And You Will Know Me Still

by theicemenace

What happened after the events of "Captain America: Winter Soldier"? Some chapters will be noted at the beginning, if they contain more mature themes, though not necessarily of an intimate nature.

16. Chapter 16

A/N: Spoiler alert for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War.

As always, many thanks go out to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur for the Beta and Winter-Soldier-88 for the brainstorming.

Note 1: I know it's been a while since this story was updated, but it couldn't be helped. Not only is my muse a fickle little scamp, my family has been experiencing a great deal of emotional turmoil that may not get better any time soon. Such is RL.

Note 2: This story is being revamped. Some scenes will be removed completely. Others will be changed to better conform to the MCU movies. Also, parts 2 and 3 will be eliminated and the chapters posted all under one title.

Namaste,

Sunny

"I will come back to you, I swear I will;
And you will know me still.
I shall be only a little taller
Than when I went."

― Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems

Winter Soldier

And You Will Know Me Still

Chapter 16

"You comin' in or not, honey?"

Steve gaped at Lorraine stupidly, nearly unable to move or speak due to the embarrassment and anger directed toward his best friend. You've gone too far this time, Bucky, Steve thought as he tried to formulate a response that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot. Nope. Couldn't do it. "Uh, not. I don't know what Bucky told you, but this isn't going to work for me."

Lorraine jammed her fists into her hips, the smile changing to one of extreme displeasure. "Look, Stan…"

"Steve."

She rolled her eyes. "Stan, Steve, Stu. It don't matter to me. Bucky asked me to initiate you into the world of women. But if you're too good for the likes of me…"

For a brief moment, Steve pictured himself beating his best friend senseless, but that wouldn't solve his immediate problem. "No, it's not that. It's just that I've never… I mean I want to, but… I don't think I'm ready. We hardly know each other, and it has to feel right or…"

Throwing her hands up, Lorraine put an end to his rambling. Good thing too because he'd run out of ideas on how to end this night on a high note. Not happening, Rogers, his inner voice told him with a snicker.

Steve took a step back when Lorraine stomped toward him, but all she did was call him a name he wouldn't repeat even to Bucky, shouted "no refunds" and slam the door. Down the hall, someone stuck their head out to see what the noise was and just as quickly retreated.

Out on the sidewalk, Steve shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly walked back toward the jazz club. He stopped to look in the window. Bucky and Sarah were still there, heads close together, talking and laughing. Then, Bucky stood up and led Sarah out onto the dance floor. Huffing to himself, Steve started walking again. He stopped at the automat to pick up a pastrami sandwich and ate it on the way home. Letting himself into the apartment, Steve tossed the empty container in the trash and went to get ready for bed.

Present Day

Pursing her lips to keep from laughing, Maria shook her head. "And you stayed friends after that?"

"Well, yeah," Steve said, as if it were obvious. "Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it."

"There's more?"

Steve's nod was a slow up and down combined with a wry twist to his lips. "You might as well hear the rest." He stopped to let a mother pushing a baby carriage cross the street then drove on. "Fast Forward to Germany 1945. Outside of Düsseldorf, the team parachuted from a plane flying under the radar in the middle of the night and walked into town. Our contact wasn't due at the meeting site until the following evening so we had almost eighteen hours to kill.

"We'd just finished eating when Bucky says, 'Let's get some air'. He takes me to an older part of town, and up ahead, I see a sign that says Der Schwül Diener, the Sultry Scullion. There was a woman outside smoking and wearing not much more than a sheer bathrobe and unmentionables.

"She sees us coming, and suddenly there's like ten women pulling us into the lobby, all talking at once, telling me why I should choose her as my, uh, courtesan. A couple started fighting and the rest were cheering them on. All but one.

"Bucky talks to the girl standing all alone. She smiles, takes my hand and we go down this long hallway that smells like incense, sweat and stale beer. We go into this room and she starts trying to take my shirt off. I stop her and she seems to understand that I can't with just anyone. So we just talk for a while, and as I'm leaving, she messes up my hair and clothes then kisses me before shoving me out the door.

"I get to the lobby and Bucky's waiting. He slaps me on the back, says, 'Welcome to the club, pal', and we head back to the inn.

"Thought about telling him the truth but didn't." Steve looked at Maria and away, embarrassed more about lying to his friend than the circumstances that lead to the lie. "A couple of weeks later, he fell from the train."

Steve came to a stop sign and just sat there thinking until Maria nudged him out of his daydream. He smiled and she returned it. When the way was clear, he continued through the intersection.

"You've been out of the ice for what, three years now and you still haven't done the deed. What're you waiting for?"

He shrugged, and this time looked Maria in the eye. "The right partner."

After Midnight

The Next Night

Thirty-six hours into his vacation and Danny was already bored. He couldn't afford to take a trip and didn't want to go to the Botanical Gardens, bowling or the pool hall alone so he stayed in, played online games, and studied for his GED. After he graduated, he planned on signing up for college courses online, and needed money to pay for it. His only other activities were going for a run and visiting his venerable sensei in the retirement center.

Danny wished, not for the first time, that his mother had told him more about his family back in the old country. His great-grandparents hadn't approved of their married children's desire to immigrate to the United States and had severed all ties with the young couple. They'd changed their names upon arrival at Ellis Island and had never revealed their birth names to anyone. He had friends, but it wasn't the same.

Holding the binoculars with one hand and a sandwich with the other, Danny scanned the street, and sure enough, that guy was on the move again. And just like the other times, he went to the entrance of the closed store, smoked a couple cigarettes and talked to himself. Or that's what it would look like to most people. Danny knew different. Five minutes after the guy returned to the murder house, the woman in black hoofed it down the street and out of sight.

"Geez, dude. That's what, five times since you got here? What the frak is going on?" Exchanging the sandwich for a bottle of Snapple, Danny set the binoculars on the table and swigged down the last of the drink. "I'll give it another couple of days then I'll call Captain America."

1900 The Next Evening

Sitting in the window seat with her feet curled under, Kiba skimmed the feeds from all the popular news and social media sites while the computer performed a much more comprehensive scan on its own. Both were performing similar functions. Her way was just slower. She was looking for postings and news blurbs that fit a certain criteria. Unfortunately, the parameters for the computer were necessarily broad and most of her evenings were spent wading through the products of the scans to separate the pyrite from the gold.

The computer beeped to get her attention. Grateful for the interruption, she slid into the chair, scooted up close to the desk and clicked on the link displayed in the message. Opening the folder she created for this purpose, Kiba added the pertinent files and saved it.

She opened the map of the boroughs of New York and plugged in the new information. While there were few markers on the grid, she was already beginning to see a pattern. A pop-up caught her attention, and when she opened it, certain words had been highlighted, ones from her search algorithm. The title jumped out at her

Are the Avengers Back in New York?

A Staten Island woman escaped serious injury and maybe even death when she called police to report that she'd been abducted while walking from the subway station to her apartment.

The woman, who was only identified as J by police, is said to be in excellent condition following her alleged kidnapping and attempted rape by Otto Landry, a criminal well-known to the NYPD.

An anonymous source inside the NYPD stated that Landry, 35, whose career as a criminal began at the age of thirteen, stated several times that he'd been attacked without cause by someone he described as super strong with "mad fightin' skills". Because the Avengers, except for Iron Man, have not been seen in public since the Washington D.C. disaster in early May, Landry has been placed under a seventy-two hour psych eval.

Steve had already left for D.C., and though she didn't want to interrupt his trip, this was too important to wait. Taking out a burner phone, she dialed the one he'd taken with him. He answered on the second ring. "It's Kiba… You should get back here right away… Actually, it's good news…"

~~O~~

Steve put the phone away and checked his watch. The train wouldn't pull into the next station for another hour. Then he'd have to wait for the train headed back to New York. Two hours wasted sitting around. He had favors he could pull in to get him there faster, but the question was should he? In the end, he decided to go with it. Locking himself in the men's room, he took out a second phone. "It's Steve… Still working that missing persons case… I called because I need a favor…"

Returning to his seat, Steve put on his jacket and took his backpack from under the seat before making his way to the far end of the car. He opened the door, and immediately heard the conductors shouting for him to stop. Ignoring their frantic calls to the engineer, he climbed onto the roof of the next car and reached down to make sure the door was secure.

As the train passed a field where a herd of cows were grazing, Steve jumped, ducked, hit the ground and rolled down the hill. The cows nearby gave him a look of disdain while chewing their cud. Ever the gentleman, Steve nodded a greeting. "Ladies."

The cows twitched their ears and went back to eating as he moved out to the center of the field. A few minutes later, lightning flashed across the sky startling the entire herd. They milled around trying to get away from the source, scattering when a man in jeans, boots and long sleeved button front shirt landed on one knee. He stood and Steve joined him with a smile. "Thanks for coming, Thor."

The Norse god smiled. "No trouble at all, my friend. Jane has been working, I know not where. I could go there, Mjölnir would know the way. However, the last time I arrived unannounced and uninvited, Darcy once again attempted to strike me down with the device she calls a Taser."

Steve shook his head, grinning. He'd met Darcy on several occasions, always with the same result. "She's a handful, I admit."

"Not as much since she has taken Ian as her lover. It is also his influence that brought about the change in Darcy's studies to astronomy and astrophysics."

Choosing to ignore Thor's blunt statement about Jane's intern, Steve merely said, "Oh?"

Still grinning, Thor slapped Steve on the back. "And what of your woman, Steve? Is she well?"

"My woman?"

"Lady Maria. She is your woman, is she not?"

Unsure how to characterize his relationship with Maria in a way that the Asgardian would understand Steve answered with something close to the truth. "Uh, not yet." In the distance, Steve heard the rumble of a truck engine coming closer bringing with it a reprieve from Thor's intense, knowing smirk. "We should go."

Thor adjusted his grip on the hammer in preparation for flight. The Asgardian held out his left arm, gripping Steve around the waist. Steve held onto Thor with an arm around his shoulders. The hammer whooshed as Thor spun it around, and suddenly they were in the air.

A few minutes later, the two men landed on the roof of the brownstone. Breathless from the trip, Steve stumbled when Thor released him. "That was weird. You do that all the time?"

"Indeed I do. I have also ridden in a car, a pick-up truck, many of Fury's quinjets, and even more times in Jane's RV."

"I can see why you'd prefer the hammer. Only took a few minutes to go over a hundred miles." He nodded at the door. "Come in and meet the new members of the team."

He nodded. "It would be my honor, Steve."

Thor fell into step with him as he headed for the roof access. They took the stairs down to the first floor where Steve tossed his backpack into the den and shut the door. In the living room, Steve found Newcomb, Kiba, Santino and Maria eating lunch, all surprised to see him. Kiba was sitting behind the computer with her feet on the desk. She hurriedly sat up, setting her plate aside and stood, eyeing the enormous Asgardian. "That was fast. Wanna introduce us to your friend?"

"Thor, this is Kiba Hardison. She's our computer and explosives expert."

Gracing her with a delighted smile, the god grasped her offered hand, bowing over it. "Lady Kiba, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She grinned. "Mine too."

The men came forward with wary steps. "Wyatt Newcomb and Aaron Santino."

They shook hands and Thor nodded to each man. "You are both warriors, are you not?"

Santino and Newcomb exchanged a glance, Santino speaking for them. "Yes, we are. Honored to meet you, Thor."

"And I you." Thor's deep voice rumbled through the old building and Steve was surprised that they hadn't disturbed those still asleep.

Maria came to stand next to Steve, and to go by the look in Thor's eyes, the action only reinforced the god's earlier statement about her being "his" woman.

She nodded a greeting. "Thor." Reluctantly, she extended her hand, and as he always did, time and circumstances permitting, he bowed over it in a courtly manner. "There's plenty to eat if you're hungry."

As she passed him, Thor noticed the bandage on her left hand. "You are injured, Lady Maria."

"It's nothing. Just a couple of stitches. I don't suppose the hammer can speed healing."

"Alas, it cannot." He hefted the hammer and set it on the small table near the sofa. "And I accept the offer of a meal."

~~O~~

In the kitchen, Thor glanced over his shoulder as Maria took down a huge mug and filled it from the coffee pot. "Just the way you like it. Hot and black."

Turning with his back to the living room, Thor held the mug, but didn't drink. His voice low, he pretended to look out the window. "Something is amiss with your new colleagues."

Puzzled, Maria set a plate on the counter and took out the bread, peanut butter and grape jelly. "Oh?'

"One of the three is not what he or she seems. I sense deceit, betrayal and a desire to harm others."

With a knowing glance, she cut the sandwich corner to corner and passed it to him. "Spidey sense tingling?"

He picked up one half of the sandwich. "If I understand you correctly, then yes, although I am not certain of the source. Only that it comes from one of the three." Taking an enormous bite, Thor chewed and swallowed, following it up with a long drink of the coffee before speaking again. "I could compel the traitor to reveal him or herself. It would take but a few minutes."

Casting a quick glance at Steve, bent over Kiba's shoulder while she showed him the information she'd compiled, Maria shook her head. "We can handle it. Appreciate the heads up though." The last of the sandwich disappeared into Thor's mouth. She passed him a napkin. "Want another?"

"Thank you, no." He cocked his head to the side, a frown turning down the corners of his mouth as he returned to the living room. Santino, easily the strongest of the humans, aside from Steve, was grunting and straining in his attempt to pick up the hammer. Crossing his arms, Thor grinned. "Perhaps the others would like to have a go."

Santino gave up the struggle and stepped back. "Already did. They couldn't lift it either."

Maria watched with humor as Thor swaggered over to the table, picked the hammer up and flipped it once, catching it by the handle. "Because none of you are worthy." Kiba, Newcomb and Santino stared at the god with annoyance, and for once, he noticed. "No offense is intended. Mjölnir determines who is worthy, not I."

Lurking in the background, Maria silently watched for tells, something that would point to one of them as being insincere and what their purpose was for being here. Everyone had secrets. It was a way of life, especially with SHIELD. If the secret not being shared had nothing to do with this mission, no big deal. However, if one of them were HYDRA, wouldn't they have shown themselves before now? There had been plenty of opportunities for someone to call in reinforcements to try to take them down.

While Thor answered their questions about the hammer, Asgard and the other realms, Maria caught Steve's eye, lifting her chin to let him know they needed to speak privately. He moved his eyes only, indicating the den. She went in and he joined her. Wasting no time on small talk, she stated, "We have a mole."

"A mole? How do you figure?"

"Thor picked up a vibe. He's not sure of the source. Just that's it's one of them." She pointed her chin over Steve's shoulder. "We need to bring Romanoff and Barton in on this."

Steve crossed his arms and stared off into the distance, thinking. "What about Sullivan? If one of them is dirty couldn't they all be?"

"Possible. I'll have one of my contacts do the full Monty on all four ASAP."

"The full what?"

"Never mind." She turned to look out the window. "Hardison showed you the intel?"

"Yes. And I agree that it's more than a coincidence that the descriptions are so similar. What about the woman who said a man rescued her from a kidnapper before he could assault her? We should talk to her in person."

Though she didn't hear him move, Maria knew when Steve had come up behind her even before he placed his hands on her shoulders and began massaging the muscles of her upper back. As good as it felt, she wanted more. Taking hold of his wrists, she moved his hands to her waist. Steve took the hint and slid them around to her stomach to pull her against him. Rubbing the backs of his hands, she let herself enjoy this moment of closeness.

Steve cuddled his head against hers. In the window's reflection he closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. Maria knew how he felt. This thing between them was moving forward at a slow and steady pace that neither of them wanted to rush. Or did they?

"Kiba hacked into the NYPD's database to get the file on her. The video footage of her being taken is poor quality. You can't see faces."

There was a knock at the door. Steve released her and she immediately missed the warmth.

Steve opened the door and Thor stood there looking apologetic. "I must take my leave. Contact me anytime you have need of my services again, my friend." He shook hands with Steve and nodded at her. "Lady Maria."

And then he was bounding up the stairs three at a time, Natasha and Clint moving into his place, both looking wide awake and ready for action. Thankfully, neither of the agents mentioned that she and Steve had been alone in his room with the door shut.

Aiming a thumb over his shoulder at Kiba still pounding away at the computer, Clint said, "We have contact info on the most recent witness. Her cell GPS says she's at home."

Natasha shifted her feet. "Hill and I'll go. After her ordeal, she's more likely to open up if there aren't any men around."

Steve nodded, his expression troubled, and Maria knew the source of that disquiet. To keep from arousing suspicion in the others, Maria let Steve know with a glance that she would read Natasha into Thor's suspicions and for him to do the same for Clint and Sam. Until they uncovered the mole, Sullivan would be included in their investigation. Sam wouldn't be happy, but it couldn't be helped. Once the identity of the fox in their henhouse was known, they'd kick 'em to the curb, Avengers style.

In the garage, Maria got behind the wheel of Steve's car while the door opened and Natasha buckled herself into the passenger seat. From the corner of her eye, Maria could see the Russian was staring straight ahead, biding her time. They were three blocks from the brownstone and sitting through a light when Natasha spoke.

"Something's going on with you and Steve, and I don't mean slap and tickle."

The light changed and Maria pulled through the intersection, signaled a left turn and took her place behind a box truck. "We have a mole. Thor said it's one of Sam's people."

Natasha took in the information, rolled it around in her head for a few seconds. "It's not Sullivan."

"Oh?"

Her friend scoffed at her tone of disbelief. "He's still asleep in his room. It has to be one of the other three."

"Granted. Which one looks good for it?"

"Toss up."

And that was the last word either said on the subject until they pulled up in front of a brick apartment building in Queens. Maria parked at the curb and shut off the engine. Natasha reached the mailboxes first, buzzing for admittance. A female voice said, "Yeah?"

Natasha leaned close to the speaker. "Detectives Woodhouse and Newberry, NYPD. We just have some follow-up questions from the other day. Just routine."

There was a long pause, then, "Come on up, and have your ID ready."

The door buzzed and Maria pulled it open. Natasha passed her a leather ID case on the way up the stairs. Soon, they were on the fourth floor in front apartment 4B. The women held the IDs up to the peephole and soon, the door was unlocked and opened.

Julia Burris was dressed in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Her living room was filled with boxes; some already taped up and labeled, and the rest open and waiting. She invited them in and removed boxes from the sofa, setting them on the floor. "Gave my statement to Detective Fletcher in the ambulance and again at the station. Don't know what else I can tell you."

Maria leaned into the cushions to give the appearance of relaxed attentiveness. "Actually, we aren't from the NYPD, Ms. Burris."

Their hostess backed up a few steps, glancing nervously at her phone more than an arm's length away, judging her chances. Natasha rushed to reassure her, "We're not here to hurt you. We just want information about the man who rescued you."

~~O~~

Julia looked from one face to the other uncertainly. In the neighborhood where she grew up, you developed instincts or you paid the price. Her gut said she could trust these women. She went into the kitchen and came back with three bottles of beer, set one aside and held the other two out, but they weren't immediately taken. With a rueful smile, she told them, "You're not cops, and it's five o'clock somewhere, amIright?"

"Absolutely." The redhead, the ID had given her name as Woodhouse, twisted the top off, nodding at the boxes. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. As far from New York as I can get on my savings. Don't know where yet. Just that it'll be warm. I'll be out of here by the end of the month and won't be looking back. If my family wants to see me they'll have to come to wherever."

"What do you do?"

One shoulder shrugged. Didn't matter much now that she'd be handing in her resignation when she returned to work on Monday. "I have a master's in business and marketing, and bachelor's in liberal arts, but the only position I could get that paid enough so I wouldn't have to take in a roommate was as executive assistant to the senior VP at CynaCorp. I haven't had a raise in two years and every position I've applied for within the company has miraculously been filled by the time I heard about it. All because I refuse to climb the corporate ladder on my back."

The one with the dark hair, Newberry, scowled, but she too opened her bottle and took a drink. Flopping into the chair by the window, Julia crossed her knees and waited for one of them to talk, taking bets with herself which one it would be. The redhead, she decided.

Woodhouse held the phone ready to take notes. "Describe the man for me, please."

Heaving a sigh, Julia brought his face to mind. Now that she thought about it, he was actually kind of handsome, in a rugged, seen-it-all kind of way. That's the one piece of information she'd keep to herself.

"It's very important, Julia. We think he's a friend of ours who may be suffering from PTSD. We have to find him."

That explained the odd vibe she got from him. "Couldn't see his face clearly until we got outside the gate, and even then he kept in the shadows, as if he were hiding. Jeans, a long sleeved button-front over a long-sleeved shirt, dark stubble, boots, no watch, dark brown hair below his ears but above his shoulders."

Woodhouse dragged a finger across her phone screen and passed it to Julia. "Is this the man you saw?"

Julia stared at the image of a smiling, baby-faced young man in an Army uniform that looked like it was from the forties, comparing it to the one in her head. One of the things that stood out about him that night, and she still saw when she went to sleep, was the eyes. In the photo, they were crystal blue, kind, laughing, and devil-may-care. The ones she'd seen had been blue, but the laughter had gone, replaced by world weariness and emotional as well as physical pain. "It was really dark, but that could be him."

Newberry sipped from her bottle and set it aside. "Is there anything else you can tell us, no matter how insignificant it seemed at the time?"

The room suddenly felt too small for the three of them, as if the strangers had changed the atmosphere by modifying their thoughts. Her gut clenched in that way it did when she sensed danger. Just like the other night a split second before she'd been grabbed, tied up and thrown in the trunk of that creep's car. They wouldn't tolerate lies or less than full disclosure. "It's not exactly insignificant. He, uh, he was really strong and had a prosthetic arm." She dropped her eyes to her lap, one hand picking at pieces of lint stuck to her pants. "I didn't say anything to the detective. Didn't want to end up in Belleview."

Again, Woodhouse and Newberry exchanged glances. It made Julia sorry she'd even answered the buzzer. She should've just let it ring. Too late now.

"Why would the police think you're crazy?"

"Because his entire left arm was covered in shiny silver metal. When he gave me his shirt to cover up, just for a second, I thought I saw a bit of red right here." Julia touched her bicep just below the shoulder and made a sound of frustration. "Then the sleeve slid down and I wasn't sure. Every time I say it out loud, I sound like a kook."

"And this happened at the construction site for the new wing of County General?"

"Yes."

Her guests stood, and Julia did too, walking them to the door. Newberry passed her a business card. All that was written on it was a phone number. "If you think of anything else, please call."

The door closed behind them, and Julia listened as they walked away. They didn't take the elevator as she expected, opting instead for the stairs. Going to the window, Julia watched the sidewalk out front and soon, they came out. Woodhouse made a phone call, passed the phone to Newberry in the driver's seat. Then, she climbed into an old sedan and it drove away.

Julia went back to her packing. Over an hour later, the phone rang. She stared at the caller ID in confusion before answering. "Hello… Yes, this is she… You want me to… Oh, yes. Of course, Mr. Stark… Three is perfect… I'll be there."

Still holding the phone, she collapsed into the nearest chair. Her solid grey cat wandered in and sat there staring a hole in her forehead. "Tony Stark just called, Lancelot. He's opening an office in Hawaii and wants to interview me for the manager's position. How would you like to live on the beach, Lance?"

The cat gave her a slow blink and walked into the kitchen where she could hear him crunching on his dry food.

"That sounds like yes."

~~O~~

In the passenger seat of Steve's car, Natasha thought over what Julia Burris told them. At the next light, she looked over at Maria who was staring out the front window. From this angle, Natasha couldn't read her friend's mood, yet it seemed as if she were brooding. It couldn't be about Steve because they were definitely on the same page with their newly minted personal relationship.

When they reached the highway, Maria was careful to keep within the speed limit. She got off at their exit, but instead of turning left to go back to the brownstone, she turned right. Shortly, she pulled to a stop several blocks from her destination.

Natasha looked around with interest, and by an unspoken agreement, they left the car and met in back. Maria popped the trunk, moved a few things around so she could open the hidden compartment. A variety of weapons had been stashed inside including ammunition. Natasha added a second Makarov to the one already secreted on her person along with boot knives, a k-bar and the sweet little SHIELD-issued semi-automatic strapped to her ankle.

"Shit!" The word hissed from between Maria's clenched teeth as she held her left hand up. A spot of blood appeared in the center of the bandage. The damage she may have done to the stitches was ignored as she lifted the front of her shirt and shoved a weapon into the waistband of her pants. At Natasha's look of concern, she stated flatly, "I'm fine. Let's go."

"It's just a recon."

"You need back-up, and I'm all there is."

Seeing that her friend was adamant, Natasha gave in gracefully. "Then try to keep up."

Casually, as if they were just two friends out for an afternoon stroll, the agents made their way to the abandoned hospital by a roundabout path. Then they crouched behind a rusted out dumpster. Natasha took out her phone and did a quick scan and found no hot spots that would indicate a warm body was inside. Technology was a great tool, but she preferred a more hands-on approach. "I don't see cameras. What about the construction site?"

"Nothing there either. It's still taped off so no worries."

"That's next on the list." Nodding once, Natasha stood, and Maria came up next to her. "Lock and load."

TBC