Peter wasn't the only one dealing with Hydra and their scheme.
Captain America had hitched a ride with Natasha and Fury up to the last Helicarrier. Hulk and Abomination were dealing with theirs, and Iron Man had his well under control.
Natasha got a nod from Flash as she became Widow. Both Fury and Steve stared at her as the black symbskin assimilated her own web pistols. She half heartily shrugged at Fury who was glaring at her. "We will be discussing this Agent Romanov." But Widow didn't care. She was going to be quitting after this anyway. Nobody was going to come out of a takeover bid by a long-dead fascist organisation smelling like roses. Parker Inc. had space for a head of security and a very attractive benefits package.
She checked her latest acquisition, another of Liv's toys. Custom-built web launchers based on the Goblin wrist launchers Norman had used.
Like Huntress, she could make small charged bolts of webbing, which she liked to call her Widow’s bite. and as she stunned targets Fury followed and made sure they were dead. There would be no capture or contain this time.
They had two targets and two teams. Cap and Webb were heading to the gun control room, to shut down the carrier's main weapons system. Widow and Fury were headed to the control centre. Even if one team failed the other could pick up the slack and stop the carrier from firing.
This would be a thankless mission. Nobody on board would be friendly and anyone who said otherwise was lying. Anyone with a gun was Hydra, and as Fury was the de facto head of Shield, that meant he could call a Kill on Sight order. It would be up to the courts to decide if it was the right call.
Blue energy flared down the corridors, and Fury and Widow killed their way up the corridors. Even barricades provided no obstacle. Widow had learned from Huntress and sheathed herself in light reflective camouflage. Widow was one of a new breed of Symbiote, born from the Mind Stone Enhanced Peter. She soaked up any knowledge like a sponge, from anyone willing to teach her. She was just as deadly as the rest, more so as Natasha had been trained to be ruthless to her enemies.
Fury was glad for once the woman was on his side. As he watched her dance and kill he figured that even then it was now Venom's side. As long as Parker played ball things would be fine. He hadn't failed to notice the small grin Sharon gave him or the disproving glare from Maria either. Maria was a tougher call, as she looked at everyone like that.
Fury figured if it meant getting his hands on one of those creatures, he would line them up and lube them himself. He looked at the bigger picture. More women just meant more problems, and Parker would just have to learn that the hard way. It also meant more chance of a defection. More chances of him getting one of those creatures on someone loyal to Shield.
Fury knew Natasha wasn’t exactly a good fit with Shield. If he was honest once Hydra showed up she probably would have been at the top of his list for agents who defected. At least Parker had his uses there. What Fury wasn't looking forward to what was waiting for them in the control room. So far they had encountered low-skill soldiers. Sure they had the Hydra pulse weapons that he had Osborn develop but that was it. The Black Widow was taking them apart with apparent ease and it didn't sit right with Fury. It meant the tougher better-trained operatives were waiting in ambush. War Machine could be the least of their problems if Flash or Octavius decided to switch sides.
As they approached the last door with no apparent resistance, Fury knew it was a trap. As Widow crouched down at the side, pistol ready Fury took the other and feeling the handle sprang it open. Widow rolled into the room and at once lifted her gun.
“So good of you to join us, Nicholas and friend.” Jasper Sitwell had a gun pointed at the head of Coulson. Armed agents had Maria Hill and Sharon Carter, bound and kneeling, with pistols to their heads.
“With Director Pierce dead, I was given authority to take over the plan. Of course, I’m not stupid enough to draw attention to myself and careful enough to capture your friends here. Now director, the guns. Please. I won't ask twice.” He pulled the hammer back on the pistol to emphasise his point.
Fury hesitated but held up his hands, letting the gun slip over his thumb. An agent stepped forward while another kept a rifle trained on the pair. He took their guns and motioned them to join the group and as they knelt they were zip-tied and bound like the rest.
“You know, for a moment there I thought you were going to actually let me kill them.” There was a moment where he pressed the gun to the back of Coulson's head and pursed his lips, “But I also have orders not to. You see, you are now a wanted man Direc, ah, Ex-Director Fury. Murdering poor Alexander to further your own goals. The creation of a supergroup with orders to take over Shield by any means necessary. Very devious Nicholas, and please, miss, remove the mask, there will be no second chances.”
Widow grabbed the front of her face and pulled backwards, letting the symbskin slide back.
“Ah, Miss Romanov, so glad of you to join us. Pity, I would have preferred you to be more sympathetic to our cause, with your roots but oh well. Just another nail in Nicholas’s coffin. Imagine hiring a Russian spy to work in his intelligence agency and then using her to trap a teenager. Even I feel a little sick, Nicholas.” Pointing the gun at Sharon, he fired once and a dot of dark red appeared on her forehead. A look of shock crossed Fury’s face as the agent slumped forward, blood pooling around her head. “And killing the niece of Peggy Carter as well, tut-tut,” before he turned the pistol and fired at Natasha as well. The bullet struck her on the forehead and her eyes widened as she slumped forwards.
“You should not have done that,” Fury spat at Sitwell. He had the gun trained on Coulson now and was grinning as smoke drifted lazily from the gun's barrel. Natasha’s body twitched, and the black uniform she was wearing bubbled and writhed on her back. “Like I said.''
Before he could finish the black uniform sprang up. Spinning in a writhing mass of tendrils and blades, it flung itself around the room. It would land on a black-clad agent, slice and stab with blades and talons while screeching in anger.
Nothing the Hydra agents had trained for prepared them for the fury of an unbonded Symbiote. Her host was hurt and Widow, young and still full of fire, took that pain and used it. Arms, heads, organs, and other parts of the invaders were strewn through the room. Natasha had shown her just where humans were soft and easily dismembered. No one who dared hurt her host or her friends was spared.
Only Sitwell remained, sitting on the floor in a corner the gun pointing at the mass. It flopped onto the floor and began to move towards him.
“Stay away,” he shouted and fired into the mass. As a face appeared, it spat the bullets out and approached, letting small tendrils latch onto his foot. As he screamed and tried to kick Widow away, she latched on more and began to crawl her way up his leg. He pulled at the Symbiote but she was too strong. His face was stuck in a rictus scream as she wrapped herself around his head and squeezed. Blood poured from his eyes and mouth as his skull was compressed, with a hideous grinding noise. Wailing in tortured agony, the group watched as a huge tendril spike its way into his forehead. Sitwell's eyes rolled back and the mask of Widow covered his face. “Peesh, shaave, peesh.”
Maria sobbed as the creature begged them to save Natasha. All she could do was cradle Sharon, shaking as she closed her eyes.
Fury shook his head. “If you can’t then I'm sorry but we can’t,”
The creature screeched in agony, “Shave shave shave shave.”
Maria shook her head, snapping at the creature. “We can’t. We need a doctor. They're gone.”
Sitwell shuddered as Widow pooled herself at the top of his head. He tried in vain to dislodge her one last time but as he lifted his hands he screamed as she dissolved them. His cries echoed around the room as acid dripped from Widow, melting through his face. Dissatisfied at his torment, she tightened like a band and his head burst like an overripe orange. With a sickening crunch, pieces of skull and skin splattered over the floor as his body collapsed.
Widow screeched at her and flew towards Sharon. The creature disappeared beneath Sharon's skin before her body twitched a few times. It coated her, screeching in anger once more before it detached and landed on a control panel.
“What, what is it doing?” Maria asked, but Fury shrugged.
“Do I look like an expert on alien goop, Hill?” She just scowled at him in return.
The Helicarrier shuddered and a few systems powered down, “What the hell?” Fury leapt over the dead bodies and began to cut his agents free, grabbing a knife from the vest of a dead body.
“Hill, you worked these systems, what's happened?” As she wiped the tears from her eyes she stood and leaned over to check, typing in a few commands. She paused to stare at her shaking hands, stained with the blood of her friend. She clenched her fists and began to access systems again.
“Uh, whatever it is doing it’s draining power. We’re going down, not fatal down but still down. Good news though, weapon systems are offline.”
The group dived for cover as the War Machine crashed through the armoured glass of the cockpit. Even though he knew it was pointless Fury grabbed a gun and pointed it at Rumlow.
Widow flopped from the panel and over to Natasha, grabbing her and sliding her over to the still armour. The front slid apart and the blue-lipped body of Rumlow slid forward and crashed on the deck. Hoisting Natasha up, Widow pulled her into the armour, sealing it behind them. Fury and the rest watched as the armour powered on with a hiss. One by one the systems powered on but the normal white eye lights faded and became black.
“We are War Widow,” came out from the speakers.
“Uh, Natasha?” Fury asked.
“This, this is weird. Yes, and, uh, no. I’m fine, I’m fine,” before the armour fell to one knee. “Hey, who turned out the lights?” Then the suit was silent.
“Emergency Protocols Engaged. Life Support Systems Are Now In Effect.” sounded out over the speakers.
“Please Assess The Pilot For Critical Injuries.”
“Warning, Critical Neurological Trauma Detected. Backup Systems Engaging.”
“Neural Mapping In Progress. In Progress. Neural Mapping Complete.”
”For the Safety Of The Pilot, Suspended Animation Protocols Are Now In Effect.”
Even as Fury came over and tapped on the outside of the suit there was no response. As he looked over at the others, busy securing the room they shrugged. No one had any clue as to what just happened or any more of an idea that Fury did.
Fury flipped over Rumlow and he knew he was definitely dead. His eyes were already clouded over and his face was frozen in a death grimace. Just to be sure though he put one bullet in his forehead and two in his chest.
While Fury was busy, Coulson was making sure the others were just as dead as well as barricading the door. Hydra agents were dumped in front of it and he carefully moved Sharon over and covered her face with his jacket. As he looked around the room at all the death, he knew that it was time to go on the offensive. Hydra had almost won this time, next time they might not be as lucky.
Hydra had managed to infiltrate and take over most of Shield's systems. If Venom hadn’t interfered, hadn’t sent out a distress call, then they would all be dead right now. Hydra needed to be torn out by the roots, and as an Agent of Shield, Coulson knew that would be impossible. Fury and the rest, if they stayed together needed to go hunting. Not just for Sharon, but for every agent who died today.
Maria had already begun to take control of the Helicarrier and slow their descent. She cast an eye over the slumped Coulson as he ran a hand over his face. He briefly nodded at her. As she took a deep breath she got back to work making sure no one else in the room died. One hand shook and she clenched it into a fist. She would make them pay. Even if she had to fuck that Parker kid, she would get what she needed and every one of those Hydra bastards would pay.
poor Sharon, she showed up only to die afterwards
Wait is Natasha dead now?
Nah she's good, she's healing now