12. | DEFINITELY NOT GIRL SCOUTS

HOME FROM A RUN on the National Mall, a sweaty Sam reached for the orange juice in his fridge and gulped it down, quenching his thirst. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and he headed to answer. Must be Girl Scouts or something, he thought. When he answered the door, though, it wasn't Girl Scouts. Not in the least bit.

There stood Steve and Christina, out of breath, completely covered in dirt and ash, clothes torn. Christina's face was covered in blood, but Sam couldn't find any cuts or anything that would bring out that much blood.

"Hey, man," Sam said, taken aback.

"I'm sorry about this," Steve said, trying to find the words to explain, "But we need a place to lie low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Christina said.

Sam stared for a minute, still in shock. It's not every day that Captain America and Red Cobra come to you asking for help. "Not everyone," Sam replied, finally opening the door and invited them in.

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Steve finished washing his hands in the sink, and he hurriedly dried them on the small hand towel. Christina had already showered and was sitting in the bedroom that connected to the bathroom. Steve had removed his hoodie and was left in a white muscle-shirt. Ash, dirt, and small scratches covered his bulky arms.

Steve stood in the doorway and looked at Christina. "You okay?" Steve asked.

Christian glanced up at him, her face clean of makeup, revealing her natural beauty, and her blonde hair was natural and curly from have just been washed. There wasn't a flaw on her face - any gashes and scrapes from the explosion had already healed.

"Yeah," Christina answered.

Steve finished drying his hands, and he tossed the towel in the bathroom before walking further into the room. Christina was steadily gazing at him with her strange, unique eyes.

Christina kept towel drying her hair, even when Steve sat down in a chair that was directly next to the bed - facing her.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, his voice was gentle and concerned.

Christina remained silent for a moment as she stared at him; a disturbed frown on her face, her perfectly shaped eyebrows drew together the tiniest bit. "When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought I was going straight, and I thought I was going to make my parents proud by being a part of something they were a part of. But I guess I just traded in the Reformation Corp for HYDRA." Christina replied. Then she breathed in deeply before she continued: "I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."

"There's a chance you might be in the wrong business," Steve said, quoting the same words she'd said to him before. Christina exhaled sharply through her nose in an expressionless chuckle, and Steve offered her a small smile. Suddenly, the amused expression fell from Christina's face and she stared at Steve.

"I owe you," Christina said quietly.

Steve shook his head slowly, "It's okay."

"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, now you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?" Christina asked, her mind unconsciously recalling the last time Steve had fully trusted her - and she thought that she shattered that trust in the matter of seconds.

Christina never meant for her assignment of watching over Steve to turn into an affectionate relationship.

She had fallen in love with him.

"I would, despite everything that has happened between us, you never lost my trust." Steve said, seriously. "And I'm always honest," Steve added with slight amusement.

Christina chuckled softly, "Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing."

Steve sighed as he leaned back into the chair and said: "Well, guess I just like to know who I'm fighting."

"I made breakfast," Sam said, poking his head into the room. His eyes danced between Steve and Christina. "If you guys eat that sort of thing."

Christina and Steve ate breakfast over the data drive, which lay in the center of the kitchen table. Steve trusted Sam, especially since he was a fellow soldier. They had a bond and Steve felt comfortable filling Sam in on what had happened with Fury and the Winter Soldier. He told Sam they couldn't defeat this menace and his army alone and they were running out of answers and places to turn.

Once Christina and Steve finished eating breakfast, Steve went and took a shower, while Christina changed into her own clothes. She walked back into the kitchen wearing a black tank top, tight black leather pants and combat boots. Steve joined her and Sam in the kitchen after showering wearing a gray t-shirt, jeans and boots.

"So, the question is: who at S.H.I.E.L.D could launch a domestic missile strike?"

"Pierce," Steve said as he took a seat at the head of the kitchen table while Christina stood off to the side and Sam buttered a piece of toast.

Christina slammed her hands down on hips dramatically, as she walked towards Steve. "Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world."

"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star." Steve replied as he placed his chin in his palm.

"So was Jasper Sitwell," Christina said, her jaw clenching as she folded her arms over her chest.

"So, the real question is, how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D officer in broad daylight?"

Sam watched the two broken S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quietly. Then it hit him. He left the kitchen and went upstairs, where he rummaged through a box of files. Christina and Steve just looked at each other as they heard boxes moving above. Finally, Sam raced back and tossed a file onto the table right between them.

"This answer is, you don't." Sam said, just as the file landed on the table.

"What's this?" Steve asked.

"Call it a résumé," Sam said with a smile.

Christina picked up a photo of Sam

and another soldier. Behind them were white-capped mountains. Christina studied the photo. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you?" she looked to Steve. "You didn't say he was a pararescue."

Steve reviewed the picture. "Is this Riley?"

Stoic, Sam nodded.

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPG's," Christina said to Sam. "What did you use? A stealth chute?"

"No," Sam said, tapping on a file that read: EXO-7 FALCON. "These,"

Steve smirk slightly, "I thought you said you were a pilot."

"I never said 'pilot'," Sam replied.

Steve shook his head. This was dangerous. But he knew Sam was up for the task. A soldier always is. "I can't ask you do this, Sam." Steve looked up from the file in his hands to lock his with Sam, "You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America and Red Cobra need my help. There's no better reason to get back in."

Christina and Steve glanced at each other. For a moment, maybe, just maybe...this could work.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asked Sam.

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," Sam replied, a slightly tremor of doubt in his tone.

Steve glanced over at Christina and she shrugged her shoulders, as if she were saying 'Piece of cake.'

"Shouldn't be a problem."

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Getting the Falcon suit was an easy task with Christina. She was in and out within five minutes of entering the Fort. She's amazing to watch, Steve thought. Christina's fight moves were so smooth and fluid - natural. It was as if the task required little to no effort at all. Other female S.H.I.E.L.D. agents couldn't help but feel jealous when they would watch her train or when she was in the field. Christina was so beautiful and strong and confident.

After Sam had, successfully, lured Sitwell toward Christina and Steve, they began climb the stairs onto the roof a nearby building. Christina was not impressed with Jasper Sitwell. When Steve thrust Sitwell through the door that led to the rooftop, Christina walked calmly behind the frustrated Super-Solider.

Sitwell stumbled at the force of Steve's shove. He quickly scrambled to regain his footing as he nervously put his glasses back on - after they had been knocked off from the shove.

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," Steve demanded.

"Never heard of it," Sitwell replied.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"

"I was throwing up. I get seasick," Sitwell responded, backing up to the edge of the building and nearly fell.

Steve angrily grabbed the lapel of Sitwell's suit jacket and yanked his back. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof?" Sitwell asked. Then he scoffed and continued: "Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right," Steve agreed and released his jacket as he gently smoothed the fabric back down to the way it originally was. "It's hers."

Without blinking, Christina stepped forward and planted a kick square in Sitwell's chest, effectively knocking Sitwell over the edge of the building. Screaming, Sitwell plummeted to the ground beneath.

They both waited calmly for Sam to follow through on his part of the plan, Christina looked out over the tops of the building - as if in deep thought.

"Oh, wait. What about that girl from Accounting, L-Laura...?" Christina trailed off as she snapped her fingers, searching her mind for the name.

"Lillian," Steve said. "Lip piercing, right?"

"Yeah, she's cute."

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that." Steve replied. But you're ready for a master assassin? Christina asked herself with slight amusement.

Suddenly, Sam appeared from below, metal wings outstretched with a kicking and screaming Sitwell in his hands. Christina watched with an impressed expression on her features as Sam's metal wings caused a large gust of wind as he flew over both of their heads and tossed Sitwell to the concrete rooftop. Sam landed gracefully on both feet and retracted his metal wings and walked over to Christina and Steve.

"Zola's algorithm is a program for choosing Insight's targets," Sitwell said loudly as he held up his hands innocently.

"What targets?" Steve demanded.

"You," Sitwell replied as he gestured to Steve with his hand. "Christabel Sitma," Sitwell's eyes darted over to Christina, watching her reaction - seeing if she would lash out. "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."

"In the future? How could it know?" Steve asked, curious.

Sitwell shook his head as he chuckled, "How could it not?" he asked as he stood. "The twenty-first century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." Sitwell glanced between Steve and Christina's confused faces.

"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."

"What then?" Steve asked as dread began to settle into his body.

"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me," Sitwell muttered under his breath.

"What then?" Steve impatiently demanded as he took a threatening step forward. Sam gripped the collar of Sitwell's jacket and slightly shook him from behind.

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list," Sitwell replied. "A few million at a time."

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