Six (Captain America)

"Six" part 1: Surrender

New York City was big, and there were too many people in it. I couldn't keep track of all of them, and that made me uncomfortable. I didn't know if I'd ever been here before; maybe on a mission? Some things looked familiar, but I couldn't be sure. I really couldn't be sure of anything.

I looked around at the busy streets. There were so many people. I tightened my leather jacket around me and crossed the road. A taxi cab skidded to a stop mere inches from me and honked loudly. I turned toward the driver and glared at him. His eyes went wide and he quickly drove around me and out of sight.

I'd found out where Avenger Tower was, and it was my mission to get there. No, I reminded myself. It wasn't my mission, it was my choice. It was my idea. I was done with missions. The General had been my last one, and I'd failed. I'd tried so hard; I'd had the Winter Soldier in my sights. I'd hesitated and someone had clocked me in the side of the head, and when I woke up they were gone. I'd never know why I hesitated. That split second had altered the course of my life. It wasn't like me to hesitate. Everything I did was planned, methodical, calculated. Truth be told, I didn't seem to have much emotion. Maybe I never did. Maybe it had been trained out of me. It's hard to have emotions when you have no identity.

I approached the door, opened it, and went in. I breathed a sigh of relief. The foyer wasn't crowded. It was basically empty. I could relax a bit; I'd had my guard up since I'd gotten off of the freighter that morning. I'd been on the freighter for weeks, stowing away to the USA. I'd colored my hair to try to disguise myself, hopped a train across Europe, and snuck onto the boat, staying hidden the entire time. It hadn't been that hard. No one ever checked the spare rooms way below deck once we were out on the ocean. It had been a long journey though, I had to admit. There wasn't a lot to do on a freighter while hiding, and I had never been out of cryo this long. I shook my head and returned to the present moment. The entry hall spanned only part of the length of the building, but it was still a big, bright, sunlit room made entirely of windows on one side. Rows of chairs lay before me, with a TV on one side playing a video about Stark Industries.

There was a receptionist in the corner of the room. I approached her. She looked up from her computer screen.

"Welcome to Stark Industries' Avenger Tower. How may I help you?" She smiled. She had red lipstick on her teeth, and dark hair. Her name tag said "Shirley." I sized her up. She wasn't anyone to worry about. She could be easily dispatched if necessary.

"I need to see Captain America." I replied.

"I'm sorry, he's not here." Shirley smiled up at me.

"He lives here. I need to see him." I explained. I really didn't think the concept was that difficult to understand.

"He doesn't live here. I'm sorry miss, but he's not here." Her smile was beginning to fade.

"I came a very long way. It's very important that I see Captain America."

"You don't understand. He isn't here. I can't get him for you." Shirley looked like she was getting frustrated. I didn't understand. Captain America was an Avenger. This was Avenger Tower. He had to be here.

"No, you don't understand." I leaned forward over her desk. "Things are about to get very unpleasant for you if you don't get me Captain America. Right now." I was resisting the urge to draw my weapon.

"I can give you the address to his fan site." Shirley replied.

The urge was overwhelming. What the hell was a fan site? I reached under my jacket and pulled my handgun out. I set it on the desk. "Fan site this. Where's Captain America?"