2014
Washington D.C.
They head to a secret SHIELD base which was located inside of a dam. Steve rushes inside, a barely conscious Natasha in his arms.
"We've got a GSW, she's lost a lost at least a pint," Maria says, and Kennedy's not surprised when Dr. Fine makes his way toward them.
"I'd say two," Kennedy says as she looks at the blood that had seeped through her jacket.
"Let me take her," Dr. Fine says.
"She'll want to see him first," Maria tells him and through all the chaos they'd been through, Kennedy had forgotten all about Fury and the fact that he was still alive and the fact that Natasha was going to be thoroughly upset with her when she found out.
They're brought to a backroom, and there in a bed lies Nick Fury, very much alive and not dead. Natasha looks over at her and then back at Fury and Kennedy avoids all eye contact with Natasha.
Fury sits up and looks at them, "About damn time."
"Let me take a look at that," Dr. Fine says and Natasha nods as she lets him take her over toward a chair and looks at the wound. Kennedy finally has the courage to look over at her, but Natasha's too focused of Fury.
"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache," he tells them.
"Don't forget about the collapsed lung," Fine voices, not taking his eyes off of Natasha's wound.
"Let's not forget that," Fury says, "Otherwise I'm good."
Kennedy can't help but smile at Fury's words. He was tough.
"They cut you open," Natasha states, "Your heart stopped."
"That was all thanks to Kennedy. Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. It was developed by Banner for stress, but it didn't work so great for him, so I found another use for it."
"Why all the secrecy?" Steve asks, "Why not tell us?"
"The attempt on the Director's life needed to look successful," Maria tells him.
"Can't kill you if you're already dead," Fury states, "Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust."
Kennedy notices the way that Natasha drops her gaze. She knew that Fury's words had hurt. Natasha's worked so hard to be a different person than she was, to be better, someone that Fury could trust and to head that he didn't, had to hurt her.
"Done," Fine says as he places a gauze over the stitches.
"Thanks," Natasha says as she stands and walks out of the room. Kennedy follows after her and they walk until they're far away from wandering ears.
"I get it," Natasha says, "I really do. You're new. You're a doctor. He needed you for his plan."
"He picked me because of you," Kennedy states, "The only reason that I was the one to put Fury under, to even know what Fury's plan was to begin with was because of you. He trusts you Nat, but he needed it to be believable."
"I understand," Natasha says, "But that doesn't make it hurt any less."
Kennedy nods her head, she wasn't going to invalidate Natasha's feelings because, she had a right to feel betrayed by Fury and even Kennedy.
"I'm sorry," Kennedy tells her.
"Don't apologize," Natasha tells her shaking her head.
"No, I have to," Kennedy says, "You and I are honest with each other. We tell each other everything. And in the bathroom at the hospital, I promised to be completely transparent with you and I wasn't."
Kennedy takes Natasha's hands in her own, "I promise from this point forward there will never be any secrets between us. Not for work. Not for anything."
Natasha looks down at their hands and then up at Kennedy, "I wasn't completely honest with you."
"About what?" Kennedy asks.
"Being parents," Natasha says, taking a deep breath, "I thought I was ready, but the thought of it scares me more than anything else in the world, I mean I never had a mother really so how do I know that I'll be a good one?"
"It's like you told me," Kennedy says, "No one knows what they're doing, it's living and learning, and we'll do that together. But personally, I think you're going to be a great mother."
Natasha shakes her head, "I don't know why I brought that up when we're literally in the middle of a literal crisis."
"I'm glad you got it off your chest," Kennedy tells her, "No matter how inappropriate the moment."
Natasha laughs and Kennedy smiles at the sound.
"Not to interrupt the love affair, but Fury wants to talk about what you guys discovered," Clint says and both women nod their heads. They follow Clint into a conference room where Nick was sitting, his arm in a sling. It wasn't good for his recovery, but Kennedy wasn't going to tell the man who survived an assassination attempt what to do.
"It was HYDRA," Steve states, "Pierce is the head of everything."
Fury sighs as he looks at a photograph of Pierce, "This man declined a Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement. It was a responsibility. See it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."
"We have to stop the launch," Natasha states.
"I don't think the council's accepting my calls anymore," Fury says as he opens a briefcase. Inside are three microchips.
"What's that?" Sam asks.
"Once the helicarriers reach 3,000 feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized," Maria tells them, showing them a computer model of the plan.
"We need to breach these carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Fury states.
"One or two won't cut it, we need to link all three carriers for this to work, because even if one ship remains operational a whole lot of people are going to die," Maria informs them.
"We have to assume everyone aboard these carriers is HYDRA. We have to get past them, insert these server blades and maybe just maybe we can salvage what's left-"
"We're not salvaging anything!" Steve interrupts Fury, "We're not just taking down the carriers. We're taking down SHIELD."
Kennedy could see where Steve was coming from. SHIELD was now tainted by HYDRA, but she really didn't feel like looking for a new job. She liked SHIELD and she liked its paycheck a lot more. She understood now why Natasha could spontaneously buy a house.
"SHIELD had nothing to do with-"
"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."
Kennedy shrugs, "I mean he kind of noticed, maybe not immediately but he did get there."
Steve glares at her, "How many paid the price before he did?"
"Hey, you said he didn't notice and I was just pointing out that he did. He had a plan and yes maybe he didn't notice as quick as he could have, but Steve you've been here for two years," Kennedy states, "You worked with Rumlow more than any of us and I didn't see you picking up on anything. HYDRA was good, they blended in so well that the smartest minds couldn't notice. It's no one's fault."
"I am sorry about Barnes," Nick apologizes, "I didn't know."
Steve shakes his head, "SHIELD. HYDRA. It all has to go."
"He's right," Maria says giving Fury a look. He glances over at Clint who shrugs and then at Natasha who gives a single nod of agreement. He then glances at Sam who shrugs.
"Don't look at me, I just do what he does, but slower," Sam says and Kennedy smiles at the comment. She really liked Sam, she was going to make him her new best friend.
"Well looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain," Fury says leaning back in his seat.
"Everyone take a minute to gather and then we'll reconvene here," Steve says before heading out of the room. Kennedy takes a seat across from Nick as everyone clears out.
"Thank you for taking a chance on me," Kennedy tells him. He looks up at her and she smiles at her, "You tried to do a good thing. I see that. Everyone else does too, there's just a point where you have to let go."
"I know," Fury tells her nodding his head. His lips curl in a small smile, "You did good, Kennedy."
Kennedy ducks her head bashfully at the use of her name, "Thank you, sir."
"When this is over, don't let Romanoff hide you in a corner," he tells her.
"I won't," Kennedy tells him, and Fury gives her a nod. She thinks back to her conversation with Natasha, "If it's not too much to ask, could you maybe tell Natasha you're proud of her? I know that's probably weird, but she looks up to you a lot and being left out of your plan kind of hurt her feelings and she won't say anything, but I will because I love her, and I want her to know that you love her too."
"I'll talk to Romanoff."
Kennedy stands and shoves her chair under the table, "I think she sees you as kind of like a father figure. I kind of do as well."
"Get out of here, Allen," Fury orders her, but she can see the smile on his lips, which makes her smile in turn.
"I'm leaving," Kennedy tells him as she heads out of the room. She enters the hallway and Clint and Natasha are talking to one another. Their conversation comes to an abrupt stop when they notice her.
"I'll go talk to Steve," Clint says as he heads down the hall, leaving the two of them alone.
"So," Kennedy says.
"So," Natasha repeats.
"I was thinking that maybe I can infiltrate SHIELD," Kennedy says, "Find Sharon, catch her up."
Natasha nods her head, "That sounds good."
"Your shoulder okay?" Kennedy asks and Natasha nods.
"Yeah."
"I don't like goodbyes," Kennedy tells her, "Especially not when we're doing something absolutely insane."
Natasha smiles at her, "We're not saying goodbye. I told you already, I'll always come back to you. You, however, have never made me that promise."
"I've never gone anywhere dangerous," Kennedy tells her.
"Well," Natasha says, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Kennedy's waist, "You're going somewhere dangerous now, so promise me that you'll come back."
"I'll come back to you," Kennedy says as she looks at Natasha, "I promise."
"Good," Natasha tells her.
"But if I don't, please make sure everyone attends game night," Kennedy tells her and Natasha rolls her eyes, causing Kennedy to chuckle.
"Please be careful," Natasha tells her, "I can't lose you."
"You'll never lose me," Kennedy tells her, "You and me till the bitter end."
"Once we do this," Natasha says, "Everything is going to come out. Everything I've ever done will be right there for the public to see. For you to see."
"Natasha," Kennedy says firmly, "I already know who you are."
"You say that now," Natasha says with a nervous laugh.
"When we were kids and you told me about the Red Room, I told you that I would love you no matter who you became. Luckily for me you turned out to be this incredible, brilliant, compassionate woman," Kennedy says with a smile, "I know your heart, Natasha Romanoff. Nothing is ever going to change that."
Natasha leans in and kisses her, when she pulls away, she rests her forehead against Kennedy's.
"I love you," Natasha tells her.
"I love you too," Kennedy says as she leans in to kiss Natasha's nose, "No matter what."
They get ready and Kennedy goes with Maria, Steve, Clint, and Sam to infiltrate SHIELD, while Natasha and Fury go to confront Pierce. Once they infiltrate SHIELD, Kennedy breaks off from the group in search of Sharon.
She keeps her head down in the hallways and find Sharon and Alexandria walking together. Kennedy grabs both of their arms before dragging them into a storage room.
"I know you guys could beat the shit out of me, but please don't," Kennedy says.
"Kennedy?" Sharon says, "Where the hell have you been? What the hell did you do?"
"I did a lot of things. I killed Nick Fury. I talked to a computer that was once a man. I learned that HYDRA infiltrated SHIELD. I shot at the Winter Soldier. I was also shot at by the Winter Soldier."
"You saw him?" Alexandria asks, "The Winter Soldier?"
"In the flesh," Kennedy states, "He shot my girlfriend, asshole. Also, may or may not be engaged, but those are all very unimportant compared to the big point. SHIELD is HYDRA."
"What?" Sharon asks.
"Yeah," Kennedy says nodding her head, "Anyway Project Insight is a HYDRA plan to kill anyone that may be a threat. That includes us and millions of other people."
"We need to get to the launch room," Alexandria says, and Sharon nods her head in agreement. The three of them walk down the hall and into the launch room, just as the PA comes on.
"Attention all SHIELD agents, this is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me in the last few days some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth," Steve says. Kennedy's eyes scan the room, looking at the computer screens as everyone was distracted by Steve's speech.
"SHIELD is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you."
Everyone in the room tries to subtly look at their neighbors, but it fails. Kennedy spots a computer in the middle of the room with the official launch sequence and nudges Alexandria and Sharon. They nod and the three of the make their way toward the guy.
"Absolute control," Steve says over the PA, "They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone who stands in their way unless we stop them. And I know I'm asking a lot. The price of freedom is high. It always has been, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one so, be it, but I'm willing to bet I'm not."
As soon as Steve's speech comes to an end, Rumlow enters the room with his STRIKE goons behind him. He walks over to the guy's computer where the three of them were standing and didn't even spare them a glance.
"Preempt the launch sequence. Send those ships up now," Rumlow orders.
The guy at the computer glances at Rumlow and then over at them, fear in his eyes.
"Is there a problem?" Rumlow asks him. The guy doesn't answer and Rumlow repeats his question louder, "Is there a problem?"
"Sorry sir," he sputters out, taking a deep breath, "I'm not going to launch those ships. Captain's orders."
Rumlow aims a gun at his head, "Move away from your station."
Sharon acts quickly, aiming her gun at Rumlow, "Like he said, Captain's orders."
Rumlow's men pull their guns out, aiming them at Sharon, and Kennedy pulls out the gun that Natasha had given her earlier, aiming it at Rumlow's men and beside her, Alexandria does the same. Lines are drawn and Kennedy scans the room to see who was aiming at who. Who was SHIELD and who was HYDRA.
"You picked the wrong side, Agent," Rumlow tells her. Sharon simply shrugs and Kennedy can't help but think of how badass she is.
"Depends on where you're standing."
After an intense minute, Rumlow pulls back his gun and drops it to the ground, before swiftly pulling out his knife and cutting Sharon's arm. Gunfire goes off and Kennedy shoots at one of Rumlow's men, hitting him in the shoulder. She looks over at the computer to see Rumlow about to shot the guy, but Sharon kicks the chair from under him, saving his life.
Alexandria quickly takes out several of Rumlow's men, proving cover fire as Kennedy runs over to check on Sharon who was on the ground, under a desk providing cover fire.
"Is it deep?"
"No, I'll be fine," Sharon tells her. A beeping noise gets their attention, and they look at the giant screen to see that Rumlow had initiated Project Insight.
"Shit," Kennedy mutters as she reaches up to the com in her ear, "Steve, Rumlow initiated Insight. It's up to you now."
"Copy that," Steve says.
"Where's Alexandria?" Sharon asks her, sounding worried.
Kennedy looks around the room and doesn't spot the woman. She quickly looks back at Sharon, "I think she went after Rumlow. Also was that worry I heard in your voice? Are you two friends or is there something more there?"
"Kennedy," Sharon says, "Not the time."
"There will be time for it at game night," Kennedy says as she helps Sharon up, and uses the knife Rumlow had used to cut her to cut off a piece of Sharon's shirt and wrap it around her arm, "I already invited Alexandria so you should come too."
Sharon shakes her head as she watches Kennedy wrap her arm. The doctor looks up from her action to see Sharon smiling at her, "What?"
"Nothing," Sharon says, "I'm just really glad we're friends."
"You know what they say," Kennedy says as she finishes wrapping the wound, "Blonde and brunettes make the best duos."
"I'll be at your game night," Sharon tells her, "Just make sure Natasha doesn't kill me."
"She won't, we're kind of engaged now, all things that we can unpack at game night," Kennedy says nodding her head, "Um I'm going to check on people and you can like save the world or something."
Sharon smiles at her, "Be careful, okay?"
"You too," Kennedy orders.
Kennedy checks on the wounded and borrows some equipment from the medical bay before heading into the command room where Maria was sitting.
"Hop on a screen," Maria tells her, and Kennedy does just that, sliding into a computer chair. She takes the earpiece out and puts on a headset.
"Nat?" Kennedy says, "How are things on your end?"
"Pierce and I are about to have a nice little chat," Natasha tells her, "It's nice to hear your voice."
"You too," Kennedy says with a soft smile.
"Before the two of you get mushy on the line, I would just like you two to know that we can all hear you," Clint says, and Kennedy's smile disappears a little as she looks over at Maria who quirked an amused eyebrow at her.
"Anyway," Kennedy says as she looks at the screen in front of her which has the Project Insight count down and a detailed layout of the helicarriers, "Eight minutes till launch."
"On it!" Sam says.
Kennedy keeps an eye on the screen as two of the helicarriers go offline.
"One more to go," Maria says into the headset.
"Clint," Kennedy says, "How are we looking out there?"
"If by we, you mean me, I'm looking great," Clint tells her and she hears an explosion in the background, "Um we have an unauthorized jet taking off."
Kennedy looks on the screen to see that Clint was right and looks over at Maria who shrugs at her.
"Clint, can you see who's flying it?"
"I think he has long hair-"
That was all Kennedy needed to hear, "Steve, Barnes is on his way to the last helicarrier."
"Roger that."
Kennedy glances over at the security camera to see two men making their way inside the room.
"Maria."
She rolls toward the door in her desk chair and pulls out a gun shooting the two men without batting an eye, "Six minutes."
"Hey," Kennedy says looking over at Maria, "Would you be interested in a game night?"
"Game night?" Maria asks her as she leans back in her seat.
"Yeah, board games, snacks, some wine," Kennedy says.
Maria shrugs, "You can count me in."
"Really?" Kennedy asks, "It was really hard to get everyone else. Thank you for being easy."
"That's not something I hear a lot," Maria says just as an alarm goes off. Kennedy and Maria both look at the screen to see Rumlow heading into the stairwell.
"Sam, Rumlow's heading for the council," Maria informs him.
"I'm on it," Sam says.
"Nat," Kennedy says, "Rumlow's coming your way. Sam's going to try to intercept him but just in case, be prepared."
"Got it," Natasha tells her.
Kennedy looks at the screen, waiting for the last helicarrier to be deactivated.
"So," Maria says, "How did you and Natasha get together?"
"Funny story actually," Kennedy says, "So Natasha and I kind of grew up together and we made this promise that we were going to find each other. Almost twenty years later she shows up in town and hits on me at a bar. We basically stated dating from that moment forward and I told her that I wanted to be with her, and she was like no, it's too complicated. And then she told me she loved me thirty minutes before I was supposed to get married."
Maria looks over at her surprised, "Really?"
"Yep," Kennedy says, "I continued with the wedding only because I felt like she needed motivation."
Maria nods her head, "Yeah, I get that."
They look at the timer and then over at the last hellicarrier. Time was winding down. It was getting too close. Maria stands up abruptly, leaning against the table, "Cap, you've got one minute."
She looks at the screen to see that the carrier has reached 3,000 feet. She looks over at Maria who looks over at the screen as millions of tiny red dots to begin all over the place. Kennedy's mind begins to run rampant as she thinks about her little sister. Her little Reagan.
"There has to be something that we can do to stop this," Kennedy says as she looks over at Maria.
The targets disappear and the numbers begin to decline.
"Charlie locked," Steve says.
All that was left was to destroy the hellicarrier.
"Fire now," Steve told them. Kennedy looked over at Maria unsure.
"But Steve," Maria begins.
"Do it!" he orders, "Do it now!"
Maria swallows as she presses the button, having the hellicarriers fire on each other. Kennedy watches the footage as they fall out of the sky and into the Potomac below.
"Clint?" Kennedy asks.
"All clear here," he tells her.
"Sam?"
"Kind of in the middle of something!" he yells, "Uh the hellicarrier has crashed into the building, I need evac like now!"
"Okay," Kennedy says, "Natasha please tell me you're still alive."
"Alive and kicking baby," Natasha tells her, making Kennedy smile, "Where's Sam?"
"Forty first floor? Northwest corner!" Sam yells, "Please hurry!"
"We got him!" Natasha says and Kennedy relaxes a bit in her seat, "Do we have a location on Rogers?"
"He was on the last hellicarrier," Maria says, "I don't have a direct location on him."
"We're going to do a fly by, see if we can find anything in the rubble," Natasha tells them. The coms are silent and Kennedy stares silently at the cameras, hoping and wishing that they find Steve alive.
"We've got eyes on Rogers!" Natasha's voice says minutes later. Kennedy smiles triumphantly as she looks over at Maria. She holds her hand up and the Deputy Director doesn't even hesitate as she reaches out and high fives her.