The Winter Soldier

Wanted

After Elise had left, she headed towards SHIELD headquarters. Walking inside, she noticed the chaos. On most of every screen had Steve's face on there with the word 'Wanted.' Confused, she found Agent 13, Sharon Carter. "What the hell is going on?" She asked. "Why is Steve wanted?"

Sharon pulled her to the side and looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "I don't know. Mr. Pierce ordered a search for him claiming that he lied and is hiding something SHIELD about Director Fury's death." She informed her.

"Do they know that I was in his apartment at the time?"

She shook her head. "Fortunately, no. But, at some point, they're gonna find out." She whispered to her, warning her. "I have to stay here because I leave now, it'll look suspicious. So, I can't protect Captain Rogers."

Elise nodded her head. "I understand. I'll protect him." She told her. "In the meantime, I need you to find some information on Nick's attack on the road before he got to Steve's apartment. Something just doesn't add up to me."

"I'll get that to you as soon as possible." Sharon started to walk away but stopped. "I'll try my best to keep them off your trails."

"Good."

Elise walked out of the building, avoiding any eye contact before getting into her car. She thought about calling Steve but if he was wanted and she call and he answers they'll have his location. That was the opposite of protecting him. She wanted to protect him but also had a mission to kill the person responsible for his death. Speeding off, she knew exactly where to find him.

She got to the hospital and got out then walked in. Just as she walked in, she saw Steve---covered in a hoodie--- angrily grabbed Natasha and pulled her in a closet. She quickly ran over and put her ear to the door. "Where is it?" She heard his voice ask Natasha.

"Safe."

"Do better!"

"Where did you get it?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Fury gave it to you." Natasha accused as Elise's ears perked up at the mention of her late father's name. "Why?"

"What's on it?"

"I don't know."

"Stop lying!"

"I only act like I know everything, Rogers."

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

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

"I'm not gonna ask you again."

"I know who killed Fury."

When she said that, Elise busted into the room to see Steve pinning Natasha up against the wall. The two were standing awfully close and, to be honest, she thought she was going crazy at first; but, now, seeing the pair like this she knew. They had way too much chemistry. And, on a normal day, she'd smirk at them and made an inappropriate joke. But, she had no humor left in her body.

The two stared at her like deers in headlights as she closed the door behind her and folded her arms. "You two can kiss later. You know you're wanted, right?" She asked Steve in a monotone before waving it off and focusing on Natasha. "Who killed Nick?"

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, the ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years."

"So he's a ghost story." Steve pointed out.

"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." She pulled her shirt up to show them the scar on the side of her stomach. "Soviet slug, no rifling. Bye-bye bikinis."

"I remember that mission." Elise told them before taking a step closer to them in the tight area. "I was just recruited to SHIELD and you were out of commission for a week before getting back out there." She reminisced.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." There was a hit of a smile from Natasha when Steve said that.

"Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried." Natasha held up the flash drive. "Like you said, he's a ghost story."

Steve takes the flash drive from her. Elise ignored the looks they gave each other. "Well, let's find out what the ghost wants." She told them before nodding her head up to Steve. "Earlier you said that the shooter, the "Winter Soldier" had a metal arm?"

"Yeah, his left arm."

A flash of nostalgia flashed her eyes. "Did it have a star on it?"

"I couldn't get a good look at it; but, I think so." He answered as him and Natasha gave her a weird look.

She licked her lips before balling them up. A glimpse of hope passed through her body but she shove it deep down inside. "Hm... Weird." She mumbled. The hope quickly went away when she remembered that--- if that was him or not---he killed Nick Fury and she was going to kill him. She wasn't fated to have a happy ending.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Lets go."