Shadow Cadet: Rising Shadows

11 {Buddy system}

It was in the early hours of the morning that Anastasiya heard the rumbling of a quinjet in the distance. Her head was pounding as she rolled to her stomach, Mysha being pushed off of her with an indignant chirp. She was really regretting that extra shot of rum right about now. And then she heard the sound of feet. And not just one set. Multiple. She bolted upright upon hearing the sound of the front door opening. 

"... one more person is staying here. She was a compromised field agent." That voice was different. She didn't know that voice. Cautiously, she peeked her head out of her bedroom door. The sight of a tall, blonde man greeted her. If she had to guess, she assumed he was 6'4", mid to late twenties, and apparently had a killer workout routine because... Damn those arms. Next to the tall blonde man was a shorter man with brown curly hair and a Scottish accent. 

Mysha, being the traitor she is, darted out of the bedroom through her feet and straight towards the pretty blonde man. He seemed startled at first before crouching down and allowing Mysha to smell his hand. Anastasiya cautiously walked out. Mysha looked back at her, the bell on her collar jingling as she ran back to her. 

"Ah, here she is." The agent spoke, seeming a little too giddy.  "I don't think we've been properly introduced-" He held his hand out to her. "Agent Leo Fritz."

"An- Alexa Fredrick." She gave him a curt nod and a firm handshake.

"This is your retreat buddy. Captain Steve Rogers." Fritz spoke, Anastasiya's eyes went wide as she looked back over at the blonde. She didn't believe what she was hearing. She'd learned, read, and heard stories of him. Who hadn't? But he was dead, supposedly somewhere in the Arctic.

"Ma'am." He nodded down at her. She looked back over at Fritz. 

"...As in..?" Fritz just nodded in response to her question. "Uh- Wow- Okay..." She ran a hand over her face. She'd had a crazy past two weeks; she wouldn't put it past the universe at this point. What was next? Aliens? 

"What's her name?" Steve motioned to Mysha, who was now lying between her feet.

"Mysha." She nodded. Mysha gave a small chirp upon hearing her name.

"Right... So, Captain Rogers is here to catch up on everything he's missed in the past couple of decades. Agent May will be here to collect you in a few weeks, once your information is clear." Fritz shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. She nodded in response, fidgeting with her fingers. After a beat of silence, Fitz clears his throat. "I'm gonna go grab those files for you." He nods to Steve before exiting.

"You uh, want a tour?" She asked, breaking the silence. 

"Yeah. A tour would be nice." He hummed, swaying slightly from side to side. Nervous. She made note of it before showing him around the small cabin. At some point, Fitz came back in with literal boxes of files and a laptop. 

Fitz pulled her aside once Steve went into his bedroom, the room across from hers. "They figured putting you two here together would be good to get you both rehabilitated back into society. You can help him by showing and explaining modern technology, and he can... help you recover in a way. Get used to your new identity." His voice was hushed as he spoke. 

"How's... How's Malcolm?" She asked quietly.

"He's adjusting." Fitz nods, looking down as his phone buzzes.

"And Nat and Clint?" Her voice was low as she looked off toward the hallway to make sure Steve wasn't listening. 

"Back to business as usual- Oh, Agent Romanoff asked me to give you this." He passed her a folder. "Said it might give you some peace of mind." He nodded.