Every second felt longer than the last as the van kept making left and right turns on an unpaved road. Maria drove as fast as she could without throwing around the people in the back. But still, it felt like forever until the van finally came to a stop. 

Katya had no idea where they were, but it couldn't be far from the city. 

Hill jumped out the driver's seat and opened the back door for the others, who had trouble standing from their crouched positions on the floor. Sam helped Katya up, while Steve tended to Natasha, supporting her weight as she stepped out of the back. 

They were at a dam just outside the city. It was completely isolated and surrounded by forest as far as you could see. The perfect place to hide four fugitives. Well, five if you count Hill, who was never going to work for HYDRA either. 

She walked in front, leading the others to the door at the bottom of the huge stone wall. Katya leaned on Sam heavily, but he didn't protest. She kept a close eye on Natasha, who walked in front of her, her feet almost dragging over the uneven ground. 

The door, which was more of a gate, creaked as Hill pushed at it. A long hallway waited for them behind it, which frustrated Katya. How much longer did they have to walk until she could sit down? Maria sensed what everyone was thinking, or maybe it was the looks on their faces.

''It's just up ahead.'' Her voice echoed between the walls, which gave the place an even eerier feeling. Although it did fit their current situation perfectly.

Katya kept her eyes on the ground, focusing all her energy on placing one foot in front of the other. That's all she could think about at the moment. Left foot, right foot, repeat. 

The sound of much faster footsteps approaching quickly is what snapped her out of her trance. First, she tensed up, but relaxed when Maria breathed out in relief as the man came closer. She must have warned him they were coming.

''GSW. She's lost at least a pint,'' Maria yelled at him before he reached her.

''Maybe two,'' Sam added from Katya's side. She almost cried from happiness when she finally realized he was a doctor and was there to take care of Natasha. 

Maria pointed to Katya next. Natasha wasn't the only one who needed professional help. ''Probably a torn shoulder muscle, dehydration and over exhaustion.''

The doctor nodded, the frown on his forehead deepening at their condition. ''Let me take them.'' He beckoned Sam and Steve to pass the two women over to him, but Maria shook her head.

''They'll want to see him first.''

Katya was still completely clueless as to who this mysterious person could be, and the others looked just as confused as they followed her to a room a couple doors down. There was a makeshift setup, with big lights and in the middle a bed behind some clear plastic. It was impossible to see who was behind the curtains, until Maria finally pulled them to the side.

Everyone froze in place. Katya didn't think she had ever been so surprised and caught off guard than right in that moment. Well, maybe besides running into Natasha in Serbia. 

She didn't know what to do. Cry, laugh or get angry. She did nothing instead. Just stared at the fragile looking man in the sterile white bed. 

Nick Fury. Son of a bitch was still alive. 

He's like a cockroach, impossible to kill. Great for him, sucks for HYDRA. Because in that moment, Katya felt that fire of hope flair up again. With Fury still alive and HYDRA having no idea of that, they had a fighting chance again. Surely, he would have a plan to take back SHIELD. 

Nobody said anything. Four pairs of eyes just stared at him like they saw an alien from Mars and not the director of SHIELD, declared dead.

''About damn time,'' Fury said sarcastically, his one eye trained on the group. Apparently he expected them a lot earlier.

''Who's this guy?'' Sam mumbled under his breath to Katya, who stared at Fury. They had told Sam that Fury had been killed, but the general public didn't know what he looked like or that he was the director. So Sam probably had a guess who the guy in the bed was from the stories they had told him, but had never put a face to the name. 

''That's Fury,'' Katya breathed. Fury looked absolutely horrible and in more pain than her and Natasha combined. 

Sam furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down at her. ''I thought you guys said he was dead?''

She nodded once. ''He was.''

While they had been standing there like idiots, the doctor had grabbed some chairs and whatever equipment he needed to fix the two women up. Sam and Steve got the hint and guided Katya and Natasha to the chairs on the left side of Fury's bed. They kept their eyes on him like he would disappear if they looked away.

''It's good to see you, sir.'' Steve was the first one to finally speak to Fury, although there was an undertone of bitterness to his voice. He didn't like being kept in the dark. Katya mostly had questions. Lots of questions. And according to the frown between Natasha's eyebrows, so did she. 

Sam gently guided Katya down in the chair. She exhaled in relief, finally able to relax. They were finally, for the first time in days, safe. At least for a moment. 

Steve lowered Natasha in the chair on Katya's left and the doctor immediately put pressure on her gunshot wound, Natasha letting out a soft grunt, scrunching up her nose in pain. Katya wished she could lay her hand on her leg or arm to be of some support, but Natasha sat on her bad side and Katya couldn't move her left arm.

The others gathered around the bed as they waited for an explanation from Fury as to why he was still alive. Neither Natasha nor Katya said anything to him yet, although both of them had enough questions to ask. Katya felt slightly betrayed, lied to, and she knew Natasha must feel that too. Why did Hill know Fury was alive, but not them? Didn't he trust them?

''Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver and one hell of a headache.'' Fury listed his injuries without anyone having to ask. They all hung onto his words, not wanting to miss anything. Apparently he didn't walk away from that car crash and assassination without a scratch.

The doctor looked up from Natasha's shoulder. ''Don't forget your collapsed lung,'' he reminded Fury. 

''Oh, let's not forget that,'' Fury sarcastically answered. ''Otherwise, I'm good.'' He didn't look to be in any state to walk, let alone fight. He, weirdly enough, didn't look fragile. Such a big man could hardly ever look fragile.

''They cut you open, your heart stopped.'' There was a vulnerability in Natasha's voice that Katya didn't hear often. Fury's death hurt her more than she had led on. After all, he was like a father figure for her. He had given her a second chance when she felt she didn't deserve one. 

Fury's eye landed on her, and his gaze softened visibly. ''Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute.'' So that's how he managed to appear dead, fooling not only the spies in front of him, but also the doctors at the hospital. ''Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it.'' He sounded so unbothered by all of it.

''Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?'' That was Steve, finally getting the frustration Katya had sensed earlier, out of his system. His conversation with Fury after the boat mission flashed through his mind. 

Maria answered for her boss. ''Any attempt on the Director's life had to look successful.''

Katya nodded in understanding, although it still sucked they were kept in the dark. ''Can't kill you if you're already dead.'' It was the first thing she said to him since she had walked in here. And it was the first time he really looked her in the eyes.

''Precisely.'' Fury nodded at her. ''Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust.''

That line was a punch in the gut for Katya, and she could see it affected Natasha too, her face falling. Katya lowered her head, staring at her lap instead. Although at the same time, she couldn't really blame Fury that he doubted her loyalty to SHIELD. After all, Katya was HYDRA in another life. And even though she thought Fury trusted her, apparently there had always been that tiny voice in his head that didn't. 

But Natasha? Katya almost felt angry at Fury for not trusting her. For once, for once in her life, Natasha deserved someone who trusted her unconditionally. Someone besides Katya, who dared put their lives in Natasha's hands. Because they were one of the most trustworthy pairs ever. But all they saw was who she had been, the risks. 

''You have a plan, sir?'' Steve asked after a short silence where everyone tried to process the fact that Fury was still alive.

Katya was someone who was very flexible in situations. If a new element or threat was unexpectedly added to her mission, she could deal with it quickly: adapt to the new circumstances. Somehow, her brain could process these things fast and come up with a new plan. Today wasn't any different, it was just that the shock of seeing Fury alive was unlike any surprise she's ever had. 

But Katya shook it all off and focused on the task at hand. No matter how much of a crack her confidence had gotten, no matter how hurt Natasha felt. There was still an organization to safe, after all.

Fury nodded as an answer to Steve's question before calling Maria over. ''Hill, help me up.''

The doctor was not happy with Fury's decision to get out of bed, but he also knew not to protest. Everyone watched helplessly as his broken body made it out of the bed and stumbled to a table in the corner of the room, supported by Maria. Katya had spotted the table on her way in, because there were some boxes and files lying on top of it. 

Without having to say a word, it was obvious that Fury wanted them to follow him. The doctor, in the meantime, had quickly stitched Natasha's wound shut and bandaged it nicely. So she waved Steve away when he wanted to help her stand. That was more like the Natasha Katya knew. Never show weakness, even if you're in pain. 

Now that Natasha was all good and there was nothing more the doctor could do for her, he moved to Katya in the other chair. She hated that other people had to help her, but for now, she accepted his help, knowing she needed it badly. 

He let her lean on him as they walked over to the others and he pulled out a chair for her to sit on. He helped her pull off her hoodie, leaving her in just a tank top to expose her shoulder. Katya could hear a sharp intake of breath next to her and as she looked down to her shoulder herself, she understood why Natasha was not happy with what she saw. 

Katya's whole shoulder was bruised. And not some light bruising, no, it was black and purple and covered a lot of skin. It was also swollen, a lot. The temptation to poke it was big, but Katya knew it would hurt so she left it alone. The doctor would have to judge how bad it was. 

Speaking of the doctor, as soon as Katya sat down, he ran off to get his equipment and was back in no-time with everything he needed to help her. And that included an IV-drip. 

Katya wanted to groan at the sight of the stand on wheels he rolled towards her. It made her feel weak, but she also knew she would feel a lot better after whatever he was going to give her. Besides, Natasha kept her hawk eyes on her, so she wouldn't be able to get out of it anyway.

While the doctor pushed the needle in a vain in her right arm and began to set everything up for the drip, Katya tried to focus on the things happening in front of her. Maria had opened one of the black boxes and taken out a laptop. Fury shuffled through some files with his hand that wasn't in a sling, looking for something. 

The doctor moved to Katya's shoulder after he was satisfied that the drip worked as it should and she prepared for the pain that was undoubtedly coming next. When it did come, she squeezed the armrest to stop herself from screaming or saying something unintelligent. Her jaw clenched as she tried to push the pain away while the man kept feeling her skin and muscles and twisting her arm around. 

He did it gently, but it still hurt like a bitch. Everything in her left arm hurt and it radiated through her body. When he finally let go of her and stood up with a worried expression on his face, Katya knew it was bad. Probably even worse than she had thought.

''Your shoulder muscle is almost completely torn. You probably have multiple fractures in your collarbone and upper arm, but that's impossible to say for sure without an X-ray. Your ribs are bruised on the left side, but not too severely.'' He summed up her injuries carefully and saw her face fall. She would be out of the running for months and was definitely benched for whatever Fury was planning. 

''I can bandage it up for now, but you will need surgery to repair your muscle. After that, weeks of rest and rehabilitation.'' He walked over to his bag without waiting for an answer, and came back with another needle, this one filled with fluids. ''This is a strong painkiller that will help with the pain for now.''

Katya couldn't do anything but nod. This was a blow in her face. With everything combined, she wouldn't be able to do real work for months at a time where she needed to be her best. 

She could feel Natasha's worried eyes on her, her hand landing on Katya's knee like she wanted to do earlier. Katya gave her a small smile that looked sadder than she meant to. Natasha smiled back reassuringly, silently telling her she would be there every step along the way to recovery.

''This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize,'' Fury broke the tense silence that arose after the doctor's opinion. ''He said, "Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility." See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues.'' He had a picture of Pierce in his hand that he threw on the table in frustration. Apparently, he had also put two and two together and appointed Pierce as the head of HYDRA. 

''We have to stop the launch,'' Natasha stated the obvious. She had averted her eyes from the woman next to her and focused on the conversation. She looked a bit more alert, but her eyes were still a bit fuzzy. She wouldn't be in the center of action either. 

Fury moved for the black box next to him on the table and opened it, turning it around so the content was visible for everyone. ''I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore.''

There were three chips inside that didn't remind Katya of anything. Technology wasn't her thing and whatever these were, she had never seen them before. Couldn't even think of a place they belonged in. 

Sam was just as clueless as her. ''What's that?''

That was when Maria started explaining the plan, showing a video on her laptop about the schematics of the carriers and the placement of the chips. 

She was still Fury's right hand after everything that had happened. They understood each other without words and had come up with a plan before the others had arrived on base. ''Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized.''

Ah, so the chips had something to do with the Helicarriers from Project Insight. 

''We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own,'' Fury explained the mission.

So they needed to get onto the carriers to prevent millions of people from dying. An easy task during any normal day, but not anymore. Now, SHIELD was overrun by HYDRA. So between them and the Helicarriers stood hundreds of HYDRA soldiers, ordered to kill them. This could possibly be a suicide mission.

And to make it even worse, Maria added another factor to keep in mind. ''One or two won't cut it. 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.''

Of course there would be a failsafe that said all three would have to be replaced. This was typical SHIELD safety regulations working against them right now. 

It would be an impossible task to stop those Helicarriers and get out alive. Even more so when you consider that Steve and Sam have to do it on their own. Natasha, Katya and Fury were in no shape to fight, and Maria needed to be in the control room. Two soldiers against a whole army of HYDRA. The odds weren't in their favor.

''We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA,'' Fury warned them. ''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,'' Steve cut off Fury. ''We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD.''

''Excuse me?'' Katya turned her head to Steve, who stood at the other end of the table, to her left. She was surprised by his words but more so in a slight panic. What if this would indeed be the end of SHIELD. The end of an organization that had given her a second chance. What was she then? 

''SHIELD had nothing to do with it,'' Fury backed Katya with just as much anger and frustration in his voice.

But Steve wasn't backing down. ''You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed.''

''Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed,'' Fury sarcastically answered.

Steve was getting angry now too. ''And how many paid the price before you did?''

Fury understood what Steve really meant with those words, who he was referring to. ''Look, I didn't know about Barnes...'' His voice softened to try and reason with the Captain, but he wouldn't hear any of it.

''Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too?'' When he got no answer, it confirmed his suspicions. ''SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes.''

''He's right.'' Maria voiced her opinion too. This time, she wasn't with Fury, but against him. And if there is someone who could change the Director's mind, it was her.

Fury looked at Natasha with a hopeful look in his eyes that she would support him, but she just stared at him and leaned back in her chair, a sign that she didn't have anything to say. Then he looked to Sam behind her, who wasn't planning on agreeing with him either. ''Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower.''

Katya barely registered what he was saying. There was too much going on in her head. Of course she understood what Steve was saying and she agreed that the HYDRA problem had grown out of hand. There was no way to take down HYDRA without taking down SHIELD. But part of her felt they were giving up too quickly. 

Without SHIELD, who was she? SHIELD was her life, her home. It was so much more than just a job. If they took it down, it would be the end of an era. The security in her life would be gone. And even though she wouldn't be on her own, it was enough to scare the hell out of her. 

Espionage is all she's ever known. Without that, who is Katya Petrova?

She was so lost in her thoughts, eyes fixed on one point on the table, that she didn't notice all the eyes staring at her. Fury's voice eventually broke through her thoughts. ''Petrova?''

There were some tears in her eyes that she blamed on the physical pain she was feeling when she looked up and met his eyes. She had to let SHIELD go, however badly she wanted to hold on. 

''I agree sir, it has to go.'' Her voice was steady as she spoke, but it was far from how she really felt. She felt a hand on her thigh again, squeezing it in comfort. Natasha let her know that she wasn't alone and they would get through this together. 

Katya looked at her and immediately felt better when her girlfriend smiled at her. Katya grabbed the hand on her leg and squeezed it back, a silent understanding between them.

''Well...'' Fury sighed, leaning back in defeat, pulling their attention back to the conversation. ''Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain.''