The Winter Soldier [3]

Memories

Chapter 9

The three of them walked up to the glass door with the shutters down. Steve knocked his knuckles against the glass three time and waited for an answer. They heard footsteps and then the shutters opening. Sam Wilson stood on the other side of the glass looking confused as to why three super heroes were suddenly on his door step.

"Hey, man." Sam said as he opened the door.

"I'm sorry about this we need a place to lay low." Steve explained.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat added.

"Not everyone." Sam said as he moved to let them in.

They all had showers and got cleaned up. Steve and Nat were in one room Abi was in another. As she was finally alone, Abi sank down to the floor and let the memories come flooding back along with the excruciating pain.

She was once again strapped down on a table in a white washed room with one-way glass on the wall. But this time the figure leaning over her had a face. Dr Zola. Once again her veins felt like they were on fire. Off in the distance she could hear someone yelling her name. A voice that sounded familiar but one she couldn't place.

Then the image changed and she was stood over looking some sort of procedure. There were about ten subjects and they were all screaming in pain.

A man stood to the side of her turned and said. "This is the future of Hydra."

The image shifted again to a boy and a girl; twins. They were in cells with a glass wall so people could see them. Abi was dragged past the cells by armed guards still groggy from the cryo-freeze. Another man stepped up to her and grabbed her damp hair in his fist and lifted up her head. He smiled in a cruel, heartless manor before giving off a slight chuckle.

"Welcome home, Miss Rogers." He said with the same smile. "With Zola and the Soviets gone you and your friend are mine."

She recognised the man but couldn't place him other than that. As to her 'friend' she had no idea to whom he was referring.

There was much more but after that it all blurred into one big mess. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Sam.

"Breakfasts ready." He said. She stood from the floor and followed him downstairs.

"So, the question is, who at SHIELD can launch a domestic missile strike?" Nat asked as Sam plated up eggs and bacon.

"Pierce." Abi muttered. "It explains why he didn't want me in his head when we met him." She said to Steve.

"He also happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Nat added.

"He's not working alone." Steve said looking out of the window before turning back to face the others. "Zola's Algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

"So was Jasper Sitwell." Nat said with a look of realisation.

"So, the real question is, how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight." Steve pondered.

"The answer is, you don't." Sam said walking round and placing a file on the table in front of Steve.

"What's this?" Steve asked.

"Call it a resume."

Nat walked round and picked up a photo. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you? You didn't say he was a Para rescue."

"Is this Riley?" Steve asked taking the photo from Nat and looking at it.

"Yeah."

"I heard that they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPG's." Nat said looking impressed. "What did you use? A stealth chute?"

"No. These." Sam handed Steve another file.

"I thought you said you were a pilot." Steve said with a confused smile that made him look like a Labrador.

"I never said pilot." Sam said with a pleased smile.

"We can't ask you to do this, Sam." Steve said. "You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." Sam replied.

Steve nodded.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Abi asked taking the file from her brother.

"The last one is at Fort Meade." Sam disclosed. "Behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall."

Steve looked at Nat who shrugged and then to Abi who was smiling. "Shouldn't be a problem. He said with a smile of his own. He threw the file back onto the table.

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Sam had grabbed Sitwell on the street and brought him to a rooftop where Steve and Abi were waiting. Nat was keeping watch on the stairwell.

"Tell us about Zola's Algorithm." Abi snarled as she threw Zola across the roof with her powers.

"Never heard of it." Sitwell replied as he got to his feet.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve asked walking towards Sitwell and forcing him back.

"I was throwing up I get seasick." Sitwell replied.

Sitwell hit the edge and Steve grabbed his blazer to stop him falling. "You know I could just let her take what she wants." Steve said gesturing to Abi. "But that would be agony for you." Steve pushed him slightly.

"Is this little display meant to insinuate that you could throw me off the roof? Cause it's really not your style." Sitwell shot back at Steve.

"Your right," Steve said putting Sitwell back on his feet and straightening his blazer. "it's hers."

Steve stepped to the side and Abi kicked Sitwell square in the chest and sent him tumbling off the roof. "You know it would have just been easier to let me get in his head." Abi said.

"Yeah but this is more fun." Steve said as Sitwell's screams started to get closer to them again.

Sam flew up dropping Sitwell back on the roof. Sam was wearing the Falcon-Exo suit which was basically a pair of metal wings that made him look like their namesake. As he landed the wings folded away into the back of the Exo.

Abi and Steve walked back over to where Sitwell was laid.

Sitwell held up a hand and started talking. "Zola's algorithm is a program, for choosing Insights targets." He said.

"What targets?" Steve asked.

"You. Her." Sitwell gestured to them both. "A TV anchor in Cairo; the Under Secretary of Defence; a high school valedictorian in Iowa city; Bruce Banner; Stephen Strange; anyone who's a threat to HYDRA. Now or in the future."

Most of the people we none-recognisable to Abi. She obviously knew Bruce but for some reason the name Stephen Strange sounded familiar.

"In the future?" Steve asked snapping Abi from her thoughts. "How could it know?"

Sitwell started laughing. "How could it not?! The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." When the others looked confused he continued. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's pasts to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve asked.

"Oh my god Pierce is gonna kill me." Sitwell muttered.

"If you don't keep talking Pierce will be the least of your worries." Abi growled. She was not having a good day as it was with learning she was used as HYDRA's puppet so killing Sitwell would be a highlight.

"Then the Insight Helicarrier's scratch people off the list. A few million at a time." Sitwell concluded.