New Avenger (A Steve Rogers love story)

Fugitives From SHIELD

A/N: Just like before, these are the two outfits Alexx will wear in this chapter. Enjoy!

The clothes Steve chose as casual wear were odd, but I had to go along with it. This time, we were sporting workout clothes. Steve had his hood pulled over his head, and I wore a beanie to hide the fact that my left ear had been grazed by a bullet. I had gotten the bleeding to stop, but we never got a chance to dress the wound.

We walked through the halls of the hospital Fury had died in, heading straight toward the vending machine where Steve said he had hid the USB. I tried hard not to limp, but it was hard with my now shattered rib. 

We looked at the spot in the vending machine where Steve had put the USB, but it was gone.

Natasha's reflection came into the glass as she stood behind us, popping a huge bubble of gum with a click. Steve turned around and dragged her into the room across the hall. 

I walked into the room as Steve pressed Natasha against a wall. He pulled his hood down and started to question her about the USB while I stood watch at the door.

"Fury gave it to you. Why?" Natasha asked Steve.

"What's on it?" Steve asked.

"I don't know."

"Stop lying."

"I only act like I know everything, Rogers."

Steve turned and looked at me. I gave him a crumby thumbs up.

"I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn't you?" Steve turned back to Natasha.

"Of course she did. She's a spy." I commented.

"Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you." Natasha replied, ignoring what I had said.

"I'm not gonna ask you again."

"I know who killed Fury."

At her words, I quickly turned around. Steve was as surprised as I was.

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

I crumpled to the ground, holding my head in my one good hand as I panted, images flashing through my mind. It felt like I had been punched in the gut by this information. By this name.

Blood, so much blood. White walls, white coats, green gloves, medical tools covered in blood, a red star painted onto shining silver.

Unconsciously, I slammed myself against the wall, ridding myself of the images. I shook my head and stayed on the ground, leaning against the wall and using it as support. Steve looked at me, worried. 

"Don't worry about me..." I sighed. The truth was that my head was pounding as the images tried to come back. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my hand against the side of my head, leaning against the wall as the headache slowly receded.

"So he's a ghost story." Steve said to Natasha.

"Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. But the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer so he shot him..." Natasha lift up the corner of her shirt, revealing a scar. "...straight through me. Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye-bye bikinis."

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." Steve replied.

"Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried. Like you said, he's a ghost story." Natasha held the USB out for Steve.