TOGETHER: mcu¹

XXVII: falcon

MAYA WAS CONFINED TO SAM'S HOUSE WHEN HE WENT FOR A RUN EARLY IN THE MORNING. He had graciously given her one of the two spare rooms to stay in. She heard Sam return, sweaty from his run and casually entered the kitchen to find him opening a bottle of orange juice and about to drink it when someone knocked on the door.

Sam looked towards Maya and waved her off. He cautiously made his way to to the front door as Maya shrunk back into the kitchen. Sam opened the shades to find Nat and Steve standing on the other side. "Hey, man." Sam greeted him.

"I'm sorry about this." Steve apologized as Maya approached them. "We need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat said gravely.

"Not everyone." Sam ushered the two inside where Maya was waiting. Her mouth gaped open as she saw their appearances. Dirt was caked onto their clothes and faces. Sam led them to the second spare bedroom where they cleaned up. Maya began to prepare some breakfast as she glanced outside worriedly.

"Woo." Sam cheered as he entered the kitchen. "Breakfast." He reached for some toast, but Maya slapped his hand away.

"No, you will wait, Sam Wilson. Go get Nat and Steve." Sam hurried off to grab her friends as she set breakfast on the table. Steve and Nat entered with Sam and gathered around the table. "I know it's not much..."

"No, it's perfect." Steve reassured her smiling softly.

"You made breakfast." Nat observed cheekily.

"Well, someone had to." Nat smirked at her response. The group sat down and began to dig in.

"So, the question is who is S.H.I.E.L.D could launch a domestic missile strike?" Nat asked as she looked down.

"Pierce." Steve answered as he looked at Nat.

"Who happens to be sitting at the top of the most secure building in the world." Maya stood up and began to pace the wheels in her head turning.

"He's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lumerian Star." Realization hit Nat and Maya as Steve spoke.

"So, was Jasper Sitwell." Maya said crossing her arms.

"So, the real question is how do the three msot wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D officer in broad daylight?" Steve questioned clenching his jaw.

"The answer is you don't." Sam approached them tossing a file onto the table.

"What's this?" Maya asked as Steve reached for the file.

"Call it a resume." Nat grabbed the file from Steve.

"Is this back Milad? Khalid can deal mission. That was you?" Nat asked. "You didn't say he was a pararescue." Nat eyed Steve suspiciously.

"This Riley?" Steve asked quietly eyeing the picture.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPG's." Nat looked at Sam. "Why? Did you use a stealth shoot?"

"No." Sam handed them another file. "These." Steve's eyebrows raised as he looked at the photo.

"I thought you said you were a pilot."

"I never said pilot." Sam smirked, but Steve shook his head.

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

"Dude, Captain America needs my help." Maya rolled her eyes smiling. "There's no better reason to get back in."

"Where can we get out hands on one of these things?" Steve questioned Sam.

"The last one is at Fort Meade behind three guarded gates and a 12 inch steel wall." Steve looked at Nat and then Maya who both shrugged.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Maya hummed smirking as she looked at the label on the file. It said Falcon.
****

SAM HAD SUCESSFULLY CAPTURED SITWELL LEAVING STEVE, NAT AND MAYA TO DEAL WITH HIM. Steve pushed him out onto the roof of a tall building. "Tell me about Zola's Algorithm." Steve ordered as he and Maya approached him.

"Never heard of it." Sitwell said putting his glasses back on.

"What were you doing on the Lumerian Star?" Maya questioned narrowing her eyes.

"I was throwing up. I get seasick." They had backed him up to the edge of the roof. Nat had joined them tauntingly standing beside Maya. Steve grabbed him before he could fall. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof?" Sitwell smiled and Steve tightened his grip. "Cause it's really not your style, Rogers." Steve let him go.

"You're right. It's not. It's her's." Nat kicked him off the edge of the roof. Sitwell went flying and screaming all the way down.

"Oh wait what about that girl from Accounting? Laura, Lis-?" Steve cut her off.

"Lillian." Steve answered and Maya shifted uncomfortably. "Lip piercing, right?"

"Yeah, she's cute." Nat egged him on.

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that." Steve answered as Sam flew and then dropped Sitwell back onto the roof. Sam landed and turned around wings retracting. Nat, Maya, and Steve once again approached Sitwell. Sitwell held out a hand terrified.

"Zola's Algorithm is a program for choosing Insight's targets." Sitwell trembled.

"What targets?" Steve asked menacingly.

"You," Sitwell gestured to Steve. "The TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA now or in the future." Sitwell panted and Maya took in this information.

"The future? How could it know?" Maya asked slightly angry. Sitwell began to chuckle at her anger.

"How could it not? The twenty first century is a digital book." Sitwell stood up confronting his captors. "Zola taught HYDRA how to read it. Bank Records, Medical Histories, Voting Patterns, E-Mails, Phone Calls, your damn SAT scores." Sitwell panted as he regained composure. "Zola's Algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"What then?" Steve asked slightly scared and angry.

Sitwell looked down suddenly panicking. "Oh my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."

"What then?" Steve repated stepping forward. Sam clenched Sitwell's suit keeping him from running.

"Then, the Insight Hellicarriers scratch people off the list, a few million at a time." Maya gasped as she looked at Sitwell in shock.