┌──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

"𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨?"

└────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┘

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

"So, who the hell launched the missile strike?" Juniper asks abrasively once settled at Sam's dining table, her and Steve's moment of peace short lived. She knows it wasn't Brock who could've ordered it, though she's sure he wouldn't object.

Sam glance over as he butters toast, thinking how Juniper kinda scares him... a little bit.

"Pierce." Steve answers.

"Great." Juniper sighs. "The one man who has more security than anyone." She stares angrily at the table.

"But he's not working alone." Steve continues. Juniper adverts her gaze to him, processing his words. "Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

Juniper thinks back of who else was on the ship with her at the time.

She lets out a bitter chuckle. "Sitwell was on there too. Being held 'hostage.'" She emphasizes the bullshit.

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

Juniper would love to just be able take his ass out in broad daylight, but...

"The answer is, you don't." Sam pipes up, stepping around the counter with a file in his hand and drops it on the table in front of Steve and Juniper.

"What's this?" Steve brows furrow as he looks up at Sam while Juniper squints curiously.

"Call it a resume." He says.

"What is this, tryouts?" She purses at him before plucking the picture on top of the file.

Sam in uniform beside guy dressed the exact same.

Military.

"Bakhmala?" She asks, interesting. "Air Force?" Sam nods. "You didn't tell me your friend was in the military." She hums, tilting her gaze to Steve.

"Is this Riley?" Steve looks at him.

"Yeah." Sam nods.

"So you're pararescue, hmm?" Juniper tries to remember what she's heard about this mission. Sam nods, handing Steve the rest of the file.

He opens it. "I thought you said you were a pilot." Steve gives Sam a pointed look.

Juniper peers over Steve's arm before giving Sam a nod of respect. Wow. She was impressed, which is rare.

Sam shakes his head, smiling amusedly. "I never said pilot."

Steve forehead creases looking back down. "I can't ask you to do this, Sam."

"I can, you're hired." Juniper folds her hands together with a smirk.

"You got out for a good reason." Steve adds, shooting  Juniper a look out of the corner of his eye.

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." Sam gladly objects.

Steve nods with a small smile. "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve holds up the file.

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall." He says defeatedly.

Steve fully turns to Juniper who looks at him with a smug smile. Easy. Finally, the real fun is about to begin...

"Shouldn't be a problem." Steve tells him, dropping the 'Falcon' file back on the table.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

"Sitwell." Juniper waves her fingers at him,  Sam having dropped him off at their disposal.

Steve throws him out onto a rooftop, Juniper right behind him, and he grunts, rolling on the gravel.

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm." Steve says, marching up to him. Sitwell jumps up, putting his glasses back on

"Never heard of it." Sitwell rushes out.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve tries as Sitwell continues staggering backwards.

"I was throwing up. I get seasick." He gulps causing Juniper to roll her eyes. "What was she doing there?" He nods at Juniper.

"Saving your ass from being shot." She narrows her eyes at him. She's never been a fan Jasper Sitwell, though who was she a fan off really? She's always thought of him as too squirmy.

Sitwell backs into the ledge and gasps as he begins to fall backward, but Steve catches him, yanking him closer by his suit jacket.

Sitwell looks at him smugly. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof?" He chuckles. "Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right." Steve pauses, letting go as he smooths his hands down Sitwell's arms and Juniper pulls something out of back pocket. "That's why she's here." He steps to the side.

Juniper opens her compact mirror and blows powder in his face before kicking him off the roof. He screams, falling backward.

"Ah." She exhales happily. "This is fun."

"I think you're enjoying this a bit too much." Steve glances at her, trying to hide his amusement. He's not use to seeing her so happy, being he's mostly seen her pissed off during their encounters recently... it was nice.

Sam soars up to them with his wings, carrying a screaming Sitwell, and drops him off on the roof roughly before landing himself. The wings close into the pack on his back and he turns as Juniper and Steve walk over to Sitwell.

He holds his arm out. "Zola's algorithm is a program." He hurries out, pausing as he breathes heavily. "For choosing Insight's targets."Juniper articulately raises a brow.

"What targets?" Steve pushes for more.

"You!" He throws his arm in Steve's direction. "Her!" He glances up at Juniper for a moment before looking back down, still winded. "A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Stranger, anyone who's a threat to Hydra."

Juniper turns to Steve. Bruce Banner? Juniper figured if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted him gone, they'd take care of it long before now. And who is Stephen Strange?

"Now, or in the future." Sitwell finishes. Future—

"In the future?" Steve looks at him confused. "How could it know?"

Sitwell chuckles, looking up at Steve with crazed eyes. Sam takes a step forward as him and Juniper glance at each other. "How could it not?" Sitwell makes it to his feet. "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it."

Juniper presses her lips together. Well this is just perfect.

"What if it's wrong?" She asks him, lifting her chin.

"You bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores!" Sitwell lists off. "Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

Juniper scoffs. "You're basing this off some prediction?!" She spits out angrily.

"And what then?" Steve asks.

Sitwell looks taken aback, as realization hits him hard. "Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."

"What then?" Steve repeats, more forcefully this time.

"Answer him." Juniper demands and Sam grabs Sitwell's jacket from behind to stop him as he takes a step back.

"Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list." Sitwell answers. "A few million at a time."

June shakes her head, taking a step back herself. Oh, my God....

She built the very machine that's meant to wipe out whoever Hydra wants?! Millions of people— and she would be responsible for it all...

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hello, hello... & welcome back to THOA14!! ;)

Today is also Daredevil Day!! I'm actually really excited to watch TOMORROW (so no spoilers pls lol) but hopefully they won't let me down with it... but I rlly don't have any expectations for it, I'm just going in to vibe & for a good, dark DD show!! So we shall see haha. (I also have a daredevil fic in the drafts, just fyi hehe, but it's veryyyy early in the making/planning)

Bahaha, anywayssss, this scene in CATWS is one of my favsss!! And although I do miss Natasha's badass momenttt... Juniper had hersss, & hopefully it was its own thing!! We're also getting to see her guilt finally set in... & ugh it's just so much on her all at once </3

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapterrrr!! Sam & Juniper already have me cracking up, the fact that he knows to be scared of her already... he's a good man Savannah!! (And it's just making me all the more excited for his fic that will take place in this universe as a spin off series... whattt... who said that?!)

Anywayssss, don't forget to comment y'all's thoughts, questions, & reactions & until next time!! Mwah!! <33