The Russian

Chapter Eighteen: One By one

When we got to the apartment, I showed Steve the secret way to get though the fire escape. I unlocked the window and got in. The apartment was different, it had white chalk and tape everywhere. It was a crime scene. I pushed away the thoughts of Nick and headed to the bedroom to pull out the pack bag I had.

"Should I be concerned you have a bag packed already?" Steve says, as he keeps an eye out for trouble.

"It's not my first time running Steve." I tell him as I grab some of Amira clothes.

"You were gonna leave?" He asks.

"Yeah....but someone showed me the right path." I tell him as I grab Amira's toys. she would need entertainment.

"Who?" Steve asks. I stop and look at my hands. The black was still somewhat there.

"Tyler....here, change into this." I hand him some clothes and leave the room to give him some privacy. I look at the wall and see three clear bullet holes. I brush my fingers over them and feel the orders behind them. The forced of the trigger being pulled by someone unsure of everything.

"How do I look?" I turn to see normal Steve. He is wearing a white t shirt with a dark blue sweatshirt. His blue jeans went with the sneakers I gave him. I smile and walk over. I zip up his sweatshirt and put his hood up.

"Perfect." i say with a smile. I go and get changed into dark blue jeans, with a black crop top and gray hoodie, with the dark purple backpack of clothes. I come out and Steve is look at his hands troubled. "Steve?"

"1809, what does it mean?" Steve said. I suddenly realized he didn't trust me. He thought I was working with them.

"A memory I wish never existed......I am gonna say goodbye to Tyler, then we can go." I say and exit the apartment. After climbing the flights of stairs with Steve on my tail, I finally reach Tyler's apartment. I knock, and the door creaks open. I look At Steve and enter. A strong smell hits me,as well as tears. Mrs. Lolli laid on the table with her chest ripped open. I ran to Tyler's room and gasped. He was cut up and his face was beaten so badly. On the walls, was a message written his blood.

1809

I start to sob and move next to my best friend. Tyler kept me from running, he kept me from doing anything too stupid. He was my best friend, and he died because of me. 

"Mika.." Steve says softly. I wipe my tears and head over to the closet to pull out the black lock box. I punch in teh code and open it. IT was photos of us, a pack of cigarettes and a letter. I put them in my pockets and turn to Steve.

"Let's go." I start to walk out of the apartment and Steve grabs my arm.

"What is 1809?" He growls. He thought I killed them, which I got them killed. I pull up my sleeve and show him the tattoo I got when I was Five.

"It is my name. I am experiment 1809. I though I escaped it, but I was wrong. I could never escape....." I tell him as tears start to drop. "It's all my fault, I got them killed." 

"Shhh." Steve brings me into his chest and I sob. I lost my best friend and now everyones trying to kill us. And to add to my pain, the people who tested on me and tortured me for most of my life are back.

"Steve, we gotta go." I croak. I wipe away my tears as he looks at me with concern. "We have a flash drive to get, a little girl to bring with us, a Russian spy who will try to either stop us or help us and try not to get killed or captured in the process."

"All right, I'm driving." Steve says with a slight smile.

"Yes Sir." I salute. We climb down the fire escape and hop on to the bike. Thankfully, there were no plates. Steve started it up and we headed to the hospital. Hopefully everything would be slightly easier.

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We get to the hospital, both of our hoods are up and try not to act too suspicious. Steve approaches the vending machine and freezes. I look at it and its gone.

"You had to put it in a vending machine." I groan.

"You didn't protest." He snapped.

"I didn't have a chance!" I growled. Then a pop came from behind us. It was Tash chewing the gum we used to hide the flash drive. Steve looked around and shoved her into an office. I close the door behind us and he shoves her against the wall while taking off his hood.

"Where's it?" "Where's Amira?" We both ask at the same time. Natasha looks behind us and there is Amira sleeping with her Thor doll.

"Where is it?" Steve growled.

"It's safe." She told him.

"Do better." 

"Where did you two get it?" 

"Why would we tell you?" Steve snaps.She blinks a few times in shock, but then composes herself.

"Fury gave it to you. Why?" Tash asks. Steve stays silent and I speak up. 

"What's on it?" I ask her.

"I don't know."

"Stop lying!" Steve growls and slams her against the wall again. Amira starts to wake up.

"I only act like I know everything Rodgers." She protests.

"Steve?" Amira asks with a sleepy voice he looks behind to see her then back at Tash.

"You knew Fury hired the pirates, didn't you." Steve said. She takes a moment and stares at Steve.

" Well it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury need a way in, so do you." That got Steve even more angry and he shoved her again, making Amira gasp.

"I'm not gonna ask you again." Steve snapped. Tash looked at me then at Steve.

"I know who killed Fury." Steve lets her go slightly. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't think he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Solider. He's credited with over two dozen assignations in the last fifty years."

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

"No." Me and Tash say at the same time.

"Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires, near Odesta. We lost control, Went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out, but the Winter Solider was there. I was covering my engineer so he shot him straight through me." Tash lifts us her shirt to show a nasty scar she had. "Soviet Slug, bye bye bikinis."

"Yeah I bet you look terrible in them now." Steve says.

"Mika knows him as well." Tash says and I look at the floor.

"Mika?" Steve says.

"Super Solider besides you.....Remember my story Steve?" I say, trying not to say it in front of Amira. His eyes look from me to her and I nod. "He wasn't like that when I met him." Steve turns to Natasha.

"Going after him is a dead end." Tash tells him. "I know, I've tried." She hold up the flash drive. "Like you said, He is a ghost story." Steve takes the flash drive from her and stares at her.

"Let's find out what the ghost wants." Steve says. He turns to me. "Get changed, were heading out in five. And we have to talk." Steve says. I sigh and get Amira changed. 

Time to go undercover.