A Time Traveler's Soldier

Meeting Up

After Steve had escaped S.H.I.E.L.D., he knew he had to hide. But first, he had to go back to the hospital Fury died in not a day ago. He had hidden the hard drive in one of the vending machines, behind the gum. It seemed like the best idea at the time. But, when he looked inside the hard drive was gone. And, as he turned, he saw Peggy and Natasha behind him, chewing bubblegum.

"Where is it?" Steve demanded.

"Safe." The two spies answered.
 
"Where did you get it?" Natasha asked.

"And why is Captain America being hunted as a fugitive?" Peggy followed him. Steve only glanced at her, trying to convince her not to talk about that right now. Peggy got the message.

"Why would I tell you?" Steve said, directing his question at Natasha.

"Fury gave it to you. Why?" Peggy questioned.

"I don't know." Steve answered, before continuing with, 

"-What's on it?"

"I don't know." Natasha replied.

"Stop lying." Steve growled, pinning Natasha against a wall. 

"I only act like I know everything, Rogers." She snapped back. 

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

"Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you." Natasha explained.

"I'm not gonna ask you again." Steve warned.

But, before the situation got worse and Peggy would have to step in, Natasha blurted, 

"I know who killed Fury."

She registered the shock on the two of their faces before she continued.

"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." She explained, looking worried just talking about him. 

"So he's a ghost story." Steve commented.

"Five years ago, I was escorting 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 straight through me. Soviet slug."

Natasha told her story, and pulled up a part of her shirt, revealing an ugly scar above her hipbone.

"No rifling. Bye-bye, bikinis."

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." Steve said sarcastically.

"Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried. Like you said, he's a ghost story." She tried to reason.

"Well, let's find out what the ghost wants, shall we?" Peggy quipped.

The trio marched outside the hospital, trying to go unnoticed in hoddies and sunglasses. But a group of teens practically slammed into them. Peggy recognised them as the New Avengers, plus one older girl and boy she didn't recognize.

"Steve! Natasha! Peggy! Here you are!" Shouted Leo, breathing heavily in front of them.

"Where have you been? Why are you wanted? Why are you hiding out?" Questions were fired at them so fast they didn't have time to answer, and in broad daylight they were starting to attract attention. The three adults pulled the group aside. Thalia, the lightning girl, spoke a little slower.

 "We were hanging out with  Robert, and this guy, he just came in and attacked us." 

Peggy remembered hearing about Robert. He was Tony's teenage son, who looked exactly like him but with his mother's blue eyes and freckles, and was currently standing in the group.

"Next thing we  know, you're a wanted man and a new girl named Noor shows up to be part of the team. Another powered orphan, just like us." 

The dark haired teen waved when her name was called, looking a little out of sorts around them. 

"But that is not all" Frank chimed in. "Percy's been kidnapped by the guy who broke in. He had a metal arm, and a mask. Do you know who took him?" 

Natasha nodded in response.

The trio looked at each other. Should they let the group come along, even with the possible dangers? They had a missing friend. It was only right to let them find him. 

"Alright" Peggy agreed.

 They would not let these kids abandon their friend.

"First, we need to find the information on this drive, then we go to the place that's revealed. Got it?" Natasha explained in simplest terms.

The New Avengers nodded. 

"When do we get started?"