Chapter 6
It took them several days of driving in the Citroen C3 that Natasha had picked up for them. The destination was Porto, Portugal, a city large enough to get lost in and where they would be able to arrange for transportation to Nova Scotia. As the drove through Porto, Steve was fascinated by the city. It mixed the Romanesque with modern Social Housing projects. There were hints of the gothic, the contemporary, and more. He wished he had his art supplies so that he could sketch some of the places and people he saw.
"Hey, Rogers, you daydreaming?" asked Natasha.
"Just looking at the sights and wishing I had my art supplies with me," he answered.
"I keep forgetting that you draw," she said.
"Before taking the serum I made a living doing sketch work. I couldn't paint because I was colorblind. The serum cured that, so I've been learning how to color. I enjoy it," he told her. "Do you have any hobbies?"
"I drink vodka, read books, and occasionally go dancing to blow off steam," Natasha said.
"You can get drunk?" he asked her.
"I can. Remember the serum used on me is not as strong as yours," she said.
"Sometimes I wish I could get drunk. Thor promised to bring me some mead from Asgard. He said that would get me drunk," Steve noted.
"What else is on your mind?" she asked me.
Out of the corner of her eye she looked at him. His hair was getting long and his beard was full. She had re-dyed his hair and beard a darker shade of brown and she now had platinum blond hair.
"How did they find us?" he asked.
"Not sure. We should have been near impossible to find. We avoided CCTV, changed our looks, not been seen together too often," she said. "Whoever is hunting is good, but I'm better."
"How long will we stay here?" he asked.
"Well, we are not using one of Coulson safe houses this time, just in case of a mole in SHIELD. I trust Coulson, but I don't know his team. We are using one of my safe houses. It's an apartment near the port," she explained.
Steve scratched his face then made a noise that expressed his irritation.
"What's wrong?" Natasha asked.
"I hate having a beard," said Steve.
"You're keeping it for now," she ordered.
"When we get somewhere isolated I am shaving this beard," Steve told her.
"Wait until we get back to the US," said Natasha.
Natasha parked the car by the water then they got out and went to the trunk. Steve grabbed the bags and Natasha shut the trunk. They walked up the street to a house painted yellow and Natasha let them in. Once in the house, she let them into the first floor apartment.
Unlike the other safe houses, this one actually had a lived in look to it. The furniture was thoughtfully bought and there were paintings by local artists on the walls. Steve smiled. This was more than a safe house for Natasha; this was a place she used to get away from people and trouble.
"I like this place," he said.
"It's a one bedroom again, so you're stuck sleeping with me, Rogers," she said.
Steve looked at the sofa. It was larger and more comfortable than the other one. He could sleep there.
"Nat, I could fit on this sofa," he said.
"Rogers, that is too nice of a sofa to have someone your size sleeping on it," she reprimanded him.
"What do you mean my size?" he asked insulted by her observation.
Natasha walked up to him until she was staring into his chest, so that it emphasized how much taller than her he was. She then stepped back, cocked her head, and gave him a look that said 'think about it'.
"I'm taller than you... weight more than you. Okay, I won't sleep on the sofa," he said.
"The bed is a king so you won't have to worry about bodies rubbing up against each other at night," she said.
"Okay, I'm sorry," he said then brought the bags into the bedroom.
"I'm going to get supplies," Natasha called to him.
Steve exited the bedroom quickly.
"Wait. Since I cook shouldn't I get the supplies?" he asked.
"No," she smiled. "I buy and you cook. It works for me."
"And you're in charge," he sighed.
"Don't worry, Cap. I have to see someone who will be able to fly us out of here and to Nova Scotia," she said.
"Who is this?" Steve asked.
"A very wealthy man who owns a private jet and one of the vineyards in Portugal," she smirked.
"Um... a man, right. Um...is he someone who know through a SHIELD mission?" asked Steve, not realizing he sounded jealous.
Natasha gave him a lovely smile then exited leaving Steve to wait for her to return. She liked the idea that Captain America was jealous because of her.
Avengers
Coulson sat in a van along with Fitz sitting at the equipment listening in to General Benedik's apartment in Novi Grad. Melinda May and Daisy were in a car waiting to her word to take Benedik into custody. Coulson also had Mack and Lance Hunter waiting in a car for the same order.
For the past week they had been collecting evidence against Benedik. They had bank accounts, correspondences, and e-mails and texts. What they were missing was Benedik talking about Hydra and giving orders, which was why they were currently bugging his Novi Grad home. Fitz sighed.
"Stop complained," said Coulson.
"I'm not a bloody eavesdropper. I'm a scientist," Fitz said.
"You're a SHIELD agent, so capture every word said and stop complaining. At least, we have snacks and drinks and somewhere to pee in the van," sighed Coulson. "I hate stakeouts."
Coulson started to rub his artificial arm. The hand looked real, but below the wrist it was as artificial as Barnes' cybernetic arm.
"How's the arm doing? Do I need to make any adjustments?" asked Fitz.
"Sympathy pains, that's all," Coulson answered softly.
"Give me time and I'll make you a better one," said Fitz.
Coulson smiled at the young man and said, "I'm fine. Now let's pay attention to General Benedik because I want to arrest his ass and start helping Captain America stop being a fugitive."
"You admire him," said Fitz.
"You should meet him. He's worth admiring," said Coulson.
"Once we get him out of trouble then, you'll have to introduce him to me," said Fitz.
"We have to do more than take out Benedik and Hydra in Sokovia to get Cap out of trouble. I'm starting to think we need another crisis to realize how important he is," said Coulson.
Avengers
The Winter Soldier had a well deserved reputation as a cold blooded killer. He was a man to be feared, and even though James Buchanan Barnes had his memories back, he was still the Winter Soldier. Using his cybernetic arm, he held a man by his leg over the edge of the mountain in the Swiss Alps. Morse leaned on the hood of their car watching as he frightened the truth out of the Hydra agent.
"I want to know the locations of all of Hydras secret bases," demanded Barnes.
A cold wind blew Barnes hair back. His black leather jacket was zipped up. It was cold.
"I don't know the locations," the agent screamed.
"Then you have no use," said Barnes coldly. He let go of the man's calf, which he held. The agent screamed then he grabbed his ankle. "You are running out of leg. Locations."
"Okay, okay, I know where two of them are," he screamed.
Barnes tossed him towards the car like he weighed nothing more than a few pounds. The agent rolled towards the car stopping when Morse put a boot on him.
"You better be telling him the truth," she said with a pleasant smile.
"I will tell him the truth," said the agent.
Barnes walked over to the car. He looked at Agent Morse.
"Nice throw," she said.
"I always was good at baseball," he smiled. "Punk used to think I could play in the pros if I put my mind to it."
"Punk?" asked Morse.
"Steve. Steve Rogers," answered Barnes. "I used to call him Punk."
"And he called you Bucky. You two were cute together," teased Morse.
Barnes glared at her then he looked down at the Hydra agent. He couldn't cause Mockingbird for her teasing but he could sure as hell cause the agent pain if he didn't give them exact information.
Avengers
Steve made a Chorizo and cabbage stew for dinner. He served them each a bowl with some fresh bread. Natasha sampled it and chuckled.
"I could gain weight going into hiding with you. Good thing I'm going out tonight to get some exercise," she said.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Antonio Braga, my friend, is taking me out dancing tonight. We will discuss the use of his private plane during our nighttime activities," smirked Natasha.
She knew that her going out with her wealthy friend, man who owed many favors, made Steve jealous and she liked that.
"Can you trust this guy?" asked Steve.
"Yes, Cap, I can trust him," she answered.
"Well, um...what time will you be home?" he asked.
"Too late for you to stay up and wait for me, old man," she teased him.
Steve looked down at his food. He didn't want for her to see the hurt in his eyes.
"I got it. I should mind my own business," he said.
"Cap, you know I can take care of myself," Natasha said.
"I know," he replied. "Since you are going out I thought I might be able to take a walk on my own tonight. I need the exercise and I'm tired of staying indoors."
"Well, don't get lost, Cap," Natasha smiled. "I'll be too busy to save you."
She teased him again.
He looked up at her with serious blue eyes and said, "I can take care of myself, too."
"Agreed," responded Natasha.
They both went back to eating their stew. The rest of the meal passed in silence.
Avengers
Steve enjoyed the smells and sounds of the city. He stopped at a food stall and purchased some sardines in hot sauce and a small bolo de coco, coconut cake. Eating them as he sat on someone stoop, he watched the people of Porto. Wherever the nightclubs were located they weren't in the section he walked about.
After eating he decided to walk along the waterfront. It was getting dark, but Steve didn't care. He enjoyed the smell of the air that carried a taint of salt water. Most of the boats moored in the harbor were either for personal use or fishing boats. In the foreground he saw four men surrounding a young woman. Although Portuguese wasn't a language he spoke, he understood body language. The young woman was scared and looking for help, while the men were playing with her like she was prey. He didn't like that.
Picking up his pace, he walked towards them. Other people ignored them, but Steve wasn't like other people. He walked right up to them and spoke to the young woman.
"Do you speak English?" he asked.
"A little," she said tentatively.
"I'm sorry that I don't speak Portuguese," he said.
"No one asked for you to bother us," said one of the men.
Ignoring the men, Steve offered her his right hand. She looked at his hand then at the men, who were not amused by Steve. One of the men went to grab Steve's wrist, but that was a mistake. Before he knew it he had been tossed into the harbor and he was a good fifteen feet from the water.
Next, one of the other men pulled a knife, but was easily disarmed, while Steve turned his attention to the two other men. The man with the knife now had a broken right forearm and the other two men decided to attack with their knives. Steve felt a burn in his because of a knife. He reacted quickly grabbing the man's wrist, squeezing hard enough to break his wrist, and then he came around with a right hook to the man's jaw sending him into unconsciousness.
Steve pulled the knife out of his side then looked around. Everyone was down, except one of the attackers. The one man standing was swaying as if he wanted to fall. Steve walked over to him and put his hand on his chest and pushed. The man fell to the ground. Steve looked up at the young woman.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded yes then ran away. Steve knew it was time to get back to the apartment. The knife wound wasn't bad, but it deep. He zipped his leather jacket over his already coagulating wound and started walking back towards the apartment. He needed to get cleaned up before Natasha got home since he knew that she'd be angry that he got into trouble.
Avengers
Stark sat in his research lab staring at the holographic computer screen. He had been running searches of all available databases looking for possible Hydra base locations and possible Hydra leaders. Vision stood behind him, while Rhodey napped in a ergonomic chair.
"Mr. Stark...," Vision started to speak.
"Tony. Viz, call me Tony. We do know each other pretty well. I am your father," smiled Tony.
"I see," said Vision. "Tony, I believe I can write an algorithm that will data mine these databases efficiently."
"Sounds good. I'm hungry," said Tony, who was starting to slip into sleep deprivation. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., order a couple of pizzas to be delivered. I want pepperoni and..." He looked over at Rhodey, who was snoring. "And one with everything. Actually, make it two pepperoni, two cheeses, and two with everything. Everybody can eat."
"My pleasure, Mr. Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y. purred.
"Your new AI is flirtatious," stated Vision.
"I know," said Stark. "I like it."
"Does Miss Pepper like it?" asked the Vision.
"Don't you have a algorithm to write, Viz? We need to dig up Hydra and get Spangles back where he belongs," said Stark.
"May I sit?" asked Vision.
Tony got up, motioned to his chair, and bowed. The Vision sat down. Tony started pacing.
"We need Bruce. I know he's up in Alaska hidden away drinking chamomile tea and meditating so that the Green Guy doesn't come out, but we need him. I miss having a lab buddy," said Stark, who then looked over at his sleeping friend. "Rhodey needs too much sleep. I think I'll get Bruce back."
"Sir, may I suggest that you let Dr. Banner return to the team when he is ready," said Vision.
"No, you may not suggest," sniffed Stark. "I'm going to talk to Fury and get Banner's e-mail. He unfriended with Facebook. Or maybe I can text him using only emojis. I'm getting the team back together."
The Vision shook his head in frustration then continue hi work on the algorithm.
Avengers
Steve didn't sleep and Natasha didn't come home. He was worried about her, but he knew better than to start a citywide search. More than likely she chose not to come home. He made a pot of coffee then scrambled up some eggs, left over Chorizo sausage and toast. As he sat down to eat, Natasha let herself into the apartment. He looked over at her but didn't say a word.
"Hmmm, smells good," she said.
"There's extra food and coffee in the kitchen," he said.
"What? You're not going to wait on me, Cap?" she smirked.
Steve started eating ignoring her teasing. As she walked by him Natasha noticed the slight red tinge to his ears a sign that he was upset, probably jealous.
"I danced all night and convinced Antonio to fly us out of here tonight," she said. "We leave in five hours."
"Private Plane?" he asked.
"Private plane and private airfield," she said.
She went into the kitchen and filled a plate with eggs and sausage then made a mug of coffee and returned to the table. As she walked by Steve she snatched one of his pieces of toast. He glared at her and she rolled her eyes. She sat down and started to eat.
"What did you do last night?" she asked.
"Took a walk," he answered.
"Meet anybody?" she smiled.
"All I did was walk and that's all," he said.
Natasha frowned. She knew Steve well enough to know that his answer was being defensive. There was no way she was going to let that pass.
"What happened last night?" she asked.
Steve lowered his head and shook. He thought after working with SHIELD he'd learn how to lie. Or maybe Natasha just knew him that well.
"I stopped some guys from harassing a young woman," he said.
Anybody dead?" she asked.
"No. Just some broken bones and I got stabbed," he answered.
"How serious," she asked with concern.
"It's already healed," he replied.
"I really have to get you to that cabin in Montana," she said. "You just don't know how to stay out of trouble or blend in."
"I blend in," he defended himself.
"Oh, yeah, you blend in. You're six foot two and two hundred and forty pounds of sculpted muscles. It doesn't matter if you are a natural blond or a dye your dark brown, you're handsome. On top of that you can't help but play hero," she snapped.
"I don't play hero," he said.
"Right, you don't play it. You are a hero," she hissed.
Suddenly, she didn't know why she was so angry with him, but there something about his being perfect that got under her skin. She knew others who had taken the super soldier serum, not the same one as his but a version of it, and none of them became perfect soldiers and perfect human beings. She certainly didn't become prefect with her formula.
"I'm just me," he said quietly not knowing why she was angry with him.
"Yeah, you, Steve Rogers, Mr. Perfect Super Soldier," she spat. She stood up and shook her head then said, "Sometimes you give me a headache."
She walked away from the table into the bedroom and slammed the door. Steve sat there wondering what he had done wrong.
Avengers
The private plane was a Dassault Falcon 2000EX. It had a large comfortable cabin, which Steve took advantage of and sat in the front of the cabin with his shield in a canvas bag leaning against his legs. In the back of the plane Antonio Braga and Natasha flirted and drank champagne. He tried to zone out their conversation in Spanish and laughter.
Looking out of the window he noticed that subtly the plane began to change its flight pattern. He closed his eyes and visualized a map. If he was right they were headed more to the US than Canada. Steve leaned to the side and turned his head to look into the cockpit where a pilot sat by himself. It appeared that Antonio was the co-pilot.
Braga noticed that Steve was being a little too curious. He had wanted to wait before he dropped the news that he had sold Natasha and Steve to the highest bidder. Under the table he had a gun in a holster. He quickly took it out and pointed it at Natasha, who lost all frivolity in her demeanor and snarled at him.
"Please, Captain Rogers, don't bother my pilot. He is taking us to Florida," said Braga.
"What mistake are you making, Antonio?" Natasha asked him.
"Darling, I have debts, millions of dollars of debts, and you are going to clear those debts for me. In Florida there is a buyer waiting for me for ten million in cash. He is going to take the great Captain America and infamous Black Widow and ship you to someone who has a need for you," explained Braga.
"You are making a mistake that will cost you your life," hissed Natasha.
"The ten million, dear, is mainly for him," he said waving his Sig Sauer at her.
He stood up and out some distance between him and Natasha, who was in no position to make a move. With his right hand, Steve opened his canvas bag getting access to his shield. He calculated the throw in his head. The throw had to take Braga out but not ricochet since that could cause damage to the cabin and cabin pressure or hit Natasha.
"Darling, you, I can kill and still get the money, so I recommend that you don't attempt anything. Don't even flinch or I shall end your beautiful life," he said.
Steve counted down in his head. Three, two, one - he grabbed his shield, stood up, Braga fired off several shots at him, and then he threw his shield. The shield caught Braga in the throat nearly taking his head off. He and the shield fell the plane floor.
Natasha stood up and saw that Braga was dead. She then turned and looked at Steve. He was standing there in the plane aisle holding his abdomen and bleeding profusely. She ran to him helping him the plane floor. Taking his hand away she saw that he had two bullets in him. Next she turned him on his side to check for exit wounds. There were none.
"Steve, stay with me," she said.
"Not going anywhere, Nat," he said.
The plane shuddered a bit. She looked into the cockpit to see that a stray bullet at blown a hole in the pilot's head. There was blood splattered on the glass and a slight crack in the glass on the pilot's side.
Natasha got up and ran into the cockpit. She dragged the pilot out of his seat, so that his body wouldn't accidently hit any controls then she sat in the co-pilot seat, readjusted their flight route, and then turned on the automatic pilot. Once that was done, she got up and searching for a first aid lit. She found it and returned to Steve.
"Why didn't you wait until you had a better advantage to take him out?" she asked aloud, as she applied a hemostatic bandage to his wounds. Between the bandage and the serum in his DNA he should last until she could get him somewhere safe and have the bullets taken out.
"I couldn't take the chance that he'd hurt you," he said softly.
She saw that he was sweating and his eyes were starting to become unfocused. Taking a regular gauze she wiped his forehead of the sweat then she leaned down and kissed his forehead then said to him, "You hang on so I can get you better and kick your ass."
"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled.
Natasha taped the gauze tightly around his midsection then returned the co-pilot chair. She had take this plane to Iowa and make an emergency landing on a farm where her best friend lived.