Finding Death

один

Winter Soldier

And I pull Captain America out of the river, leaving him there to wake up.

Why?

I've been asking myself that same question.

*

Nomad

I run my thumb across the surface of the black grenade in my hand as I wait. The white light of the letter 'A' from the Avengers' Tower blinks down at me as I sit, alert on the shadowy Helipad, waiting for the arrival of their Quinjet.

My old partner, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, was meant to kill Captain America. He didn't, and never came back, therefore now it's my job. I will do what he couldn't; I will kidnap and kill Captain America.

Or I will die trying.

*

Captain America

Another bust. "Thor, we'll find the sceptre. It's only a matter of time," I reassure the Asgardian God as he grumbles about another failed retrieval attempt. We did take down another HYDRA base, but the sceptre- Loki's sceptre- wasn't there.

Thor ignores me. Thanks.

"How many more bases are there?" Bruce Banner asks, still slightly shaking. Banner can turn into, as Tony Stark puts it, a 'giant green rage monster' but it's not exactly his favourite thing to do.

"At least twelve," Tony answers, messing with some kind of overly-confusing electronic device. He has many; a lot of them I have absolutely no idea how to use. "That we know about. Also, is Romanoff asleep right now?" I look over at Natasha, lying across a few seats opposite me.

Clint Barton, our pilot and archer extraordinaire, laughs. "Looks like it," he smiles. "Who wants to wake her up? Seatbelts on for landings."

"You know not to wake Nat up, Barton," Tony reproaches, smirking. "She'll kill us. All of us."

"Fine, but you'll wish you had," Clint shrugs. He was right; the moment the jet begins to descend towards Avengers Tower, Natasha slides off the seat and on to the floor, growling as she lands with a thud.

"Ouch," she snarls reproachfully, glaring at each one of us in turn. "No one thought to wake me?" her moves are languid and catlike as she buckles herself into a seat, staring daggers into the back of Clint's head.

"I suggested it!" the archer exclaims defensively.

"True. But we thought you'd try and kill us," Tony adds with a shrug.

Natasha scoffs. "And why would you think that?"

"Because last time you strangled me."

"Almost strangled you. There's a difference."

Clint laughs, the amused sound cutting out just as suddenly as it began. "Stark, did you leave anything on the Helipad before we left?" Tony shakes his head, claiming he left it empty. "Well, the Quinjet's sensors say otherwise."

I wrinkle my eyebrows, confused. "So what is it?"

*

Nomad