Chapter 29
Steve slumped into the elevator, directing Jarvis to take him up to the common floor. He had been out for the past hour looking for Celia. He went to her apartment, hoping she would be there, but she wasn’t. Everything looked the exact way she had left it. Steve snooped a bit, even though it made him feel gross and intrusive. But he was desperate to find any clue to where she could’ve gone.
There was nothing personal around the apartment at all and he almost gave up when he stumbled upon a hidden compartment in the wall next to her bed. You wouldn’t have noticed unless you were looking for it, but there was an extra crack in the baseboards that shouldn’t have been there. He pried the piece of wood away from its spot and found a bag hidden inside. It was a go bag. There were a few articles of clothing, some money, a fake ID, and a cell phone. He thought about putting everything back where he found it, but instead brought it back with him to the tower. Steve wasn’t sure what it would help, but anything was better than nothing.
The elevator doors opened and he slowly trudged onto the floor. Steve hadn’t talked to anyone since he left Bruce in the gym, but he was sure everyone knew what was going on at this point. He really didn’t want to hear Tony gloat about being right all along, but he needed the man’s help if he was going to be able to track Celia down. He still didn’t want to believe she would just take off, especially after telling him to his face that she was coming back.
But if she had run off, did he want to force her back? If leaving was what she really wanted? Steve could understand Celia not wanting to stick around after the meeting with Fury. She probably figured it was better for everyone if she hid away quietly for the rest of her life. But Steve didn’t want that for her. He didn’t want her to be forced into that life if she didn’t want it. He would have to convince Tony to find her, then promise to let her go again if that’s what she wanted. Steve just needed Celia to tell him to his face that’s what she wanted.
“Why the long face, Cap?” Tony asked, breezing past where he was standing to move further into the room. Steve rolled his eyes, following Tony to the couches. “Where’s your girl? Oh, that’s right, she didn’t come back. Now who could’ve seen that coming?” Steve bit his tongue, knowing it would be easier to get the other man’s help if he didn’t try to argue.
“Yeah Tony,” Steve sighed, sinking down into the couch cushions. He set Celia’s bags on the table in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Will you help me find her?” Tony huffed out an annoyed laugh, shaking his head.
“I seem to recall the last time I tracked this girl, I was the villain. And now you want me to do it?”
“It’s different this time.”
“How?”
“She told me to my face that she was coming back. I just need to make sure she’s okay.”
“What makes you think she didn’t tell you exactly what you needed to hear so you would let her go?”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Steve argued, raking a frustrated hand through his hair.
“I wouldn’t blame her if she did,” Tony said quietly, sitting down across from him. “Sometimes I think back to when Fury first approached me, thinking about how much easier my life would be if I told him to screw off and stuck with that decision. I’d sure save Pepper a few gray hairs.”
“I never expected to hear this from you,” Steve said, surprised to have Tony relating to Celia at all. “You were ready to sic Shield on her from the start.”
“I still think it would’ve saved a lot of trouble, but I can understand where she’s coming from. Not everyone is cut out for this life.”
Steve could agree with him there. Even he felt like he wasn’t cut out for all this sometimes. He barely had any formal military training before he got the serum and then after saving all those troops the first time, he was thrust into the chaos of war. Steve had to learn as he went along and trust his instincts, listening to his team for their advice when necessary. He wasn’t the type to bark orders and not accept any input. He trusted that different people had different strengths and could provide helpful strategy. Steve could see a strength in Celia too. It took a special type of person to do what she did.
His phone beeped and he dug it out of his pocket. Steve didn’t know who would be texting him right now, since the only people who did were in the tower. They could just use Jarvis to send any messages. He unlocked the phone and quirked an eyebrow as he read the text.
“Ax?”
“Are we really talking about body spray again?” Tony asked, scoffing. “I’ll have Jarvis order you a can.”
Steve leapt out of his seat, staring at the small screen. The number wasn’t one he recognized, but when Tony said those words, everything started falling into place.
“Jarvis, call everyone up here now!” Steve yelled, walking over to Tony and thrusting the phone in his face.
“What the hell, Cap!” Tony yelped, backing away from his hand. Steve just held it there, waiting for Tony to read the word. “Ax? Who sent you that?”
“It was Celia!”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Who else would send this?”
“Maybe it was a wrong number?”
“Oh come on Tony!”
“It’s not even spelled like the spray.”
“What if she didn’t have a chance? What if this is all she had time to send? All she needed was this and we know exactly who took her!” Steve exclaimed, relief and fear hitting him all at once. He was glad Celia hadn’t taken off on her own, but that was severely overshadowed by the fact that she was taken against her will.
“Who took who?” Bruce asked, stepping into the room with Clint and Natasha.
“Miller has Celia,” Steve hissed, handing Bruce his phone. They all huddled around it, staring at the short text.
“Miller? The agent you guys were talking about yesterday?” Bruce questioned, looking back and forth between him and the phone.
“And you got all that from this text?” Clint wondered.
“Think about it. If Celia was picked up by Shield and she only had time to send a two letter text, what else could she have possibly sent that would be this clear?” Steve asked, looking around the room for support.
“Makes sense,” Natasha agreed. “Can’t hurt to look into it.” Steve shot her a grateful smile, glad to have someone on his side.
“Jarvis, can you trace where the text came from?” Tony commanded, walking over to stand with the group.
“The phone no longer seems to be in service, sir,” Jarvis answered. Steve shook his head in confusion, looking to Tony for an explanation.
“Someone must’ve destroyed the sim card,” Tony clarified, looking contemplative. That sealed it for Steve. He snatched his phone back from Bruce and angrily punched in a number. He was going to find out the truth.
“Where is she?” Steve demanded as soon as the other line picked up.
“Where is who Captain Rogers?” Fury asked gruffly.
“Celia!” Steve growled, anger rising by the second.
“When I left she was with you. Are you saying that’s not the case anymore?” Fury questioned, sounding a bit smug. Tony snatched the phone away from Steve’s hand and pressed a button to put the call on speaker.
“Did the agents you have outside my tower mention seeing anything suspicious?” Tony asked, a look of distaste flashing over his face at the mention of the unwanted surveillance.
“I called them off after I left the tower.”
“Was Miller one of them?” Steve probed.
“Why?”
“Just answer the question!” Steve snapped, quickly losing his last bit of patience. Bruce put a calming hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off, feeling the overwhelming urge to punch something.
“Yes, he was. Now will someone explain to me what the hell is going on?” Fury demanded.
“Steve thinks Miller has Celia, so if you could tell us where to find him, that would be great. Cap looks like he’s about to have an aneurism,” Tony explained, shifting away from him slightly. Steve couldn’t blame him, he felt like he was about to explode. If Shield had sanctioned this, he didn’t know what he’d do.
“And what proof do you have of this?” Fury scoffed.
“Nick,” Steve started low, letting every bit of venom drip into his voice, “if you ever want me to work with Shield again, you will tell me where to find Miller and that you had nothing to do with this.” Fury sighed, staying silent for a few moments. Steve bit his tongue, giving the man a chance to answer before flying off the handle.
“Miller’s taken a liking to a particular Shield black site, code name Baker. If he was to go somewhere to be off the grid, that’s where he’d go.”
“We know it,” Natasha confirmed, nodding to Clint.
“Meet us there,” Steve said, ending the call before Fury could respond. He looked around to the team, looks of varying determination on their faces, but all ready to go. “Suit up.”