When Time Collides ★ [2] ✔

An Old Friend

I cleared the deck in record time, wiping out every soldier in sight. And then I felt the barrel of a gun push against my temple. I managed to miss one. A bullet flew into his head, and I watched him crumple. 

Rumlow and the rest of S.T.R.I.K.E landed on the deck and released their parachutes.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless without me," he remarked.

We split up to complete our respective missions, and Natasha would not stop bugging me.

"What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you?" she suggested. "She seems kind of nice."

"Secure the engine room, then find me a date," I countered.

"I'm multi-tasking," she replied.

I finished clearing out the deck as S.T.R.I.K.E snuck off to rescue the hostages and Natasha charged to the engine room.

With me being in the modern times, I had to adapt completely, including my fighting skills and techniques. And it paid off. I could take down enemies faster and, if I wanted to, without making a sound.

The control room was above me. I sprung up the railing and steps to be directly under the window. I pulled my transmitter-blocking gun from a pouch at my belt and fired a small device, attaching itself onto the window. I leapt away and hid.

It was then that I crouched in a hiding place and waited, listening in to the conversation Batroc was having with his second-in-command. Everything was in French, but I managed to understand some of the phrases. I heard nothing interesting.

"S.T.R.I.K.E. in position," Rumlow reported.

I raised my wrist. "Natasha, what's your status?" Nothing. "Status, Natasha."

"Hang on!" she yelled back.

Judging from the grunts of men and wails of pain, she was busy knocking people around. Once she was done, she reported back. "Engine room secure."

"On my mark," I began. "Three...Two... One."

I shot out from my hiding place to stand under the control room window. I threw my shield at it, shattering the glass and giving me a way inside. I heard a grunt as my shield knocked out the second-in-command.