"You remember what I told you?" Rumlow turns his key in the ignition and the subtle rumbling of the car's engine ceases. I nod as I unbuckle my seat belt. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, the beads of sweat forming on my palms.
I clench the USB stick tightly in my hand, willing it to disintegrate or melt… anything to delay this horrible task for just a few moments longer.
Rumlow watches me pensively, then smiles.
"Relax, no one will suspect you."
That's exactly why I can't relax. They trust me. I have a guilty conscience to deal with, unlike him.
He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small, shiny object which he then passes to me.
It's a star shaped pendant on a silver chain.
"Put it on. If you need any support, there's a button on the back that you can press to notify me. I'll call you, and you can make an excuse about having to leave."
"You place a lot of faith in my acting ability." I cast him an amused glance, turning the pendant over in my hand. Sure enough, there's a tiny button there.
"We don't really have a choice. We can't make Nikolav suspicious." He frowns.
"How do you know that the files are in this lab, and not at The Sandbox where he worked before… or on his personal servers?"
"If they were at Shield, we'd know, wouldn't we?" Rumlow smirks at me, and I kick myself for the stupid question. Duh, Alexander Pierce has the highest security clearance in the organization, along with Nick fury. Nothing would escape him.
"And anyway, there's nothing you can do if they're not at this lab. You'll have to leave that to others to deal with. But Pierce is confident that they're in there." Rumlow stares out into the parking lot, past the buildings that border the outside of the university's campus.
"So… no secret microphone or camera to watch what I'm doing?" I raise a suspicious eyebrow at him.
I can see that I'm beginning to tread on his patience. He must have recognized my attempt to stall for extra time.
"I trust you, and that's enough. Don't betray me." He leans forward, his brown eyes locking onto mine. His 5 o'clock shadow is prominent today, and the faint circles under his eyes tell me that he didn't sleep much last night.
"I won't." I reply, hesitating to make any promises. I don't need any more guilt riding on my conscience.
"Good."
"You seem tired." I reach out to caress his cheek and he stops my hand.
"I'm fine. Stop trying to distract me, rookie." He moves away, leaning back in the driver's seat. "Call me when you're done. I'll be here waiting."
Yep, he definitely saw through my time-wasting tactics. I concede, tucking the usb stick into the front pocket of my jeans. Then I slip on the pendant, open the passenger side door, and step out into the sunlight.
I fight the urge to look back at Rumlow one last time as I walk away from the car. I can't make him doubt me. It's dangerous.
The sidewalks and inter-campus roads are teeming with students walking in mobs, riding bikes, even rollerblading to class. It must be one of those 10 minute breaks between classes.
I scan faces, wondering if I'd recognize Rumlow's secret operatives if I saw them. When I finally reach the psychology complex, I gaze up at the glass and brick facade. I should feel happy nostalgia right now, but I don't. I just feel the growing dread that eats away at my innards.
The lobby is usually either full of chatter or empty and completely devoid of life. Right now, it's sparsely populated with a handful of students reading or using their laptops. An unfamiliar girl looks up and smiles at me, angling her head slightly. She looks to be my age, and as I contemplate whether or not she's an undercover operative, I feel a hard slap on my shoulder.
"Elise! It feels like forever since you've been here." Alma grins up at me.
"Alma, hi!" I feign surprise, "I came by to say hi to everyone."
If I stick to the general truth, it'll be easier on my conscience.
"Aw, why didn't you bring Michael? I never see him anymore. You guys work at the same place, right? Are you hitting it off?" She nudges me in the side with a sharp elbow.
"Yeah, we work at the same place." I cringe at both the question and the physical pain. I should be careful with my answers if that girl over there is a secret agent. I may not have a hidden mic, but she probably does.
"I haven't seen him lately. He's been super busy with his research." The lie slides uncomfortably over my tongue.
"So you guys aren't dating?" Alma looks relieved. I'm not surprised. She's always made it obvious that she crushed on him. "Vitaly told us that you had a boyfriend, though."
Her eyes hone in on the star pendant and she doesn't wait for me to elaborate on said boyfriend.
"Is this from him? It's so cute." I have to block her hand from reaching out to examine the pendant, just in case she accidentally discovers the button on the back. Or presses it.
"Yeah. He gave it to me when we started going out." Another lie. Time to change the topic. "So, how's your master's project going?"
"I'm struggling on the quantitative stats." The smile disappears from Alma's face, and she scowls.
Just as suddenly, her face lights up again.
"Hey, you were always good at regressions and stuff right? Come help me with my data! You can say hi to everyone." She grabs my sleeve, beaming at me with that toothy grin.
"Well, I just came by to say hi." I try not to seem too enthusiastic about being invited back into the lab.
"Please? It'll be fine. You're totally a part of the family, no one will mind."
The words sting like salt on an open wound, and it takes every ounce of effort to keep that fake smile plastered on my face as I make a show of conceding to her plea.
We walk to the locked security doors, and Alma swipes her access card. Oblivious. She's letting a Trojan horse into the fortress, and she doesn't know it.