Author's Note: Welcome to Agent Tolvar! This set of shorts takes place between my stories A Game of Enemies and A Game of Winter. I will be working with a plot that will weave throughout this story but also will be adding in shorts such as when Steve and Aspen first meet from his point of view and backstories from Aspen's life. It'll be a slower project that I fill in over time. If you haven't yet read my other Avengers stories, please check out A Game of Trust, the first in my series. :)

Please enjoy!

Moving In

July 20, 2012

There was nothing like moving to make you realize just how little you had Aspen realized as she stood studying the sparse apartment. She'd nearly emptied all the boxes they'd packed (five to be exact) and the furniture had arrived the day before. Most of the boxes had been filled with Steve's ever-expanding collection of books which now took up several shelves around the apartment. There were piles on the floor too that hadn't yet found a home. It was a new start, and she felt it rushing through her lungs. This was what she had needed. New York had begun to feel stifling and it held too many memories, some good but some bad. They'd be reporting to the Triskellion Headquarters which was basically SHIELD's main headquarters. She'd seen the building, and it was incredible. She'd been given Level 6 clearance for SHIELD which was a big jump for her. She felt the confidence that came with it too. The one thing she missed was Clint. He hadn't been reassigned to DC, and she wouldn't be working many missions with him if any. He'd assured her that it was time for her to leave the nest.

Arms slid around Aspen's waist, holding her gently. She set her head back against Steve's muscular chest, looking up at him with a smile. He smiled back down at her, blue eyes bright. He was eager for a new start too. He'd even surprised her by getting his hair cut to look more modern. Secretly she missed the old-fashioned style, but she had to admit that he looked good this way too.

"What do you think?" he asked her. "Is it home yet?"

She twisted around in his arms so that she was facing him. "I'm not sure how much time we'll get to spend here, but as long as you're here, it feels like home." She linked her hands around the back of his neck. His hands rested gently on her waist.

"What do you say we go explore a little? We've been unpacking all morning," Steve suggested.

"Hmm, I'm kind of enjoying the view right now."

He gave her a smile, half bashful, half gratified. She knew the effect she was having on him right now, and it pleased her. She leaned up and kissed him lightly, waiting for him to make the next move. In the last few months, they'd grown much more comfortable with each other. Aspen wasn't so worried about making him uncomfortable anymore, and Steve seemed less shy about showing affection for her. In response to her kiss, Steve kissed her back, pressing her closer to him. Aspen completely forgot about the new apartment and Washington DC for a few minutes until Steve gently pulled away.

"They have an exhibit for the Howling Commandos here in the Smithsonian," he said, eyes bright. "I'd like to see it."

"Wait, you interrupted that to tell me about a museum?" He lifted an eyebrow. "I'm joking, I'd love to see it too." She slipped her hand in his, and they went downstairs to the garage where they parked Aspen's car and Steve's motorcycle. They opted for the motorcycle. The wind tore at Aspen's hair, but she didn't mind. She just felt free, arms wrapped tightly around Steve's waist, speeding by traffic. She thought at first she might feel stifled by all the people in DC, but as an agent of SHIELD she felt like she was in her own little society, a protector of the city even though nobody knew it. With Steve she felt like it didn't matter the people around her or the bustle of the city. As long as he was in her life and she in his, it was like being in their own world where that was all that mattered.

The Smithsonian had its own Captain America exhibit which Aspen found both incredible and unbelievable. To her Steve was Steve. It was easy to forget that, to the rest of the world, he was a hero, a legend. Of course he was a hero to her too, but he was so much more than the stars and stripes and shield.

Steve had donned the Brooklyn cap Aspen had bought him, not wanting to be recognized. Hand-in-hand they walked past the banners with his face – she could tell he was a bit uncomfortable with this – and into the exhibit. The first thing she noticed were the mannequins dressed like Steve and the rest of the Howling Commandos with their enlarged pictures behind. Her eyes went straight to Bucky, and Steve's hand tensed in hers. Aspen had only seen a few pictures of Bucky and now she took the chance to really see what he looked like. He had dark hair, a little longer than Steve's had been, styled neatly but with a little bit of a roughish look to it. His face was stern in a way that told her war had changed him, but the blue in his eyes leant a softness to him. She wished she could have known him. He was a big part of Steve that she would never be able to experience, and she was sad for that. She knew how much Bucky's friendship meant to him even still after Bucky had died and Steve had found himself in the 21st century.

An audio recording described the Howling Commandos' quest against Hydra and Steve's transformation from the small boy from Brooklyn to the hero who would take the Valkyrie into the Arctic waters to save the world. Aspen had been to the Captain America exhibit in the museum Clint had taken her to, but this one was filled with interesting pictures and recordings. It was like taking a step back in time, and she was lucky enough to have Captain America himself at her side.

"Is it hard?" she asked when they stopped at the exhibit made especially for Bucky. "Looking at your past like this?"

"Like it's history? Yeah it is," he admitted. "But I don't want to ever forget."

"Of course not, and you won't. They'd be so glad that you made it out safe and alive, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish they were here to tell me themselves."

They spent another quarter hour wandering around the museum until Steve nodded toward the door. "Let's go get something to eat," he said.

They ended up in a little Italian Bistro across from the Lincoln Memorial, enjoying the summer sun. Aspen slid her sunglasses on her face and took a sip of her iced tea, looking around at the scenery. The buzzing of her phone interrupted her observations, and she looked down at the screen irritably. "It's Fury," she said to Steve, sliding her finger to answer. Steve gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Can't we have one day to sightsee?" Aspen asked without preamble.

"Relaxation's over. We need you and Rogers to come in."

"Right now?"

"Preferably ten minutes ago but right now will do. It concerns Wagner."

Aspen's interest was piqued at that. "We'll be right there," she told him before hanging up and turning to Steve. "They've got something on Wagner," she said.

"They tracked him?" he asked, putting some money on the table for their drinks.

"He didn't say." SHIELD had been keeping tabs on Wagner ever since his departure from headquarters, but so far Aspen was only aware that he'd been staying in a rundown hotel in New Jersey with no apparent outside contact. Now as Steve drove them to SHIELD headquarters, Aspen wondered if they were about to be sent on their first mission since arriving in DC. They'd hardly settled in, but she supposed that was irrelevant to Fury.

The Triskellion was on its own patch of land across a long causeway, standing as three tall sentinels over the water. Their ID cards gave them access, and they made their way to the elevator. Fury's office had floor to ceiling windows that gave them a view of the city like no other. Aspen took a moment to enjoy the view before turning her attention to Fury.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "Sorry to pull you away from your sightseeing." He gave Aspen a look that told him that whatever he had to tell them was much more important than seeing the city, but she appreciated his words nonetheless. "As you know we've been tracking Fabian Wagner since his departure from New York headquarters during Zemo's attack." He motioned for them to sit. "After he left Jersey he took a plane to Munich. We were on the verge of sending agents in to investigate when his tracking signal disappeared. There are three things that could have happened. One, he found the tracking device and removed it – unlikely, two, he went somewhere the signal couldn't be tracked – also unlikely, and three-"

"He's dead." Aspen said the words aloud though she hadn't meant to.

"And his body disposed of in a way that destroyed the tracking device," Fury finished.

"Whoever he was reporting to wouldn't be pleased that Zemo failed and that Wagner returned without him," Steve put in. "Have you looked into Munich?"

"That's why you two are here. I'm sending you in to find out what you can. See where the signal was coming from, investigate, and report back. I don't want to think this is a dead end, but it's looking that way. You'll be leaving in an hour. Pack for a few days, casual but make sure you're ready for danger. The place you're going to is a privately owned factory that's been out of use for years. Clearly there's more to it than meets the eye. You'll be going in alone so you don't attract attention. We don't know who we're dealing with so if you need backup, call it in. Don't take any unnecessary risks." He looked at Aspen when he said this. "We're sending you in alone, no extraction team. You'll be getting yourselves out."

"Yes, sir."

"Get intel, don't engage unless absolutely necessary, understood?" They nodded. "Good. Dismissed. There's a briefing on the building in your apartment. We also took the liberty of updating your suit," he said to Steve. "And your gear," he added to Aspen. "You'll find them there as well."

…

"Well, I guess we'll skip the new apartment celebration," Aspen said when they returned to their apartment. "And finish unpacking later." She eyed the piles of books up against the wall along with the unhung pictures.

"I guess so."

"Let's see this new suit of yours," Aspen said. It was laid out on the bed, a deep solid blue with the traditional star on the chest and the SHIELD eagle on one arm. The material was much stronger than his old suit. "Nice, I like it." Her new gear included a new utility belt with top of the line gear. She examined each piece intently, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Steve watched her with a smile.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him.

"You're like a child on Christmas," he told her. "It's cute."

She stuck her tongue out at him and put the gear back. They spent a few minutes in silence, packing clothes and gear. After they had finished with that, Steve spread out the blueprints of the factory out on the coffee table and they leaned over it taking in the structure. "It's pretty isolated. Ideal place for some sort of secret facility. Possibly underground."

"Do you think it's still active?" Aspen wondered aloud.

"Possibly. We'll need to be careful. We don't know what we're going into."

"We'll go in expecting the worst."

"Never hurts to be prepared." Aspen went into their bedroom and grabbed her gear.

"We check it out and then go back tonight with our gear," she called to him. "We'd better get back to the Triskellion or we're going to miss our jet."

Steve grabbed his bag, packing away his new suit and carefully sealing his shield in the canvas bag he sometimes transported it in when he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

The quinjet was waiting for them along with Fury. He silently handed them two earpieces. "Keep in touch with headquarters," he said. "I'll be checking in and monitoring your progress. Find out who Wagner was working for and see what's hidden inside this factory if anything. Your mission is finding facts. If we need to send a team in to take some people out, we will. We can question them although like Wagner, they probably won't talk."

"I'm not getting into anyone's head," Aspen said abruptly.

"I'm not asking you to," Fury told her, turning his eye on her. "Good luck."

"Thank you, sir."

They boarded the quinjet, taking seats next to each other. "Well," Aspen said as the jet took off, leaving DC behind, "it seems like we just got here, and now we're leaving again, but I suppose this is exactly what I should have expected."

"We wouldn't have signed up for this if we thought we were going to have time to relax," Steve agreed.

"That's okay," Aspen said firmly. "I chose this. And now we're going on our first real mission together. I'm not counting those crazy times we ran off and got ourselves into danger or that time Clint dragged us off on an unauthorized mission and almost got us killed." She frowned, missing Clint more than ever.

"You miss him."

"All the time," Aspen admitted.

"It's not like you'll never see him again," Steve assured her, squeezing her hand.

"I know, it just seems like it." Aspen didn't have a lot of people in her life to miss, but Clint was definitely one of them. She'd left her mom behind in New York to although the last she had heard, Ava had been thinking about moving to Arizona to live with her sister. She'd been tearful when Aspen had told her she was moving to Washington DC, but she'd given up trying to hold Aspen back. She'd already planned to spend Christmas with her mom wherever she was. For now that would have to be enough.

…

It didn't take long for Aspen's nerves to kick in once they'd landed in Munich. It was like she was back in training again working her first mission. She and Steve had been working on their fighting ever since they'd learned they were moving to DC. He had a definite talent for it and learned quickly, but she was slower at picking up on it. Speed and agility were on her side despite that, and she felt more confident that she would be able to defend herself if the situation called for it. Fury had informed them they would be starting training at the start of August and not just in combat. They would be learning foreign languages, how to crack codes and interpret encrypted information, and how to diffuse explosives. The list had gone on until Aspen's head was reeling and she was wondering if she had what it took to be an agent after all. She looked over at Steve, always the image of confidence. She knew he got nervous too sometimes, but right now he looked completely calm, face set in determination. As soon as the pilot gave them the all clear, they grabbed their bags and walked down the ramp and onto the airfield. A car was waiting for them with the keys in the ignition. Steve took the wheel, and Aspen put the address to the factory into the GPS system.

Steve found his way out into the city, and Aspen had to keep herself from pressing her face up against the window to stare at all the sights. "Have you ever been here?" she asked.

"Once during the war. The Nazis had a hold on the city, but with the help of the Howling Commandos and the Army we were able to free it. It looks a lot different now without all the destruction."

"For the first time since I've worked for SHIELD I actually feel like an agent," Aspen said.

"Does it have something to do with your new Level 6 badge?" Steve asked with a smile.

"Maybe, but it's more than that. At first I felt like I was continuing Artifact's work just supposedly for a better cause. Then all that personal stuff got in the way. This is an official mission though. We're a team. There is nothing involved with my past here – hopefully, nothing to do with Artifact or crazy people trying to steal my parents' work. Again hopefully."

"I'm just glad you have a chance to escape all that. How is your mom dealing with the move?"

"She finally realized she can't hold me back. Just because I move to a different city doesn't mean she won't ever see me again."

"Has she started looking for a cure?" Steve asked, referring to the Superhero Serum Aspen had been involuntarily injected with.

"She says she is, but I'm not sure. I don't think she has any idea how, but Aunt Vi promised she'd help if my mom does end up moving down to Arizona. She understands. I'm still playing around with the idea of using my power." She touched the cuff around her wrist. It was cold to the touch, but somehow it bothered her a little less than it had before. "I can see how it would be an asset. How it might save lives. I want to be a good agent, a better agent, but I'm not entirely sure I want it to change me."

"Who says it will change you?"

"How could it not? It's like relearning how to function. You understand that. When you became a Super Soldier, you had to learn to use your new body, your new strengths. But this goes beyond that. It's more mental. I'm not physically stronger, but I can do more if I put my mind to it. I am interested in learning to control it. Fury seems to think he knows someone who can help me."

"It might be worth a shot. If it doesn't work out, you can always keep the cuff on or hopefully get the antidote."

"A part of me feels like I should stay this way – for my parents' work. I'm the only living subject. I hate the sound of that though. Subject? I'm not some lab rat. Maybe that's what bothers me the most. I spent my entire life working for someone out of both fear and the hope that I might learn something about my past. I'm used to letting people manipulate me hoping I'll get something from it. I'm used to people simply using me to get what they want. I don't want to be that person anymore. I don't ever want to let someone use me again. But maybe with this power I can turn it against them, protect myself better." She sighed. "I've been thinking about it a lot if you couldn't tell."

"I can. I think you need to do what feels right for you. Never mind what anyone else thinks. This is your choice."

"I know. I just wish I knew what I wanted." The GPS beeped, and Aspen turned her attention back to the road. They had come to an industrial section of the city. "We're almost here. Just a quarter mile."

She watched as the factories became more dilapidated until they reached one that looked as if it hadn't been used in decades. "Hidden in plain sight. Clever." Steve stopped the car and they got out. "If anyone approaches us, we're looking to buy." Steve gave her a nod and they walked forward, looking around them. Aspen pulled out her phone and set it to pick up on any signals that might come from equipment.

"I'm not getting anything on this level," she said as they completed their perimeter of the building. "If it's underground, this thing isn't going to pick up on anything."

Steve glanced around, scrutinizing the building. He took a few paces toward one of the loading docks at the back of the building. "Tire marks," he said, indicating a set of distinctive tire treads. "And footprints. Someone has been here recently."

"Unloading something. But where did it go?" She took a step toward the loading dock. "Let's look inside."

Steve made to follow her and then grabbed her arm, bringing a finger up to his lips to silence her. He pulled her around the side of the building and a moment later she heard a door open. They peered around the corner to see a man lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. He looked around, and they flattened themselves to the building. They waited in silence for what seemed like ages until Steve said, "He went back inside."

"Well clearly there's something going on. We'll come back tonight and see if we can find a way in. I have night vision goggles that will help us find any secret entrances."

They got into the truck, and Aspen played around with the GPS until she found a list of SHIELD approved hotels. She picked one and put in the coordinates. "Might as well keep a low profile until then." The hotel was owned by a man who owed Fury a favor, they realized as they checked in. Aspen had planned on using an assumed name, but the man recognized Steve as Captain America at once and quickly assured them they'd be safe there. Aspen was hesitant at first, but she realized that if you owed Fury a favor, you probably wouldn't double cross him or his agents. They settled into their room, Aspen flopping down on the bed while Steve took out the notes Fury had left for them, sitting down in one of the dining chairs to study them.

"Really, you're going to read the notes again?" she teased him. He glanced up, brow furrowed.

"I just want to be prepared," he amended.

"You're always prepared," Aspen told him, getting up and crossing the room. She put her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"And you're always distracting me," he told her.

"And you mind?" He turned his head and kissed her cheek.

"Not really. But we should focus on the mission. Fury is trusting us to get a job done."

"Yeah, tonight. We have hours before it gets dark. Are we really going to spend it rereading the notes for the mission?" she asked in a teasing voice. She could tell she was making Steve nervous. He got fidgety and stared down at the notes. "Alright." She backed off. "Maybe if you read them out loud we can pretend we're having a study session. I'll even take notes and memorize them by heart. Never hurts to be over prepared."

Steve put down the notes and gave her a look that was a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Very funny. I know you think I'm over prepared, but you don't have to harp on it."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry!" She grinned at him and a moment later his lips tweaked up in a smile. He shut the folder and got up from the chair.

"I have them memorized anyway," he said, closing the space between them.

"I figured." Aspen stood still as he reached down to grasp her waist. His lips were on hers a moment later, and she forgot about the notes altogether.