Celia pressed the elevator button, waiting for a car to take her up to the 52nd floor. She adjusted the strap on her messenger bag, it having shifted a little during her last sprint to get to the building after her slow start that morning. Her session started at 10am and with the speed of the elevators, she knew she would be a few minutes late. It wasn't a huge deal, her patient was pretty flexible, having made her wait numerous times as he took a last second phone call, but she hated being anything but punctual. A group of teen girls came up to wait for an elevator next to her, giggling to each other about who knows what. Celia smiled a little, thinking back to her own teen years and her small group of friends at school. The elevator doors opened up and she let the girls get in first, hating being stuck in the back of a crowded car. As the doors slid closed, a man's voice calling out "wait" had her arm thrust out stopping them, giving the man a chance to slip into the elevator at the last minute.
"Thank you," he said, giving her a little nod before standing to face the now closed doors.
"Floor?" Celia asked, gesturing to the buttons she was standing in front of.
"Oh, floor 48. Thank you ma'am," he answered, looking a little flustered. She pressed the button and leaned against the side of the car, settling in for the long ride up. The girls in the back had gone quiet, whispering to each other and pointing to the man. Celia hid a smile behind her hand, noticing the man blushing and shifting his weight. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like the man could, his discomfort climbing with each floor they passed. Thankfully, the girls were getting off on the 3rd floor, so his torture was short lived. They rushed past him with a giggle, turning to wave a little as the doors closed. The man sagged slightly, breathing out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. I was worried they were the ones going to the 52nd floor," he said, smiling over at her.
"No, I guess you're just stuck with me for now," Celia said laughing. "Don't worry, I don't think they knew who you were, they just thought you were cute." The man's eyes darted over toward her, looking a little nervous.
"Wha- I don't understand," he said, crossing his arms and facing her.
"Sorry, I know it's supposed to be a secret, but I heard some chatter about a V.I.P. being here today when I was here last week and I saw that magazine cover with that half of your face uncovered during the battle of New York and I just figured it out. I promise I won't tell anyone," Celia babbled, feeling uncomfortable. She shouldn't have said anything, but she figured he had a right to know there were some loose lips around the building. He seemed to deflate even more, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Thank you for telling me. I guess I might have to rethink settling my business affairs here. I know I'm not gonna hear the end of this," he groaned, picking himself back up to stand straight. He extended a hand toward her. "I'm Steve."
"Celia," the woman answered, shaking his hand. Steve stepped back, leaning his back against the side of the elevator, across from his ride companion. He was never gonna hear the end of this from Tony. He had insisted on finding his own accountant to deal with his years of back pay and help him invest and set up accounts. Steve was still uncomfortable living in Stark Tower, having been manipulated into accepting the offer with words of team bonding and safety in numbers. The last thing he wanted to do was have Tony take on the burden of figuring out all his affairs. They had all been living together in the month since the battle, except for Thor who was off world. It was still pretty awkward, Steve trying to catch up on everything he missed during his 70 year nap and Tony teasing him every chance he got. He had met with the accountant briefly, who had assured him that he would be discreet when he realized who he was dealing with when Shield transferred the paperwork, but evidently they had different definitions of the word discretion.
"I'm sure other people won't recognize you. I just happen to be good with faces," Celia said shrugging. "But I'm sure the girls falling all over themselves around you isn't new." Steve ducked his head, feeling his cheeks heat up. He still wasn't used to the attention he got after receiving the serum, having been invisible to the opposite sex beforehand.
"I wouldn't say that," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure you're used to a lot of attention, being a beautiful woman." Steve smiled, seeing that he made Celia blush as well. Natasha had tried to teach him the art of flirting one night, but he was too intimidated by her to practice the techniques, even at her gentle prodding. And he was convinced she had a thing with Barton and he didn't want to disrespect it. "So what are you here for?" he asked, desperately ready for a safer conversation subject.
"I'm a physical therapist," she answered, gripping the strap of her bag a little. "I make house calls, or in this case, office calls."
"You seem a little young to be a physical therapist," he said, taking in her youthful appearance.
"Not everyone looks their age these days," she said with a smile, tilting her head toward him slightly. He chuckled, having walked right into that one. He glanced at the elevator numbers, noticing they were passing the 25th floor already.
"Last time I was here, this thing stopped on almost every floor to let people on and off," Steve noted.
"Yeah, this is a little strange," Celia agreed. "Maybe it's our lucky day. I could hit some extra floors along the way if you'd like me to. Make the ride a bit more typical."
"No thanks, I think I'll just enjoy the quick ride with a lovely companion," he said, smiling at her blushing face once again. Maybe this flirting thing wasn't so hard. He doubted anyone would believe him if he told them of his success. The elevator started to slow, approaching the 32nd floor.
"You just had to jinx us," Celia laughed, shaking her head. He shrugged and mouthed "sorry", standing up straight again. The doors opened and a short, middle aged man stepped in, gripping a sleek black medical bag. He walked to the back of the car, standing in the middle. "Floor?" Celia asked, pointing to the buttons again.
"I'm sure wherever you're going will suffice," the man said, glancing over at Steve.
"Excuse me?" Steve asked, getting a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. The man just smiled back at him, fingering the handle of his bag and rocking back and forth on his heels. Celia huffed out a nervous laugh, looking back and forth between the two of them. Steve slid slowly in front of her, blocking her from the man. "You know, I think this is our stop," he said, pointing toward the elevator buttons with his head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man said casually, dipping his hand into his bag and pulling out a gun. "I'd actually prefer if you'd step away from the door altogether." Steve felt Celia tense up behind him and he raised his hands in surrender, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. The man gestured to the left with his gun, herding them into a back corner of the elevator. Steve and Celia moved together, keeping himself in the middle.
"Who are you?" Steve asked, glaring at the man. He hated not having his shield right now, but he was confident he could handle this without it.
"I'm just a man with a job to do," he answered, hitting the emergency stop button, bringing the elevator ride to a halt.
"Whatever it is you're planning on doing, I can assure you it's a bad idea," Steve warned, feeling his adrenaline rise in anticipation of the upcoming fight.
"I think I'm willing to take that chance, Captain," the man sneered, raising the gun to point at his head. Celia gasped, peeking over his shoulder to see the gun. This would be so much easier to deal with if there were no innocent bystanders, but there wasn't anywhere safe he could put Celia to keep her out of harm's way. "If you come quietly, the girl doesn't have to get hurt. I'd hate to have to waste one of my special bullets on her, but I will."
"What's so special about them?" Steve asked, looking to stall and find out more information about who this guy was. Was he working alone or with a team? Was he an evil genius that found some way to take out a super soldier? As far as Steve knew, a bullet was a bullet and it could kill you if you knew where to shoot.
"It's actually my own prototype," the man answered giddily, like he was happy to have an audience to brag in front of. "Each little bullet is full of electricity and gives the victim a jolt strong enough to knock them unconscious. So I'm going to shoot you and take you back to my lab, where I can study you and remake my own army of super soldiers. Aren't I brilliant?" Steve took a moment to appreciate the fact that the real geniuses he knew, Tony and Bruce, weren't psychopaths like this guy. That they used their smarts for good instead of evil.
"If you're as smart as you say you are, why don't you come with me and show your invention to some of my associates? You can help people instead of hurt them," Steve offered, trying to appeal to this man's humanity. The man frowned, looking like he was considering his offer. Steve shifted ever so slightly forward, trying to get in grabbing distance of the gun. He needed to be able to disarm him fully, a discharge meaning a possible ricochet in this metal box. He heard Celia's breathing pick up minutely, staying frozen in place behind him. Steve was happy she was able to keep her cool in this situation, instead of becoming hysterical, even though he wouldn't blame her if she was. Most people didn't know how to handle stressful encounters like this.
"I think…" the man started, tilting his head a little, "I like my plan best." Steve lunged forward for the gun as a loud bang sounded and he was jerked back by a stinging pain in his left shoulder. A quiet grunt behind him made him turn, seeing Celia crumple to the floor in the corner of the elevator.
"No!" Steve gasped, kneeling over her and seeing a bright patch of red bloom in the center of her white t-shirt. He pressed a hand on the wound, feeling a jolt of electricity sting him as her body started to shake with convulsions. The bullet had gone through his shoulder and went straight into Celia's heart. Steve watched helplessly as the shuddering of her body stopped and her head listed to the side, eyes open and unseeing.
"Too bad, the electricity has a bit of a delay. I'll have to make a note about that," the man commented, dispassionately. Steve felt him nudge the back of his head with the gun. "Time to go to sleep Captain." The man shifted the gun to press against Steve's uninjured shoulder, pointing down a little to get the bullet to stay in his body this time. Steve braced himself for impact, unable to maneuver his body to disarm the man in this position with his injury. A sudden gasp startled them both, distracting them from their next moves. Celia sat up with a shout, clutching at her chest and looking around with wild eyes.
"What!" the man yelled, dropping the gun from Steve's back. This was the chance he needed, driving his head back into the man's chest while the gun was pointed away from him. The man grunted, the air forced out of his lungs. Steve pivoted on one foot, grabbing at the man's wrist with his injured arm. He threw a haymaker at the side of the man's head, not holding back like he normally did while fighting humans. He heard a sickening crunch and the man dropped like a stone. Steve stifled a gag, having felt his skull cave in a little from that hit.
"Ahh!" Celia cried, bringing his attention back to where she laid. She was writhing around on the floor, scratching at her chest in obvious pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut with tears leaking out and rolling into her sweat soaked hair.
"What is happening?" Steve whispered, staring at the woman he was sure was dead just a minute ago. He fumbled his cell phone out of his pocket, hand shaking as he called the first number on speed dial.
"Why Cap, I'm honored that you called! But if this is about your shoddy accountant, I'm gonna warn you, you will be receiving as many "I told you so's" as I see fit."
"Tony," Steve breathed out, stopping Tony's monologue in its tracks.
"What's wrong?" Tony asked, now sounding fully alert and serious. Celia whimpered out a cough, banging her head on the floor of the elevator. "What the hell was that?"
"I need you to come to the building my accountant is in. And bring Shield."
"What happened?" Tony asked, yelling orders to Jarvis in the background of the call.
"I don't know. We're in the elevator," Steve answered, hitting end on the call and cutting off Tony's questions. He knew it was rude to just hang up, but he couldn't deal with the sound of Tony's yelling anymore. His shoulder was throbbing and the blood loss was making him a little light headed. He turned his attention back to Celia, who was still jerking weakly and gasping for air. She suddenly fell silent, eyes closed and completely limp. Steve reached over to check her pulse, praying he didn't just watch her die, again. As soon as his fingers touched her skin, Celia shot up, scooting away to lean against the corner.
"What the fuck!" she panted, staring down at her bloody chest.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked, feeling himself tremble slightly from shock and confusion. Celia looked up at him, eyes wide and panicked. She reached up to grab the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head. Steve looked away, his sense of decorum ingrained in him since childhood.
"What the fuck," Celia said again, surprised. Steve turned back, his curiosity overriding his politeness.
"What the fuck?" he repeated. The bullet wound was gone.