Washington D.C. 2014.
It was morning by the time I was jolted awake by Steve stopping the truck. Natasha was awake and in the back seat next to me, though she looked distant like her mind was somewhere else.
My sleep had been plagued with uncomfortable dreams of promised lies and false truths and I found that the feeling didn't go away now that I was awake. Even as we approached the back door of the most inconspicuous looking house, I found myself on edge that our enemies would be waiting for us behind the door.
The expression of the man who answered was one of confusion. He agreed to let us in and quickly looked the door behind us.
"Clean up, you guys look like you need it." Natasha and Steve nodded as I turned to him.
"Actually, do you have suture kit?" He furrowed his eyebrows briefly before heading into his small kitchenette and retrieving a green box.
"Thanks…"
"Sam." He finished, holding out his hand.
"Elena." I shook it gratefully before taking a seat at his small table and rolling up the leg of my jeans, exposing a laceration on my calf that was about 3 inches in length.
"Two injuries in two days. You'll be dead before we can finish this." Natasha stated with a smirk.
"Remind me who was unconscious for four hours on the drive over here." I replied as I cleaned the wound with alcohol wipes before finding a small needle and thread.
"I'm going to assume you all work together." Sam suggested. Steve nodded almost sympathetically earning a raised eyebrow look from both Natasha and me. He held up his hands in defeat, asked where the bathroom was and headed off.
"I need to get myself a job at SHIELD." Sam said quietly.
"You really don't." Natasha quipped as she followed after Steve. I couldn't help but smirk as I threaded the suture needle and positioned my leg more comfortably.
"Don't you need to numb tha…" Sam was cut off as I began to stitch up my wound, and I couldn't help but smile at the shocked look on his face.
"Don't go squeamish, this is one of two that need stitching and I'm going to need your help with the other one."
"I don't think I've ever stitched up someone else's wounds within ten minutes of knowing them."
"There's a first time for everything, Sam."
I exhaled deeply as I swallowed the second glass of orange juice that Sam offered me alongside two codeine tablets.
"I don't stock morphine." He joked, I smiled simply.
"I don't need it. Paracetamol would have been fine. But thanks anyway."
"Paracetamol? For a stab wound?" He glanced at Steve and it quickly became clear it would take some time for Sam to get used to being around people so different from himself.
"So, the question is. Who at SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha questioned as she dropped the top of a strawberry onto her plate.
"Pierce." Steve said simply.
"Who just so happens to be sitting at the top of the most secure building in the world…"
"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lumerian Star."
"So was Jasper Sitwell." Natasha commented, and I rolled my eyes at the name. I'd never liked Sitwell and now it became clear why.
"So, the real question is how do, the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?"
'The answer is, you don't." Sam said suddenly as he dropped a manila folder on the table with a photograph of him in military uniform on the front.
"Call it a resumé."
Natasha picked up the photograph and showed it to me before handing it to Steve.
"You never said he was pararescue."
"Sam." Steve began, "I can't ask you to do this. You got out for a good reason."
"Dude. Captain America needs my help, there's no better reason to get back in."
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve gestured with the manila folder.
"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall." Steve glanced to Natasha and me as we shrugged and nodded.
"Easy enough." I stated as Steve dropped the folder on the table. I made sure to take note of the code; EXO-7 FALCON.