AN: We're finally into the Winter Soldier! And I just thought I'd give readers a heads up; it may take a while for the next update to come around the corner... I usually like to post when I'm a few chapters ahead of the story, and right now I'm actually behind on my writing. So I apologize in advance for the wait. Anywho, big thanks to ColdOnePaul for reviewing! Reviews are always greatly appreciated, especially since they encourage me to keep up :)

Chapter Seventy One

Ada held back a sigh of contentment as she buried her face into a warm pillow. The sheets wrapped around her formed a protective layer from the cool air wafting from the vent. She was far too comfortable to get up that morning. Especially when she felt the warmth of another body pressed against hers. She finally turned so that she was facing Steve, who was already wide awake. Not that that notion surprised her. Steve was as much of an early riser as she had been.

"Good morning," he greeted her like he usually did in the morning.

She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed when he moved forward and tenderly kissed her forehead. They'd agreed to share a bed not long after Steve learned that they were on the same team. Ada had jumped at the opportunity, but only under the condition that they didn't reach intimate levels just yet. Neither of them were quite ready for that, especially since they had only been dating for nearly a month now.

Within that time frame, she and Steve had moved to Washington D.C. and continued their work at the Triskellion. It hadn't been easy adjusting to a new life and a new city. But Ada found herself enjoying what time she had with Steve. Natasha had made it easier as well when she stopped by for a visit when they weren't on a mission with the STRIKE team. The redhead had been genuinely interested in the fact that they were officially 'dating'.

The biggest challenge was waiting until the right time to admit to Tony that they were sharing apartments. Ada hadn't had the heart to tell him just yet. Though he'd agreed that Steve was better than most of the men who had shown an interest in her, that didn't make him any happier. So, she'd decided the best thing to do was wait until she knew he would treat the situation without freaking out on them.

"Good morning yourself," she replied without missing a beat. She was hardly surprised to find that it wasn't even five in the morning. Since they had begun a morning routine of getting up and having coffee before starting their shift, their mornings usually ended up as a race to see who was awake first. Steve usually ended up winning said race, since he was a light sleeper. "Didn't sleep well again, did you?" she added after noticing that it looked as if he'd been awake for a while now.

"It isn't easy trying to adjust to a new life," he admitted sheepishly.

Ada simply hummed in agreement as they scrambled to climb out of bed. She wasn't in any hurry to actually get up and change, but she knew that the sooner they got ready, the better off they were.

"Something tells me that there's more to it than that," she remarked.

She hadn't missed the fact that Steve didn't sleep nearly as much as any normal person should. And a small part of her knew that it was likely from his days in the army. She'd quickly learned to appreciate sleeping on the ground or anywhere else for that matter thanks to SHIELD. But she couldn't imagine spending months on end adjusting from one bed to the other, and he'd done just that.

"Is mind reading another power of yours?" Though he meant it as a joke, Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Her powers had nothing to do with the ability to read when something was on his mind. It was clear that he hadn't been sleeping well, and as she suspected, it had something to do with the bed. She would have pointed that out if it wasn't for the fact that she'd received a text from Natasha.

'Heads up; boss has a new assignment for us this evening.'

Ada frowned at that. She and Natasha had been working undercover since she moved to Washington with Steve. Director Fury was the one who had asked her to work alongside the master assassin, since Natasha had no problem breaking a few rules if it meant gathering intel on the enemy. Ada, on the other hand, was left feeling uneasy with the idea of having to go behind Steve's back while working on the same team. It made keeping secrets between them that much more challenging, and she knew that Steve would eventually discover the truth.

She eyed the message cautiously when she saw what it was meant for before deciding to send something back, 'Thanks; keep me posted on what's happening ASAP.'

It was code for warning her when it was time to jump into secrecy mode. Which was something that Ada never looked forward to.

"For the record, I don't even know if my people are capable of reading minds or not," she finally pointed out after pouring herself a cup of coffee. Steve threw her a wry look as he stood next to her when she put her phone back in her pocket. She was careful not to let him read the message that Natasha had sent her after she sent another message back to let her know that she'd received it. "I know that we're capable of adapting to any situation that we're put through, but that's about as much knowledge as I have about them."

She added the last part with a shrug, and she caught Steve eyeing her curiously. Even after they had been dating for a month, there was still so much he had yet to learn about her powers and the way they had developed. He had agreed to go with her when she went to Xavier's School for the Gifted. But Professor Xavier hadn't been able to provide much information on the Aliquid at the time. And it had ended up getting the school attacked in the process of their stay.

"Which isn't much when you think about it," he put in knowingly.

Ada gave a faint nod of agreement.

"Are you up for the usual morning run?" she asked after they finished their coffee.

Since they moved to Washington, she and Steve had been finding spots around the city where they could have a morning jog. The National Mall had become one of their favorite spots, along with parks and other recreational areas close by. Bystanders always seemed to be few and in between around the time they went, which was part of the reason why they had begun their routine.

"I think you already know my answer," he replied without missing a beat.

She couldn't hide the grin that followed as they headed out of the apartment complex without another word. As much as she resented not being able to sleep in, this was her favorite time of the day. The sun was just beginning to peek over one of the monuments as they reached the parkway. Few pedestrians were out at that time of the day, making it a bit more tolerable as they jogged side-by-side.

Though she didn't have the Super Soldier Serum like Steve did, Ada was more than capable of being able to keep up with him. She had long-since suspected that that was due to a combination of her abilities and her training with SHIELD.

It wasn't until about their third lap when Ada noticed that someone was trying to keep up with them. She almost smirked when she heard Steve say 'On your left' on more than one occasion. Hearing his groan of frustration on the fifth lap was enough for her to nearly laugh. Still, she had to give the man credit for not giving up. He continued jogging until he'd reached his second lap, when he finally stopped and let out a heavy breath.

"Need a medic?" Steve asked when they finally reached the tree where the newcomer was sitting.

"I know a few doctors who might be of some use for those lungs of yours," Ada quipped when she noticed how out of breath he was.

The man threw her an incredulous look while Steve rose an eyebrow at her comment.

"I need a new set of lungs," he retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Dude, the two of you just ran thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

"Guess we had a late start," Steve remarked after giving Ada a shrewd look.

"Oh, really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap."

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh at the man's comebacks. She had to admit, she liked his sense of humor. She could still remember running a good ten laps around the SHIELD facility when she first began her training. That had always been a warmup routine for every new recruit. Getting their leg muscles prepared and ready for a hard day of work was always important, and Ada had quickly learned to appreciate the training after she got used to it.

"Something tells me that he's already taken it while you were talking," she put in cheekily.

"Well, I assumed he just took it," he rolled his eyes while Steve crossed his arms and watched the pair in amusement.

"What unit are you with?" Steve, who happened to guess that the man in question had been working for the military at some point or another, asked.

He looks like someone who would have served, Ada thought as she looked him up and down curiously. She knew now not to judge someone by their covers. But her father had always worked closely with people from the military when he used to make weapons, and she had seen enough officers to know what the majority of them looked like.

"Fifty-eighth, Para-rescue. But now I'm working down at the VA," he replied with a shrug, "Sam Wilson."

"Steve Rogers," Steve returned the gesture with a greeting of his own.

"Ada Stark," Ada quickly introduced herself with a small smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Sam."

"Pleasure's all mine," Sam gave her a nod after recognizing who she really was. She had gotten used to people figuring out who she was even with some kind of disguise. She usually had to get more elaborate when it came to going out in the public, especially when she was with Steve. "I kinda put those two together when I saw you together. Must of freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes when Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of red at the mention of seeing them together. Though she wasn't entirely surprised with the way he reacted. It was still hard to believe that they had been seeing each other for little more than a month.

"It takes some getting used to," Steve admitted with a shrug of his own. "But it helps having someone who knows their way around." He added the last part with a small smile at Ada, and in that moment, she felt her own cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment. "It's good to meet you, Sam."

She almost snorted at Steve's blunt way of cutting the conversation short. Sam had been watching them curiously for the last few seconds since they started talking. And while Sam had brought up an uncomfortable subject for Steve, that didn't mean he should have shut him down so abruptly.

"It's your bed, right?"

Before Steve could leave, Sam suddenly brought up something that had been eating at Ada since they moved to D.C. She glanced at him self-consciously when she noticed that he did finally pause in his stride and turned to face Sam, who seemed to understand more than Steve realized.

"What's that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Your bed, it's too soft," Sam replied with a firm nod. He looked between Steve and then back at Ada, who frowned as she began to realize the real reason behind Steve's lack of sleep over the last couple of weeks. When I was over there I sleep on the ground and used rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and It's like…"

"Lying on a marshmallow. I feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor," Steve finished for him when Sam couldn't bring himself to. "How long?"

"Two tours," Sam answered with a small smile. "You must miss the good ol' days, huh?"

It wasn't until Sam had mentioned missing the good old days that Ada found herself stiffening with worry. She hadn't even thought of how much Steve would miss from his own world. Then again, he rarely gave any indications how much he preferred his world from where he was now.

"Well, things aren't so bad," Steve mused thoughtfully when he glanced at her. "Food's a lot better, we used to boil everything." Ada grimaced at the thought of having to boil food just to make it edible. She remembered Tony trying to do that with the fresh hamburger meat Pepper had bought from the grocery store, and it took a while for them to convince him not to boil it. "No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot trying to catch up. And I've got one of the best teachers I could ask for helping me get caught up with everything I've lost."

As if to prove his point, Steve suddenly took hold of Ada's hand and gave it a light squeeze. By now, she was struggling not to grin as realization dawned on her. She still found it hard to believe that he'd learned so much since they began working together after the battle of Manhattan.

Sam looked at the pair thoughtfully when a suggestion came to his mind, "Marvin Gaye, 1972, "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Everything you've missed jammed into one album."

Steve offered a small smile when Ada immediately reached for the notebook that he always kept with him. Since she had been helping him get acclimated with modern technology and this new world, he'd kept a notebook with him of references to look up. She hadn't missed the fact that most of her suggestions were already crossed off, and newer ones had been added next to them with stars beside them.

"I'll put it on the list," he replied.

"We seriously need to do a Star Trek marathon one of these days," she remarked after noticing that that portion of the list hadn't been crossed off yet. "And I'm not just talking about the Reboot series."

She only smirked when Steve threw her an incredulous look at the mention of having a marathon, and even Sam looked a little skeptical at that. Steve was ready to say something when his phone suddenly went off with a message alert.

'Mission alert. Extraction immanent. Meet at the curb :).'

Ada was hardly surprised to see that the message came directly from Natasha. She held back a sigh when she realized where this was headed. Thoughts of what the real mission suddenly came rushing back. Natasha had sent her images of SHIELD data that needed to be recovered and saved, but she suspected that Steve's job was going to be a little more challenging than that.

"Alright, Sam, duty calls," Steve finally announced after he put both his phone and his notebook away. "Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running."

It took everything Ada had not to laugh at Sam's annoyed expression when they shook hands.

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

"Oh, that's how it is."

Even Steve was struggling not to grin as he turned around and started walking away. Sam just let out a huff of laughter when he realized what Steve was implying.

"Okay. Any time you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know," he suggested after looking between Steve and Ada, "Seeing as you've already got yourself a girl."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Steve gave a wave of his hand while Ada struggled to hold back a fit of laughter.

Eventually, they reached the curb where Natasha was waiting in a black sports car. Ada rose an eyebrow when she caught the look Sam was giving as he spotted the car. She was already bracing herself for the numerous traffic laws that would be broken with Natasha driving. Compared to Clint and Tony, she made them look like saints when it came to driving, and that was saying something.

"Hey, fellas," Natasha greeted them when she rolled down the window. "Any of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

Ada barked with laughter at Natasha's joke. Not for the first time, Natasha was quick to make some jibe at Steve's 'age'. Though he had been frozen in ice for seventy years, he still looked younger than any of the men that served in the army at his time. And people made jokes about that all of the time, especially when Steve made references about his time period.

"That's hilarious," Steve shook his head in amusement after shooting Ada a look.

"It's better than what my father likes to call you behind your back," she pointed out when she climbed into the backseat. "And believe me, he's called you plenty of things over the last few months."

"Wasn't he the one who made up the whole Capsicle joke?" Natasha quipped after looking at her mirror curiously.

"Pretty sure he was the one who started all of that."

By now, she was struggling not to grin when she caught the look Steve was giving both of them. He let out a sigh and shook his head, though even he looked more amused than annoyed. The good news was, he had gotten used to the constant 'grandpa' jokes Tony would often make around him. Considering how annoyed he had been with Steve when he found out that they were seeing each other, Ada was surprised that his reaction hadn't been worse.

They're good friends, even though both would deny it through and through, she nearly snorted in amusement at the thought. Tony was just too stubborn to admit that he did see Steve as a friend. Though it started off to a rocky start, at least now they tolerated one another.

"Hey," Natasha greeted Sam with a coy smile.

"How you doing?" Sam asked when he peered at Natasha curiously.

"You can't drive everywhere," Steve said after closing the door shut.

"No. No you can't," Sam shook his head with equal amusement.

With those parting words, Natasha drove off once everyone was settled.

…

Her brows furrowed together with concentration as she studied the screen in front of her. After changing into a SHIELD uniform – the same one that had been specifically designed specifically for her – she and the rest of the STRIKE team had met up at the quinjet to arrive at their destination. Ada wasn't surprised to see Steve watching Natasha closely as she informed him of what they were up against. Rumlow was the head of the STRIKE team; he and his men were already getting geared up for the mission at hand.

"The target is a mobile satellite launch platform: The Lemurian Star," Rumlow started once they were all gathered together. "It was sending up their last payload when pirates took them, ninety-three minutes ago."

"Any demands?" Steve asked after narrowing his eyes.

"A billion and a half," Rumlow replied.

Ada narrowed her eyes at that. When Natasha had warned her about the mission ahead of time, she suspected that the pirates had been hired as a ruse. Distracting SHIELD's operatives was all part of the plan before they could get their hands on the intel they needed. She glanced at Steve warily, knowing that he wouldn't like the idea that Fury had hired those pirates in the first place, and that he was nothing more than the pickup crew for said mess.

"Why so steep?" he asked after turning to look at Rumlow cautiously.

"Because it's SHIELD's," Rumlow answered for him.

He threw a look in the direction of Natasha and Ada, who were standing side-by-side at the moment. They exchanged wary looks, already aware of the reason behind said ransom. A lump formed in the back of Ada's throat as she caught Steve glaring in their direction.

"So, it's not off course, it's trespass," he deadpanned.

"I'm sure they have some kind of a reason for doing so," Ada tried reasoning, though she knew that it was a lame excuse.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor," Steve sighed in exasperation.

I think we all are, Ada nearly rolled her eyes as she silently agreed with him. When she agreed to take part in whatever assignments he'd given Natasha, she didn't realize how difficult it would be to continue lying to Steve. He was beginning to feel suspicious, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out what they were planning.

"Relax, it's not that complicated," Natasha reassured him while shooting Ada a look that dared her to speak out.

"How many pirates?" Steve asked after rolling his eyes at Natasha's response.

"Twenty-five, top mercs, led by this guy. Georges Batroc," Rumlow replied. He revealed video footage of the man in charge of said pirates. Ada lifted a brow when she noticed that he was one of the goons that managed to slip away during a mission she was part of nearly two years ago. That had ended in disaster, with several people getting hurt in the process. She had since-than learned how to avoid letting people get caught in the crossfire. "Ex-TGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's 'red notice'. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."

"Are there any hostages?" Steve asked while he began preparing for the mission at hand.

"Mostly techs," Ada replied before Rumlow could speak again. Said agent threw her a dirty look as she tilted her head to one side, recognizing the name of one of the officers on the ship, "One Officer known as Jasper Sitwell."

"They're being held in the galley," Rumlow cut in while he continued glaring at her.

Ada simply crossed her arms over her chest and returned the gesture, knowing that she would never hear the end of it when this was over. Rumlow preferred being left in charge of missions like these. She'd worked with him on more than one occasion. He was the type of arrogant asshole who always seemed to have something to prove while he was in charge, and that often led to disastrous outcomes during the missions they were on.

"What's Sitwell doing on the ship?" Steve asked with a frown. Ada had been wondering the same thing. Sitwell wasn't the type of person who went out to visit ships like this one. In fact, he hated going out in the field if it could be avoided. "Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, Stark, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to life pods. get 'em out. Let's go."

"STRIKE, you heard the Captain. Gear up!" Rumlow barked at the men who were already rushing to get themselves ready for the mission at hand.

She watched while the STRIKE team grabbed whatever gear or weapons they would need for said mission. Ada glanced over at Steve self-consciously when she felt his gaze boring though her, as if he was asking whether or not she knew more than she was letting on. She kept her mouth shut, already aware that saying anything now would only make things that much worse.

"Secure channel seven," he finally said to Natasha after tearing his eyes away.

"Seven secure," Natasha replied once she typed in a few command codes. They'd already made plans to use the coms to keep in touch during the mission, though Ada doubted Natasha would answer hers once they reached the engine room. "You two doing anything fun Saturday night?"

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so…" Steve glanced in Ada's direction, and heat rose to her cheeks when she realized what he meant by that.

Natasha threw them a wry look that said it all. After watching them dance around each other for the last few months, she was expecting some kind of romantic outcome between them. And Ada found herself debating whether or not that was even an option. She doubted Steve would ever trust her again when he found out what she and Natasha were up to.

"Well, we could always visit the Smithsonian Institute since they opened that new wing," she suggested when an uneasy silence fell between them. "I've heard they have all the best Captain America memorabilia."

"Coming up the drop zone, Cap," Rumlow cut in.

Steve looked at her with renewed interest when he realized that the new wing had been recently finished. She'd heard rumors about it being under construction, so she was curious about what sort of information it had on Captain America. Besides, she suspected he wouldn't have minded being able to see some objects from his past.

"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'll probably say yes," Natasha suddenly told him.

If Steve was surprised by the suggestiveness in Natasha's voice, he didn't show it. Ada shook her head in disbelief. Natasha wasn't above making everyone around her uncomfortable. She knew how to get under their skin, and she used whatever tactics she could to do so. She was prying into Steve's personal life, and she was doing her best to figure out what was going on between them. Ada swallowed hard when she realized that sooner or later, they would have to come clean about their growing relationship.

"I've already got a date," he finally replied after catching himself.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she caught his eyes reaching hers. And in that moment, she couldn't hide the sheepish smile when all eyes landed on them. Ada struggled to hide her initial surprise as Steve grabbed hold of his shield, giving a nod to one of the STRIKE team members standing near the hangar door. She nearly rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time when Steve suddenly jumped out of the moving quinjet.

"Was he wearing a parachute?" one of the STRIKE team members asked when she reached the hangar door.

"Of course not," she replied without missing a beat. One of the STRIKE team members – she was sure that he was new to the team, otherwise he would have known about her powers – moved to stop her when Rumlow pulled him back. "I'll be fine; I don't need a parachute either."

She sucked in a breath as she glanced at the STRIKE team warily. She had begun using her powers in ways that would help get her around the field more easily. Learning how to utilize them in such a way proved useful when she needed a quick escape, or when an enemy needed to be taken down faster than expected. The good news was, tonight was no different. Once she got her bearings and judged the distance between the quinjet and the ship, she jumped.

No one dared make a move when she used her powers over the air to maneuver towards the ship. Steve was already on the main deck striking down a couple of pirates when she landed gracefully. The Super Soldier barely had time to pause when one of the pirates tried taking advantage of his sudden distraction. Ada narrowed her eyes and threw a ball of fire in their direction, knocking them overboard in the process.

"Thanks," he nodded his thanks when he realized they would have ambushed him.

"Well, you seemed pretty helpless back there," she remarked with a sheepish smirk.

"What about that nurse that lives down the hall from you?" Natasha asked when she landed next to them. She quickly unstrapped her parachute, smirking when Steve threw her a glare. "She seems kind of nice."

"Kind of is an understatement," Ada scoffed under her breath.

The nurse Natasha was referring to happened to also be Sharon Carter, another agent who was tasked with keeping an eye on them. The only reason Ada knew about her was because they'd run into each other one morning. Sharon had been friendly enough, but Ada didn't miss how awkward it was when she noticed how close she and Steve were.

"Secure the engine room," Steve snapped after letting out a sigh of exasperation. "Then we'll start talking."

"I'm multitasking," Natasha reassured him as she glanced at Ada and gave her a nod.

…

"Since when did you get interested in someone's love life?" Ada asked as she ran alongside Natasha.

They'd reached the engine room within minutes after taking down several pirates along the way. Most of them were pushovers compared to some of the enemies that Ada had faced before. She had been trained to deal with just about anything the world threw at her, and she was suddenly grateful for said training. Though, Natasha made it look easy when she glided down the halls and fired her gun at any pirate that stood in the way.

"Since I've noticed you and Cap dancing around each other like you're walking on thin ice," the redhead replied while working on securing the data they'd found. Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she pulled out the flash drive that Fury had given Natasha. She knew how to hack into any database, and she knew that they needed to secure whatever intel they could find before Steve showed up. "By the way, what are you planning on doing about that?"

"We've already talked about it a few days ago," she admitted once she began storing the data in question. "I think we've reached an agreement that taking it slowly is the best option… with dad being overprotective, and with our jobs, it's kind of a risk to even consider taking things the next step."

Natasha pursed her lips as she began to realize the situation Ada suddenly found herself in. She had been aware of how uneasy Ada was with having to lie to Steve about their jobs. Ada had made it loud and clear how much she detested the idea. But she also understood how important it was to gather whatever intel they could. If what Director Fury had said was true about SHIELD, then the sooner they got this taken care of, the better off everyone would be.

"You and Steve are in some serious need of relationship talks when this is over," she remarked.

Ada let out a bitter laugh of agreement at that. She highly doubted there would even be a relationship between them when this was over. The only thing she could do was hope for the best and move forward when that time came.

"Natasha, Ada, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages." She flinched when Steve's voice sounded through the com. She glanced at Natasha anxiously, but the master assassin only shook her head and mouthed 'don't respond'. "Natasha!"

It took everything she had not to respond when she heard the urgency in Steve's voice. Her fists clenched as she continued watching the screen warily. It wasn't until she felt Natasha's gaze bore through her that her shoulders sagged.

"I can't keep doing this," she muttered under her breath.

Before Natasha could respond, glass suddenly shattered around them. Ada flinched when a piece of shrapnel grazed her arm, leaving a nasty looking cut in the process. Seconds later, Steve and Batroc came crashing through the window.

"Well, this is awkward," Natasha quipped while she managed to maintain her composure.

"What are you two doing?" Steve demanded after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Backing up the hard drive," Natasha replied without missing a beat. Ada kept her mouth shut as Steve glared at both of them. "It's a good habit to get into."

"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" he deadpanned when he reached the main console. Ada couldn't bring herself to look at him when he noticed what they had been up to. "You're saving SHIELD intel."

"Whatever we can get our hands on," Ada finally spoke up.

"Our mission was to rescue the hostages," Steve reminded them with an icy look.

"No," Natasha corrected him. She finally pulled out the flash drive once it was finished downloading the data, then she turned and looked at Steve with a charming smile, "That's your mission." She paused for a moment, glancing at Ada when she looked down at the console guiltily. "And you've done it beautifully."

She was about to leave when Steve suddenly grabbed her arm, "You just jeopardized this entire operation."

"I think that's overstating things."

More like we're overstating things, Ada winced at the thought surging through her. Steve opened his mouth, ready to spit something in response when Batroc suddenly threw a grenade in their direction. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when Steve suddenly deflected the grenade with his shield, but not without it exploding from the impact. He used his shield to cover them both from the intense heat that followed, glaring at them both in the process.

"Okay. That one's on me," Natasha groaned when they were thrown out of the engine room in the process.

"You're damn right," Steve muttered crossly.