6 – On the Run – May 12, 2012

While Aspen dozed off, Steve was wide-awake, nervously twisting his bracelet around his wrist. His mind was on alert and every little creak of floorboards and strain of conversation made him want to grab Aspen and run. He didn't like waiting like this. He wasn't one to run, but Aspen was hurt and he didn't know how many men were after them. Two might have been trailing them, but it was entirely possible that there were more coming after them tonight. They had to know who he was and what he could do. He was suspicious of the phone call Aspen had received, but he knew that leaving Portland was probably their best option. She had her parents' research, but the trail hadn't ended just yet. As his gaze drifted to Aspen, it struck him how vulnerable she looked right now with her leg swollen and under a bag of ice. Her falling had been a stroke of bad luck. He swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything like that happen to her again.

Aspen stirred, and for a moment he thought she was having a nightmare, but then she relaxed. He looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 11:00. He wasn't sure what to expect at 11:45, but they would be prepared. At 11:30, Steve woke Aspen, gently touching her shoulder. She opened her eyes to look at him.

"It's time," he said. Aspen gave him a small nod. He shouldered both of their bags and then helped Aspen sit up. "Do you want me to get more ice for your leg?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It'll only slow us down. I'll deal with it later." He frowned, worried about her putting weight on it, but her brow was set in determination, and he could see that she wasn't going to be coddled. At 11:44, they both tensed, waiting for whatever was going to happen. The minute ticked by slowly, and Steve found himself staring a hole in the door. Then Aspen's phone rang and they both jumped out of their skin.

"Hello?" Aspen did something to make the voice on the other end speak out clearly like she'd done before when her mom had called.

"You have fifteen minutes to get to the station. Take the back exit near the laundry rooms. Don't stop for anything. Don't talk to anyone."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Steve asked.

There was a pause and then, "Keep her safe, Captain Rogers." The phone clicked, and Aspen grabbed it, shoving it in her jacket pocket. She pulled her black cap lower over her eyes and stood, favoring her injured leg.

"Ready?" she asked. Steve nodded. "Let's go."

Aspen kept up a steady pace, walking as quickly as her injured leg allowed. Steve knew every step must be causing her great pain, but she didn't complain. They made it out of the hotel. He kept wondering what the distraction was but everything was silent. They walked out into the chilly night, and he saw Aspen huddle further into her jacket. She was limping badly now, and he slid an arm around her. He expected her to protest, but she leaned into him, allowing him to help her. The walk seemed to take forever, and he could tell how frustrated Aspen was with herself though she didn't speak. The city at night was something Steve hadn't prepared himself for. He'd never had reason to walk around at night in New York since waking up. As they passed a park, he saw homeless people sleeping in tattered sleeping bags. Their faces were like masks of hopelessness gazing at him and Aspen without traces of emotion. One man stood out to Steve. He was sitting in a very old wheelchair with a ratty blanket across his lap. What struck Steve was the uniform he wore. It was hard to tell at first with the stains and holes, but he realized it was a military uniform. A tarnished badge glistened under the streetlamp, and Steve realized with a jolt that this was a veteran.

"That man," he said to Aspen in a hoarse whisper, "he was in the army. He has a medal. Why is he living on the streets?"

Aspen gave him a sad look. "This country doesn't always look after those who served it. Some come back from war with injuries and can't afford the medical bills or health insurance. They wind up on the streets."

Steve found himself trying to grasp this concept. This man had gone to war for this country and it couldn't even give him a home or proper medical treatment? "I should give him something, anything." He dug for his wallet, but Aspen dragged him on.

"Steve, you can't help them all. He's not the only one. You could give every penny to your name to the homeless and there would still be some left without anything."

"Just let me talk to him."

"We don't have time, Steve. Focus." He realized she was right when he looked down at his watch. They only had three minutes to get to the station, and he'd already dawdled by the park. He cast a look back at the soldier and then nodded to Aspen. "I'm sorry," she told him. "The world can be a cruel place."

"I've seen cruelty before. It doesn't belong here. What about the people who drive past them everyday? Can't they help?"

"They do. A lot of people do help, but it's never enough."

A clock somewhere up ahead tolled out midnight. Steve peered ahead and saw that they were a block away from the station. "When does the train leave?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. We should hurry." They picked up the pace, Aspen limping along. He could see her wince now as she put weight on her injured leg. When they finally reached the station, they went up to the ticket window. Aspen quickly scanned the reader board that told them when the trains left and where they went. She quickly purchased them two tickets to Seattle, using an electronic screen that took her cash. Steve saw that the train left in fifteen minutes. They hurried over to where the train would meet them. Aspen kept looking around as if expecting someone to come for them. Steve kept his arm around her protectively.

There were a few people milling around. One girl who looked to be Aspen's age kept glancing at him. She had vivid purple hair that had to be dyed and a ring through her nose and several more up her ears. He self-consciously tugged at his hat. "Hey," the girl said. "Have you been to Brooklyn?"

Steve had forgotten that his hat said that and wondered wildly for a second how the girl knew he was from New York. "Oh, yeah, awhile back," he said. "My-er-girlfriend got it for me when we visited." He looked down at Aspen who threw him a surprised look. The girl looked between the two of them.

"I've always wanted to go, you know? I like it here, but New York is so much more exciting." She played with the ring in her nose, and Steve tried not to stare. He'd seen some odd fashions and jewelry since he'd woken up, but he still wasn't used to them.

"Yeah, great place," he said shakily. Act normal, he told himself. He was suddenly suspicious of everyone. Aspen stayed silent at his side.

"Are you visiting or do you live here?" she asked.

"Just visiting," Aspen said. "I used to live here, but went away for college."

"I'm going to Seattle to visit a friend. What's your excuse?"

"We're going to see the Space Needle," Aspen offered. Steve tried to hide his confusion. What was a 'Space Needle?' "I'm off for the semester, so we decided to take a trip."

"How long have you two been together?" the girl asked. Sheesh, how nosy could a person get? Steve shuffled his feet.

"About a month now," Aspen supplied. "We met at a hospital where I was volunteering."

"Oh, wow, so like one of those adorable black and white movie romances? Were you hurt?" she aimed that question at Steve.

"No," he said too quickly. "Well, just…"

"He just came back from the war," Aspen supplied. "Just a little head trauma, but he's a lot better now. He just doesn't like to talk about it."

"Oh, wow." The girl stared at him wide-eyed. He found he didn't like being under her scrutiny. "That's intense."

"Yeah." Aspen put an arm around him. "He's been through a lot." She smiled up at him and for a moment he forgot that the girl was still staring at them.

The arrival of the Amtrak train distracted them. Steve had to keep himself from gawking at it. It was like no train he had ever seen before. It was sleek and had no chimney on the top to let out smoke. They scanned their tickets and boarded the train. Steve and Aspen picked a seat at the very back. To Steve's discomfort, the talkative girl sat across from them. Aspen looked exhausted and her face was very pale. She leaned against him, and he wrapped his left arm around her.

The girl with the purple hair sighed. "Such a long ride," she said. "Nearly four hours." She pulled out her phone and plugged in headphones. A moment later her head was leaned back against the seat, the music blaring in her ears. Steve gave a small sigh of relief.

"A lot longer if you have to chat about a made up life," Aspen whispered. "Quick thinking on your part." Steve felt his face getting warm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," she said. "You were thinking on your feet. It's the most likely cover anyway."

"How's your leg?"

"I'll live." That wasn't much of an answer, but he let it rest. The train swooped into motion a moment later, so smooth that Steve hardly felt it move.

"Do you think anyone followed us?" he asked.

"I hope not," Aspen said sleepily. "I hate that everything is so cloak and dagger. I don't like running."

"Me neither."

"Should we have stayed? We could have taken them."

Steve tested his words carefully. "Maybe, but you could have injured your leg more."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"You should get some rest. I'll stay awake," Steve told her.

"I shouldn't be so tired, but walking from the hotel to the station sucked all the energy out of me." She closed her eyes and fell silent. A moment later she seemed to be asleep.

The girl across from them threw him a grin and mouthed 'so cute.' He flushed, giving her a shy smile. He found, however, that despite his embarrassment at the story he'd concocted, he was perfectly content pretending it was true.

…

Aspen awoke just as the train halted in the Seattle station. She couldn't believe she'd slept that long especially with all the worrying she'd been doing the last few days. Maybe that was why she'd been so tired. She'd had a lot of sleepless nights since the battle of New York. The girl with purple hair was dozing off across from them, headphones still blaring in her ears. Aspen had no idea how she could sleep through that. Steve was still awake, and Aspen could only imagine how tired he was. Or maybe he didn't get tired like the average person did. She checked her phone to find that it was 4 am. Light had barely started to stain the sky, but the sun would be up shortly. She sat up, stretching. Her leg felt a little bit better after not having weight put on it for four hours. Steve looked down at her.

"Anything exciting happen while I was asleep?" Aspen asked.

"Just a crying baby and some dark scenery," he told her. "What are we going to do now?"

"Find somewhere to eat breakfast and hang out until a car rental place opens, then head to Everett. We might as well see a little of the city while we're here."

"Yeah, we're supposed to be seeing the Space Needle, whatever that is." He threw her a confused look. "Something the Chitauri sew with?"

Aspen laughed. "Hardly. It's a tower. An odd looking tower. You can get ice cream in a revolving restaurant at the top."

"That sounds dizzying. Have you been there?"

"When I was a kid. I have a picture, I don't really remember it that well. Let's stop at a 24-hour grocery store so I can get some aspirin."

They stood as the other passengers began to stir. The girl with the purple hair awoke, pulling the headphones from her ears and grabbing her bag. She tossed them a grin and said "Later!" before hopping off the train. Steve followed Aspen onto the platform. It was already busy as the early workers started their day. They headed into downtown, Aspen looking up a map on her phone.

"There's a grocery store four blocks west. Let's head that way." The pain was dull in her leg now, but it felt swollen, and she knew she couldn't keep walking for long. At the grocery store she purchased a cold compact wrap, some aspirin, and water bottle for each of them. "Looks like there's a diner a block over that serves 24-hours. Are you hungry?" Steve nodded. "I'm starving. They don't give you peanuts on the train."

The diner was quaint and looked like it had been modeled after the 1950s. She and Steve sat down in a booth by the window. A young waitress came over to deliver menus, and they scanned them for a few minutes before ordering. Aspen asked for a pot of coffee, feeling the need for a caffeine boost. They were the only ones in the diner at this hour save one man drinking coffee at the counter, so their meals came quickly. Aspen began to shove food into her mouth at a rate that probably wasn't polite, but she hadn't realized how starving she was. Steve ate slowly. He was quiet and Aspen wondered what was on his mind.

"What if we had met like normal people?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" She swallowed a mouthful of sausage.

He looked up at her, blue eyes keen. "What if we had met the way you described back at the train station?"

Aspen was surprised by his question. "I don't know. I think we would have been friends. I'd like to think we would have been friends under any circumstances." Was he asking if she thought they'd be more? Her heart fluttered a little. "If our lives weren't so hectic, maybe…" she paused not sure of what she was trying to say. "Maybe we'd be watching Indiana Jones and eating popcorn rather than on the run following clues left behind by my parents."

He chuckled. "I don't know. It's not so bad. It keeps life interesting at least."

"I can't ever say I lead a boring life," she agreed. "But maybe I could use a little boring. Once this is over. I just get the feeling we're hardly touching the tip of this though." She let out a long sigh. "Is it so wrong that I'm tired of this? My past has been chasing me ever since my parents faked the explosion and disappeared. They did it to protect me, I'm told, but I don't feel safe. I've had people shoot at me, steal my research, threaten me. That's not protected. That's not safe. I just wonder if this ever will be over. If I ever will be safe."

"You will. It may not seem like it now, but there's got to be an end somewhere. I know your parents wouldn't want you to be in danger."

"But they're in danger. You saw the text. They have my mom – whoever 'they' is. And she said herself that she didn't know where my dad was."

"We'll find them. Maybe whatever we find in Everett will give us the information we need," Steve told her. Aspen appreciated his reassurance.

"Well, for the next few hours, we can pretend to be normal anyway," Aspen said. "See the city, try to forget the danger we just escaped before running straight into more danger."

"I'd like that," Steve said with a smile.