Bloodborne: First Blood {1}

Chapter 𝟝𝟟 - Anticipation

You know, working for a premier espionage agency doesn't sound like the most boring job in the world but it certainly felt boring at times.

Like now, I was in a meeting for a lower-level mission with the Nightingales along with Steve and Agent Romanoff. Agent McKnight was giving us our briefing and I guess I wasn't hiding my boredom well enough because I caught Steve shaking his head in amusement at me. Natasha also gave me a look, she was feeling the same way, I could tell.

I tapped my foot against the floor, damn when was this meeting going to be over? Lucky for me that question came with a swift answer as McKnight wrapped everything up.

"Alright, that's it. Remember, Wednesday, 0800 sharp."

Everyone started to get up from their seats but nobody was as fast as me, I imminently got up, gathered my things, and headed to the hallway. I heard a few heavy steps behind me, Steve.

"What's the matter?" I turned around at the sound of his voice. "You're usually happy on Fridays."

"Yeah, I am."

"So what's the problem? And be honest."

I had to take a deep breath before I answered him. "The Cove's secrecy is being threatened."

"What? How?"

"After New York, I found some videos online. People recorded the other Vessels fighting the Chitauri, Fury said he's taking care of everything and that's why I'm on these missions." I rubbed my face. "I hate feeling this helpless."

"Well, you're doing the best you can to protect them all. You're trying."

"Trying doesn't feel good enough."

"...This isn't just about the Cove isn't it?"

"Steve, please."

"Christina, don't lie."

"Fine. I've been—looking into what happened in Las Vegas."

Steve had this stiff look on his face, like nothing I said that sounded even a little insincere could get past him. "I thought we talked about this."

"Look I know we did but you are my best friend so of course, I had to go on impulse. Fury sent me away on a vacation day to visit Peggy and she had something for me."

His whole expression changed to shock. "You visited Peg?"

"You know she's alive?"

"Of course, besides you, she was one of the first people I tried to track down. But, that's what you two were talking about?"

"Well, it wasn't for that initially, we did some catching up but then she told me she saw through the last lie I ever told her." I sighed. "I should've known better than to think Margaret Carter wouldn't see straight through me."

"And that lie was?"

"That I'm over the man with the metal arm. But he's haunted me since the 60s. She sent me to her safety deposit box for some written evidence she got from a S.H.I.E.L.D raid on the building HYDRA kept me in. Thought it would help me find out who he is, I gave it to Tony to decode."

Steve was processing everything but in the end, he seemed to understand that I just had to figure out whether it would drive me crazy. "Alright, Stark figure that out yet?"

"He's supposed to text me to—" I felt my purse vibrate, I opened it up and pulled my phone out. "Speak of the devil, he's ready. You coming with me?"

"Of course."

"Then hold on." I held onto Steve's shoulder, catching him and raising his eyebrow before closing my eyes to focus. "It's best if you close your eyes, makes this less shocking."

"Wh—" Before he could even finish speaking, I transported Steve and me to Stark Tower, right to the floor I knew Tony would be on, and low and behold, there he was at his desk just about to put his phone down. It was safe to say both he and Steve were quite taken aback.

"Okay, I wish people would come that fast when I called them. You want this translation bad." Tony narrowed his eyes when he saw Steve. "Oh yay, you brought Captain Buzzkill along."

"Hey!"

"Leave him alone Tony. What do you have for me?"

Tony reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the translated version that was a couple of pages long. "JARVIS found some interesting information in there."

"Tell me everything." I picked the papers up and started to quickly read through them, Steve was also looking at them from behind me.

"Those first few words are random, longing, nine, freight car, it's a code. And I think it's to access a weapon."

"Weapon?"

"A human weapon, The Winter Soldier. Some solilder that was taken during WWII and brainwashed. The writing was a report on his condition, his mental state was worsening. They kept wiping his memory after continuously mentioning some woman he claimed he saw on a mission."

"Who's the woman? Says nothing about her here."

"It's redacted."

"Of course it was." I rolled my eyes as I lowered the paper away from my face, Tony had just about summed up everything in the report but that was one detail that stuck out to me. This woman that he saw had to have been me, and he remembered me.

I looked at Steve, his face had practically been drained of color. This wasn't just something to just forget about anymore. "I've heard that name before. From Nat—I gotta make a call."

He moved away from Tony and me to the other side of the large room. Tony approached me after standing up from his desk.

"Was that what you were looking for?" I didn't even respond to him, I just gave him a big, tight hug which he clearly wasn't expecting. "Wow—"

I let go. "Sorry it's that was too sudden I'm just so grateful for this Tony, thank you."

"It's fine, glad I could help. Feels good to be of use to someone."

"You're very useful Tony."

Steve pocketed his phone and walked back over to us, it seemed like he had some more news for me.

"Natasha's still at the Tri-Skeleton, she's got something to show us. The Winter Soldier's been mostly a cold case but this might help."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I turned to Tony one last time. "Thanks again Tony, I'll come to visit you soon."

"Alright now, if you don't mind. I'm being forced to go to a science fair."

"Oh please, you love it."

He smiled. "Don't mention that to Aisha."

Steve gave a swift nod to Tony and he returned the gesture. Then, I placed my hand on Steve's shoulder and brought us back to the Tri-Skeleton. Natasha was meeting us in the room were McKnight had briefed us in, she was in there with a thin yellow, paper folder. When she said the Winter Solider was essentially a cold case.

Natasha threw the folder onto the table and opened it up, most of the documents were blurry pictures and heavily redacted reports.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists but the ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years maybe more."

I stared so intently at what Natasha had shown that it started to make her and Steve worried, waiting in silence, I could tell the anticipation. What had particularly caught my attention was a blurry photo, one where you could see his metal arm with the red star. His brown hair covered most of his face but I could still remember the desperation in his eyes. The fear, the slight light that danced in them.

From what I had learned that afternoon, I knew the suspicions that I had all these years had to be true, I had to face the facts, I couldn't ignore it any longer.

I was almost murdered by my best friend.