Chapter 21- The Mall and Last Kiss
The best place to find out where they could access the drive was at the mall where an internet cafe would be. "First rule of going on the run is don't run, walk," Natasha said in a low voice as they walked past the fountain.
"If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off," Steve complained.
"Well, it's a good thing we don't run," Yelizaveta said, walking next to Steve. The idea was to look like a family going to the mall. Yelizaveta even took the charade further by looking like a daughter holding her father's hand.
The store was on the second level and Yelizaveta stood outside, pulling out her recent romance novel while they went inside. "The drive has a Level Six homing program, so as soon as we boot up S.H.I.E.L.D. will know exactly where we are and then you can warn us, Vet, if you see them coming," Natasha said through Yelizaveta's earwig.
"How much time will we have?" Steve asked warily.
"Um, about nine minutes from now," Natasha said.
"Okay. You guys better hurry and find out what was so special about the Lemurian Star to kill Fury for and tag me and Steve for," Yelizaveta said.
"Fury was right about that ship. Somebody's trying to hide something. This drive is protected by some sort of AI. It keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands," Natasha said in a thoughtful voice.
"Can you override it?" Steve asked.
"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me. Slightly. I'm gonna try running a tracer," Natasha said.
"Can that determine where the AI is coming from, Nat?" Yelizaveta asked.
"Yeah. I'm going to use a program that S.H.I.E.L.D. developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from," Natasha said.
"Can I help you guys with anything?" Yelizaveta heard a young male voice ask.
"Oh no. My fiancé was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations," Natasha said, sounding like she was so in love that Yelizaveta snorted, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Right. We're getting married," Steve said, not a very convincing.
"Boy, Steve, he bought it, I don't think," Yelizaveta huffed out a laugh.
"Congratulations. Where are you guys thinking about going?" the man asked, apparently, dumb enough to buy Steve's feeble attempt at lying.
"New Jersey," Steve said.
"Seriously? Jersey?" Yelizaveta asked under her breath. (A/N: Picture what Bucky said and how he said it when Steve lied on his enlistment form and said he was from New Jersey.)
"Oh," the man said. He then introduced himself and offered assistance with the computer if Nat and Steve should need it. Nat went back to the computer. Yelizaveta looked over the railings, her heart nearly stopping when she saw Rumlow.
"Guys, you said nine minutes. C'mon. I see Rumlow," Yelizaveta said.
"Relax. Got it. You know it?" Natasha asked Steve.
"I used to. Let's go," Steve said and he and Natasha stepped out and Yelizaveta joined them.
"Steve, we'd better hurry. Rumlow is gonna be gaining on us," Yelizaveta said under her breath.
"Standard tac team. Two behind, two across, and two coming straight at us," Steve said and Yelizaveta saw two men through the crowd.
"If they make us, me and Steve'll engage, you hit the south escalator to the metro," Yelizaveta said, gripping Steve's hand again like a daughter again.
"Shut up and put your arm around me. Both of you laugh at something I said," Natasha said.
"What?" Steve and Yelizaveta both asked confused.
"Do it," Natasha said. Steve put his arm around Natasha's shoulders and started laughing. Yelizaveta rolled her eyes. Could Steve's laugh be any more fake? Steve then looked behind them. The teams weren't following. and they made their way to the escalator. Yelizaveta nearly froze when she saw Rumlow.
"Guys, Rumlow," Yelizaveta said as she turned her head so Rumlow couldn't see her face. Natasha turned and faced Steve.
"Kiss me," Natasha said. Yelizaveta snorted and covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
"What?" Steve asked.
"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable," Natasha said.
"Yes, they do," Steve agreed, the discomfort clearly all over his face.
Natasha then gripped the back of Steve's neck and pressed her lips to his. Yelizaveta turned her head, biting the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing. Yelizaveta saw Rumlow out of the corner of her eye as he looked very uncomfortable and looked away as he went to the floor they had just left.
"Okay, guys. Break it up. Rumlow's gone," Yelizaveta said softly. Natasha pulled away.
"You still uncomfortable?" Natasha asked.
"It's not exactly the word I would use," Steve said as they got off the escalator and left the mall.
Steve managed to find a car and very soon they had crossed state lines going into New Jersey. "Where did Captain America learn to steal a car?" Natasha asked.
"Nazi Germany," Steve said.
"Oh, well that explains it," Yelizaveta said.
"Hmm," Natasha hummed.
"And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash," Steve said pointedly to Natasha, who had put her feet on the dash. She removed her feet slowly.
"All right, I have a question for you, which you do not have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering, you know," Yelizaveta said.
"What?" Steve asked impatiently.
"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" Yelizaveta asked dryly with a smirk.
"That bad, Liz?" Steve asked.
"I didn't say that," Yelizaveta said.
"Well, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying," Steve said.
"No, I didn't. I just wondered how much practice you've had," Yelizaveta defended herself.
"You don't need practice," Steve argued.
"Everybody needs practice," Yelizaveta argued back.
"It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm 95, I'm not dead," Steve said with finality.
"Nobody special, though?" Natasha asked.
Steve gave a mirthless chuckle. "Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience," Steve said.
"Well, that's all right. You just make something up," Natasha said.
"What, like you?" Steve asked.
"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstance. It's not all things to all people, all the time. And neither am I," Natasha said with a smile.
"That's a tough way to live," Steve said.
"It's a good way not to die though," Yelizaveta said in a low voice.
"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone, when you don't know who that someone really is," Steve said.
"Yeah. Who do you want me to be?" Natasha asked, a sad look on her face as Steve's words hit her.
"How about a friend?" Steve asked.
Natasha laughed. "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers," Natasha said as they drove through a set of gates onto a compound that had been all but abandoned.