TRUTH, the falcon and the winter soldier

two.

chapter two: the soldier and the spy. 

(the falcon and the winter soldier, episode one.)

***

"So you remember... nothing."

Sam's anger had quickly morphed into horror and confusion as Rose spoke. He'd never heard a story like hers. Well, except for one.

"It comes back in flashes." Rose explained, playing with her bottom lip in between her thumb and pointer finger anxiously. "Well it... it did. They stopped about a year ago."

"And you have no idea why." Sam tried to keep his expression neutral. But he could see the pain on her face, in her eyes. He could see why she didn't tell anyone sooner, and why she came to him and only him. It was a cry for help. A very very warranted cry for help.

"They told me it was Hydra." She said the name more quietly than the rest of the sentence, as if saying its title would bring the whole damn organization back. "Which lines up."

"I thought they were gone." Sam did. It had been months since he even thought about the organization, and when he had it was only in the past tense. Rose solemnly shook her head and ran a hand through her slightly-tangled dark hair.

"The CIA's been fighting them for years, me included." Rose almost laughed at the irony of it. "Turns out their whole "cut off one head, two more take its place" thing is really not that far off from what actually happens."

"So you think it was Hydra?" Sam asked, pulling his leg across his other leg underneath the table so that his left knee supported his ankle. He was getting comfortable. He figured they were going to be there a while.

"Like I said, I don't remember much." Rose shrugged. She picked up her off-white ceramic coffee cup and brought it to her lips. "And I'd fully believe it, if they didn't do everything in their power to stop me from finding out the truth."

"So they straight-up kicked you out of the service?" Sam asked again, anger present in his expression. "No warning, no nothing?"

"Honorably discharged, technically." Rose said, setting her coffee cup back down on the table. She leaned closer at Sam's still mildly horrified expression. "They trained me to be the best. If they were actually hiding something, they knew I would've found it pretty quick. Seems to me like they realized that and got rid of me before that could happen."

Sam raised his eyebrows in recognition. She wasn't bragging or speaking particularly highly of herself. Sam could see that. She didn't care much for what he thought. The fact that she was a good spy was relevant information, and that was the only reason she was sharing it.

"So, why me?" He asked. Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Because you're the only person I know who has power that isn't sanctioned by the government." Sam tilted his head to the side in acknowledgement.

"Technically, it is now." He replied. Rose narrowed her eyes.

"You gonna report me to the feds, Wilson?" She asked, smirking. "Cause if you are I'll have to kill you now instead of later."

"Goddamn it, I knew I should've brought a taser with me." He joked, the easy smile coming back to his face and through his eyes.

"Wow, you have a taser and this is the time you didn't bring it?" Rose joked. "I'm honored."

"To be fair, I didn't know you had super strength." Sam defended with his hands in the air.

"Yeah, that is fair. Seems kinda like an excuse to me, though." Rise smiled. Sam raised his eyebrows.