Three's A Crowd

Twenty Seven | Playing Hostage Isn't Fun

"That's all we know." Rumlow says in defense at Natasha's butting in. "He didn't have enough time to give us anything else but coordinates, and if he didn't miscalculate them, they're gonna have to be in the galley."

Natasha stays quiet, the sudden change in demeanor confusing Steve. Didn't she have everything on this mission? Why was a SHIELD officer on the Lemurian Star? What was his business there?

"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship..." Steve asks, mostly to himself as he eyes both Rumlow and Natasha for a second. Something wasn't right. He shrugs it off and moves across the control panel, hoisting up his shield and securing it on his back. "Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you and your team sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to the life-pods, get 'em out. Let's move."

Rumlow nods his head and turns to the SHIELD agents, giving a firm nod as he cocks his gun. "STRIKE, you heard the Cap. Gear up."

As they're getting ready to dive off the jet, Natasha follows Steve to the dropout. He pulls up his arm, talking into his wrist communicator as he stares at the window beside the cargo door. "Secure channel seven."

"Seven secure."

Steve turns back and sees Natasha right by him, mouth near her own communicator. Steve shakes his head playfully at his co-agent. "Did you do anything fun Saturday night?" Natasha asked over the loud engine of the quinjet, pressing a few buttons in preparation of the drop and picking up a parachute bag hung on the opposing wall.

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so... No, not really." Steve pauses for a moment to give the spy a tight lipped smile, buckling his cowl helmet tight.

The pilot speaks through the radio as the lights in the back drop room illuminate it in red. "Coming up by the drop zone, Cap."

Natasha turns back up at Steve. "You know, if you ask Kristen out from Statistics, she'd probably say yes."

"That's why I don't ask." Steve replies, which in turn makes Natasha scoff. The cargo door opens, the wind blowing harshly upon its opening. "Too shy or too scared!?"

"Too busy!"

And with that final holler, Steve Rogers jumps out of the open cargo door. Natasha rolls her eyes, muttering some Russian insult under her breath about Captain America being a total showoff. She hears a beep from her communicator as a STRIKE agent speaks through the comms.

"Was he wearing a parachute?"

"No. No, he wasn't."

After jumping out the jet, Steve dives into the ocean, making his land and climbing onto the ship, taking out everyone on the deck swiftly before anyone raises the alarm, however he's interrupted by one of the pirates that had came around the corner, gun pointed at him.

"Bouge pas! Bouge pas!" the French pirate shouts as Steve slowly stands up, but he grins behind him as the pirate is shot dead by Rumlow as he parachutes down onto the deck, right behind Steve.

"Thanks."

Rumlow chuckled as he grabs another gun from his tac belt. "Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless without me."

Natasha and another STRIKE agent parachute down onto the deck to join them as they walk round the ship. Natasha is quick as she abandons the parachute, joining Steve as the STRIKE agent and Rumlow roam the other side of the ship. "What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? Or that sweet tour guide from the museum? She seems kind of nice. I like the tour guide though if you ask me."