It's late when Steve and I make it back to the apartment. I could have ran back home, but I wanted to ride with Steve. We walk into the apartment and up the stairs. Steve was about to put the key to our apartment door in, but I elbow him in the side. Our neighbor, a pretty young blond chick named Kate, is checking Steve out while she's talking on the phone. She smiles at us.
"That's so sweet. That is so nice. Hey. I gotta go, though. Okay, bye." She says to whoever is on the phone. She turns to us. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac." We smile at her. "Yeah."
Steve notices her with her laundry basket. "Hey, if you want... if you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement." He offers her.
"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?"
"A cup of coffee?"
"Thank you, but um... I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh... you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I'm just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so."
"Ah, well, I'll keep my distance."
"Well hopefully not too far." Steve nods as he turns to open the apartment door. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on."
Steve and I share a look.
"Oh. Right, thank you."
"Yeah." She goes down the stairs as we watch her.
Steve turns to me. "Did you leave the stereo on?"
"I don't even touch that thing, but can we talk about the fact that she likes you!" I squeal.
"No... no she's just being friendly." Poor Steve, doesn't know anything about women.
"She was definitely checking you out. She likes you and you like her too."
"Let's talk about that after we deal with who's inside first," Steve says as he eyes the door suspiciously. We hear the stereo playing inside.
"I can phase us through the door," I suggest.
Steve shakes his head. "You go through the front, I'll take the window. They'll see you coming, but won't expect me."
I nod as he runs off. I hold out my hand with the ring on it. My suit comes out and I only grab my repulsors, putting everything else back in the ring. I slide the gloves on and then phase through the door. I cautiously walk forward in the apartment with my hands up and ready to shoot. The stereo is playing 'It's Been a Long, Long Time'. I walk into the living room, but who I see is very unexpected.
"What the hell," I say as I see Fury casually sitting on our couch in the dark. I lower my hands down.
Steve comes in around the corner with his shield in hand. When he sees its Fury he lowers his shield and leans against the wall. I speed into the kitchen to get some plums and speed back out to where they are. Fury and Steve give me a look.
"What, I'm hungry," I say as I take a bite into the plum.
"You're always hungry," Steve says. He turns his attention to Fury. "I don't remember giving you a key."
He groans as he sits up. "You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out." Um since when was he married.
"Didn't know you were married," Steve says as if reading my thoughts.
"A lot of things you don't know about me."
"You got that right," I say.
Steve nods and adds on to what I say. "I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve turns on the light. I almost gasp but Steve puts a hand over my mouth as Fury signals us to be silent. He was all busted up.
Fury turns off the light and types something on his phone then shows it to us. 'Ears everywhere.'
"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Fury continues the conversation so it seems less suspicious to listeners. He writes another text to show us. 'SHIELD compromised.' Steve and I share a look as I finish the last plum.
"Who else knows about your wife?"
Fury shows another text as he gets up. 'You, me, and her.'
"Just... my friends." Fury says.
"Is that what we are?" Steve fires at him.
"That's up to you."
Suddenly shots are fired. I feel a sharp pain go through my leg as I fall to the floor. Fury is shot three times from through the wall and collapses next to me. Fury and I groan in pain as Steve looks out the window for the shooter. He drags both of us into the next room.
"Stay with him!" Steve orders me as he turns to leave.
'Not like I have a choice!'
Fury grabs Steve's arm, stopping him in his tracks. He holds out his hand revealing a flash drive. Steve takes it. "Don't... trust anyone." Fury says before passing out.
Steve and I hear someone breaking into the apartment. Steve peeks around the corner as we hear our neighbor, Kate, calling out to us.
"Captain Rogers? Agent Rogers?" She calls out. I hear her making her way over to us. "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service." She says to Steve because she sees him first.
"Kate?" Steve questions.
She comes into the room with a gun in her hand. "I'm assigned to protect you."
"On whose order?"
Kate sees Fury lying on the floor, injured, and stops in her tracks. "His." She kneels next to Fury, checking his pulse and excusing the fact that I'm down a leg now, but then again Fury could be as good as dead so I don't blame her. She contacts SHIELD through her radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs."
"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" A SHIELD agent asks through the radio.
I look at Steve who has a determined look in his eyes. "Oh no I know that face," I say.
"Tell him I'm in pursuit," Steve says as he smashes through our window, taking off after the shooter.
"Damn it Steve," I say mostly to myself. I try to get up, but excruciating pain shoots through my leg and I yelp in pain as I fall back to the floor.
"You're injured, stay down." Kate or Agent 13 or whoever she is says.
EMTs come into the apartment. Once they find us they take Fury away since he's in urgent need of medical attention. Kate picks me up, bridal style, and follows after them and gets in the back of the ambulance truck. Steve joins us and they drive off fast. I look at Steve, seeing the disappointment in his eyes because he failed to get the shooter.
The ride to the hospital is silent, but once there the EMTs immediately take Fury to a room to operate on him. They also get me a room so they can get the bullet out of my leg.
Steve tries to follow where the doctors were taking me, but I stop him. "I'll be fine. I'll meet you in the operating room." I say to him. He gives me a worried look but nods and walks towards where they took Fury.
Once in a room the doctor removes the bullet or should I say bullets from my leg. Of course I squirmed and yelped in pain, but it's finally over. I look over at the tray where the doctor left the bullets and count five of them. That fucker shot me five times in my leg! I avoid looking at the injury as much as possible.
The doctor pulls out a needle, ready to stitch the wounds. "Woah, no need for that. I have speed healing, this should be good in a few hours so I'm good." The doctor nods and instead puts bandages around the injury. Once they were done I sit up, ready to walk out.
"You need to rest your leg." The doctor says.
"No, what I need is some crutches so I can see Fury." I sass him.
"But—"
"Just give me a pair of crutches!" I yell at him.
He scurries off to grab a pair for me. He comes back a few minutes later, handing them to me.
"Thank you," I say as I hop my way out of the room and to Fury's operating room.
I make my way next to Steve who is watching the operation intently. He looks over at me giving me a sad smile as he puts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him and kisses my forehead.
Natasha comes in as we continue to watch the operation. She stands on the other side of Steve. "Is he gonna make it?" She asks, not taking her eyes off of Fury.
"I don't know." Steve answers.
"Tell me about the shooter." She demands.
"He's fast and strong. Had a metal arm."
Maria Hill joins us, standing next to Natasha.
"He's also smart too. He knew I was fast enough to stop him so he took me out first before going for Fury. Five bullet wounds to the leg." I add.
"Ballistics?" Natasha asks.
"Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Maria answers.
"Soviet-made." Natasha states.
"Wait did you just say the bullets are soviet slugs, no rifling?" I ask.
"Yeah. Why?" Maria asks.
Before I can even say anything Fury's state starts to deteriorate. We watch in shock as Fury starts flatlining.
"Don't do this to me Nick," Natasha mutters.
The nurses shock him with the defibrillator, but he's still unresponsive. They up the voltage and shock him again. Nothing.
"Don't do this to me Nick. Don't do this to me." Natasha mutters once again.
The doctors try everything to revive Fury, but he continues to flatline. Steve turns and walks away from the glass as they call the time of death.
"What's the time?" The doctor asks.
"1:03, Doctor." One of the nurses says.
"Time of death, 1:03 a.m." The doctor confirms.
I stare at the glass in shock, not believing what I am hearing. I make my way over to Steve, who's looking down at the flash drive Fury gave him. He puts it away and looks at me, who's hurting.
"Come here." He pulls me into a hug as I sob into his shirt. Fury and I never really saw eye to eye, but it still hurts that he's gone. We stay like this for a while until I finally settle down. We pull away and Steve grabs my face, wiping the tears away with his thumbs.
"You know we were the last ones to see him alive so that means..." I start.
"We'll be the first suspects." Steve finishes.
I nod. "Yeah," I say softly.
Steve kisses my forehead. "You need to get some sleep. You have school in a few hours."