𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐑𝐃━︎━︎M. Hill ✓︎

𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
ONLY WANT TO HELP

SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS going through her head at the time, but when she stood there with the other's, the feeling of leaving Maria Hill behind, trapped in that place to be killed just didn't sit right with her. And she had absolutely no clue as to why that was. She wasn't supposed to care, Sage knew that. But no matter how long she had been with HYDRA, and no matter how much she tried to put up the façade of not caring, she would never be the person that could feel absolutely nothing when she shot a bullet in someone's head.

Emotions made you weak. And maybe running back into that building, knowing the possibility of getting killed, made her weak. But she did it nonetheless. Sage ran through that building with her gun clenched in her hands, knocking out any of the soldiers that came charging at her and killing them with the snap of the neck. She was cruel, that she couldn't deny. She did what she had to do in order to make sure she stayed alive. That didn't mean that she necessarily liked it.

Sage continued down the hall, coming closer and closer to the room in which Maria was held. Two guards stood there at the door and Sage continued walking towards them as they aimed their guns at her. The woman rolled her eyes before tucking her gun in her pocket and pulling out a knife, quickly chucking it into the head of one of the guards before quickly running up to the other and wrapping her legs tightly around his throat before throwing him over her shoulder and pulling her gun out in order to knock him out cold.

She pulled her gun back out of her belt, cocking it before kicking the door open and quickly putting a bullet in the guys brain that had been standing there with a knife against Maria's throat. The woman gasped in surprised as the man's blood splattered across her face. Maria turned her head and was surprised to find Sage standing there, once again tucking her gun back into her belt.

Sage walked over to the woman and started to untie the ropes from around her ankles. Maria watched her with confused eyes for a moment before cocking her head slightly. Maria didn't understand what it was that Sage was doing back in front of her. She thought that the woman would be long gone by now, but here she was, saving her ass and doing the opposite of what Maria thought she would do. And she had a feeling that Sage hadn't planned on doing this either.

     "Why did you come back for me?" Maria questioned as she stood up from the chair with Sage standing in front of her. She then shrugged. "Not that I'm complaining, really."

     Sage clenched her jaw for a moment before she sighed. "Because, you were right. I'm not an emotionless asshole like all of the others, and I don't know why but I just couldn't leave you behind knowing that you were possibly going to die."

     "And your other friends?"

     "Gone." Sage answered. "I told them to leave me behind."

     Maria narrowed her eyes for a moment as she read Sage's face. "There's something else isn't there?"

     Sage looked at her for a moment before nodding her head. "Yes. But we'll talk about it later. Right now we have an army of men that currently want us dead. So, let's deal with that first, shall we?" She tossed her gun to Maria who quickly caught it before the two walked out of the room with Sage jerking her blade out of the guards head.

The two women walked forward and Maria shot the gun whilst Sage threw the knife and did hand to hand combat. They made it through rather quickly with Maria being able to find an escape door for them to quickly exit out of. They made it outside before Sage followed Maria down a path and towards a car. Sage hesitated for a moment before forcing herself into the car and allowing for Maria to quickly drive them away before pulling to the side of the road so that they duo could talk.

     Sage sat there for a moment, staring in front of her. "I have to go back. I can't leave Malia in such a place." She turned her head to look at Maria who was already looking at her. "She's like a little sister to me."

     "Let me help." Maria softly spoke. "I can get both of you to safety. Out of the hands of HYDRA."

     "And into the hands of SHIELD so that they can treat us exactly the same?" Sage lightly snapped, clenching her jaw.

     "Good guys, remember? We wouldn't make you do anything you weren't comfortable with." Maria assured her. "Listen, Sage, I only want to help. And I can't do that if you won't let me." Sage didn't say anything and Maria sighed. "Is there anywhere that I can take you?"

     "Home." Sage answered, and she almost winced at the word. She told Maria the directions but stopped her a few miles away so that she wouldn't be seen. Sage swallowed thickly before getting out of the car. She turned her head to look at Maria, closing the door as Maria rolled down the window on the passengers side.

     "You have my number." Maria told the woman. "If you change your mind, don't hesitate to  call me. I only want to help."

     "Now that you know the vicinity of where the base is, there isn't a doubt in my mind that you'll send in a team to 'help'." Sage scoffed.

     "Don't you trust me, Sage?" Maria asked with her lip raising upwards slightly whilst Sage rolled her eyes. "No one will come, unless I get permission from you to let them come."

     Sage looked at her for a moment before saying, "Goodbye, Maria." And with that the woman turned on her heel and started walking the rest of the way back to the place she called home, Maria's offer being the only thing on her mind.