8-1-0-9

Chpt. 3

I looked over Gigi's shoulder as I walked by, staring down at the clipboard she held in her hands. She was marking down what vaccines we had grabbed, and everything on the list had finally been crossed off. I gave her shoulder a friendly pat, letting my hand rest there as I pushed down my worries and smiled. "About time, hey?" I chuckled.

Gigi laughed along, walking us to one of the trucks to hop inside. "Yeah. Karli said we should be at a safehouse in a few hours, latest a day."

I grinned as I looked up at her, before glancing at our surroundings for a moment. I could hear a faint rumble of a plane, but couldn't see one in the sky. "Nico said we're gaining quite the publicity."

     "We are," Gigi confirmed with a click of her tongue. "By request, he's made sure to keep you as a secret. No one knows you or your face but us, nor who you used to be."

The barely audible sound of mice scurrying around the warehouse turned into a clashing noise, which made all of us stop in out tracks to stare into the building. My hearing perked up as I trudged slowly to the entrance of the warehouse, seeing something flash in my peripheral before people started hurrying to the semis. Karli came to a stop in front of me, grabbing me by my arms and dragging me to a c-can. I hardly had time to ask what she was doing, hearing her order something along the lines of, 'we're being followed, pretend you're a hostage' or whatever as she shoved my mask into my hands. I tried to question her, but the doors were locked behind her and the small enclosure was enveloped in darkness. I resigned to sitting between two crates, leaning against the cold wall as the torque of the truck jerked before rolling forward.

I could feel anxiety bubble up within my chest, clawing away as I looked around. Barely a flicker of light broke through tiny gaps withing the edges of the doors, hardly illuminating even ten inches of distance. I could feel the change in road, as the truck went from shaking from hitting every rock and hole to smooth sailing across the pavement. I picked at my gloves relentlessly, resting my arms on my mask that sat in my lap. I was the only one who wore them, besides Nico who had a fabric biker-style pair. To me, even if I could slam my bare fists into the side of Captain America's jaw in the middle of a street or fight against the other Winter Soldiers until my knuckles bled, I was taking the slight safety measures now that I had the choice to fight.

My train of thought was destroyed by a clang against the c-can doors, sending me to my feet in a rush of quickly subdued anxiety as I clutched my mask in one hand and gripped the side of a container with the other. Metal on metal screeching gave way to a strong blare of light, my eyes adjusting so I could see a faint shadow against the storage bins around me. I calmed my breathing, unconsciously gripping the cold material under my left hand a little tighter. The perpetrator took a few hesitant steps as the truck continued to bounce.

     "They're stealing medicine, vaccines."

My pounding heart came to an abrupt stop and I almost choked on my own breathing. I knew that voice. I know that voice.

'           "Stop calling me 'boss'," I suddenly growled under my breath as we walked through the snow, biting down on my tongue at such a blurted phrase. I was in no position to order such a meager command as minute as it was. But right now, the Winter Soldier was getting on my nerves after a disastrous yet successful mission.

     The silence dragged on and I was getting irritated even by the crunching of our boots, hearing the Soldier speed up for a second to walk side by side. I cast him a sidelong glance, a silent demand to know what the hell he was doing. He'd always trailed behind me, as I was given command over him, so right now I was rightfully confused under my air of subtle rage.