NIGHTSHADE

014.

STEVE AND LANA sat in the car awkwardly. They hadn't said a word to each other since Sam's house and Steve was starting to get annoyed. "Is it me?"

"Oh, my God. No, Steve, it isn't you, it's me, and I mean it. I'm just not girlfriend material especially to someone like Captain America," Lana said.

"Why do you think that?" Steve turned in his seat to look at her in the back.

"I just do. Now shut up here he comes." Sitwell came and sat in the car followed by Sam. Sam drove to a building and Steve pushed him inside.

Opening the door to the roof, Steve pushed him out, "Tell me about Zola's algorithm." Lana followed the two as Steve walked towards him.

Sitwell backed up as he put on his glasses, "Never heard of it."

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"

"I was throwing up. I get seasick," they had backed Sitwell up to the edge of the roof and he gasped as his foot hit the edge, almost going over. Steve grabbed him before he could.

Sitwell calmed down, "Is this little display meant to be to insinuate that you're gonna throw off the roof?" Sitwell said. Lana looked around the roof looking at the view from where they were, "Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right," Steve let him go and smoothened his blazer, "It's not. It's hers." He moved aside and Lana kicked him off the roof. Him going down screaming.

"So you don't think you're good enough to be my girlfriend?"

"I think I'm not your type, Steve. Your type is, bring home to meet the parents and I'm the type that would cause the boyfriend to say 'I'm never letting you meet my parents in fear that you would kill them."

Sam flew up, holding Sitwell. He dropped the man on the roof causing him to groan before landing. The two walked towards them and Sitwell started talking, "Zola's algorithm is a program for choosing Insights targets."

"What targets?" Steve asked.

"You. A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who is a threat to HYDRA. Now or in the future."

"In the future? How could it know?" Steve questioned.

Sitwell laughed, "How could it not. The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it," He looked between Steve and Lana, "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores! Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve pressed.

Sitwell looked down worriedly, "Oh my god, Pierce's gonna kill me."

"What then?" Steve repeated. Sam gripped the back of Sitwell's jacket.

"Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time." Steve grabbed him and led him downstairs back to the car and they started driving.

"HYDRA doesn't like leaks," Sitwell said from next to Lana.

"Then why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam snapped looking at him through the mirror.

Lana pulled herself up to look at Steve, "Insight's launching this in 16 hours. We're cutting it a bit close here."

"I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly," Steve replied.

"What? Are you crazy? That is a terrible idea," Sitwell said. A thud echoed from on top of the car before a hand broke through the glass and dragged Sitwell out, throwing him in the direction of an oncoming truck.

Lana looked out of the broken window and saw a flash of a gun before it went back on the roof. She looked up at it as the person started shooting.

She leaned forward and jumped into Steve's lap to avoid getting shot. They ducked as shots were fired into the headrest.

Steve put the car into park and the brakes screeched.

The person flew forward and landed on the road, stopping himself from going any farther by digging his metal fingers into the ground.

They looked at him in shock as he stood. Lana gripped her gun to shoot him before a truck crashed into the car causing it to fly out of her hands.