The Story of Adelaida Barnes | MCU

vii. on your left

Addi and Steve were out on their usual morning run. They noticed a man running up ahead of them. The two looked at each other and smirked. They both sped up, passing the man. "On your left." Steve said. "On your right." Addi said. They sped around the lake, passing him again. "On your left." Steve said. "On your right." Addi said. "Uh huh, you're on my left. She's on my right. Got it." The man said and the sped off again. They came back around and passed him again. The man looked back and said "Don't say it. Don't you say it." "On your left." Steve said. "On your right." Addi said. "Come on!" The man said, trying to catch up to them.

"Need a medic?" Steve asked as they walked up to the man who was sat against a tree. "I need a new set of lungs. You just ran, like, thirteen miles in thirty minutes." He said. "Guess we got a late start." Addi said. "Really? You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. You should take another lap." Addi and Steve didn't move. "Did you just take it? I assume you just took it." "What unit you with?" Steve asked, pointing to the symbol on the man's sweater. "Fifty eighth Pararescue. But now I'm working down at the VA. Sam Wilson." He said, holding his hand up. "Steve Rogers." Steve said, pulling the man up. "Adelaida Romanoff." She said, nodding at Sam.

"I kind of put that together." Sam said, putting his hands on his knees, panting. "Must have freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing." Steve sighed and said "It takes some getting used to. It's good to meet you Sam." The two turned to walk away when Sam said "It's your bed, right?" "What's that?" Steve asked. "Your bed, it's too soft. When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground, use rocks for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like..." "Lying on a marshmallow?" Addi chimed in. Steve gave her a look. "Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor." Steve continued. "How long?" He asked.

"Two tours." Sam responded. "You must miss the good old days, huh?" "Well, things aren't so bad. Food's a lot better. We used to boil everything. Although, this one really doesn't know how to cook." Steve said, placing an arm around Addi's shoulders. "No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot, trying to catch up." "Marvin Gaye, nineteen seventy two, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you missed jammed into one album." "I'll put it on the list." Steve said, pulling out his little book. "You like it?" Sam asked Addi. "Yeah, it's good. But I prefer eighties music."

Both Steve and Addi's phones beeped. "Alright Sam, duty calls. Thanks for the run." Addi said. "If that's what you wanna call running?" Steve said. "Oh, that's how it is?" Sam asked, shaking their hands. "Okay. Any time you want to stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know." "I'll keep it in mind." Steve said and they heard a car pull up behind them. Natasha rolled down the window. "Hey fellas. Any of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up some fossils." She said. "That's hilarious." Steve said as he held the door open for Addi.

"Hi, mom." Addi said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, then climbing to the backseat. "How you doing?" Sam asked Natasha. "Hey." She responded. "Sam, that's my mom!" Addi shouted, peering around Steve to look at him. "Can't run everywhere." Steve commented. "No, you can't." Sam said. Natasha closed the window and then sped off.

                                                                                           ***

"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian Star." A SHIELD agent explained as they sat on the quinjet. Addi swears she's seen him before, though. "They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, ninety three minutes ago." "Any demands?" Steve asked. "Billion and a half." The agent responded. "Why so steep?" "Because it's SHIELD's." "So, it's not off course, it's trespassing." Addi said. "I'm sure they have a good reason." Natasha said. "You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve said to Natasha, and Addi tuned out the rest of their flirting.

"Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to life pods, get them out. And Addi, don't hesitate to take out any pirates you see." Steve said, laying out the plan. "Oh, you know I won't." She said smirking. "Let's move." Steve said. "Did you do anything fun Saturday night?" Natasha asked Steve. Addi rolled her eyes. 'Here they go again with the flirting.' She thought to herself.

Steve soon jumped out of the plane, as usual, so Addi followed him. Once they landed, and climbed onto the boat, Steve grabbed her arm. "Go that way, and be safe." He said, placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. "I always am, dad." She said, smirking and beginning to walk away. Steve gave her a look and she just turned away, running off to find some pirates. She found a lot, and lost track of how many she killed so far.

She ripped their hearts out and twisted their heads off. She pulled out her gun when she heard someone come up behind her. She turned around and shot a pirate right between the eyes, before he could shoot her. Another came up behind him, she pulled out her knife and slit his throat, leaving him there to bleed to death. Three pirates ran at her. She used her powers to lift one in the air, and then she slammed him down onto the ground. The other two ran at her, and she flew out of the way, and their heads crashed into each other.

She lowered herself to the ground and ran and wrapped her legs around one's neck, she swung around and he fell into the water below. She vaulted herself over the rail and ran at the other one. They turned so his back was against the railing, and then Addi kicked him in the chest and he flew backwards. "Addi, what's your status?" She heard Steve ask through her earpiece. "At least twenty pirates are down." She responded, before running off again.

                                                                                            ***

"Have you ever met her?" Steve asked Addi as they walked up the stairs of their apartment building. "No, I haven't. I've heard a lot about her, though." She told him. "I'll take you to meet her one day. She'd love to meet you." He said. Once they reached their floor, they saw their neighbour, 'Kate.' Although, Addi knew her as Sharon. Steve and Sharon just stared at each other for a bit. "I'll be inside." Addi said to Steve, pointing at the door.

She noticed the record player was on when she went in. She pulled out her gun and stepped around the corner. She lowered it once she saw that it was Fury. "What are you doing here?" She asked him. "I'll tell you when he gets inside." He said. "I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said as he rounded the corner with his shield. "You really think I'd need one?" Fury asked him. "My wife kicked me out." "I didn't know you were married." Steve said. "Neither did I." Addi said. "A lot of things you don't know about me." "I know Nick, that's the problem." Steve said.

Steve turned on the light but Fury turned it back off. He held out his phone which read "Ears everywhere." "I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." He held out his phone again. This time it read "SHIELD compromised." Addi's heart dropped. "Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked. He held out his phone, which read "Just the three of us." "Just.. my friends." Fury said out loud. "Is that what we are?" Steve asked. "That's up to you." Fury responded.

A bullet was then shot through the wall, hitting Fury, who fell to the ground, screaming. "Fury!" Addi yelled, dropping to the ground beside him. "Don't trust anyone." Fury choked out, handing Steve a flash drive. The door was bust open. "Captain Rogers?" Sharon asked. "Captain. I'm Agent Thirteen of SHIELD, special service. I'm assigned to protect you." "On whose order?" Steve asked. Sharon gestured to Fury. "His." Sharon pulled out her walkie talkie, saying a bunch of nonsense, Addi wasn't paying attention, she was too busy looking out the window.

Steve ran at the shooter, jumping through the window. "Go. I've got him." Sharon said to Addi, and she ran after Steve. They ran through the office building across the street. Steve threw his shield at the shooter, who caught it. Addi's breath hitched in her throat. All she saw before passing out was a metal arm, and a pair of cold, dead, steel blue eyes.