Lost in Time

twenty-one

"Bouge pas!" one of the French pirates shouts, cocking their gun. "Bouge pas!"

Steve doesn't move, only watching as the pirate falls to the ground while Rumlow, Nat, and the agents land on deck. "Thanks," he says.

"Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless without me." Rumlow chuckles.

Nat sheds her parachute, keeping in step with Steve. "What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice."

"Secure the engine room, then find me a date," Steve replies.

"I'm multitasking." Nat defends herself. "Wait, one more suggestion." Steve pauses, wanting this topic of conversation dropped sooner rather than later. "What about Clara? You two have known each other for a while, and you were each other's dates at Tony, Apollo, and Bruce's wedding."

Steve smiles, but he laughs and shakes his head. "No. That's Buck's girl."

As promised, Nat drops the subject as she jumps the guard rail to quickly descend to the lower decks. She makes quick work of the stairs, coming to a halt when she comes across one of the pirates. She smiles at him when he finally turns around. "Hey, sailor."

Nat easily takes out Durand, using him as a counterweight to repel further down into the ship, shooting several more pirates on the way. Above deck, Strike moves into position, Rumlow signaling Steve that they're ready.

"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve's voice comes through her comm. She doesn't respond as she quietly takes down another pirate. "Status, Natasha."

"Hang on!" she finally responds, pushing off the wall to knock the guy back. Another pirate comes running, and she moves to take him down too. With a sigh, she kicks the third pirate, flipping him over onto his back. "Engine room secure."

"On my mark," Steve says. "Three...two...one."

Their plan goes off without a hitch.

Steve slings his shield through the window, smashing it to pieces. Batroc manages to escape, and Steve follows not far behind him. "Hostages en route to extraction," Rumlow informs through the comm. "Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, Cap. Hostels are still in play."

"Natasha," Steve pants. "Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages." She doesn't answer. "Natasha."

Batroc kicks Steve, which he blocks with the shield. They engage one another, dodging and throwing punches at one another. Batroc's able to land a few kicks at Steve, but Steve is still able to retaliate, knocking him back with his shield. They appear to be evenly matched. Batroc flips out of a toss, and the fight comes to a standstill.

"Je croyais que tu étais plus qu'un bouclier." Batroc spits.

Steve sets the shield on his back, peeling off his mask. "On va voir."

The fight continues. Batroc takes the first attack, attempting to kick out Steve's leg, which he blocks. He's quick to turn the tide in his favor as he sends a kick to Batroc's leg, then his stomach, and finishes him off with a blow to the face. Batroc doesn't stay down, and Steve tackles him through the door behind him. With a harsh punch, he finally knocks Batroc out of the fight.

"Well, this is awkward," Natasha calls from where she's standing, hunched over the ship's computers.

"What are you doing?" Steve spits.

"Backing up the hard drive." She answers nonchalantly. "It's a good habit to get into."

"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" Nat doesn't answer as Steve scans the screens. "You're saving Shield intel."