Semper Fi Ch. 39 (Captain America: TWS)

Steve

 I gave Caius my phone number in case he or Diana needed something, or got in trouble at the HYDRA hospital. He'd been texting me updates, which I read as soon as they came in.

Steve, this is Caius. Diana's in with Rumlow and the Crew is with her. Rollins says that Pierce is heading here to speak with Diana, so I would keep comms down with Diana.

Rumlow is expected to make a full recovery.

Wish you could be here with Diana. Good thing her crew is backing her.

Rumlow just got out of surgery.

All of these texts came within the same hour. I can only hope that Diana can operate on her own, without my aid. She has her Men, which I have to hope is good enough. I'm sitting at a SHIELD owned hospital, open to the public, and Lester just went in for surgery. They told me that they were looking at the damage and searching for solutions to fix him. At this moment, I don't care if he lives or dies. He'd almost jeopardized the whole mission. My phone vibrates in my pocket.

Pierce is here. He's not happy.

Diana

 Rumlow is out of surgery and I'm sitting in his room, holding his hand which is slack, but warm. He's alive, his vitals are strong, and the Doctors said that he would make a full recovery.
 "Diana Calhoun." A cold voice says at my back. I turn, knowing the voice, and glare. Pierce takes a small step back but speaks again. "You haven't been reporting in."
 "You cleared Rumlow for a mission to kill Steve Rogers. When Schmidt gave me command back, I decided to assist. I couldn't report in because Rogers is too sharp for me to be able to sneak by to give a report. Sorry for whatever inconvenience it caused."
 "And where have you been the last few days then? Report now." Pierce demands.
 "Perhaps back at HQ?" I ask, "No need to make a scene in the middle of the hospital." Pierce shakes his head, pointing to an office across the hall. I nod and follow him there. We step in and I take a deep breath to prepare myself to tell this lie all over again.
 "Report, now." Pierce snaps.
 "I was assisting in the take down of Captain Rogers. I went in, was getting close to him, and the plan was for me to set him up for Rumlow to take him out. Rogers told me that SHIELD hid something from me, and that it involved my parents. He insisted on taking me to see them. So I agreed, going alone instead. I reported back to base to formulate a plan of action and Rumlow demanded a report. So I gave him one. I didn't leave anything out. And he wanted to meet my parents. So I went back to DC, told Steve that I wanted a day to spend with my parents, and then Rumlow and I went to meet my parents. My mother was out of the house, so it was just my Father, and we spent a few hours talking. I suggested that Rumlow and I go for a walk, the house is in the country, you know? And then Rumlow proposed. I said yes, and then there was a shot. Relatively close range. Ballistics came back with a report of the bullet. It came from a German-make World War II era Rifle. The K98 Mauser."
 "What are you getting at?" Pierce asks.
 "You ordered Rumlow to sleep with Marie, but after the one time tryst, Rumlow ignored Marie, and I didn't bring her on missions because she wasn't ready. I don't think it's too far out there to say that Marie attempted to kill Rumlow."
 "Do you know that Lester is in the hospital right now?" Pierce asks. I feel a shock go through me when he says this, but I channel that into my act, making it seem as if I was shocked by the fact that Lester was hospitalized.
 "What?" I ask. Pierce nods.
 "Similar wound to the head. We can't access cameras or anything to the Hospital he's in, so we're assuming that it's a SHIELD Hospital. We do know that he is just a John Doe right now, and any attempt to get him out would draw attention to him."
 "Leave him." I say calmly, "SHIELD hasn't got anything on Lester, DNA, fingerprints, nothing. As long as they think he's just a John Doe, they'll fix him up." Pierce nods his agreement.
 "Good work, Agent." He says evenly. "Let me know when Agent Rumlow wakes up. And continue the mission once he does." I nod.
 "I should let Captain Rogers know what's going on." I say, "Give him a reason not to expect to see me for a few days." Pierce nods, turning and leaving the office. I take a seat in one of the visitor chairs and call Steve. It rings a few times and then he picks up.
 "Diana." His voice is flooded with relief. "How is everything?"
 "Brock will recover." I reply, "But listen to me. Pierce knows that Lester is in a SHIELD hospital. If anyone suspicious comes around, call backup to help you, okay?" I say quietly, "I can't talk long. But I'll be a few days here at the hospital." Steve sighs gently, I can almost see his face, his eyes closing, brow bunched, perfect, sculpted lip pinched by perfect white teeth as he bites it.
 "Alright." He says, "I'll be in touch soon. I'll let you know if Lester wakes up."
 "Thank you, Steve. I love you."
 "I love you too."

 The Crew all meets in the cafeteria. We each have a shitty burger and water, and gather boredly around the TV set to watch the hockey game they have playing. We leave only to sleep or to shower, and somebody is always at the hospital. Since this was Skeleton Crew business, I got the hospital bed beside Rumlow's, and access to the showers, so I stayed 24/7 to monitor his condition. His vitals remained strong, and the Doctors had him so doped up that the painkillers alone were keeping him asleep. They said they would back him off over the next few days and then see if he woke up. On the sixth day, he did. I was there, holding his hand from his bedside, staring at his handsome face as he stirred. It tore me apart. Seeing him like this. First his face gets permanently burned and leaves him with scars that will never heal. Then he gets shot in the head, and I was powerless. I couldn't help him. I felt my heart still ramming against my sternum, aching to break free. There was a part of me that still loved Brock to death, that wanted to take back everything and stay with him. But then that part of me that had let Steve in would reprimand me, calling up memories of our first night together. The first night, it would say, of more to come.
 Rumlow's eyes shoot open and the first thing he sees is me. He looks at our intertwined hands and his eyes fall on the ring I wear, Tungsten Carbide, and he smiles weakly.
 "You said yes..." He says tiredly. Tears spring to my eyes.
 "I did." I reply. He smiles more, then groans. "Who shot me?"
 "We're thinking it was Marie." I lie, "Bullet came from a K98 Mauser. And she was the only member of the Crew that wasn't accounted for."
 "She's a shitty shot." He jokes. I squeeze his hand tightly, smiling at his humor despite the situation.
 "I'll go get Doctor List." I say gently, kissing his nose and letting go of his hand. He watches me go, I can feel his gaze on me. I step into the hall just as List rounds a corner and comes into view. I call out to him and he looks up, the obvious question in his eyes, and I nod. He rushes over.
 "Agent Rumlow," List says, smiling as he approaches the bed, "Diana's vigilance paid off I see." List winks to me, and Brock looks up. "She didn't leave your side for any more than twenty minutes at a time." List explains, "And she would have been here all the time if the Crew didn't force her to eat or shower or go outside and get some fresh air."
 "I'm stubborn, babe." Rumlow says, "Nothing keeps me down long."
 "Six days, four hours and twenty two minutes." I snap, "That's how long I worried about you!" I take his hand and he smiles more.
 "We should let him rest." List says, "But it's good to see him awake. And talking. We'll keep him a few more days, make sure there's no trauma." I nod to List, who leaves us and I kiss Rumlow once more.
 "Where's Marie?" Brock asks.
 "She's in custody. I was waiting for you to wake up to confront her." I admit, "We need to know if she's going in on murder charges."
 "You're going through the court of law?" Rumlow asks. I shake my head.
 "No. You should know that I go by Martial Law, and Marie just signed her dishonorable discharge statement." I'm lying through my teeth, but Brock is too tired to pick up on it. I turn away. "I think Doc just ordered you to rest. The rest of the Crew should be in soon."

Marie

 Six days I'd spent in custody of HYDRA on charges of attempted murder. I had no idea what they were talking about, but nobody was hearing me. I am moved from my holding cell to an interrogation room where I am cuffed to the table and told to wait for my CO to come in. My CO is Diana Calhoun. Now I was worried. I'd been told that I shot Brock Rumlow, so it really shouldn't be a shock that his girlfriend would want to interrogate me. She steps in, cold eyes and rigid stance, glaring me down. She takes a seat across from me.
 "You know why I'm here."
 "I have given you no reason to believe me." I say quietly, "But I didn't try to kill Brock Rumlow."
 "You're right. You haven't given me a reason to believe you. It's the perfect Crime, Marie. German make rifle, a round through the head on one of your superiors. You are the only member of the Crew not accounted for on the night of the Assassination." She says calmly, eyes never breaking contact with mine. I shake my head.
 "I know what it looks like, but Diana-,"
 "I did not give you leave to call me by my first name."
 "Sergeant Major," I correct, "I was with Johann that night."
 "Schmidt hasn't given that statement. In fact he and Pierce were the first ones to be notified when Rumlow came in to the hospital." She informs me, "Your name was the first name on the very short list of suspects. And Schmidt made no such statement that you were with him."
 "But I was. We were discussing the continuation of the mission to kill Captain Rogers. He was telling me to withdraw from my attempt because I failed to kill him in the past." Diana levels her gaze on me, eyes narrowed now.
 "Compliance would benefit you, Marie." Diana says gently, "Brock Rumlow almost died. The shot went through the frontal lobe. It would have been a good shot if the bullet hadn't curved." She rises, towering above me. "Why would you want him dead?"
 "I didn't!" She nods once, unconvinced, and turns aside.
 "We have no other suspects. I was with Brock when it happened. Rollins, Batroc, and the Braddocks were all in the training room when it went down. Lester was in town because I asked him there to help with the mission to kill Steve, and didn't leave town according to my sources in DC. You were the only one seen leaving HQ around the right time to get to where Rumlow was to kill him." She lowers her gaze on me, "And the only one in that time frame with the skills to accomplish a snipe like that. Not to mention with that particular rifle." She sounded like some ace attorney, laying out the evidence as she was. I was almost convinced myself that I'd killed Rumlow. But I hold fast, sharpening my glare to a razor's edge. Again as she turns away I voice the truth.
 "Sergeant Major... I have failed you in more ways than I can number. I have brought you grief and hurts that I can not hope to take back... but... I need you to hear me. HYDRA justice knows no allegiance to any flag. I am surely to die for false accusation. I did not kill Brock Rumlow."
 "Here's hoping you get a good attorney." She says, "Maybe you'll get lucky and Matt Murdock will pick up your case. I hear he has a good track record with female clients." She heard me, I could almost see it in the falter of her step, but her stance is rigid and I know that if she wants me put down, now with this perfect set of evidence, she can. I don't think even Schmidt could pull me out of this, even if he gave report of my presence with him. Diana holds my life in her hands, and I can feel the fear creeping in on me. I can feel it in my chest, and I know that my fate was sealed.

Steve

 Lester woke up two days ago, but it became apparent that he would not be the same man he once was. When he woke up, the first thing he said was, "Why am I not dead?" He then, despite being restrained, shot up out of the hospital bed and tried to overdose himself on painkillers. The doctors came in immediately and gave him a sedative, and of course they ran DNA sampling and facial recognition and figured out who he was, so he was being transferred to the Raft, a Prison where SHIELD sent some of their powered bad guys, including now, the infamous Bullseye. Diana called a few times during Rumlow's induced coma, giving me updates, but she sounded worried. I could hardly blame her. She'd been with him for nearly a year now, and it was serious enough, at least on Brock's side, for him to propose. That meant to me that it was on her side at one time too. She told me he was awake, and now she was on to the next phase of her plan, incriminating Marie Siegfried for the Assassination attempt. I on the other hand am tasked with moving Lester to The Raft.

 The man was brought out of sedation enough to walk, and I escorted him to the van that would be transporting him. He looked at the floor between his feet, shoulders quaking, a small chuckle building and then turning into a hysterical laugh.
 "Don't you get it, Captain?" He asked, looking at me with an animalistic tint to his eyes that I didn't like. His grin was too wide, his eyes too bright. "In betraying her trust I became her greatest ally! She always wants to take the road that won't get anyone killed, but sometimes that isn't possible." He chuckles again and slams his head against the side of the van until his bandages fall away and I can see the ugly wound that the bullet made.
 "What are you getting at, Lester?" I demand. He shakes his head.
 "Oh Captain if I told you that, I'd be blowing her cover." He chuckles again, and I throw him in to the back of the transport van, cuffing his hands to one of the bars in the back. It won't be comfortable, but he'll survive. I hop on my bike to follow, and call Diana. She doesn't pick up, so I leave a message asking her to call me, as soon as possible. The van takes off and I give chase, staying close enough to act if anything goes wrong, staying far enough away for the same reason. Everything is going smoothly until we pass through Hell's Kitchen. I see the van swerve madly in front of me, and then the side door crashes open. Lester leaps out and dissappears before I can even think to pursue, and the van careens and smashes into a building. It bursts in to flames and I can hear a woman scream from within. I screech to a halt on the bike and look up, searching for the person who screamed in the glass.
 "Captain America?" Someone asks, "What's he doing in Hell's Kitchen?" I grab my shield from the bike and sprint into the building, the smoke has just now gotten to the top floor, but barely. The smoke alarms haven't sounded yet. Behind one door a light is on. There is a file folder with the words "Nelson and Murdock" written on it in magic marker. Beneath it says "Attorneys at Law". A blonde woman, in her twenties appears, frantic, and I look to the door. She shakes her head.
 "I'm not leaving him!" She tells me, "Help me please!" Without hesitation, I run after her. She leads me to a part of the office and a bookshelf has collapsed. The smoke is finally filtering up, making the air thick. Under the bookshelf is a man. He's no older than thirty with brown hair and thick, red lensed glasses. He sports a grey suit and a five o'clock shadow. I rush over and lift the bookshelf off of him, supporting the weight of it with one hand and dragging the man out with the other. He gets to his feet, and I notice something else under the bookshelf, it's a white cane. The man is blind. I swipe up the cane and offer it to the man.
"Here." I say, making sure the handle touches his hand so he knows it's there. "Come on, we need to get out of here before it gets too smokey." I order. The woman coughs hard, nearly collapsing as I speak, and I move in to support her. It's become so hazy that I can't see very far in front of me. The man wordlessly ducks his head to avoid the worst of the smoke.
 "Here." He mimics me, holding out the cane, "Hold on to this, I know the way out, and I don't have to see to do it." He moves on confidently once I've grabbed the cane. I slightly lift the woman, who is now nearly limp under my arm. The man moves so quickly, I can hardly believe that he is blind. We are out of the smoke and in the street before the fire department has arrived.
 "She needs medical assistance!" I call out, "Was there anyone else in the building?" I ask the man.
 "No, Karen and I were the only ones." He tells me, coughing and taking a few deep breaths to clear the smoke from his lungs. "Normally there would have been someone else, but he was out getting us coffee."
 "Are you alright?" I ask. The man nods, rising to his full height and extending a hand to me.
 "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for stepping in. Karen and I would have both been done for if you hadn't lifted that bookshelf off of me. Damn thing." He smiles halfheartedly. "Matt Murdock." I take his hand and shake it once.
 "Steve Rogers." I report. He nods slowly, tapping his cane on the concrete once.
 "What are the odds that Captain America would save my life?" He laughs. Another man runs over to us then. He's built a little huskily, and his hair comes nearly to his shoulders.
 "Matt, what the hell!?" He demands.
 "Captain Rogers this is the Nelson in Nelson and Murdock. Foggy, this is Steve Rogers." Matt says calmly. 'Foggy' takes a slight step back, looking over me. Recognition dawns on his face, but is quickly replaced with worry again.
 "I leave for ten minutes and you've set a building on fire!" Foggy yells. He's not mad at Matt, I can tell, he was just concerned.
 "Actually, it was my fault." I tell him, "I was following a transport. We were moving a dangerous criminal to a New York prison and he escaped somehow. Killed the driver of the van and it crashed into your building." I run a hand through my hair and it comes back with soot on it.
 "Who?" Matt asks. I scratch the back of my head, cracking my shoulders and decide that it couldn't hurt to tell him.
 "Lester. The assassin Bullseye." I tell him. He goes rigid all of a sudden, but shakes it soon after. If I hadn't been looking so closely, I would have missed it. Did this blind man have some kind of past with Lester? I wondered why he'd gone rigid. He nods once.
 "Thank you again, Captain." He says.
 "Please," I implore, "Call me Steve." Matt nods and Foggy moves towards him to take his arm. I can tell that he's done so before, he's used to leading Matt around. But something tells me that Matt doesn't need it, that he's mostly just humoring his friend. I think Matt sees just fine, just not in the way Foggy does, or I do. The two depart, hopping in the back of the ambulance with the woman named Karen.