I Can't Help It - Steve Rogers

Chapter 24

Steve pushed Sitwell through the door so hard that he's sent to the floor. "Tell me about Zola's algorithm" Steve demands as he marches towards Sitwell as he scrambles back to his feet, adjusting his glasses. "Never heard of it" Sitwell defends as he walks backwards to avoid Steve and the two women walking beside him. He's well aware of what they're both capable on their own, let alone what they're capable of as a team. "What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve questions further. "I was throwing up, I get seasick" he answers before walking to the ledge and gasping as he starts to lean over the edge. Steve grabs his jacket and holds him up so he doesn't fall over the edge, to his death. Steve keeps a stern frown on his face as he waits for the truth from Sitwell while Nat and Rachel stand patiently behind him.

"Is this little display meant to insinuate you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers" Sitwell states confidently, calling Steve's bluff. "You're right. It's not" Steve replies and releases his grip and starts stroking Sitwell's jacket. "It's hers" Steve adds before stepping aside and Nat steps forward, kicking Sitwell in the abdomen strongly. Sitwell's face fills with fear before he screams as he falls over the edge of the roof.

"Oh wait. What about that girl from accounting? Laura..." Nat suggests while they wait, still trying to find Steve a date. "Lillian? Lip piercing right?" Steve answers while stands quietly beside him. "Yeah, she's cute" Nat replies with a smile. "Yeah, I don't need a date anymore" Steve states before looking at Rachel. She smiles at him as Nat studies their faces as they look at each other. "Ohh, I see" she says with a grin and Rachel rolls her eyes at Nat. Perfectly timed, Sam flies up and drops Sitwell back onto the roof.

Steve, Rachel and Nat walk towards a panicking Sitwell who raises his hand to keep them at distance as he answers their previous questions. "Zola's algorithm is a program, for choosing Insight targets" he explains. "What targets?" Steve questions. "You, a tv anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to Hydra. Now or in the future" he answer in between pants. "In the future? How could it know?" Steve asks in confusion. Sitwell starts laughing at the question and everyone shares an uneasy glance. "How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it. 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" Sitwell answers as he climbs to hit feet.

"And what then?" Steve asks. "Oh my god, Pierce is gonna kill me" Sitwell mutters and Rachel can't help but roll her eyes at the statement. "What then?" Steve demands sternly and Sam grabs Sitwell's jacket to push him to answer. "Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time" Sitwell answers and everyone becomes quiet.

The group of five gather back in Sam's car to make their way to Shield headquarters. "Hydra doesn't like leaks" Sitwell states uneasily, clearing his concern for his life. "Then why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam responds, looking back at Sitwell in the mirror. "Insight's launching in 16 hours. We're cutting it a little bit close here" Nat states as she leans in front of Rachel, who's sat in the middle. "I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly" Steve explains. "What? Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea!" Sitwell starts yelling and everyone looks at him unimpressed.

Suddenly, everyone's attention is pulled to the roof when a thud is heard from above them. Before any of them can comprehend what's happening, Sitwell is dragged out of his window and in front of a lorry. Rachel notices the boot of the man who just killed Sitwell and sees him climb back onto the roof of the car. She dives forward and pulls Steve's head into her chest while pushing Sam with her foot, so they both avoid the bullets that hit their headrests. Meanwhile, Nat avoids the bullets that are shot at her in the back seat. Steve pulls the hand break causing the car to stop abruptly. The man that was on their roof is sent flying off the roof and uses his metal arm to stabilise himself before standing. The Winter Soldier.

Rachel pulls out a gun and raises it to the soldier but before she can pull the trigger a truck rams into the back of their car, causing her to drop the gun in Steve's footwell. The car is forced forward and Sam tries to keep the car straight to avoid civilian vehicles. The Winter Soldier jumps up and lands on their roof again and Sam slams on the breaks in an attempt to stop the car. His attempts are futile as the truck continues to force them forwards and Rachel is reaching around Steve's feet to find her gun.

The soldier suddenly reaches through the windscreen and rips the steering wheel from the dashboard. "Shit!" Sam shouts just as Rachel finds her gun and opens fire on the roof, in hopes of shooting the soldier. Without a steering wheel the car swerves from left to right. "Nat, get down here!" Steve yells to Nat as he hooks his arm into his shield. "Hang on!" he yells as he holds onto Rachel with his arm through his shield and pulls Nat and Sam closer to him as he hits the door and knocks it off the hinges. The car starts flipping across the motorway as they hit the ground with a thud and they all cling to each other. Sam and Nat fall off along the way and roll to a stop while Steve and Rachel hold onto each other until the door stops skidding across the road.