Sharp Edges

Chapter Seven

The good thing about technology is that it never needs to sleep. It can work when the rest of the world moves on with their lives. The search algorithms ran nonstop, scanning every piece of video and data that it could to look for any trace of the man most commonly known as the Winter Soldier. In the Avengers Compound, though, his name was Bucky Barnes.

He certainly knew how to be a ghost; the rumors had been true. Natasha could see the hope in Steve's eyes start to settle into longing, his heart heavy. She was determined to find him.

Walking back from the front drive of the complex, Natasha carried mail in hand. For a professional organization, they sure got a lot of coupons. She landed in her office and lowered herself down into her chair, propping her feet up on the desk as she sorted through the pile. One by one, she tossed envelopes aside until she paused to find one that was hand addressed with no return address.

All the other mail was dropped and went into her drawer to find a letter opener. She opened it with surgical precision to find a single slip of paper inside with numbers scrawled on it. Reaching out, she hit the intercom. "Rogers, come down here."

Steve stopped punching at the punching bag he'd been working on for an hour and a half. He'd just started to break a sweat. Grabbing a towel, he rested it around his neck before leaving the gym and going to Nat's office. "Nat? What is it?"

Coordinates. That had to be what these were. Her expert eyes moved over the handwriting and looked up when she heard his footsteps.

"Here," she said, holding out the paper. "What does that look like to you?"

Steve focused on the numbers on the paper, his brow furrowed. "It's a location. But where? Can you look this up on a computer?"

"Let's see," she murmured as she turned to the computer beside her and typed in the coordinates. She hit enter and the screen zoomed in on the location. "It's a... service station? In the middle of nowhere in Montana."

"Montana? Why Montana?" Steve questioned. He walked around her desk to look for himself. "Who sent these?"

"No name, not surprising," she shared with a knowing sigh. "What the hell is in Montana and why does someone think we should know about it?" It could be a trap.

Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. This made him feel on edge. "I'm not sure, Nat. But I am curious."

She leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips in thought. "Someone definitely wants us to go there. Why else would they have sent coordinates?" She ran her fingers back through her red hair before she cocked her head to raise her brows at Steve. "Feel like a field trip?"

"Really? You're willing to go?" Steve questioned.

Natasha glanced up at him, green eyes reflecting the lights. "Well, I'm assuming there's no way you're leaving this alone, right?" she asked, raising a brow.

Steve chuckled and shook his head, smiling down at her. "Not a chance."

"So what am I supposed to do? Leave you unsupervised?" she said in reply, smiling smartly. "No way. We're a team."

"I like the sound of that," he smiled back. Steve looked towards the open office door to make sure it was clear before bending down to steal a kiss from her.

Her smile grew quietly at the small token of affection and gave him a wink. "We should probably go in tactical gear, just in case. Or at least have your shield nearby."

"I can do that," Steve agreed.

Natasha sat up and pushed herself up to stand, offering Steve a casual smile. "Pack a quick bag, meet you at the jet in ten?"