Ｒｅｔｒｏｕｖａｉｌｌｅｓ

。⓪❾

Steve stumbles through the doorway fumbling with his keys. It is way past his bedtime (yes he has one) but the man promised a callback and he plans on for once fulfilling such.

Flicking on a lamp he sheds his jacket, jeans and tee. Giving himself a rushed cold cleanse in the tub, afterwards suiting up in some light sweats and opting out dressing his upper torso. He is hot and bothered and what he can never admit is that it is all because of Gabrielle.

What did she do to him that was so arousing? At what point did he let his guard down and let her? What is it about her that makes his pupils enlarge, his actions jumble and his heart stop beating...

It seems a deadly attraction and even the thought that it is that worries the captain. He stands as an upright figure of honour and loyalty. What shadow does he cast if he can't stay true to the agent 13?

True, nothing binds him to her nor vice versa. Still the thought of leaving Sharon in the dust with no viable explanation even if it is for a woman from his past upsets him. Hence his hasty dip in liquid ice.

Leaving his hair slick with the aftermath Steve tucks in the sheets and settles himself on top, that is after having cracked the bedroom window. His AC is down and he hates that 70% of this summer's night heat is humidity. Taking in hand his cell he dials up Sharon.

Rogers' call is quickly received. "Steve?"

"Expecting someone else?"

"Real funny soldier."

"Was I fake funny before?"

"Whatever sleep deprived version of Captain America this is you need to let him out more often." Sharon chortles, her chuckle followed by the shuffling of papers on a desktop.

The statement earns her a laugh from her counterpart. "Duly noted."

"Well, I found the files on your flame."

"Fire away."

"The four seasons initiative; an ops program founded by HYDRA's Red Skull. The very first drafted reports date back to 1941. It consisted of four specialised subjects. First came the Fall who was listed as inactive. Winter – a work in progress before being categorised as 'ready to comply'. Spring, recorded deceased. And Summer there is no credible classification. Seems it was wiped."

"What was their purpose? Did you find any mission reports?"

"Summer, in particular, was not a task force and none except Winter were ever sent on strike. It says the former was quartered in a compartment called ад – Hades, where they would undergo regeneration and were preserved for further use. "

"What are their listed abilities – Summer's?"

"Pyrokinesis. Disintegration. Omnilinguism. Reactive adaption. Precognition – or in their words and I quote: 'able to decipher death date'. Kicker is that all this came about accidentally."

"How so? Hydra has always been such a strict division unit."

"Glitch in the system testing is my best guess. The experiment was intended to be 'subject' material not 'usurper', but as it turns out they worked the mishap to their advantage. They attempted to sequence a certain soldier mode much like on Bucky, but the process was never finished. So the outcome was a severe case of unchecked DID – dissociative identity or more commonly know as multiple personality disorder."

"So Summer acquired several manners of skill set... interesting."

"Metaphorically, they made the top of their class. And it became their role to nurture aka torture and train the three other students. All in all the project was a failed endeavour and never successfully closed. Consider that half the participants didn't make it through phase one."

"Fall and Spring?"

"Correct."

"So what ever happened to Summer?"

"It doesn't specify exactly but bits imply that their little experiment escaped and was never recovered. Nothing entails whether they were found dead or eventually recovered. Either way the line ends there."

Steve and Sharon sigh in unison. "Well," he says. "at least we figured that out. And that's everything you got?"

"Everything there is. There are some scrawly notes written at the bottom of a Summer account card one of which translates to, 'fed by furnace'."

"Furnace... Furnace..." Rogers muses over the text. "That was one of Bucky's trigger words."

"Makes sense, seeing as they were the one assigned to break him and only fire can annihilate ice."

"'Burned the heart out of him,' he said. At first I thought maybe it had something to do with a romantic tie but no, he was being literal."

"There is a pixelated photo I am trying to render visible. I'll send it to you when I'm finished."

"Sounds good."

A gap of silence commences and in the momentary pause, Steve makes the decision to spill three words he's never spoken. He hopes it will help ease his triangular predicament that has been busy diverging his focus. Maybe it's too early to say – maybe it's too late, or maybe the captain's timing has never been more perfect.

"I love you Sharon." he says, without even stuttering. If only the woman could see the commander curled so coy on his bed with cheeks showing signs of flush.

"I love you too Steve." She responds without hesitation. Sharon is thankful there are no other agents at base to witness the schoolgirl grin that has successfully tugged at her lips.

"See you soon." His meek voice opens again.

"Aye aye cap. Can't wait to kiss you."

Rogers' hearty chuckle melts away the awkward strain. "That makes both of us."

"Stay safe Steve."

"Yes ma'am."

And so are the last words spoken, before the line goes dead.