𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 • 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

Steve Meets Alexander Pierce

My door was knocking. I walked to the door and saw a few agents. I opened the door.

"Hey!" I said. "Come in."

"Thanks." They said. I saw them holding onto their guns. Something is up.

"Want anything? I got water, beer, soda." I picked up my phone from the countertop.

"We're all good... Crystal Stark, you're coming with us." The three agents came at me. Son of a bitch! I threw a fireball at one agent and cracked another agent's knee. One of the agents shot at me but missed. I did a cartwheel and brought him down with my legs. I started to choke him. All three agents down. Why in the hell are they after me? I packed up my bags, put on new clothes. A baseball tee, blue sweater, black jeans, light blue converse, maroon beanie with my rings, necklace and my glasses. I ran down the hallways to the stairs all the way to my car. I tried calling Steve, but he didn't pick up. So, I called Elena.

"Hello?"

"Elena?"

"What's up?"

"Three of our agents tried to kill me that's what's up."

"What's going on? Crystal, a bunch of agents are looking for you and Steve."

"The hell." Why us?

"Crystal, SHIELD has been comprised."

"I got to go, call you later. Elena, please be careful."

"I will try to stay down." And I hung up and drove. I drove to the hospital, no questions asked. I saw the flash drive in the vending machine and I got it with the gum. I saw Steve there so, I walked behind him and he looked at me with the reflection of the glass. I popped a bubble. He turned back and I looked at him. He pushed me to another door and against the wall.

"Where is it?" He said.

"Safe."

"Do better."

"Where did you get it?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Fury gave it to. Why?" He looked into my eyes. We were close. I wanted to kiss him.

"What's on it?"

"I don't know."

"Stop lying." He gripped my arms tightly.

"I only act like I know everything, Steve."

"I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn't you?"

"Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way to get in, so do you." He pushed me against the wall again.

"I'm not going to ask you again." Steve's angry.

"I know who killed Fury." I look at him straight in the eye. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years."

"So he's a ghost story."

"A few years back, maybe 3, I have escorted a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. But the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer so he shot him." I lifted up my shirt and my bullet wound showed. The Winter Soldier did that. "Straight through me. Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye-bye, bikini photoshoots." He looked down and up, making me do the same.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." Just wait a couple of years..

"Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried." I pulled out the flash drive. "As you said, he's a ghost story." Steve took the flash drive out of my hands.

"Well, let's find out what the ghost wants." He looked at my clothes. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"What, I can't dress the way I want now?"

"You usually dress in red or maroon crop tops and shorts or black pants with your black boots. You're wearing a hoodie with a baseball tee and shoes. I don't remember Crystal Stark wearing clothes like that, only when she's hiding."

"You caught me. I don't remember you having a hoodie up. Possibly hiding as well."

"Got your car?"

"Left it, I stole one from my friend, Elena." We walked out of the room.

"We're going somewhere."