A/N: Thanks for being patient with me in getting this update up! I was a little busy with a college graduation (FINALLY!). I really hope y'all like this chapter, and don't be afraid to drop me a review or a PM! Enjoy!
Searchlights brushed over buildings and streets. Agents poured into an old warehouse-the back left window of which had been messily broken open-and shouts ricocheted throughout it. Agent Cox found himself thankful that the words stuck to "All clear!" or "Come and get a load of this!" instead of the screams that had poured through these ranks in the past, especially a little over a year ago. Rifle drawn and poised for action, he rounded the corner, headlamp lighting up every shadow around the empty crates and slabs of concrete and revealing nothing. Sighing with relief, he lowered his rifle and took a look at the security footage that another agent just about shoved into his lap.
"Just in from the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow, sir," he said.
Two holograms of footage ran in front of him: one of Captain America turning HYDRA agents into mincemeat in a hallway, the other of two well-dressed women in a vicious knife fight. When he caught one of their faces, his eyes popped.
"Stop it there," he barked.
The younger agent did as he was told, and Agent Cox zoomed up on the face, twisted up in a snarl with blood running from her nose, but he still knew her.
"So she teamed up with Rogers after all." He shook his head. "Reeves, what're you doing?" he muttered under his breath.
"It gets better," the younger agent said, switching to footage of a well-lit parking lot of Agent Reeves trying to check vitals on a motionless opponent only to be thrown off the top of the car and strangled. "That's after a four-story fall. Don't know who she is, sir, but she's definitely enhanced."
"And then they came here, based on fingerprint scans and DNA analysis," Cox muttered. "Any leads on where they went after?"
"Negative, but we're operating on level five surveillance protocol. They won't stay hidden long-"
"Sir!"
Another agent came jogging around the corner, visor lifted and rifle in hand.
"We got a hit," she said, pulling up a hologram of an aircraft coming up out of the treeline from a device on her wrist. "Quinjet seen taking off at oh-two-hundred hours from the specified coordinates headed northeast. We're certain it's Rogers."
"Good. Get a team ready to go after them, but leave the rest behind to hunt down that doped-up Russian Barbie-doll so we can get back to our primary objec-"
Just then a loud crash sounded from the roof and what little light that seeped in through the windows went completely out. Agents called out to each other and found cover, and rifles immediately shot up to the ready. Agent Cox inched forward, only for the two agents with him to fall one after the other seemingly out of nowhere.
Then came shattering glass and gunshots as all hell broke loose.
Hostiles swung in through the windows, opening fire or driving knives into Cox's men left and right. He swore loudly before opening fire himself, only able to hold the attackers off at range for a few precious seconds before getting locked into a knife fight. Though his adversary was fast and well-trained, he managed to ground him quickly, sending his own knife into his face before diving back behind a crate and opening the coms.
"All teams, this is Agent Cox requesting immediate backup! Hostiles at the rendezvous point, repeat, hostiles at the-"
His radio was shot out of his hand, and another round sank in in between his ribs. Biting back a scream, he crumpled to the ground, suddenly realizing how eerily quiet all had suddenly become. Close by another agent lay motionless, but when Cox caught sight of the intact radio in her hand, he slid himself towards it.
Only to feel the sharp pop of breaking bone as a heavily booted foot smashed into his ribs.
This time he cried out, just in time for a hand to grab the back of his tac suit and roughly flip him over. A huge figure now towered over him, armed to the teeth and dressed in solid black except for the white paint on the front of his mask. Cox growled in recognition.
"You son of a bi-"
He couldn't finish the word before his face was smashed in.
Wall Street offices. Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Coney Island. Latverian Embassy, Washington, DC. Hollywood.
And, of course:
Brooklyn.
Steve sighed hard as he read the list over again.
"Where to, Cap?" he heard from the cockpit.
Reaching up and grabbing a handle in the quinjet's framework, Steve leaned behind Sam's chair, taking one last glance at the list.
"She wrote Coney Island on here twice," he said.
"We were just in New York and got nothin'," Sam replied.
"I know," Steve said. "There are multiple places in Washington, a couple embassies, the Pentagon, the Capitol, the list goes on. Thing is, I don't know if Bucky woulda stayed there after what happened."
"Yeah, but it's also a real good place to hide in plain sight. I mean, you and Romanov pulled it off." Sam said. "If this list proves anything, it's that Frosty can blend in just about anywhere."
"But that was before the entire world was looking for him," Steve sighed.
"Still, it's as good a place as any to start," Sam said. "As long as he doesn't trash my old digs."
Steve smirked. "Set course for Washington, then. And try to get some rest at some point."
Sam smiled. "Will do, Cap."
Clapping Sam on the shoulder, Steve strode further back into the quinjet, where Aly sat with her back to him and her feet up on one of the seats. She held her phone to her ear, and he thought he could make out Fury's voice in what sounded like a very exasperated voicemail. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair, and for the first time since he'd met her, she looked unsure of herself. She also seemed to be in a good amount of pain; she didn't move her head much at all, and the red marks around her throat had quickly started to turn into bruises. When he came to her side and she didn't look at him, he slipped even further back into the quinjet and rummaged through supplies until he finally found what he was looking for: NSAIDs and a few ice packs. He grabbed them and went back to her, stopping right beside her and laying a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She smiled.
"Thought you were still mad at me," she whispered.
"Oh, I am," he replied. "But it doesn't mean I'm not concerned."
Her smile grew a little as she took the pills and the ice packs from him. "Thanks."
He nodded and sat down by her feet. "Sure."
She popped the pills in her mouth and moved the ice over her throat. Sighing, she fixated on a spot on the floor, her thoughts obviously catching back up with her.
Steve's brow furrowed. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just…" She held the phone up. "Ten voicemails. Three from Fury, two from Hill. They're...not happy."
He nodded. "Who were the other five voicemails from?"
She rolled her eyes a little. "My mother."
He chuckled, and she smiled a little.
"Remember what I told you," he said. "It's on me."
She nodded. "Still, we're all gonna take a lot of heat for this. I don't mean to be rude, but your friend better be worth it."
"Trust me, when he's himself, he's somebody you want having your back," Steve replied almost automatically.
"That's just it. When he's himself. What if he's not?" She shifted around almost nervously. "Have you thought of what you'll do if he doesn't know you? If he tries to kill you, or me, or Sam?"
It had occurred to him certainly, and he'd wondered if saving Bucky and killing him would end up being synonymous. But every time it crossed his mind, his heart jumped up and got in the way.
"It won't come to that," he replied.
Aly continued.
"I know you know him a lot better than I do, and I don't mean to dash your hopes, but-" she sighed "-just...be ready."
Though he knew she had a point, the same stubborn reply came tumbling out:
"He won't. Not this time."
Nodding, she backed off, but Steve got the feeling this wasn't the last time he'd have this conversation. She turned back towards him.
"What was he like? I mean, before?"
Memories started to flood back at the question, and he couldn't help but smile
"He was smart, funny, brave, a little too good with the ladies."
She laughed a little, and he continued.
"His pops wasn't in the picture, so he was the one looking out for his mom and his kid sister, making sure they had what they needed."
She almost seemed shocked. "He had a little sister?"
"Yeah. Becky. She adored him."
She offered a pursed-lipped smile in response.
"He had a really big heart. Always looking out for the little guy, so...me."
"It's hard for me to imagine you as little," she chuckled.
"I get it," he said. "I mean...looking at old photographs of me before the serum is strange, but trust me, little guy's still in there."
His mind went to places he didn't want it to, and she swung around, put her feet on the floor, and slid a little closer to him.
"You'd only been off the ice for...what, two weeks before Loki came?"
He swallowed hard and nodded. She just shook her head.
"I can't imagine."
He just fixated on the stars that flew past them out the window. "Go where I need to go, do what I need to do. Stuff comes my way, I deal with it and move on. It's how I've always been."
Silence took over for a moment. She broke it.
"That's a lot for one person to carry," she said. "I mean...I was in psychotherapy for almost a year before getting back out on the field, and that's for a fraction of what you must've seen, what Barnes has seen."
He scoffed lightly. "You saying I need help?"
"I'm saying that...I may not understand all of it, but if you ever need somebody to talk to-" she laid a quiet hand on his knee "-you have friends."
He finally peeled his attention away from the window. "Thanks, Aly."
She just nodded. "Yeah."
The rush of flight noise filled the silence. She broke it.
"I saw you in Sokovia," she suddenly said. "There was a little boy trapped in the rubble, screaming, crying, and you picked him up, dusted him off, carried him back to his mom. Don't know what you said to him, but even after he was reunited with his mom, he couldn't take his eyes off you. And his mom...I'll never forget the look on her face."
"I didn't know you were in Sokovia," he said.
"Yeah. I was on the helicarrier, first mission back since SHIELD officially fell. I didn't know how I'd react to being back, and it was a lot to take in, but then I saw you with that little kid, and it reminded me of why I even joined SHIELD in the first place." She sighed. "I'll be honest, after HYDRA was exposed, it was hard...not knowing what people really stood for, if they were really on my side. You have no idea what a relief it is to me to finally have somebody that I can trust again."
He smiled a little. "You trust me?"
She laughed. "Hey, if you can't trust Captain America, then there is something seriously wrong with you." She grinned for a second, then the mirth faded into a more sombre tone. "But in all seriousness, Steve, I'm glad to have met you."
A strange smile suddenly came across his face, and he looked dead at her.
"What?" she said.
"Nothing. It's just," he sighed, "you remind me of somebody. An old friend."
She smiled softly. "That a good thing?"
He sighed hard. "I don't know."
She went quiet, but she still smiled.
"Don't get me wrong, this friend of mine was great, it's just—"
"Hard. Trust me, I get it." She turned towards the window. "I see glimmers of my friends every day. Singh played guitar, Fitz was obsessed with M.A.S.H., and Jess had a thing for a weird craft beer from Wisconsin. Every time I see someone choke one down, I think of her."
Steve laughed. Aly continued.
"Agent St. Claire...she wasn't part of my squad, but...she loved dogs. Especially rescues."
"And every time you see one, it takes you back."
She nodded. "After this is over, I'm gonna find out who killed them. And I'm gonna make sure they get the justice they deserve."
"Gonna have to rat out a lot of HYDRA agents to do that."
"There are sleeper cells all over the world. But if we somehow manage to track down the freaking Winter Soldier, we can find just about anybody."
Steve stood up. "Get some rest while you can. We get to Washington, we hit the ground running."
"That goes for you too, soldier. I mean it."
He gave her a knowing smile. "Yes, ma'am."
With that he made his way back to the cockpit. Sam didn't look at him.
"You know we're gonna have to ditch this thing if we wanna keep the suits off our backs," Sam said. "It can fly itself back to the Compound."
Steve nodded. Sam sighed hard, sealed off the cockpit and turned the comms off.
"When are you gonna tell her?"
Steve's eyebrow shot up. "Tell her what?"
"Oh, c'mon, dude. You know what I'm talking about."
"Special Forces Squad Six was one of the most elite under our command, and he knocked them down like a bunch of freaking dominoes…"
Steve stared at his feet. Sam went on.
"Say we find him and he remembers her and the rest her squad. The whole reason for that big damn chip on her shoulder." He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'...it'd be a whole lot better coming from you."
Nodding, Steve swallowed hard. "No, you're right. She needs to know. But not just yet. Tonight's been rough on all of us, and if Washington's anything like Moscow, we'll run into trouble. She needs to be able to focus. We all do."
"You got a point. But...don't put it off for too long, Cap. Seriously."
Lights from the East Coast cut into the night. Steve stared at them hard.
"I won't," he said. "I promise."
