5. Project Insight
“V sleduyushchiy raz begi.” His words echoed through my head, that deep raspy voice and thick Russian accent carving itself in my brain. Every time I closed my eyes all I saw were those deep blue orbs burning into my soul. It was him. I spent 3 years of my life gathering every information I could about him, learning horrible and disturbing facts about his work. Not many people believed he existed, he was credited with too many assassinations, and all of them in the last 50 years. That would make him at least 70 years old. He can’t be the same person that committed all those crimes, but he sure killed my parents.
“How are you feeling?” Nick asked as he sat down next to my hospital bed. It has been almost 3 weeks since the mission, and I can gladly say that I’m almost fully recovered.
Nat had found me in the exact place the Winter Soldier left me, she said I was almost dead.
“I’ll live. they said I can go home in like 2 more days.” I really hated being in the hospital. Plus I felt pretty useless just sitting here. All I wanted to do was go and find Tyson. I needed answers and I needed them now.
“I’m happy to hear that. We might have a lead on Agent Tyson. We’ll catch him, Amelia, I promise.” and just like he had read my mind he reassured me. I gave him a smile.
“Thank you Nick. Any idea why they went against your orders?” I asked watching his features go stiff. He was concerned.
“I have a few suspicions when it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D. , but nothing you should worry about. All I need you to do is get back on your feet. I need my favorite agent back in the game.” he smiled getting up from his seat.
“Hamid knew something, Nick, put an end to this project.” I said hoping I’d make him consider this as an option. I told him everything that happened, everything Hamid told me and even though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that something was very off.
“I wish it was that easy.” he said before exiting the room.
I knew from day one that this job was going to be dangerous. I even had some injuries along the way, but never this bad. When you are doing field missions , trusting your partner is key, and this particular mission ruined that for me. I don’t know why they decided to turn against me , but I had to find out who hired them .
Beside this , my main focus remained the Winter Soldier. Just a few months ago my grandfather told me that he is a fuckig ghost story , yet here I am in a hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot I took from him. I didn't know ghosts could fire guns. He seemed pretty much alive to me.
3 weeks later.
“Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian Star,” Rumlow explained. We were currently on a jet , above the Indian Ocean, dealing with a hijacking.
This is my first field mission in almost 2 months , thanks to Nat , who convinced Fury to let me come along. “They were setting up their last payload, when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago.”
“Any demands?” Rogers asked , his gaze never leaving the screen. Yeah, Captain America is leading this mission, and he does not seem happy to have me here.
“Billion and a half.” Rumlow replied, making him nod.
“Why so steep?” he asked.
“Because it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. 's “ I replied.
After Nat convinced Nick to let me participate, he decided to give me an assignment, a side mission that only I knew about. So it was obvious I knew this was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s launch-ships, used for Project Insight.
“So it’s not off-course , it’s trespassing,” Cap said, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“I’m sure they have a good reason,” I was hoping they did.
“You know I’m getting a little tired of being Fury’s genitor.” He said, raising his voice a little. Ok Mr. Grumpy-pants, no need to get angry.
“Relax, it’s not that complicated. “ I said , earning a low frustrated growl from him. I don’t know what his problem is with me , but ever since we met in New York, he seems to hate my guts.
“How many pirates?” he finally asked , turning his attention back to the screen.
“25,top mercs ,led by this guy.” Rumlow said, pulling up a picture with a guy I was already familiar with.
“George Batroc.” I said remembering him sitting in a red car just outside Hamid’s hotel in Iran. What the hell was he doing here ??
“You know him?” Rogers asked , turning to me .
“Saw him on a mission.” I simply said, trying to shrug it off.
“This is the guy from Iran?” Nat pushed, making me not.
“Iran?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. Great now he will find out how I screwed up my rescue mission.
“I was on a mission in Iran a few months ago, he was one of the bad guys.” I said, rolling my eyes earning a warning look from him.
“Try and stay out of his sight then, we don’t need you to screw things up. What else do we know about him?” Well that hurt, and obviously he made it pretty clear that he knows about the mission.
“Ex-DGSE, Action Division. he is at the top of Interpol’s Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy’s got a rep for maximum casualties.”
“Hostages?” Nat asked.
“Mostly techs, one officer, Jasper Sitwell.” Rumlow said, pulling up a picture of him on the screen. What the hell is he doing on a launch ship? “ They are in the galley.”
“What’s Sitwell doing on a launch ship?” Rogers asked , reading my mind. “Alright, Romanoff and I are gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Harrison, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages , get them to life-pods, get them out. Let’s move, “ he continued . With that he turned around and walked to the back followed by Nat.
“Kill the engine, wait for instruction, cuz I’m in charge. “ I mocked as I walked behind them .
“Is there a problem Agent?” he asked, turning around , making me stop right in front of him.
“Nope, you are the Captain, you make the rules.” I said , avoiding eye contact. He was like a tower next to me, pretty intimidating if you ask me.
“If you think this mission is a joke, you can set your pretty ass down on that bench and wait for us to come back.” he told me , his voice low and raspy. My pretty what?
“Coming up on the drop zone Cap.” a voice said in our earpiece , making him turn around. “Focus on the mission Harrison.” he shouted before jumping out.
“What is going on with you two?” Nat asked, stepping closer to me .
“I have no idea what his deal is, I saved his ass back in New York, a thank you would be nice. “ I said while I adjusted the straps to my parachute.
“He is a good guy, and you are a great agent. Once he sees that , you two are going to be good friends you’ll see. “ She told me before jumping out followed by me and half of the STRIKE team.
As I was about to land I saw a guy point a gun to Cap’s head, so I quickly took my gun out and shot him.
“Thanks.” He simply said as I landed and unclasped the straps.
“Yeah, you seemed pretty helpless without me . “ I told him with a smirk.
“Secure the engine room, then make sarcastic remarks.” He said with a smile.
“I’m multitasking.” I let him know, as I jumped over the rail, making my way to the engine room.
This whole mission is a little suspicious. Batroc attempts to hijack another one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s ships, risking getting caught again...It does not add up. And Sitwell being here , he has no business with launching platforms. I have to try and get some things out of Nick once we get back to D.C.
I have a love-hate relationship with these kinds of missions. I have been on stealth missions before , and I found it difficult as hell to do them. I am the kind of person that will make an insane amount of noise when trying not to make any, so trying to get to the engine room undetected is quite the hustle.
As I was doing my best to avoid two guys standing near my point of interest I somehow managed to accidentally drop my gun while taking it out of my holster. How is that even possible? Once my gun made contact with the ground the loud bang made the two guys turn their heads towards me .
“Hi fellas.” I said giving them one of my sweetest smiles. They just looked at each other, then reached for their guns. I didn’t waste any time and lifted my right leg , kicking one of them in the jaw, making him stumble back, then using the wrist-teasers I borrowed from Nat , I immobilized the other one. I quickly grabbed my gun aiming it at them , shooting them both in the leg. This will make them stand down.
I did the same with another 3 guys guarding the engine room , before deciding to report back to Rogers.
“Engine Room secured.” I said, waiting for a response. There was some static before his voice came through. He sounded like he was out of breath.
Why would Fury need me to basically steal files from himself?
“Harrison , circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages.” I heard it in my earpiece , but I couldn’t really do that. I walked in silence , making my way towards the launch room.
This entire side mission felt a little off, but I was following orders. Who am I to question Nick Fury after all? Eventually reaching the launching room, I made my way inside inserting the thumb drive Nick gave me into one of the computers. As soon as I did , files popped up on the screen, followed by algorithms and names.
Steven Strange. Peter Parker. Anthony Stark. Carol Danvers. Pepper Pots. Natasha Romanoff. Steve Rogers. Amelia Harrison.
What? Why was my name on the screen? Or Steve, Nat, and Stark? And who are the others? Before I could have read anything else the screen went blank, and a small bar appeared on it, indicating that the files were being saved on the drive. A loud bang coming from the door made me lift my eyes from the screen , and I saw Rogers and Batroc flying through it. Steve immediately knocked the French pirate out, getting up on his feet.
“Well this is awkward.” I said looking at him with a smile, trying to play it cool. I couldn't tell anyone about this. Not until I spoke to Nick.
“What are you doing?” He asked, getting up and walking towards me .
“Backing up the hard drive, it’s a good habit to get into '' I said, trying to hurry up.
“Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here ? “ he asked , eventually stopping right behind me . He slowly bent down, his hot breath landing on my neck every time he exhaled.
“He had you and Nat.” I responded looking back at him , meeting his ocean blue eyes. Damn this is the first time I’m seeing them up close like this.
“You are saving S.H.I.E.L.D. intel.” he growled ,looking down on my screen. No shit sherlock.
“Whatever I can get my hands on.” I said, making him look at me again.
“Our mission is to rescue hostages-”
“No , that’s your mission.” I cut him off, taking the drive out of the computer.” And you have done it beautifully.” I added walking past him. But he wasn’t having it . He grabbed my arm, yanking me back, making me stand in front of him.
“You just jeopardized this whole operation.” he growled , his grip tightening on my arm. Alright soldier boy, no need to get angry.
“I think that’s overstating things. “ I told him trying to get away from his grip.
“Guys we have to...oh, am I interrupting something? “ Nat’s voice filled the room, making us both turn our heads in her direction.
“No, let’s get back to the jet. We will have a nice little talk with the director. “ Rogers said, letting go of my arms and storming out.
“What was that about?” Nat asked, confused.
“I think he hates me even more than before. “ I stated, letting out a sigh. Great, nice way to screw up this mission too. Fury is going to kill me.
“What were you doing here in the first place?”
“I’ll explain everything when I’m done with Fury.” I told her, walking back to the meeting point.
“No Nick, that’s not what it was! You just can’t stop yourself from lying can you? “ Steve shouted , his voice echoing through the whole office. We were currently back at the Triskelion, in Nick’s office. Rogers was even more pissed than I thought he would be. The whole flight back he was arguing with Nat about the mission and me being part of it, and now he is repeating the exact same thing , with Nick.
“I didn’t lie! Agent Harrison had a different mission than yours. “ Nick said , his voice full of annoyance. This made Steve walk closer to me.
“Which she didn’t feel obliged to share.” He was now standing in front of me , towering over me as I was sitting in one of the chairs.
“Hold on Captain. I am not obliged to do anything! “ I exclaimed, getting up and pointing a finger at him. “You might be Captain America and lead your superhero squad, but here , at S.H.I.E.L.D you are just as much of an agent as I am, and the only orders we take are from the Director. “ I finished looking him in the eye.
“Those hostages could have died Nick, you can’t trust a kid like her with missions like this.” he said, turning around , walking away from me.
“A kid ? Excuse me Rogers, I’m sorry I’m not a hundred year old grumpy control freak who only cares about himself!! “ I shouted. He slowly turned around a warning look in his eyes. He started walking closer to me clenching his jaw.
“Enough!” Nick’s voice filled the room , making us turn towards him. “I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure those hostages got out safely, and also I sent one of my best field agents to help with that. Amelia is one of our best, Captain. “
“Soldiers trust each other. That’s what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns -”
“Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.” he cut him off standing up from his seat. “Look I didn’t want you doing something you weren’t comfortable with. Agent Harrison is comfortable with everything.”
“I’m sure she is…” He replied, turning his gaze back to me.
“What is that supposed to mean? “ He just turned back to Fury, completely ignoring my question.
“I can’t lead a mission when the people I’m leading have missions of their own.”
“It’s called compartmentalization,” I told him, earning a huff.
“I wasn’t talking to you Harrison,” he snapped, turning to me again. He was furious, his eyes filled with anger , those blue orbs now having a dark shade , almost black if you will.
“Oh, give me a break,” I threw my hand in the air, walking towards the door. I wasn’t going to sit here and have a meaningless fight with him.
“Amelia, where are you going?” Nick asked as I reached the door.
“Away from this crap. Next time you think about sending me on a mission, make sure he isn’t coming.” I snapped. Not even 12 hours on my mission and I’m already fed up with this guy. He may be hot , but damn he is an asshole. I thought Captain America was supposed to be a nice ray of sunshine, not a snappy arrogant son of a bitch.
Back in New York I justified his actions by thinking it must have been the stress and the mission itself. I know it was the first one ever since he got out of the ice.
But his behavior remaining the same towards me just doesn’t make any sense now. He gets along with Nat, they seem like they are pretty good friends, so I don’t see what his problem could be with me . I’m not that young either. Nat is only 2 years older than me , and I have been an agent for years, it’s not like I’m an inexperienced newbie. Maybe he thinks I had something to do with Phase 2….I don’t know, I don’t even know why am I consuming myself with these things right now.
Lost in my thoughts I didn’t even realize that I arrived in the garage, and I was standing in front of my car. As I reached for my keys I felt a presence behind me, so I grabbed my gun instead, turning around, holding it up in front of me .
“Nat , what the hell?” I asked as I saw my redheaded friend smiling at me with a protein bar in her hand.
“You got good reflexes. Although they didn’t seem to work with Steve” , she said smirking, raising one of her eyebrows. I put my gun back in my holster and grabbed my keys.
“Drop it Romanoff. It’s not what you think. He hates me.” I said unlocking my car. I know what she was thinking. She is trying to make me go out and start a new life, and accept that Tom is gone. Her perfect candidate would be none other than Captain Douchebag.
“Come on Harrison, you are reading things wrong. Steve is the definition of a nice guy. There is no way in hell he hates you. Have you met yourself? “ She asked, taking another bite from her protein bar, smiling.
“Nat please...I really don’t have the energy for this conversation right now.” I told her letting out a sigh. Her eyes scanned my face before she gave me a small smile and a nod.
“Fine, this isn’t why I was looking for you anyways.” she started walking to the passenger side of my car.” Come on, we have to talk , somewhere private. “
With that she got into my car followed by me . I gave her a questioning look, but she just told me to drive. I did as told and pulled out of the garage , heading towards the city.
“Ok, can we talk now?” I asked, turning my head in her direction for a split second.
“Lets’ go to my place , it’s more private.” she said putting the coordinates into my car's GPS.
I gave her a nod and drove in silence until we finally reached Pennsylvania Avenue. She had a really nice apartment, I loved spending time at her place whenever we got the chance.
“What is on that drive Amelia? “ She asked me as soon as we entered her apartment.
“I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. 's files and some algorithms. It also had names, our names there but I didn’t have enough time to figure out why. What is Project Insight Nat??” She let out a sigh looking at me . I know what’s coming…
“You know I can’t tell you…”
“Oh stop with that crap already. Nat I’ve almost got killed because of this shit. I almost jeopardized the Lemurian Star mission because of this Project. You owe me this. “ I said, raising my voice a little. I was fed up with all the secrets and lies Fury had for me .
“Fury is going to kill me. S.H.I.E.L.D. has 3 next-generation helicarriers that are synced to a network of targeting satellites. “ she started pulling out her phone.
“Launched from the Lemurian Star...That’s why it was hijacked. “ I blurted out , slowly putting the pieces together. Nick knew something was wrong with this whole thing , that’s why he needed me to save all those files.
“Exactly. The carriers have some new long range precision guns that can eliminate over a thousand hostiles a minute.” She continued showing me a picture of one of the carriers.
“Hamid , the engineer said he heard 2 men talking about this project , they said it would kill millions. Nat if this Project gets into the wrong hands a lot of people will die. Nat our names were listed in those files, along with a bunch of others. “ I was starting to panic. “ I have to talk to Nick, I need to . He can’t just put these up in the air.
“Look, I’m sure Nick knows what he is doing..” She told me, getting up from her seat. She walked over to her mini bar and poured us both a glass of wine. “Here, I have a feeling you need it.” She handed me the glass, earning a smile from me . I do need it.
“Thanks Nat.” I told her, bringing the red liquid up to my mouth , taking a sip.
“Look, I promise I’ll talk to Coulson and even Nick tomorrow, but for now, let's just relax for a bit. So, let’s change the subject. How are you dealing with everything? “ ,and there it was, the question I thought I would be able to avoid. How was I doing? If I am being honest I don’t even know. I still felt the loss of Tom, but given these past months I stayed in the hospital , then home, I finally had the time to let the grief consume me. I cried a lot, I missed him every second , but I slowly started to accept the fact that he is gone. It wasn’t easy, but I had to do it, I had to move on.
And let’s not forget about the whole Odessa situation and my encounter with The Winter Soldier. If the part of seeing him again and acknowledging the terrifying fact of him being indeed very alive wasn’t enough, I had to also deal with the sad reality of nobody believing me . They were saying that it must have been Tyson , and given the shocked state I was in I just imagined him as the man that murdered my parents.
“Pretty great as you can see.” I finally said, rolling my eyes. Sarcasm was my greatest defense.
“Harrison!” she warned, making me let out a sigh. I am not getting out of this conversation this easy.
“I’m fine I guess. Thinking about Tom isn’t that painful anymore , and I’m slowly starting to accept the fact that he is gone. Work helps, it gets my mind off of things I shouldn’t be thinking about , like-”
“The Winter Soldier.” She finished my sentence. I gave her a questioning look.
“Agent Morris asked me why I was searching him up in our database. He found it weird. “ Shit.
“Nat I’m sorry, I didn’t want to cause any trouble, I just...I know what I saw.” I used her ID about a week ago to access some old files S.H.I.E.L.D. had on the guy, and let me tell you, I was shocked. He didn’t just kill my parents, but he was the one that killed Maria and Howard Stark as well.
“It’s fine, but be honest with me , do you really think it was him?” She asked, her voice soft.
“I know what I saw, Nat. I swear it was him. I wasn’t hallucinating.”
We spent the night talking and drinking , having some quality time together. It was nice finally being able to talk to someone, I needed to get something off of my chest. We even talked about Steve. She told me a lot of things about him. Starting with the fact that he is a really nice guy once you get to know him.
I don’t know what , but something about him just keeps pulling me in. I keep scolding myself for even thinking about another man this soon, but I can’t help it.
I woke up in the middle of the night to my phone going absolutely crazy. As I opened my eyes and finally realized where I was I saw Nat’s phone lit up a couple of times , meaning that someone was trying to get a hold of both of us. I reached to grab my phone when I felt her start to move beside me, indicating that she was awake as well.
“Who the hell is blowing up your phone in the middle of the night? “ She asked, rubbing her eyes.
I didn’t answer , I just unlocked my phone and saw messages and missed calls from Maria Hill and my grandfather. As I scrolled through them , my heart stopped. It can’t be. It has to be a nightmare...Yes it is definitely a nightmare.
The Director has been shot. Critical condition. H.U. Hospital. -the message from Hill read.
“Hey what-”Nat started but she stopped as soon as I turned the screen in her direction.” We have to go, come on.” she got up from the bed, grabbing my arm , yanking me up as well. Panic and fear were clouding my mind, and I was praying for all of this to be a bad dream.
I don’t even know how we made it to the hospital. Nat was driving like crazy and my mind simply just shut itself down, making me feel like I was trapped in a fever dream.
As soon as the car stopped I got out of it and ran through the doors until I finally spotted Rumlow and the rest of the STRIKE team standing outside a room. They didn’t even have time to stop me, I just rushed inside being greeted by Hill and Steve standing in front of a window , Nick laying on a bed on the other side, surrounded by medics. I felt a hand on the small of my back as I watched him , tears filling my eyes. He can’t leave me. He can’t.
“Is he gonna make it?” Nat's voice filled my ears, realizing it must have been her giving me the comforting touch.
“I don’t know.” Steve replied, his voice gentle. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting my tears fall as I prayed in silence.
“Tell me about the shooter.” Nat pleaded, making him let out a sigh.
“He is fast. Strong.” he said leaning closer to the window. “Had a metal arm.” I felt Nat’s hand leave my back , then she took a step back. I turned my head towards her , but she just shook her head and gave me a pleading look.
Now I was convinced it was him.
“Ballistics?” Nat asked Hill when she took a few steps towards us.
“Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable.” Maria told us , making me let out a gasp.
“Soviet Made.” I whispered more to myself. the exact same type I was shot with back in Odessa.
“Yeah” she said , her voice followed by a loud beeping sound coming from the room in front of us. Everybody in the room started to move around Nick , and when I finally realized what was happening I completely broke down. He was dying.
“He is in V-tach.” one of the doctors said .
“Crash cart coming in.” a female voice followed. I couldn’t take this. I watched as they put the defibrillator on his chest , charging and repeating.
“No! Nick please , don’t , please!!” I screamed banging on the window in front of me . I was completely erratic, I wasn't thinking straight. All I was feeling was pain and fear.
“Don’t do this to me Nick, don’t do this to me.” I heard Nat’s faint voice mumble beside me , confirming my suspicions. He wasn’t gonna make it.
Tears were streaming down my face blurring my vision. I felt a pair of hands wrap around my body, yanking me away from the window that I was probably going to break if I continued banging on it.
I tried to free myself from the grip, but the person holding me was too strong, and too determined to keep me there. The beeping sound didn’t stop , but as I moved my gaze back at the window, I saw everyone in the room standing still, while one of the doctors asked for the time.
I felt my heart shatter into millions of pieces and my body went numb. Nick was dead.
“Shh..I’m sorry Amelia.” I heard a voice whisper behind me , and just then I realized that the person holding me this whole time was none other than Steve. I let my tears fall and I gripped his arms with both of my hands , letting the pain consume me .
Nick was like a father to me. Ever since I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. he took me in and took care of me. With my grandfather not being around as much , the only person I could go to if I ever had a problem was him, and he was always happy to help.
Once I managed to calm myself down , I made a final try on getting out of Steve’s grip, and this time it was successful. He slowly loosened his grip, allowing me to take a few steps away from him. Nat and Maria were long gone , they must have been in the other room where they took Nick’s lifeless body.
“I am sorry for your loss.” He spoke again, clearing his throat.
“Thank you Captain, and I am sorry for my behavior from earlier. It was unprofessional.” I told him , realizing I just let myself fall apart in front of his eyes.
“Don’t apologize for that. I know how much he meant to you, and how much you meant to him. “ He said, taking a step towards me . I nodded , turning around, wiping the remaining tears off my face. My eyes landed on the door, and I made my way towards it, exiting the room we were in , finding myself in the hallway, surrounded by medical staff and STRIKE.
“Cap, Agent Harrison, you are both expected back at SHIELD.” Rumlow spoke up, making me nod.
“Amelia-”Steve started but I cut him off.
“Why was Fury in your apartment?” I asked, turning around , anger taking over me . I remember one of the messages Maria sent me , saying that Nick was shot in Steve's apartment.
“I don’t know.” he told me , looking me straight in the eyes.
“Guys, they want you now.” Rumlow said again, his voice demanding.
“Alright, give us a second.” Steve said, raising his voice a little.
“ You are a terrible liar.” I told him before turning around and starting to walk away.
“Agent!” Rumlow shouted after me , making me roll my eyes.
“I can get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. on my own.” I said before taking a turn on the corner. As soon as I did I stopped in my tracks and tried to look back without being seen.
When Maria was telling me about the bullets I remember for a small second seeing what seemed to be the thumb drive Nick gave me to copy S.H.I.E.L.D. intel on, in Steve's hands, and I had to be sure.
I saw him look around , and when he saw a vending machine being restocked on his right , he moved his hands to his pocket and took out a silver item. Just as I taught. He put the drive behind something in the machine , then gave the man restocking a , what seemed to be a 20 dollar bill. He just gave him a nod in return and closed up the machine, both of them walking away.
I assume Nat left with Hill, which means , my car was probably parked in front of the hospital, where I left it.
When I was 100% sure that everybody left, I made my way over to the vending machine, proudly smiling as I saw the drive, sitting behind 3 packs of gum. It must be something important if Nick risked his life by giving it to Steve.
I slid a 5 dollar bill into the machine, selecting the code for the gum, watching as all 3 packets and my thumb drive fell down in the small compartment at the bottom. I reached my hand inside grabbing my items , showing them into my pocket.
Once I closed the door to my room I made my way towards my closet looking for some clothes to change into. I was still wearing my uniform, and it was getting really uncomfortable. Nat let me borrow a pair of shorts and a shirt while I was at her place yesterday, but I changed back when we left for the hospital.
I grabbed a pair of black jeans and a white tank top. I also reached for a grey hoodie and my black leather jacket.
After that I slipped out of my uniform and got dressed, then put on my black boots. I made my way into the bathroom, and I almost screamed when I looked in the mirror. Jeez, I was a mess. My hair was messy and tangled, my eyes were red and puffy , and traces of dried mascara were creasing my cheeks. Once again, I was back where I started. When I thought I was finally moving forward and getting better, Nick decided to leave me.
I took my waist holster out of my nightstand drawer and put it on, along with my gun, pulling my hoodie over it. I had to go back to Triskelion and find answers. I took the thumb-drive sliding into my pocket and left my room. I was walking down the hall, towards the front door when my phone started to buzz, a new alert from S.H.I.E.L.D. popping up on the screen.
Level One. Contact DOT.
Wanted : Captain Steve Rogers . Fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D. Captain Rogers has information regarding the death of Director Nick Fury. All agents are expected to report back to base immediately.
They can’t be serious.
As soon as I saw the message I called Nat , rushing to my car.
“Is this for real?” I asked as soon as she answered.
“Seems like it is. Look , it’s not safe to talk , go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. and don’t do anything stupid. I have to go.” With that , the line went dead. Great .
Once I got into my car , my phone started to buzz again, my grandfather's name popping up on the screen. Shit.
“Hey, what’s up?” I answered the call.
“I wanted to see how you are feeling. Rumlow told me what happened at the hospital. I am just as devastated as you are . “ he said, making me roll my eyes. I know him and Nick were close, but I wasn’t buying this bullshit.
“I just need time to process everything. What's up with the manhunt for Captain America ?”
“Yes, this is the other reason I’m calling you. I want you to stay home and rest for a few days. Stay out of this mess. I have strong reasons to believe Captain Rogers is holding back valuable information about Nick’s death. We just want to find him and question him again. Nothing serious. `` he said, trying to sound as believable as he could. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but he has given me various reasons over the years to have my doubts when it comes to things like this.
“As much as I don’t like the guy , I think you are reading this wrong. Anyway I wasn’t going to be a part of this shitshow anyway. I am going to New York for a couple weeks.” I lied starting up my car. Of course I wasn’t going to stay out of this, I need to find the guy that killed Nick.
“Be safe darling. Let me know when you get there. I will alert Agent Coulson of your arrival. “he said , letting me know that he completely believed me .Great.
After saying goodbye to him , I took my phone and threw it out the window, pulling the back up cell out of my glove box , making sure they wouldn't be able to track me down. At least not using my phone.
I know exactly where I have to go to find answers, and I have a feeling I have a good chance of finding our fugitive as well.
I pulled up in front of the hospital, pulling my hood up, trying to be as unrecognizable as I could , given the circumstances. As I suspected , I saw a tall frame , also with a hoodie on , standing in front of the vending machine I “robed” earlier.
I stopped right behind him, my reflection visible on the glass covering the snacks in the machine.
His eyes immediately filled with anger when they met mine, and he turned around, grabbed both of my arms and pushed me backwards into what I assume was an empty salon, slamming me against the nearest wall. Ouch. His hands were harsh on my arms and his eyes , well, I’m pretty sure he wanted to kill me at this point.
He released one of my arms just for a split second to pull down his hood, before gripping it again.
“Where is it?” he growled , making me frown.
“Safe.” I simply replied , angering him more.
“Do better!” he half yelled in my face , pulling me away then slamming me back against the wall. This fucking hurts!
“Where did you get it?” I asked, struggling to get out of his grip.
“Why would I tell you?” He spat, leaning closer to my face. Ok, I know this is the worst timing , but he is kind of hot when he is angry.
“Fury gave it to you . Why?” I asked , lowering my eyes to his lips. I couldn’t stop myself from doing it.
“What’s on it?” he asked , his eyes never leaving mine.
“I don’t know.” I replied, being completely honest. I had no idea what was on it. All I know is that it’s connected to Project Insight.
“Stop lying!” he grabbed my arms harder , this time making me let out a gasp.
“Do you really think I would have come back here if I knew what was on it? I am supposed to arrest you right now, yet here I am , letting you slam me against walls like I’m a fucking ragdoll.” I spat at him . His grip instantly got looser on my arms , his features softening.
“I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates , didn’t you?” he did ? I didn’t know that, but it actually makes a lot of sense.
“It makes sense, the ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you “ I said, making him let out a low growl. So he is not pleased with my answer.
“I’m not gonna ask again” he warned, grabbing me with way more force this time, taking a step towards me , closing the space between us, pinning me against the wall.
“I know who killed Fury.” I blurted out, immediately giving myself a mental facepalm. No you don’t know you idiot!! You think you do, there is a difference.
“What?” he asked, making me swallow the lump in my throat. Alright Amelia, make him believe it.
“Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe he exists. Those who do, call him the Winter Soldier.” his eyes were curiously searching mine, and his grip on my arms loosened once again. “He is credited with over two dosen assassinations in the last 50 years.”
“So he is a ghost story.” Great, he doesn't believe me either. Plan B it is.
“Two months ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. I lost control of the car , resulting in a crash. I managed to pull us out before the car rolled over, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering the engineer , so he shot him, right through me.” I said lifting up my hoodie and shirt , showing him the now almost completely healed scar covering a small part of my lower abdomen. “Soviet slog, no rifling, bye bye bikinis.” I added with a smirk, trying to make him laugh a little. The atmosphere was kind of tense between us, you know.
His eyes were scanning the scar and the uncovered skin around it, making me feel a little uncomfortable, so I pulled the fabric down, making him lift his gaze back to my face.
“Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now.” he told me with a smirk before taking a step back , allowing me to finally move.
“Going after him is a dead end...I know I’ve tried.” I said while reaching into my pocket and pulling out the drive. I lifted it, allowing him to take it, which he gladly did.
“Let’s find out what the ghost wants then.” He said, turning around, pulling his hood back on.
We left the hospital, getting into my car.
“Was that the mission you and Nat were talking about on the Jet?” he asked as I started the car.
“Yeah.” I simply replied , focusing on the road.
“Why are you helping me ? “ he asked, making me roll my eyes.
“Don’t flatter yourself Cap, I’m only helping to find out what happened with Nick and find that bastard who shot him and my...Doesn’t matter.” Do you even know when to shut up Amelia?
He opened his mouth to say something but chose to stay silent instead , which I was grateful for.
We had to focus on the mission, if we can even call it that. I needed a computer to read the files on the drive, and I couldn’t actually use mine. We had to lay low and still be able to get our hands on...The Apple Store. God I’m a genius.
Once we got to the nearest mall I stopped the car and opened my glovebox. I pulled out a pair of fake glasses and handed them to Steve. they weren’t fake, they were blue light glasses, you know , for protecting my eyes and shit.
“ I don’t need glasses,” he said, pushing them back.
“Put them on Rogers, the whole fucking world knows what do you look like, that hood is not going to fool anyone. Let’s hope the glasses will help. “ I told him, putting them on his face. He looked kind of cute. It brought out his blue orbs even more.
“Stop starring, i feel stupid.” he said making me smile. Captain America being insecure about his looks is just adorable.
I giggled and got out of the car, followed by him. We made our way into the mall , heading towards the Apple Store.
“First rule of going on the run is don’t run, walk. “ I scolded him. He was walking too fast and turning around every second, checking if we were followed.
“If I run in these shoes, they are going to fall off.” he said, slowing his pace.
“Then why wear them. You looked better with the boots.” I winked at him.
Just like that we arrived at our destination and stopped in front of a computer. Steve gave me the drive, looking around one last time.
“Alright , the drive has a Level Six homing program , lucky me . So as soon as we boot up S.H.I.E.L.D. will know exactly where we are.” I told him.
“How much time will we have?” he asked, looking around.
“About nine minutes from now.” I said and plugged the drive into the computer, the firewall popping up on the screen. Ok, this should be easy, I used to develop these defence programs back when I was doing office work.” Oh boy, somebody is definitely trying to hide something. this drive is protected by some kind of A.I.” I said after I realized that this was way different than the programs we used to make. “It keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands.”
“Can you override it?” he asked, lowering his head, letting it rest on my shoulder.
“I definitely can, but I’m not sure if 9 minutes will be enough.” I said as I was trying my best to break through the firewall. “ I think I have a better idea,” I exclaimed. “I’m going to try running a tracer. This is a program that S.H.I.E.L.D. developed track hostile malware, so if we can’t read the file , maybe we can find out where it came from. “ I explained to him.
“Well, do it fast, we are running out of time here.” He said looking around.
“Do you ever just relax?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Not when I’m hiding from the world's biggest intelligence organization I don’t.” he scoffed , making me roll my eyes again. I understand he is old and all , but being nice isn’t that hard. Especially to someone who is betraying her friends and family to save your ass.
New Jersey, Wheaton.
Popped up on the map making us both look down.
“Got it.” I told him , a smile playing on my lips. He had a frown on his face , his eyes scanning the screen curiously. ”You know it? “ I asked.
“I used to.” he admitted, yanking the drive from the computer, then grabbing my arm dragging me out of the store.
“You have to stop doing that.” I told him yanking my arm out of his grip.
“Shut up. See? Standard Tac team, two behind, two across.” he said as we walked towards the exit. I lowered my head, trying to be unrecognizable.
“Steve, there are two coming straight at us.” I told him as we approached the familiar members of the STRIKE team I was once a part of.
“Alright. If they make us, I’ll engage , you hit the south escalator to the metro.” Oh God. This guy was not made for this kind of stuff.
“Shut up and put your hand around my neck. Pretend to laugh at something I said.” I told him, burying half of my face into his chest. He did as told, putting his arm around me , lowering his head then letting out a fake but adorable laugh followed by me doing the same. The two STRIKE members walked by , without recognizing us.
We walked towards the escalator he talked about a few seconds ago, only to see Rumlow approaching us on the other side. He hasn’t noticed us yet, but I doubt he’d miss us once he’d get closer.
I took a deep breath, then turned around to face Steve who was standing behind me . As much as I would like to have another idea right now, I don’t , so this will have to do.
“Rumlow on our right.” I said, making him look down at me .” Kiss me.” I blurted out , pulling my bottom lip between my teeth soon after.
“What?” Oh come on Rogers , why can’t you just do it?
“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” I tried to explain the reason why I’m asking him to do so.
“Yeah, they do.” he told me , giving me a confused look. Oh for fuck’s sake Steve, why do I have to make the first move?
Without hesitation I reached up , grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him down. The moment our lips touched I felt a wave of heat travel through my body, and I felt my knees go weak. His lips were so soft and sweet with a slight hint of mint on them , making me go crazy. I didn’t dare to move, neither did he , so we stood like that, with our lips connected, not moving a muscle. His hands were slightly touching my waist, mine keeping their grip on his jacket. After I made sure we passed Rumlow, I took a step back, pulling my lips away from his. He cleared his throat and gave a few apologetic looks to the people surrounding us on the escalator. His cheeks were a slight shade of pink , and by the way he was acting, I’m pretty sure he felt even more uncomfortable now.
I turned around , as we reached the floor , starting to walk.
“Still uncomfortable? “ I asked when I felt his presence behind me .
“Not exactly the word I would use. “ he murmured , picking up his pace .”Let’s go, we can’t take your car, they could track us down.”
“We can’t really walk all the way to Jersey.” I told him ,annoyed. He gave a warning glare before taking a turn towards the garage.
“Do you have a car parked in here for emergencies?” I asked ,making him let out a frustrated sigh.
“Do you ever just shut up?” He snapped, making me roll my eyes. Did I anger him more by kissing him? Is he seeing somebody?
“Only when I feel like it.” I wasn’t going to let him boss me around and make me feel like shit again. Why does he have to be so handsome and fucking annoying at the same time?
“You better start feeling like it very soon, you are getting on my nerves.” Before I could have said anything to defend myself, we stopped . We were in the garage, surrounded by cars, and security cameras. He pulled his hood over his head, gesturing for me to do the same, which I did. He then walked towards a blue truck, Toyota if I remember the brand correctly. I stopped beside him, waiting for his next move.
“Watch my back. If anybody enters the garage , you tell me. “ I did as told, looking around for any living soul. A minute or two might have passed , then I heard the car behind me start up. Steve was now sitting in the driver's seat, gesturing to me to get in. Once again I did as told, obeying him and doing exactly what he said , without even realizing it. Our first stop was at the VA, Steve said he needed to get something from one of his friends. I didn’t question him , I just sat there and waited. After a few minutes he returned holding his shield. I was really wondering where he put it. Once the shield was in the trunk, we hit the road again.
We were driving for about 2 hours now completely in silence. I was going to go mad if I had to endure this fucking tension that settled between us in the car.
The whole drive I was looking out the window, thinking about everything that happened these past few days. My life has turned upside down once again , and I was still adjusting to this new way of living. Without Tom I felt like I was left alone in this world.
II caught Steve looking in my direction a few times, but every time we made eye contact he just glanced back at the road.
“Can I ask you something?” I blurted out , looking at him. “ But you don’t have to answer, I feel like if you don’t answer though , you are kind of giving me an answer.”
“What?” he asked, annoyed already.
“Why did you freeze when I kissed you? Was that your first kiss since you got out of the ice? “ I don’t know why I asked him such a thing, but something in me wanted to know if he was taken by surprise, or simply not interested in me.
“Really Harrison? You don’t have anything else to think about? “ he asked , a small faint smirk playing on his lips.
“What? I feel stupid that I ruined your first kiss since 1945.” I said, giving him an innocent smile.
“It wasn’t my first kiss since 1945. I’m 95 , not dead.”
“ So you do have someone special.” I said, making him look at me again.
“And how did you get to this conclusion Amelia?” My name rolled off of his tongue so effortlessly, it made my knees go weak.
“Well , you know, you don’t seem like the guy that sleeps around.” I felt my cheeks heat up, indicating their change of color. Steve was just smirking , still focusing on the road.
“Is that so? Well, I am a man , and I do have my needs.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned my head towards the window again. He just lets out a deep chuckle ,and kept his focus on the road. Now I just felt stupid. I can’t believe I asked him about his sexual habits. What the hell Amelia?
I kept looking out the window , trying to clear my mind for a little bit.
“I think we are here.” Steve’s voice filled the car. He parked near a wire fence, stopping the car.
“This is the camp you were trained at, right?” I asked, walking closer to the fence. There were wooden huts and training fields all around. He made his way over to the trunk, getting out his shield, then without any effort he made a hole in the wires, allowing us to walk in.
“Yeah…” he said but I could tell his mind was far away. I was wondering what he was thinking about.
“What are we even looking for? Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off.” I started looking around. I took out my phone , trying to search for heat signals at least.
I heard Steve stop in his tracks and turn towards what seemed like a bunker.
“What is it?” I was confused.
He started walking towards it, me following closely behind.
“Army regulations forbid storing units within 500 yards off the barracks.” he said as we reached the door. “This building is in the wrong place.” With that being said, he took his shield and shattered the lock , opening the doors. Once open, we walked in , being welcomed by a set of stairs. We walked down, getting into an office area. Turning on the light I saw the all familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the wall.
“This is S.H.I.E.L.D. “ I said walking closer.
“Maybe where it started.” Steve said , looking around.
We walked in one of the doors , getting into a hallway that seemed more like a storage room due to the amount of shelves filling it.
I started walking when I noticed Steve standing still in front of a wall that had 3 photos hanging from it. I immediately recognized the people on them , all 3 being founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy Crater, Howard Stark and Colonel Chester Phillips. I was sure Steve knew all 3, given the fact that he was indeed alive as they worked for the SSR, another Secret organization that was formed during WW2 to fight Hydra.
Steve seemed lost in his thoughts as his eyes scanned the picture that showed Peggy. I knew they had history, I remember Nat telling me about it when we found out he was alive in the ice.
With a final look he tore his blue orbs away from the wall and started walking into the hallway, ignoring my presence.
As we were looking around, I felt a small breeze crease my cheeks, making me raise a brow.
“I think there might be something here.” I spoke up, making him finally look at me . He came closer scanning the shelf , probably searching for a way to move it.
“If you are already working in a secret office..” he started speaking, grabbing one edge of the shelf and pushing it to one side .” Why do you need to hide the elevator?” He finished standing in front of what seemed like he said , an elevator.
I walked closer , trying to figure out a way to start it up. There was a control panel , with numbers , so I got an idea. I remember Sitwell telling me that all the codes to the elevators at S.H.I.E.L.D are the same, no matter the location, so I figured I would try it. Of course I wasn’t supposed to know said code, but I'm nosey and I might have peeked once or twice when Nick used it. I pushed the buttons 8539 and just like that the doors opened.
“How did you know that?” he asked, giving me a suspicious look.
“I tend to be nosey.” I shrugged while walking into the elevator. “You coming captain?” he just gave me an annoyed look and stepped in. As soon as he did, the doors closed, and we started to move.
“You know, if you want to talk about her, I’m here to listen.” I told him.
“I’d rather not.” he said, his eyes fixated on the doors. Alright, I won’t push it I guess.