yet?"

Connie shook her head and pulled her feet into the chair with her. "I haven't had the time."

Natasha nodded and sat back in her seat. "You look exhausted, Connie. Why don't you get some rest? I have a bit of investigating to do anyway."

"What kind of investigating?"

Natasha only smirked and stood up, delivering several gentle pats to the top of Connie's head. "That's for me to know, and you to find out. Now, get some rest. My prediction is that the two of us have a very long day ahead of us."

Natasha disappeared from the room shortly after, and had Connie not been as exhausted as she was, she would've further questioned what Natasha was up to, but she figured she'd find out sooner or later.

Connie made herself comfortable in her seat, and before long she was drifting to sleep with a certain blue-eyed man running through her dreams.