Chapter Two
Phil left her room with the promise to return in twenty minutes. Winter quickly changed out of her workout clothes, and pulled on her suit. She had wanted to design one herself, but hadn't been given the choice. The suit, made with a flexible black spandex, fit her form snugly. The durable material hugged her curves while still giving her the freedom to move. She pulled on her black boots, and used her mind to grab a duffel bag from the cabinet, grabbing it and filling it with spare clothes. She then took the bag to the washroom and filled it with all the necessities. Once she had everything packed, she set the bag down next to the sink and looked in the mirror. She never really stopped to look at herself, and was surprised whenever she did. Her skin was pale, but not hauntingly so; it suited her. She had an angled face, cheekbones prominent. Her round eyes were a dark green that went nicely with her long dark hair, which reached down to the middle of her back in loose waves. Her nose and lips were small, but they fit her face perfectly. When she wasn't smiling her face was harsh, she looked dangerous. She wouldn't say she was gorgeous, but she was pretty. She looked into her room, making sure no one was there even though she knew she was alone. She let her form slip away, becoming invisible. Sighing with relief, she stayed like that for a few minutes, like exercising a muscle she hadn't used in months. She sighed, letting her form return, before pulling her hair back into a high ponytail.
Winter grabbed the bag and made her way back into her room. She sat on her bed, the bag resting beside her, and waited for Phil to return. She didn't have to wait long before he was back, and they were on their way. Her stomach was in knots, Get it together, she scolded herself, but only halfheartedly. She was too giddy to be upset about this small display of weakness. If she was completely honest, working with Shield had softened her. They were so friendly and loving, it had broken away much of her tough exterior. Plus, she was going outside! Into the field! Winter had been dreaming about this for years! They walked for what seemed like forever, Winter losing track of how many hallways they turned down. They all looked the same, a sterile while floor, white walls, and evenly spaced metal doors. Eventually they turned a corner and instead of another hallway, they were met with a large metal door. Phil quickly tapped in a code, which Winter subconsciously committed to memory. They entered the hangar, full of different sized jets and planes. They walked towards a small jet, and Winter realized she had no idea where they were going. Phil had taken out his phone, and was alerting someone about their estimated arrival time. As soon as he hung up, she asked "So Phil, where we headed?" He smiled, before replying "Well we have one stop to make in New York, but after that were headed to home base." Winter crinkled her nose in confusion, "Home base?" Phil chuckled, "Never mind, you'll see." And with that he walked up the ramp into the jet. Winter waited a moment, reveling in the fact that she was actually leaving, before following.
Thirty minutes into the flight, Winter finally began to settle down. She had spent the first 10 minutes in the cockpit, looking out the windows over the pilot's shoulder. Phil had finally come and told her she had to sit down, and she reluctantly obeyed. Once she had taken a seat on the bench, she leaned back and decided to rest her eyes. She must have dozed off, because what felt like a moment later, she was jolted awake by the jet landing. Phil got up as the ramp opened with a hiss, and turned to her, "I'll be right back, are you okay staying here?" Winter was dying to get outside, but she could see that they were only at another S.H.I.E.L.D. base. She was tired anyways, so she just shook her head, "Yeah, it's probably better for me to just sit tight." Phil smiled to show he understood, before walking off towards the building. Winter sat, letting her mind wander. Of course her first time leaving the base was tainted by the task Hydra had given her. She had almost hoped they had forgotten about her, but of course they hadn't. Though as horrible as Hydra was, they had created her, made her who she was. Without them she was no one. This thought was the only one that kept Winter from breaking, from telling Phil the truth. He would lose trust in her, he would cast her out. Where would she go then? She couldn't return to Hydra if she failed them. Some small part of her brain screamed that Phil wouldn't throw her out, that he would only pull her closer and vow to keep her safe. That's what a dad would do, right? But Phil isn't your dad. Before she could torture herself further, she saw two men approaching the jet. One was significantly bigger than the other, and she couldn't recognize him from that far out. The other she quickly realized was Phil. She tried to work out who was walking alongside him, and as soon as they reached the foot of the ramp, Winter's eyes widened. She smothered her surprise and put on a mask of indifference as he got closer. Phil looked at her, then turned to the man, "Steve, can I call you Steve?" The man raised one eyebrow, but nodded. "Okay, Steve this is Winter, she'll be coming with us." Steve looked at her, and she gave him a tight lipped smile, nodded her head, and looked away disinterested. The only person she allowed to see her emotions was Phil, and in reality she was freaking out. Captain fricken America was standing right there. He was even more attractive in person! He was wearing a brown leather jacket over a plaid shirt. Add his black jeans and he was looking fine. She forced herself to push it from her mind as Steve walked over and took a seat on the bench across from her own. The ramp came back up, and they took off again.
For most of the flight Steve was doing research on a tablet. Winter recognized some of the clips of Stark and Dr. Banner, but the others were foreign to her. About forty five minutes into the flight, Winter couldn't stand sitting and doing nothing. Trying not to smile, she reached out with her mind and flicked Steve on the cheek lightly. He flinched a bit, but didn't look up from the tablet. She did it again, and this time he swatted at his face, presumably thinking there was a bug. He looked up at her, and she raised her eyebrows in innocent confusion. A second later she tapped him again, this time right between the eyes. He flinched again, and whipped his head around trying to find the source. She was about to pull on his hair telekinetically, but she stopped when she heard Phil. "Winter." His voice dragging out into a warning. Winter looked over to see that Phil hadn't even turned around. "How do you always know?!" Winter asked, exasperated. "I just do." Steve was looking between them, before throwing a suspicious glance at Winter. "That was you?" She blushed, "Yeah, Sorry. I'm just really bored." "That's alright, so what was that exactly?" He asked, looking interested. Winter smiled, "Telekinesis, I can move and touch objects using my mind." He nodded, looking impressed, before returning his attention to the tablet. One of the agents approached Phil, telling him there was only 40 minutes left until they arrived. Winter looked out the window to see they were over the ocean, where are we going? Phil got up and walked over to Steve, who was watching a clip of the Hulk destroying some building. He looked up at Phil and asked, "So this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Phil replied, "A lot of people were. You were the world's first super hero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula." Steve was focused back on the clip, and the hulk let out a huge roar, "Didn't really go his way, did it?" "Not so much, but when he's not that thing, the guy's like a Stephen Hawking." Winter watched as Steve raised an eyebrow, looking at Phil confused. Phil noticed this, and quickly tried to explain, "He's like a... smart person." Steve lowered the eyebrow, before looking back to his tablet. Winter fought the urge to laugh, she knew how big of a Captain America fan Phil was, and he was being an even bigger dork than she had expected. She just hoped he knew what should and shouldn't be said. As soon as she had the thought, Phil started rambling again, "I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially." Oh gosh stop, stop now. Steve looked up at him, not saying anything, then gave a forced half smile. "I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Winter's eyes widened, and she saw Steve look away from Phil. She snorted, trying to hold in a laugh. This got Steve's attention, and he looked up at her, amusement and confusion on his face. Phil quickly realized his mistake and attempted to make up for it. "I mean I was," Steve stood up and walked towards the cockpit. "I was present while you were unconscious... from the ice." Winter couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing. Steve looked at her, embarrassment gone, eyes full of laughter. Phil's face was red, and he walked over to where Steve was standing, "You know it's just a huge honor to have you on board." Winter, not being able to stand this any longer laughed before saying "Oh my gosh Phil! Just leave him alone." Phil opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. Steve gave her an appreciative look, before walking back over to sit on the bench. The next thirty minutes were spent in silence.
Winter looked up when she felt the jet descending. She had been lost in thought, trying to come up with ways to stop the Avengers Initiative from taking place. She looked over to see Steve watching her. "Where are we?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know, they don't tell me anything." "Me neither," Winter agreed, "You look nervous." Steve just shrugged again, "I'm just worried, I hope I can help." Just then the jet landed. They both stood up as the ramp opened yet again. "Well, I just hope I don't get in the way." Winter said, more to herself than anyone. Winter first noticed that "home base" was a boat. Well, more of a ship. As soon as they stepped off the ramp she was assaulted by the wind and the smell of the ocean. She took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin. A woman walked over to meet them. She had short hair, a deep bold red. She was wearing a black leather jacket with an orange tank top. She was gorgeous, and Winter self-consciously played with her ponytail. Phil greeted her as "Agent Romanov." Winter committed her name and face to memory. "This is Captain Rogers." He said, and Winter noticed he had switched back to formalities, trying to make up for his embarrassing show earlier. Steve greeted the woman, "Ma'am." And she replied with a simple "Hi. Phil they need you on the bridge." But she was distracted, staring at Winter. "Who's the kid?" Phil looked at Winter, probably having forgotten she was there, "This is Winter, she's here with me." With that he turned to her, "Come on, let's go inside."