"Hey Jackson, Davis, stay back. It's daylight you could be seen. If you're implicated and the Cartel realizes S.H.I.E.L.D. is trailing them this will become harder than it needs to be." James spoke into his comms as he spotted the two SHIELD Agents.
Agent Isabella Jackson, a brown skinned agent, long black hair, smoldering brown eyes and full lips, around 5'5", and couldn't have been a day older than 25. If James had to guess she was here because she could blend in being a natural spanish speaker and all.
From what he had read up on her she was a good agent. Level 5 clearance just one below his own, and an agent who hadn't previously been a Scavenger. She had done good work with Teresa on the initial mission to get the information about the shipments that they were currently using.
Then there was Agent Gabriel Davis. The dark-skinned man was quite simply a tank. 6'2, 225lbs, broad shoulders, thick neck. Large hands that reminded James that he was still just a kid in many aspects. He was an older man definitely nearing his 40s', but the man was spry and served in the army prior to Ultron. He had true experience and if you asked James, Daisy and Nick had put him here because of the fact that he wouldn't simply take whatever James decided sitting down.
He wasn't sure how he felt about that honestly.
Things had been hard enough the past few days after finding out about the Jimenez family. It was hard enough trying to figure out stuff at home with Carmen. Going out into the field having to worry about two relative unknowns wasn't helping.
"Chances of anyone knowing we are affiliated with SHIELD is minimal. We aren't even in SHIELD gear." Agent Davis disagreed.
"You're dressed like a Strike Team. It's not blatantly SHIELD but it's something. We can do what we do without them changing their plans because of their ignorance. They believe there is no way La Bandera and I can continue to beat them. Obviously they underestimate us. We lose that if they start to believe there's more of us in this. Stay." James rebuked him fast.
It was quiet for a moment and James let out a sigh of relief when he figured they weren't going to question him much more. "La Bandera, status?"
As he posed this question, he shook his arm and counted the knocked out bodies around him. 3,5,8, 11, 13. That should have left Teresa with 7 and the truck.
"Everything's good James. The shipment has been stopped. Local law enforcement has already begun to take care of the rest. It won't be long before they're at your position." Teresa communicated.
"Good, rendezvous at the highway. Agent Jackson, Davis. I suppose you will want to ensure the procession of the Banshee."
"Correct, SHIELD will take care of that on our own." Jackson declared, obviously annoyed with James.
"Good." That was all James offered before going radio silent. Hopping on his motorcycle and quickly disappearing from sight.
He headed to the rendezvous in silence, contemplating the past five days since he had told Carmen what had happened to her parents.
To say things hadn't gone well since that point would be an understatement. He knew that it would be bad, and that it had only been five days. He didn't expect her to be happy, but to this point she hadn't spoken a word since then.
"Call Valentina." he told his communicator, it rang his girlfriend for a few moments before the woman eventually picked up.
"(Hey baby, whats up?)" The words were preceded by a sigh which made James feel horrible. Valentina insisted she was fine with it, but putting her life on pause to help out with this couldn't have been easy.
"(Hey Val, just checking in…How is she?)"
"(I'd say it's not much different than before babe. I get the not talking but I'm worried that she's not eating anything…)"
That was the last thing he wanted to hear, but unfortunately what he had expected. It was scary though. Because it was obvious the serum had taken to Carmen fairly well. And James had always eaten more than normal because of it. She couldn't continue like this…Tony how did you ever deal with us?
"(Are you on the way? You might have better luck.)" Valentina encouraged him. It was optimistic and appreciated but he wasn't so sure.
"(Yeah, I'll be there soon. Let's hope you're right. But how are you doing love? You need to take care of yourself as well.)"
"(Thanks babe, but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.)" Valentina insisted, however, that wasn't an option for the Super-Soldier.
"(Impossible.)"
"(Hehe. Sweet talker. Come back soon okay?)"
"(Alright, talk soon.)"
A few minutes later he made it to the rendezvous point, a short hilltop that would eventually lead onto a backroad towards the highway.
Waiting for La Bandera he tried to think of ways he could hopefully fix things for Carmen. He thought of himself but the situations were just not the same.
He hadn't allowed himself to be a child for a while, all he wanted to do was get stronger and one day beat the big bad Ultron that had killed his parents. Even that had gotten tiring after a while and was entirely unhealthy.
"I wouldn't have survived without the others."
Tony, Torunn, Francis, Pym, Azari. Heck even Jocasta. But was he good enough? Could he be the support system for her, that Tony and the others were for him?
He was so deep in thought that he barely realized someone was behind him until La Bandera's hand reached his shoulder. "Don't worry James. Everything will work out, you just wait."
He nodded appreciatively at her before hopping back onto his Motorcycle. "Let's go."
CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, ROGERS VILLA , APRIL 9, 2011, 6:00 PM ESTIt was crazy how fast things could change. In total it had been about a week since everything had started.
He had only been with Carmen for a total of 6 days. The first two days were relatively fine. This was before James had to tell her the sad truth about her parents. During that time she was mostly incorrigible to everyone except for him.
It was obvious that after saving her she didn't want to let him leave her sight. That she viewed him as some sort of protector and while he was unsure of himself and the situation at hand he felt as if he adapted quickly and handled things fairly well.
That was 4 days ago. Nowadays it didn't matter who it was. She didn't want Valentina, Teresa, she wouldn't even respond to him either. It was a struggle to get her to do anything but lay down on the bed and stare out the window.
No doubt she was thinking about the situation to a point that could only be considered unhealthy. He had decided that a lot of the things Carmen was doing were generally not good for her.
And that if he was going to make sure she was okay then he needed to find a balance between letting her grieve and doing it in a healthy way…It was what Tony would've done.
She was still his responsibility as well right? And for as long as that was the case her well-being needed to be the #1 priority.
Getting home the first thing he did was take a quick shower. It was good for gathering his thoughts on the situations at hand. Pushing Carmen to the side for a moment within the five days since finding out the locations of the Villamos shipments, they had taken down two already.
James and La Bandera had stopped two already, but the question was how long would it take for the Big Man to make a move. And would it have been one they anticipated?
Getting to the kitchen he was surprised to smell proper food. It was something he was still getting used to. His newfound freedom ever since coming to Colombia meant he had gotten slightly lazy with food. Rarely did he make more than basic rice, and he usually just loaded up for breakfast. And by that he meant cereal.
"Sancocho?" James questioned as he got to the stove and looked into the pot, "I never got around to making it, but I'm excited to try yours."
"Oh yeah?" Valentina turned with a bright smile, he was glad to see that the situation hadn't dampened her spirits too much yet. When it was all said and done he needed to take her out on a real date.
"Well it's almost done, so why don't you help me out by grabbing some bowls for it yeah? And have you gone to see Carmen yet?"
"No." James spoke as he got to work grabbing some bowls, "Actually I was thinking I'd bring the food to her, talk to her then get her to eat, kill two birds with one stone you know?"
"That might be a good idea." Valentina agreed with the thought. "It's not good for her to be in that room all day though, so if you can get her out of there it would be good."
James simply nodded and a peaceful silence developed between the two. It was a few moments later La Bandera came into the kitchen. James took note of the small look that passed between Valentina and Teresa. Telling himself it was no big deal. She sat across from him and quickly the conversation switched to one of work.
"We did good work today." La Bandera insisted, "I think it won't be long before the Cartel is forced to give their boss up, or until the boss comes down himself. Don't you think so?"
"I believe the man is already here. Or at least he's passed by at least once in the past couple of weeks. If they are truly planning on moving that amount of drugs, I don't think that was something the Cartel could have planned on their own." James explained simply.
"Hmmm, it's possible. I don't think he moves much, I certainly never thought he ever entered Cuba despite his influence there. But that doesn't mean he hasn't gotten to Brazil or Argentina." Teresa agreed
"You're right. It's possible in some capacity. But the fact they are preparing such a big shipment to be sent out suggests that their influence there is minimal at the moment. This is their big moment. I believe their game is probably more than just South America judging by the amount they are pushing."
They both stopped for a moment thinking about what this could all mean, more specifically were they on time? Were they playing catch up? It was a bit hard to judge but at the moment they believed that they were still right in the game. They just needed to shut it down fast.
Teresa was feeling pretty good despite the worries, it felt like every step they took they were getting closer to figuring all of this out and ensuring her country's safety. That was all she wanted in the end. Despite everything she was confident.
"Food's ready if you'd like to try with Carmen." Valentina suggested, James nodded and took the bowl from her hands and headed to the girl's room. "Wish me luck you two."
As they did just that, James headed to Carmen's room, his Super-Soldier brain trying to think of the right thing to say to the child in a position he found so familiar. And yet that didn't seem to help him one bit.
James found himself in front of the door and knocked twice loud enough that he knew she would hear, especially if she was becoming more and more like him each day. "(Carmen, can I come in, I've got food?)"
He heard her shift slowly, and for a moment he thought he was actually going to get a response but that was not the case. He sighed and waited for a moment before speaking. "(I'm coming in Carmen.)"
At the end of the day she was just a kid, a smart one, but that didn't mean she could go through this on her own. And even if she thought she could, he'd be there to help.
He pushed the door open and found Carmen laying down on the bed, she stared up at him with eyes that had almost lost all their vibrancy.
She hid under the sheets so it was only her head popping out and eventually after a moment she turned away from James completely. A drastic change from how things were just 4 days ago.
James put the soup on the dresser hoping the aroma of the food would fill the room and convince her to give some real food a try. He sat on the edge of the bed and didn't say anything for a moment, as he tried to conjure the right words up.
"(When I was little I lost my parents too.)" James started. "(It's not an easy thing…I understand that, you're just a kid and I wish you didn't have to go through this.)"
"(I really am sorry, I told you I'd bring them home and I failed. But Carmen within all of this you need to take care of yourself. You can do what you need to. Whatever helps you adjust to your new situation…as long as you don't harm yourself. I understand I'm not your favorite person right now, but I am here to make sure you don't hurt yourself in the process. Because that's the last thing I want to see.)"
He thought that maybe he had done something right, however he froze when it sounded like Carmen was beginning to cry once more. That's bad right? I mean surely that's not a good thing?
He panicked for a moment wondering if he should just leave or keep talking, but the decision was made for him as La Bandera came racing to the door. "James, SHIELD is here!"
He jumped up from his bed, understanding that SHIELD wouldn't just come to his front door unless it was something important. They had agreed that since Fury had come knocking the first time.
"Is it the Cartel?" he asked hurriedly as they rushed out of the girls room. La Bandera shook her head emphatically and explained.
"No…it's about Carmen!" La Bandera exclaimed, James stopped running for a moment causing Teresa to do the same, he couldn't believe his ears. "What?"
"Yeah, they said they came for her. Basically they said it's time for her to go and find a new place. They said they told you about this already."
"No, that's not what happened." James growled, annoyed at whatever games SHIELD were playing at the moment.
He got to his kitchen and saw Valentina sorta hiding in the corner, still not used to things like this. Agent's Davis and Jackson were simply standing in the foyer in their full SHIELD gear, just as expressionless as he expected.
"Is she ready?" Agent Jackson questioned.
"You can't be serious. What in the world makes you think she's leaving?" James questioned angrily.
"Listen I just follow orders, Mr. Rogers. We've been sent by Commander Johnson and Director Fury themselves to collect the girl. I wouldn't just do this." Agent Jackson argued annoyedly. Trying to explain she wasn't the bad guy.
"Well you can tell them when you get back to base that this isn't happening. Matter of fact after you leave I'll call them myself." James declared hastily.
"What's the goal here Mr. Rogers?" Agent Jackson spoke calmly.
"Goal?"
"Yes, what plans do you have right now? You made a plan to save the girl's parents, and you promised you would make it happen. And you know during that time she was being hunted with everything being sorted out it made sense she stayed with you." Agent Jackson started.
"I-
"But the situation has vastly accelerated." Agent Davis jumped in. "There was nothing you could do to prevent the death of the Jimenez family. The situation was farther than any of us knew. It's unfortunate but things need to move on. The girl will understand and SHIELD will-
"SHIELD will what? Send her to a new family 5 minutes after her first one left? Or worse, will SHIELD recruit her to work for them now that she has my blood in her veins?"
"That's uncalled for."
"And yet it's not impossible. I can't allow you to take her from me. It's been hard enough on her these past few days and that was with us. I can't imagine how she would feel if I just gave her away. No, I'm one of the only people she trusts right now. I can't rip that away from her."
"Do you even hear yourself Mr. Rogers? She is attached and that isn't a good thing! If she's eventually going to come with us it's best it happens now, before she becomes too attached. Then it will be even worse when you leave her…think about her right now. Not just about having your way. It would be cruel for you to establish a bond with her and then drop her off with us." Agent Jackson explained angrily.
James frowned, and at the moment wanted to say some very unsavory things to the woman, but begrudgingly she had made a decent point. But she clearly didn't understand at all.
"No. I know her best."
"You've been with her for a week."
"For as long as Carmen needs me, she'll have me here." James said confidently, making the two SHIELD agents pause. "I understand this pain very well, hell I'm sure you two do as well. We all know how this feels, I'm that shoulder she can rely on and I won't take it away until she's comfortable. If after she is okay with everything and SHIELD wants to take her, I'll oblige. But for now, we play this my way."
"..."
"Mr. Rogers, are you suggesting you'll take full responsibility for Carmen, that you'd adopt her in a situation where she prefers you over SHIELD?" Agent Jackson questioned him seriously.
The word adopt made him pause, he wasn't even sure if he was legally old enough for such a thing, but he did know that Carmen wasn't someone he could just throw away. In the end he didn't have much in his life outside of his extended family.
Carmen had quickly wormed her way into that. And at the end of the day he was Captain America at heart. It was his duty to serve and protect the people. With Carmen it was just a touch more personal.
Adopt was a strong word and he was fairly sure Carmen wouldn't want someone like him who broke his promise to take care of her anyway, but if a situation arrived…
"I'm saying that for as long as Carmen needs me I'll be there, and in any situation regarding her I will take full responsibility. Tell SHIELD not to worry I've never planned on just dropping her anywhere, It'll be her choice if I stay or go."
He waited a moment and looked at Agent Jackson and Davis, surprised to see that their annoyed faces had softened quite a bit. "Alright, we will update Commander Johnson and Director Fury."
With those words they swiftly left the house, James gave a sigh of relief as he shut the door and looked to La Bandera and Valentina who were both smiling at him.
The latter came up to him and gave him a big hug. "(You did good love.)"
"(She's right, you did the right thing. SHIELD means well, but that wouldn't be fitting for Carmen.)" La Bandera explained.
James just nodded, pulling himself from La Bandera and heading back to Carmen's room. "I'm going to check on her." He announced knowing that the girl must've been able to hear everything.
This was confirmed by the pitter patter of her feet as she raced back to her room. When James got there, she was no longer hiding under the sheets, but rather she was sitting on the bed, right beside where James had sat before.
He sat down in the same spot and after a few moments she leaned on his shoulder, he wasn't surprised to feel tears seconds later.
"(What's wrong?)"
"(You were fighting over me, weren't you?)" Carmen cried as she looked up to him. "(They came to take me away.)"
"(We weren't fighting. Just coming to an understanding.)" James explained simply. "(They won't take you away, you don't have to worry. I told them you're staying with me.)"
"(Really?)" She sounded so surprised, it almost hurt James. Of course he wasn't just going to throw her away.
"(Really. If you want to be here, you'll be here.)" He insisted. She didn't speak for a moment, instead she cried once more and James did his best to console her with his actions.
"(It hurts, everything hurts.)"
"(I know kid.)" James murmured.
"(I ju-just want them to come back. I want the nightmares to go away!)" She spoke, tears fell, and James couldn't help but cringe knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"(Listen Carmen. I can't promise to fix everything. I can't bring your parents back, even though I wish I could. I understand you're going through an impossible situation. Just know that no matter what, as long as you need me, I'll be here for you. Okay?)"
She cried some more, as she hugged James tight before she gained the will to speak again "(O-okay. Thank you.)"
"(Anytime.)"
They sat still for a while before she spoke up once again, though this time it was much quieter. "(I-I want to learn.)"
"(Huh?)"
"(Those words you speak, I want to learn them.)" She spoke more firmly this time. "(I don't like being left out.)"
James thought this over for a moment, there weren't any true problems with her learning English, and it could hopefully take her mind off things every once and a while. It might actually be productive.
"(Okay, but on one condition.)" Carmen perked up, and so James continued. "(You have to eat your food. You worry all of us when you skip out on things like this. You're a growing girl and you need to eat. Got it?)"
She blushed but nodded meekly. "(Got it. Sorry.)"
"(Don't apologize, I understand kid.)" James admitted, they sat quietly for a moment more before she leaned into James again and he pulled her into a one-armed embrace. "(You're going to be alright Carmen. I swear it.)"
