IN THE SILENCE: a Steve Rogers Story

15

Steve and I walked through the hospital. Our hoods were up, as we were in different clothes. My joggers and sweatshirt were from my car.

Steve looked in the vending machine. All the gum was gone from where I had hidden it.

Behind us I saw Natasha. She popped her gum.

I could feel Steve's energy. He was angry. Everything about him.

Steve immediately pulled her into a room and sat her against the wall.

"Steve-" I whispered.

"Where's the drive?"

"Why do you need it?"

I shut the door quickly and pulled off my hood.

"Steven!"

"Keep going. Where's the drive?" Steve said as he pushed Natasha farther up the wall.

"I know who killed fury." Natasha said. Steve let her go.

"Talk." Steve said.

"Society doesn't think he exists. The ones who do call him-"

"-the winter soldier." I said. It was almost a whisper. "Why was he after fury though?"

"You know him?" Steve asked. He was obviously pissed.

"He's been doing dirty work for years. Like seventy years." I said.

Steve looked at me. "It's the same man for seventy years?"

"You're ninety five Steve." I said.

Steve stared at me before Natasha.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He said.

"I didn't look at who shot fury Steve."

He huffed, obviously pissed.

"We need to figure out what's on that drive."

————

Steve drove to New Jersey. That's what we found on the coordinates.

Natasha sat in the back. "Where did Steve Rogers learn to steal a car?" Nat asked.

"Nazi Germany." Steve said. "And we're borrowing."

I sat back in the seat more. I winced lightly, the pain from whatever rumlow did surging through my abdomen.

"Aria what happened to you?" Nat asked.

"Rumlow used this thing on me." I said. I lifted my shirt and saw the huge bruise, veins running through it.

"Jesus." Nat said.

"Mhm." I whispered. Nat sat back.

Steve glanced at me. I looked away.

None of this would've happened if he just ignored the call like I asked.

————

Steve, Nat, and I walked through the old abandoned place.

"What is this?" I asked Steve.

"Where I started in the military actually." Steve said. Nat looked at the coordinates.

"It says we've made it but it seems like a dead end. Nothings here." He said.

Steve was walking away. He looked almost lost in time.

"That building." Steve said. There was a normal plain building.

I watched as Steve broke the lock on the door with his shield. We all stepped in.

"This must be an old shield building. Oh there's Howard stark." I said. I looked at the picture. Steve came over.

"Who's the girl?" Nat asked. Steve stared at the picture before walking away. I stared at the girl and back at him.

I continued walking around.

"Riddle me this. If you're already in a secret spot? Why do you need a secret door?" I asked. I felt the air blowing through a crack.

Steve came over and opened it. An elevator stood at the end.

We all walked over. Nat figured out the code.

The elevator went down before stopping. We had ended up in a dark room.

The lights turned on. I looked around.

"What is this?" I asked.

We walked over and saw a USB port. Nat plugged in the drive. A few questions were asked on the computer.

"Shall we play a game?" Nat said. She looked at Steve. "It's from a movie-"

"-yeah I know. Ar made me watch it." Steve said without looking at me.

"So it must be a data base." I said to everyone.

"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984. Thomas, Aria. Born 1985."

"So it's some kind of recording." Nat said.

"I am not a recording. I may not be the man I was when the captain took me as prisoner in 1945 but my mind lives just the same." The computer said.

I stared at the computer as it talked.

"Steve?" I asked.

"Zola. He's a German scientist. He worked for hydra."

"First correction I am Swiss! Second, I worked for shield too. As the years went on I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. My body wasn't worth saving but my mind was. Zola algorithm."

"What's on this drive?"

"Shield. Hydra. Everything."

"What do you know about the winter soldier?" I asked timidly

"Why so nervous Ms. Thomas?" The computer asked. "I can sense you have doubts about something."

I looked at Steve. He stared back for a quick second.

"Guys we've got a bogey."

"Oh right. By the way, our time is over. Both you and me. Hail hydra." The computer said.

Steve stared at me. He grabbed me and pulled me in. Natasha came over and we all hid under Steve's shield as we went under a vent.

Immediately the whole place exploded. Steve held up the shield as rocks crumbled over us. I looked over and saw Natasha still up.

Steve was holding everything up. And immediately it went dark.