Chapter Text
Previously, on That Year at SHIELD Academy...
Natasha never finished her training at SHIELD. The geopolitical tensions at the time forced her into hiding. For nine years she lived the life of an international fugitive. For nine years, she made no contact with anyone at SHIELD. Until now...
Maria had run through the scenario in her mind multiple times. She was ready for the chaos, the betrayal. She was even ready to help Fury fake his own death. But she never imagined that when SHIELD falls, it'd be so loud. It was not just the screaming, the gunshots, the explosions. It was the security alarm, blaring all through the building, from corner to corner, from the rooftop all the way down to the basements. Maria thought that was just unnecessary, really.
Nevertheless, the noise and chaos provided her with the cover she needed to slip away unseen. The secluded back stairwell should lead her down to the level 6 security carpark. If she could reach her jeep, she would be able to escape through the underground tunnels, avoiding all of the Hydra agents that were crawling the place. Hydra had penetrated all of SHIELD, from the lowest level cadets, to seasoned operatives at the highest level. Even the self righteous assholes high up in the World Security Council turned out to be dirty traitors. Now all of their goons were taking over H.Q., crossing out everything and everyone who refused to say hail to the ugly skull octopus thing.
How could she have been so blind, so stupid. Nine years with SHIELD, four years as deputy director and she suspected nothing. She had failed. She had failed her team, she had failed Fury, she had failed SHIELD, she had failed everyone who relied on them for protection. All of her hard work, the sleepless nights, the blood they'd shed, all the lives they'd lost. All of it had actually been in service of these Nazi terrorists? These lowest of the low despicable scumbags?? She felt sick to her stomach. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she could never forgive herself.
But there was no time for self pity right now. Very subtly, her fingers brushed the cold, hard edge of the vibranium cube in her pocket. This was the only hope left. It was the only thing that mattered now. She must keep it safe, far far away from the corrupted hands of Hydra.
Maria held her breath and listened. The noise from upstairs was now muffled. The parking garage down here sounded eerily empty. From her current location to the car, that's 50 yards with no cover. She could make it in 7 seconds. She said a little prayer to a god she didn't believe existed and made a run for it.
Seven seconds. She can't believe Fury gets to fake die and put this single monumental task on her shoulders. She is going to actually murder him when this is over. Six seconds. If she dies or gets caught, SHIELD will truly be gone forever. The whole human race will truly be left without its last line of defence. Five seconds. SHIELD, her life's work. The only thing that she knows, the only thing that matters to her. She cannot fail. There's truly no room for mistakes. Four seconds. She must succeed. It is all up to her now. She's lost her team. She doesn't know who to trust. Three seconds. She lost everything. She has no one. She can only do this alone. All alone. Two seconds...
A gunshot. A bullet grazed her shoulder as she ducked behind the Jeep. Son of a bitch, she muttered as she felt blood seeping through her field suit. This is gonna hurt later.
More shots were being fired. Followed by shouting and sounds of a dozen footsteps. Looks like her final exit is going to be oh so dramatic. Maria fired a few shots back forcing the Hydra operatives to take cover for themselves. That few seconds was all she needed to slip into the vehicle and start the car. A press of a button and the engine roared to life. Without a second thought, Maria slammed it into reverse. She knew her way out perfectly by heart anyway. This way, she could keep her eyes on her enemies. Enemies, that were now increasing rapidly in numbers, with bullets ricocheting off her car like fireworks.
With one hand on the wheel and the other on her Glock, she steered the Jeep out through the tunnels and fired at the agents who were scrambling into nearby vehicles. She was aiming her gun at agents, who just yesterday, had still been her teammates, colleagues, her superiors, her subordinates. This is going to rack up her therapy bills. Too bad it seems like SHIELD can no longer pay for health care.
She was nearing the exit and could see the welcoming sunlight pouring in from the tunnel mouth. With a sharp, practiced flick of the wheel, she executed a perfect 180 degree turn. The vehicle was finally facing forward, and she could drive like a (relatively) normal driver.
It was 9:14 am on a Wednesday. The streets of New York were busy and chaotic. Not ideal for someone trying to escape in a Jeep. She floored the accelerator and turned into the smaller streets, hoping to maximize the distance between herself and her pursuers. But it was no use. All the streets were jammed. Nothing was moving, just a mix of sirens and horns and swearing echoing in the air.
"Fucking New York drivers," she cursed under her breath. She checked her weapon, and the vibranium cube tuck safely in her pocket. Still swearing under her breath, she yanked open the door and slipped into the labyrinth of busy streets and alleys.
Crowded as it was, her SHIELD field suit didn't really help her blend in. She must move quickly if she was to shake off her tail. A quick glance back over the morning subway crowd, she saw a few men in black inching towards her, scaring pedestrians along the way. She hurried forward, ignoring the judgmental looks as she pushed people out of her way. The men were gaining distance and getting closer, eyes locked firmly on her.
She made a sharp turn into a back alley, hoping for a shortcut. Big mistake. Halfway through, she saw more Hydra operatives stationed at the other end of the narrow passage. Shit. Dumbass vermins crawling everywhere, she thought to herself. She was trapped. She couldn't backtrack, that would just bring her right into the arms of the group tailing her. But if she went forward, she'd definitely be seen by this intercepting squad. There was no perfect solution. She just needed to force herself to make a decision. Go back or go forward. There was no time to think, to hesitate. She could hear the sounds of agents shouting, of boots hitting concrete. They were getting closer by the second. She'd have to go forward, she'd have to risk it.
Just as she was bracing herself to make a run for it, a motorcycle screeched passed her in the narrow alleyway, almost crashing into her. She was about to pour out a string of profanity at the erratic driver when it stopped right in front of her. Blocking her way.
Her initial reaction was to draw her gun on the intruder, assuming it must be Hydra. But something was giving her pause. The figure in black leather, the stray strands of hair sticking out from the helmet, the fingers grabbing at the grip... Maria could feel her heart pounding, before her brain is able to even begin processing the sudden intrusion upon her memories.
"Need a ride?" the driver asked, lifting her visor.
And there they were. Maria recognized those green eyes anywhere, anytime. She still saw them in her dreams some time. The green eyes that had haunted her for the past nine years.
And Maria froze. Out of shock, out of anger, out of grief? She had no answer. She hesitated, not knowing what to do. The weird thing was, this was the first moment she didn't know what to do since Fury called her from his car, one day five hours and twenty minutes ago. As deputy director, she knew exactly what she had to do when SHIELD falls. It was the full eclipse protocol. She had known precisely what to expect and how to respond when the worst happened. But she didn't know what to do, what to think about.. this. Natasha Romanoff.
"Sorry sweetheart, but we really don't have the luxury for you to go through the seven stages of disbelief," Natasha commented casually, nodding towards the group of encroaching agents, closing in imminently.
The rapid gunshots that follow were what pulled Maria back into reality. Instinct took over and she hopped onto the back of the bike. With not a moment to waste, Natasha twisted the throttle and they surged forward, leaving the chorus of shouting, and curses and gunfire behind.