The Soldier's Girl

Return of HYDRA

After a few more hours of driving we finally pulled up outside an abandoned military base I knew all too well.

I gazed around and images flashed before my eyes. Memories. As if I was back in 1945 and reliving the moments all over again.
"This is it." Steve tells Nat and I.
"The file came from these coordinates." I say.

"So did we." Steve smiles softly at me, which I return and lace my hand in his.

We walk around and try to pinpoint where the signal came from.
"This camp is where I was trained." Steve told Nat.
"Changed much?" Nat asked us.
"A little." Steve speaks.

I see Steve gaze off slightly and walk over to Nat to let him have a little moment. I look at her phone where she is tracking the signal.

"This is a dead end. Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off." Nat speaks.

"What is it?" I look up to where Nat is looking pointedly at Steve. I follow his gaze and find myself gazing upon the first ever SHIELD base.

"Oh my God." I whisper out.
"What? What is it?" Nat asks me.
"How could I forget? It's been so long, I forgot this was even here!" I say rushing over towards the small building, the others following.

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place." Steve says as he opens the lock with his shield and we enter inside.

I turn on the lights and watch the pairs faces in realisation.
"This is SHIELD." Nat stated.
"Where it started." I lead them forward and we come to my old office.

There hanging on the wall are our framed portraits. There's Howard Stark, Peggy, Col. Chester Phillips and myself.
"There's Stark's father and you, Ali. You haven't changed a bit." Nat tells me looking intently at my picture.
"That's Howard. We were good friends." I tell her while wiping the dust of the frames.

"Who's the girl?" Nat asks me. I go to reply but Steve catches my gaze as I see him walk further down the room to stop by a massive book shelf.

"If you're already working in a secret office...Why do you need to hide the elevator?" Steve asks me as he pries open the doors.

I stare at the bookshelf in confusion. I didn't even recognise it. I don't remember it or the secret room. Maybe it was built while I was growing the business in New York?
"I don't know. I didn't know this was here." I say honestly.

Nat unlocks the elevator and we take it down to where we end up in a room with old looking computers and tech. I look around confused, my brows deeply furrowed as I walk around.

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient." Nat tells me.
"It wasn't. We didn't have a data point here, it was just the first temporary base." I admit.

Just then, I notice a newer installed flash drive port. I find it weird but I trust my instinct and take the flash drive Fury gave me out of my bra and into the port. Maybe Fury updated the tech knowing what would happen in advance? Soon the room is activated and the ancient computers turn on. Nat comes to stand side by side with me while Steve is slightly behind us.

"Initiate system? Y-E-S, spells yes." Nat smiles as she types into the computer.
"Shall we play a game?" She smirks as she turns to face both Steve and I.
"It's from a movie that..." She carried on but Steve cut her off.
"Yeah, I saw it. Ali showed me it, it was good." He smiled slightly making me wink back at him.

Suddenly, we hear a loud, accented voice speaking.
"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Smith, Allison Roslyn. Born 1923. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984."