Shadows in the Dark
The cold night air bit at Celeste’s skin as she and Steve hurried through the dimly lit streets of Washington, D.C. They had barely escaped their own headquarters alive. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—no, HYDRA agents—were hunting them. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Fury’s warning echoed in her mind.
“Don’t trust anyone.”
Steve led the way, his shield strapped tightly to his back, muscles tense as his eyes scanned every corner, every shadow. Celeste followed closely, moving just as silently, her senses on high alert. She could feel the tension radiating from him, the betrayal hitting him harder than he wanted to admit.
"We need to lay low," he muttered as they ducked into a quiet alleyway, taking a moment to catch their breath.
"And figure out who the hell we can trust," Celeste added, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her light-forged daggers had long since dissipated, but the tension in her fingers itched to summon them again. "They won't stop coming. Not until we're dead."
Steve exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "We have to find out what’s on that drive Natasha stole from the Lemurian Star. It’s the only way to get ahead of them."
Celeste nodded, adjusting the straps of her tactical suit. "Then we need to find her before they do."
The small Apple Store was crowded, but that worked to their advantage. Celeste kept her head down, hood pulled over her dark hair as Steve sat beside her at the public computers. Natasha’s encrypted file was still unreadable, locked behind layers of security neither of them had the skill to crack.
"Any idea where Natasha would go?" she whispered, eyes scanning the store for any suspicious faces.
Steve exhaled. "She'll find us. She always does."
As if on cue, a voice murmured from behind them, low and laced with amusement. "Well, aren’t you two just the cutest fugitives?"
Celeste turned sharply, hand twitching toward her hidden blade, but Natasha Romanoff only smirked as she slid into the seat next to them. Her auburn hair was tucked beneath a baseball cap, casual as ever despite the massive manhunt against them.
"Miss me?" Natasha quipped.
Steve gave her a hard look. "Not funny."
Celeste shook her head, lowering her voice. "Nat, we need to know what’s on that drive. Now."
Natasha leaned in, plugging a flash drive into the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard. "I had a guy try to crack it, but even he hit a wall. The encryption? S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t make it. HYDRA did. And there’s only one place we can go to decrypt it."
Steve and Celeste exchanged a wary glance. "Where?" Steve asked.
Natasha’s lips curled into a wry smile. "New Jersey."
The drive to Camp Lehigh was long and tense. Celeste sat in the backseat, eyes fixed on the passing trees, lost in thought. This place—New Jersey—meant something to her. She could feel it in her bones, in the back of her mind where memories lay fragmented.
"You're quiet," Steve said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
She sighed, folding her arms. "I don’t know… I feel like I’ve been here before. But it’s hazy."
Steve’s grip on the wheel tightened. "This was the training ground for the SSR. Where it all began."
Where Captain America was born. Where they had both been stationed during the war.
Celeste’s fingers twitched, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Maybe I'll remember something when we get there."
Natasha looked at her through the mirror, unreadable. "Let’s hope we don’t get shot first."
Camp Lehigh was abandoned, a relic of a bygone era. The old structures stood eerily still, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Celeste followed Steve as he led them toward what looked like an ordinary bunker. Ordinary, until he tore open a hidden entrance beneath the floorboards.
"Of course," Natasha muttered, stepping inside. "Secret doors. Very retro."
Celeste felt a strange chill as they descended into the underground facility, old computers and long-forgotten files lining the walls. Dust coated every surface, but something about this place felt… familiar. Too familiar.
As Steve powered up the ancient system, a screen flickered to life. A distorted face emerged, pixelated yet unmistakable.
"Dr. Arnim Zola," Steve muttered darkly.
Celeste stiffened at the name. Her stomach twisted as the voice spoke, mechanical and haunting.
"Ah… Captain Rogers. Celeste Vale. How nice of you to join me."
The blood in Celeste’s veins turned ice-cold. Whatever secrets this place held, they were about to come crashing down.