Author's Note:

I'm always trying to improve my ability to pull a person into a character's headspace or feel their emotions, and your feedback will help me know if what I'm trying for is working or not. Even an emoticon or button smashing tells me something useful and can influence what I write more or less of.

I respond to all comments and it's always fun to hear your thoughts ^^

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Previously:

The light bathing the little car reminded me too much of the helicopter. Gaining on us. Fast.

My grip tightened on the revolver. Heart pounding at my ears.

We're going to have to fight our way out... and I doubt both of us would make it out of this.

"We're going to get out of this," Valeriy assured lightly, eyes glancing at the mirror.

Shoot driver between the eyes. Targets incapacitated.

I leaned out the window, drawing the Glock 21 and lowering my aim to one of the tires.

At a flash of light, the car slowed.

"Brace your –!!"

Before I could squeeze the trigger, a loud crunch hit my ears.

The momentum forcefully shifted into a swing. A blow to my left knocked me back into the seat. As pain bloomed across the skin on the side of my face, the car spun out of control.

With another jerk of momentum, everything stopped.

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All at once, reality came crashing down with a panicked gasp for air.

'Injuries: negligent.

'Body: functional.

'Obje –...?

'Where...? Where am I? There was... there was a...?

'...Hydra.'

Still in the car. Not with Hydra. Strapped in place by the seatbelt.

'They don't have me. Okay. Goo – Valeriy.'

Still in the seat next to me. Slumped against the dashboard.

'...Valeriy...?'

Not a movement to her. Not even a twitch to her fingers.

'No.... Please don't be –'

I reached for her. Needed to find a pulse. Anything to tell me she's here. Alive.

A bullet weaved right between my fingers. Far too close to Valeriy. Nicked the scarf around her neck before burying itself into the driver seat.

Instinctively, my hand reached for the dart revolver. Eyes scanning the environments for targets.

We were surrounded. Four bodies lit up by the street lights effectively hiding their bright headlights from the helicopter. Three mostly hidden by their car.

When the revolver wasn't found, I hated how naturally I went to another weapon. COP .357. A far deadlier option.

A man in a black suit held the still smoking M&P. "Hands up. Get out of the car," he ordered. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Shoot them all between the eyes. Targets incapacitated.

Break through the windshield. Slice all their throats. Targets incapacitated.

'No.'

I had to find a better way. A less lethal way. They weren't in control of me. There's a better way.

Fists against bullets. Not the best of odds.

But they were better than Valeriy being hit by a bullet meant for me. I couldn't risk that. I needed distance from her.

"They're SHIELD," the A.I. ghost said in my ear. "Not Hydra."

'What's the difference?'

Kicking out the door, I stepped onto the pavement. Fingers still wrapped around the COP .357. The rest drawing the Gerber from its sheath strapped to my leg.

'It always ends in a fight....'

"If you see the chance, run. Take the alleyway to your right."

"Sergeant Barnes," the older man called out. "We're not here to hurt you. Just come with us peacefully. We'll take you to somewhere safe."

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Mr. Barnes."

"Sergeant Barnes...?"

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Shut up!!!" I yelled. Covering my ears only to realize I could still hear everything. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Anything to get that voice to stop echoing.

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Sergeant Barnes!"

"Shut up!!!"

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Bucky."

Her voice cut through the haze. Barely even a whisper in my ear.

My eyes snapped back to the car.

To my horror, the older Asian woman was dragging Valeriy's body out of the car by the pack strapped to her back.

Valeriy didn't struggle as she was towed against the pavement. Completely limp.... Had she really spoken?

"Don't touch her!" I roared.

Raise COP .357. Shoot through the neck. Target incapacitated.

Throw Yari between ribs. Target incapacitated.

Tear off head. Target incapacitated.

A bullet bounced right off the metal shoulder, and I slid to a stop on the car roof. Squared off with the younger Asian. The shooter.

Throw car door. Target incapacitated.

The older man stepped in front of her, protectively. M&P at the ready. "Drop the door! Sergeant Barnes! Don't make us hurt you!"

"Sergeant Barnes."

Toss grenade. Targets incapacitated.

"Mr. Barnes, run."

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Shut up!! Shut up!!!" I yelled at the voices. Carbon fiber cracking between metal fingers. A broken edge cutting my cheek as I attempted to block it all out.

"We're trying to help! Let us bring you in!! Please, Serge –"

Laughter cut the words. Unceasing laughter. Laughter filling the night air.

"May?" one of the agents called out.

The older woman doubled over, struggling to gasp for breath. Dropped to the asphalt. Rolling side to side.

I couldn't help the shiver at the sound. So misplaced. This was the last place to hear it. But the woman's unable to stop. Not even to pull out the little dart embedded in her cheek.

'Valeriy.'

As darts sailed through the air, Valeriy rose from beside the fallen woman. Revolver in hand. No hesitation in her fingers as she pulled the trigger over and over again. More uncontrollable laughter erupted from the agents.

Her battered body tried to keep up with what she demanded of it with broken movements. Trying to make herself less of an easy target for their bullets.

Amidst the chaos, I made a mad dash for her. Desperately, I reached out, wrapping my arms around the young woman. With a kick off the asphalt, I launched us backward, taking shelter behind the wreck that we once rode.

They had seven bullets left. Three bullets hit the little car and then nothing. Only the spine chilling laughter that filled the air. Three different voices echoing each other.

The only one left standing was the middle aged agent. The click of his magazine sliding into place barely heard through the cackling storm.

Then there's Valeriy, noisily digging through her pack, and her right hand... it wasn't listening to her. Struggling to do what she wanted of it before being used to pin her revolver against her leg to reload the darts.

"There's another agent on their team," she whispered quickly. Gray eyes not even flicking up over the surprisingly unscathed glasses. "I don't see him. No idea as to why Triplett's here. He supposed to be part of another team last I checked. There could be others."

There should be others. A four man team would be unwise when dealing with me.

I searched the shadows for movement. Checking the sky for the helicopter. Far in the distance. Only a matter of time before it'd spot this mess and the rest of Hydra descends.

"Do you know if I darted anyone more than once?" she questioned, clipping a mic to her scarf.

"You missed three shots," I stated through gritted teeth, trying to shake off the grating laughter that surrounded us.

"Fitz, have you seen anything like this before?" I heard the agent whisper. Likely talking into his comms to backup.

We're running out of time.

"Don't do what I think you're about to do. You attacked his team. Predictions are less clear when everybody's in a panic and pissy."

"Hold this," Valeriy ordered, ignoring the A.I. ghost's words in favor of tossing a little golden ball my way. Intricate patterns swirling around the polished surface. When it landed in my hand, it opened in half on its own. Or the A.I. ghost's doing.

"He's approaching," I noted. The other hand so easily slipped its way around the Gerber again.

Throw Mark II at the center of his forehead. Target incapacitated.

Valeriy quickly shoved three darts into the ball before slipping it into her pocket, and with a deep breath, she popped up. Right out into the open. An easy target.

I wanted to drag her back down. To the safety of cover. Out of harm's way. Away from this insanity.

But she held out her mangled hand in a clear sign of stop. Leaving mine in the air. Caught between the silent order to stop and the overwhelming want to yank her to the ground.

"Your biochemist won't be able to figure this out in the eight minutes before this giggling becomes irreversible," Valeriy stated coldly. Joking left aside. In a voice I couldn't recognize. Too high to be recognized as hers. "And I'm the only one who knows which bottle on me is the antidote. There sure are a lot of bottles. More than half of them deadly."

I could see him in the reflection of the windows around us. The twitch to his M&P had me springing up, shielding her with my own body. He had every intention to maim her enough for an interrogation.

"You pull the trigger and I'll pull mine," she stated so calmly. Her revolver nuzzled right against her temple. "You won't be able to wake me up in time to pry the antidote out of me, and they will die. Be it from starvation, dehydration or exhaustion. Now that you have some idea what's happening to them, shall we begin the negotiations, Agent Coulson?"

"Who the hell are you?!" the agent demanded angrily. Unwilling to lower his gun.

"I could ask 'Isn't SHIELD supposed to be dismantled? Aren't you supposed to be dead?' But I doubt either of us will get any answers, will we?"

And that was the tone I was used to. Light and airy. As if the clock wasn't ticking on three bodies. As if she was merely asking which sandwich I wanted.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at her, taking stock of all the potential sniper nests around us. Still not finding the agent she mentioned.

"Getting leverage," she whispered. The seriousness back in her tone. "If I shoot myself, run for it."

I hated the order.

Hated that I still felt the need to follow it.

Hated that she still had that muzzle against her temple. Finger on the trigger.

Wanted nothing more than to rip the revolver out of her hand, but I forced my eyes away. To the shadows. To the windows. To the roofs.

'No movement. Why even try with a four man crew...? Unless somebody's enhanced.'

Like me.

Hopefully, it's one of the laughing agents. Not the pissed off one. Could be the fifth Valeriy mentioned.

"You're.... Are you protecting him...? You're not Hydra..." the agent pieced together. Confusion so clear on his face. Even through all the rage.

'Why would anyone protect me...?'

But here she was. Standing next to me. Doing just that. Sidestepping whenever I tried to get between them.

"The man beside you is dangerous. He's unstable. Do you know who he is? He's a fugitive. A terrorist. He's the Winter Soldier," the agent explained patiently. "The attack in April. He's behind it."

As if he was talking to a child. To someone who's been blinded by lies. To the point they couldn't know what was real.

Like what they did to me.

"You're not turning me on him," she stated so easily. Like it could never happen.

Like how I could have never turned on St....

"...You're the woman the kid –"

"So you're the one who led Hydra to our doorstep. Lovely. Do you still have the kid? Or is he easy pickings for Hydra?"

"I've got him. Currently in the process of moving the parents. They'll all disappear. Nobody will be able to find them. Not even their annoying little hacker girl. You're on the clock."

The stumble in the agent's feet to get a little distance from her annoyed words made it seem like he couldn't be Hydra. That he cared for the kid. The little blond boy who saw us.

"Step aside. Hand over the antidote. Let us handle Sergeant Barnes. And I'll forget about you. We won't bring you in as an acom –"

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Not interested. Have fun watching them laugh themselves to death." Valeriy gave my side a little push to start walking. "We're leav –"

I barely had enough time to yank her out of the way of his bullet. I could see that confident mask of hers fracturing. Feel the tremble in her arm under my fingers. Hear the shaky inhale as she tried to calm herself.

"You're not going anywhere," the agent seethed.

"I do believe the chopper's spotted the crash."

I couldn't help but stare at the black helicopter headed straight for us. My heart pounding louder at my ears the closer it got.

"I get the whole agent thing and having your orders you need to complete, but right now, he's the least of your problems," Valeriy stated. "Though it won't stay that way if you keep leading Hydra to him. Next time, I'm not going to use some obscure poison. I'll be shooting to kill. No questions asked. No words exchanged. You've been sufficiently warned."

With that, she handed me the revolver. The very thing I've been wanting to pry out of her fingers before she could shoot herself. She plucked the golden ball out of her pocket and held it out towards him on an open palm.

"Is that...?"

"The antidote for your friends? Yeah, it's inside."

Wings unfurled off the golden surface, and with a couple fluttering flaps, the ball took off down the street. Speeding through the night air.

"Ball's in your court, Agent Coulson."

Precious seconds ticked by as they stared each other down. Neither moving.

The helicopter closing in. Getting louder and louder.

The moment the agent's dark eyes glanced away from us, I tossed Valeriy atop of my shoulder and booked it. Making the decision for us. Going right down the alleyway the A.I. ghost had pointed out.

"Huh.... I guess this works," Valeriy commented over my shoulder. Her hands slipping on the back of my jacket as she tried to prop herself up.

"Go left."

"Holy shit. You can run," her voice light and rather excited. "You should have just run for it when we left the house."

"Anyone following?" I asked her, ignoring her comment in favor of concentrating on running as fast as I could and keeping an eye on the environment in front. No movements.

0429. People should still be asleep.

"Got no idea. Don't know where my glasses went..." Valeriy replied with a shrug.

"You have two operatives in play who are unaccounted for. Predicted to be close by."

I glanced up expecting a camera but found a couple of stars instead. "Don't you see everyth –"

"Oh, I think I see one," Valeriy pointed out, cutting me off. "On the roof.... And he's got a rifle. Yay...."

Another moved in the shadows in front. Also armed. Walther PPK/S.

Use woman as a bat. Impale lung onto broken railing. Target incapacitated.

I aimed the revolver at the one in front, leaping to the right in the same instance. Whatever came out of the rifle on the roof wasn't a regular bullet, and I didn't like how I was glad for the metal arm.

Didn't need to be knocked out.

Didn't need to be doubled over in laughter.

Didn't want to forget with whatever messed with memories that Valeriy had on hand.

Or whatever else people shot each other with.

As a round face fell out of the shadows, I spun around, searching for the next target and was met with the exact same round face on the roof.

Dart the neck. Let fall over the edge. Target incapacitated.

I ground my teeth together. I couldn't pull the trigger. The risk of him falling over too high. The chances of him surviving the fall too low.

"Keep running."

All too unexpectedly, the man slumped to the side. A dart sticking out of his neck.

"This one's covered."

With an unsettled feeling in my gut, I ran.

"Ooo, your Pup-ple are here, huh?" Valeriy noted lightly. A smile in her voice. Even the tense muscles of her abdomen relax a fraction.

"Don't stop," the A.I. ghost's voice stated the moment I slowed a step. "The clock's ticking."

"Mind seeing if Coulson left anything behind? Amber wants to know how he's back from the fucking dead."

"...Your priorities are horrid...."

"Did the two agents not show up on your cameras?" I cut in.

The A.I. ghost saw everything. The two agents were in plain sight. They couldn't have been unaccounted for until just then. Unless they were enhanced in some way that left her blind to them.

"Uhhh... Well, the umm truce? No, collaboration? We have? Had? Haven't worked with them for some years. But thanks to a deal Gramps made a bajillion years ago, Eve's left with these erm... gaping umm... gaps? in her... purview? When it comes to SHIELD.

"She can only monitor or act against them when one of thee Ayers is in direct conflict with them... which was a just contingency. Never thought we'd use it.... I still don't see the male agent on his team. Where the bloody hell is he?"

"Take the next left. It's a little ways to the rendezvous. If you had only bought me a little more time in their systems, I would have been able to confirm if he was Hydra."

"...No, Coulson's not Hydra. He can't be. No, he's – he's Coulson," was Valeriy's argument.

"We were talking about Agent Ward. A right and a straight shot from here."

"...So, is he here with Hydra then?"

"...I haven't managed to confirm much about him besides that he isn't here with Agent Coulson. Since somebody didn't buy me enough time."

"We were out of time," I interrupted. Had to stop the bickering.

The alleyway gave way to a main road. Empty and completely hidden from the lack of working street lamps. Couldn't doubt the A.I. ghost was behind it. From the helicopter, it could be easily passed over in the darkness of the night.

I stayed in the alleyway, checking for an ambush. Eyeing the semi-truck parked directly across from us. No one in the cabin. No movements anywhere on the street.

"Get in the truck already. Theroad's clear. You're wasting time."

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Author's Note:

Yup, that be an HP Golden Snitch zipping about with the antidote. 'Cause "why not science magic into reality?" is a question Val's probably asked as a kid. And magic is just science we don't understand.

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