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꧁꧂
NATASHA AND STEVE stare down at the body of Nick Fury. He had died at 1:03 am.
They were silent for the longest of times.
"It was her. I saw her. She looked right at me." Steve speaks up for the first time in a while.
"Who?"
"Charlie. It was Charlie. I'm sure of it."
"Steve, Charlie was taken away two years ago. For all we know, she's dead."
"That's exactly what I'm saying. She's not. She most likely was abducted by HYDRA and she's their little whatever again. This is exactly what she was worrying about. I let it happen."
"It's not your fault. But if it was really Charlie on the roof, it isn't the Charlie you know. Her name is Maleficent. She's the trained and brainwashed version of Char. I met her back in the Red Room Academy. Her and the Winter Soldier, her partner, trained the girls there, including myself."
"Did she know you when you two met for the Avengers Initiative?" Steve questioned, taking in all of this new information.
"It took me a while to know who she was. I had recognized her the time I saw her, but I didn't know where from until I saw her Maleficent form."
"So, we have a trained assassin, who is our friend, in the hands of HYDRA. We have to get her back, Nat."
"I know. We just have to find her. HYDRA will try to hide her as much as possible to try and keep her from being seen. Charlie's face has been all over the news from 2012."
"Then where is she?"
——————————————
Maleficent and the Winter Soldier were getting ice cream. They had collectively decided that they would get the sweet before returning to Pierce.
Maleficent had shoved a hoodie on, pulling it on her head. The Winter Soldier had thrown a baseball cap on, a glove covering his left hand.
"Two scoops of chocolate please," Maleficent orders, making her voice higher pitched. She had to turn in to a whole new person to try and not be recognized.
"And you, sir?" The man working the ice cream shop asks as he hands Maleficent her cone.
"I'll take two scoops of cookie dough, please and thank you."
The man nods as he scoops the ice cream on the cone. "Nice costumes, by the way," he commented as he eyed the dark attire.
Maleficent smiles awkwardly, nodding in appreciation.
Once they have their ice cream, they exit the shop and take a stroll down the streets of New York.
"Do you think I'll ever get out?" The Winter Soldier questions randomly. Although, it hadn't been random to him, the thought had been on his mind for a while now.
"Out of HYDRA? Why would you want that?" Maleficent turns to look at the Soldier, no emotion showing.
"Never mind," the Winter Soldier mutters, shaking his head at his foolishness.
"Well, now I'm curious. I mean, I understand why you would want to. Life is too controlling at HYDRA. But, we wouldn't survive a day out here. We have shaped the century, Winter. What more could you want?"
"Freedom."
Maleficent is silent. She didn't want to answer. She knew he was right, but she wouldn't say that out loud.
She would be punished for her actions. Rightfully so, in her opinion.
"Anyways, I was thinking. Maybe on our next mission, we could go get a drink? I haven't had one since..." He fades off, not remembering the last time he had a drink of anything but water.
Maleficent throws her napkin in the next bin she passes, licking her fingers clean. "Yeah, sure. I mean, I guess that'll be fine. What harm is it in having a drink?"
"You know, I've been thinking." Maleficent takes a big breath in, preparing herself for the words that would come out of the Soldier's mouth. "What? You did that huff thing."
"Huff thing? What huff thing?"
The Winter Soldier imitates what Maleficent had just done.
"I do not do that!"
"You do too!" Maleficent sighs exasperatedly. "See! You just did it!" The Winter Soldier points to her, a smile alighting his face.
Maleficent shoves her partner, turning her head down.
The Winter Soldier drops his ice cream cone.
His face begins to sullen, a sad look on his face. "My cone," he whispers.
"You'll live." Maleficent continues on without a second thought.
"Will I? I didn't finish my cone! That's bad luck, you know."
