The silence in the van made it seem like no one was actually there. But the tension was so palpable that it was impossible not to acknowledge those inside. Two of Hydra's men sat at the beginning of the car, Sam and Natasha sat on the passenger side while Steve and Jo sat on the right. Steve of whom, had been staring at his arms the entire ride.

Jo thought he'd sustained a concussion in the fight until she said, "Ground control to Major Tom. You okay?"

Apparently her sarcasm was enough to draw him from his reverie. He began explaining that the Winter Soldier, the man who'd hunted and shot them, was Steve's formerly thought dead best friend James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky.

"It was him," Steve said. She cocked her head and nodded for him to go on. "He looked right at me like he didn't even know me."

"How's that even possible? It was like seventy years ago!" Sam asked.

"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..." Steve trailed off.

"None of that's your fault, Steve," Natasha mumbled, closing her eyes and resting on the wall behind her. Jo's eyes snapped between Natasha's face and the bullet wound in her shoulder. It wasn't pretty.

"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky."

No one could say anything from that. The truck hit a speed bump and a sudden flare of pain shot through Jo. She cursed loudly in retaliation. "The hell?"

Jo lifted her arms and right above her left hip, was a bullet wound of her own. When in the actual hell had she gotten shot? The men on the bridge hadn't so much as grazed her with a bullet, much less moved to shoot her, before she'd ripped their throats out and right after she was with Nat. Who had shot a grenade at the Winter Soldier. She felt a small twinge of respect add to what was already there for the assassin. The Winter Soldier, however, did have a gun and she did recall the sound of a bullet ricocheting off a car.

Jo's gaze darkened ever so slightly. "Not to ruin your thoughts of Bucky any more than they are, Steve, but next time I see him, I'm gonna kill him for shooting me."

Sam glanced from Jo to Natasha and began to realize Jo wasn't the only one bleeding. He quickly turned to their guards. "We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on their wounds they're gonna bleed out here in the truck."

One of the guards snapped out an electric rod and lit it up in an effort to keep Sam quiet. Jo eyed the guard warily, not only for their stick but because their scent was familiar. Which wasn't surprising given the fact that it was Hydra dressed up as SHIELD so she'd probably run into them before. Suddenly the guard turned, tazed the other guard, and kicked him in the face to finish him off. The man fell to their feet unconscious. She stared in shock when the guard turned pulled off their mask.

"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain," she complained, wiping the hair from her face. She glanced at Sam then Steve."Who's this guy?"

"Holy shit, Hill," Jo whispered.

"Didn't we capture you two years ago?"

"Yeah and then you taught me to fly a quinjet in five minutes, what's your point?"

Hill shrugged and didn't reply. Instead she reached into her vest and pulled out a cylindrical object. She pressed a button and the top lit up with a small flame. Jo almost started sweating nervously.

Hill freed them from their chains before kneeling on the ground and started cutting a hole in the floor. Then each of them were unceremoniously dropped onto the road while the van was slowing to a halt at a stoplight. Steve pulled the manhole off the entrance to the sewage system and they climbed in. Jo's eyes and nose burned at the horrid stench but endured it nonetheless. Hill led them around corners, across the dirty water, and through passages until they exited another manhole to find a van waiting for them.

After a while spent rocking around in the van, it finally pulled to a halt and the occupants stepped out. They were at a dam-like structure and surrounded by trees, Jo noted, wincing as she stepped from the van. If she were honest, she did wonder how she was still standing. The moment she went to take a step she was on the ground.

"Mother fucker!" Jo cried.

Correction: Jo was no longer wondering how she was standing. Steve who had been holding Natasha up went to get Jo too, but Sam stopped him. He picked Jo up underneath her legs and behind her back, Jo having to put an arm around Sam to keep some semblance of balance. Then they were back to following Hill.

"My hero," Jo grinned drowsily.

Hill nodded to the approaching man and woman, "GSW. She's lost at least a pint."

"About a pint and a half over here," Sam called. Hip wounds were no joking matter, at least, they were to Jo.

"Let me take them," the doctor said.

"She'll want to see him first."

Hill led the four down the halls. Jo's confusion worsened as she gazed at Fury. He looked like hell, what happened to him? He looked like a truck hit him head-on and reversed for round two.

Fury's eyes opened and he turned to look at them. "About damn time," he greeted.

Later, Natasha's wound was being treated, Jo's having already been looked at and stitched. It went straight through and didn't hit anything. The doctor said she was lucky considering the fact that it was two millimeters from hitting her pelvis.

Fury was listing off his wounds and she became even more intrigued as to what had happened to him. The truck was still up for debate. "Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache."

"Don't forget your collapsed lung," commented the doctor.

"Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open, your heart stopped," Natasha whispered.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

Jo's head snapped from Natasha to Fury, and then to everyone else in the room. Her legs were propped up on a chair while she leaned back on another. "You were dead? Why didn't anyone tell me?" She couldn't blame Sam though, so he was off the hook.

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asked before anyone could answer.

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful," replied Hill.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust," Fury added. Then he turned to their resident mutant. "Although I must admit, I didn't expect you, Merlyn."

Jo lazily waved a hand, "Normally I'd be offended but I can see where you're coming from. I wasn't exactly a friend of SHIELD's and you weren't exactly the nicest people to me."

"Yeah well, last I looked your tracker said you were in the Rockies, what happened there?"

"I dug it out three weeks after I left and carried it around with me, just in case you sent someone to follow me. If you want it, go find the eagle that thought it was funny to steal the shiniest thing it could find."

Fury nodded, "Fair enough."

When Natasha had been cleared, the group left the makeshift hospital room and convened in a larger room at a table. Fury was seated with a photo in his hand, his left arm sitting in a sling. Hill sat to his right and Natasha his left. Jo sat across from Natasha while Sam and Steve opted to stand behind them, Sam behind Natasha and Steve behind Jo.

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize," Fury began, nodding to the picture of a man Jo had never seen before. "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 said.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore."

Jo nodded, "It's not like we can just walk up to the front door, knock, and ask for an audience with their king. Every single one of us would be arrested before we could do squat."

Apparently, sarcasm was her greatest trait when drowsy and stuck with a numbing agent. Advanced healing or no, anything that numbed her also affected her healing. Meaning that it'd been slowed. Fury ignored her snark and opened a case to his left which contained three tech chips.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized," Hill turned a computer in front of her to show to the room.

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Fury added.

"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra. We need to get past them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left..."

Steve's head snapped up and he stared at Fury. "We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD."

"SHIELD had nothing to do with it," Fury defended.

"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."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did?"

Fury turned away and cast his gaze to the floor. He sighed heavily. "Look, I didn't know about Barnes."

"Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too? SHIELD, Hydra, it all goes."

"He's right," Hill agreed.

Fury stared at Hill in surprise. Then he looked at Natasha and then Sam.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower," Sam said, his side had been chosen.

When his gaze turned to her, Jo shrugged and shook her head in the negative. She wasn't helping save SHIELD.

"Well..." Fury leaned back in his chair. "Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

They spent time planning who would take what carrier and what each of them would do. Jo was napping in her chair, thoroughly exhausted with the day. No one in the room took offense to her inattention, they all knew she'd been high strung for too long. When she woke up they were getting ready to head out. Jo almost cheered at her timing.

She followed them outside. Fury was standing near the door, Natasha having already left for her part of the infiltration. Steve, Sam, and Hill were next to the van, each outfitted in their suits.

Steve was about to explain her part when she interrupted him. "Sorry guys, but I'll just have to sit this one out," Jo said.

She was leaning on a large stick she had been given, much like a crutch but it looked like a staff. She had found it hilarious when Steve had stolen his costume from the museum.

"Why?"

"Look at me Steve, I can barely walk without having to waddle, and I can't bend my knee far. Even with my healing factor this would take at least two hours, time you don't have. Off topic, I would look like a demented penguin running with you guys." She almost snickered at the mental image she'd given herself.

Steve said nothing, but he gave her a smile of understanding and held his hand out. Jo took it with a sly grin and pulled the super soldier into a hug. "Good luck," she whispered, and let him go.

Steve nodded once more and joined his team. Hill started off and Sam followed, giving Jo a high five on his way by. Steve was just behind them. Of course, Jo being the way she was, shouted after them.

"Bye-bye boys! Have fun storming the castle!"

Her enhanced hearing picked up a small snort from Sam. Jo turned and walked - there was no denying it, she waddled - back to Fury. He was waiting for a helicopter to pick him up for a dramatic entrance, he'd said.

"Well like you said, you can't do much," Fury started. "So what are your plans now?"

Jo thought for a moment as said, "I need to make a phone call."

"You got a phone?"

Jo held up her mobile. The screen was cracked, and the case was missing in places, but all in all, it was usable. Which was surprising considering how much she had gone through within the last 24 hours. Then again,  it was Stark issued and Stark phones were highly resilient to a lot of things. Tony had given it to her along with the car. She'd only used the phone once before.

"I do stand by what I said earlier," Fury said. "I didn't expect you to be someone I could trust. That being said, I guess Coulson was right about you."

She frowned. "Yeah... I guess."

"See you around, Merlyn."

Then he turned away and left, his helicopter was within hearing distance. Jo too turned from the facility, choosing instead to walk down the shoreline. A small bag was slung over her shoulder filled with bandages for her wound and medication for the pain, but she wouldn't need it. Not if she wanted to heal quickly anyway. Jo scrolled through the contacts and pressed on one of the only few that came up.

There was a dial tone, and then, "Yeah?"

"Tony!"

"Merlyn? Hey! How's Camelot? Arthur back yet?"

"Tony, shut up. This is an emergency, you know I wouldn't call if it wasn't."

"Alright, what's going on? Are you in trouble?"

"Yes and no. Long story short, Hydra has infiltrated SHIELD, Fury is dead, Steve and Natasha are wanted, and now they're retaliating. Shit's about to go down at the Triskelion. So I need you to do me a favor."

"Depends, what is it?"

"I need you to get lie detector tests set up. All of SHIELD's secrets are going to spill onto the internet, and when that happens, true agents will come to you to clear their names instead of being suspected Hydra agents. Can you do this?"

"Yes, do you need anything for the fight?"

"I'm not in it I was shot earlier and normally I'd walk away but this is a hip wound. I'm trusting you Tony."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

And Jo hung up, resting against a tree and sighing through a small bout of pain. Then she was off again, putting some of her weight on the staff, pausing only to hear the sounds of explosions. The fight was underway, and by the sound of it, the team had accomplished their mission. At least she assumed so, since she hadn't been shot by a helicarrier.

Her stroll led her to a small grove, with a clear view of the Triskelion. The helicarriers were down, she smiled. As was part of the building itself.

"Well done, Cap. You did it."

The sound of sloshing water gained her attention. Twelve yards down the shore, a figure was dragging a rather familiar face from the water.

"Steve!" Jo screamed, rushing forward.

She made it twelve steps before a metal hand wrapped itself around her throat. Jo felt the bark of a tree pressing into her back and grimaced, opening her grey eyes to stare straight into cold green ones.

"Barnes," Jo choked. She grasped the metal limb and tried in a futile effort to release herself. "Barns, stop!" The grip tightened and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Bucky!"

In a sudden motion he released her and took a step back, shaking his head. Bucky took a deep breath, stared at Jo for a few moments, before dashing into the forest. Jo slid to the ground coughing and gasping for air. Her phone rang.

"Tony?" Jo wheezed. Her breathing was hard and she couldn't catch her breath in her panicked state.

"Jo? Are you okay?"

"I'm just..." Jo trailed off, eyesight darkening. "Tony." Her arm fell limp and the phone clattered to the forest floor. Tony's shouts and pleads for Jo to answer fell on deaf ears.

**********

Edited 11/20/19