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CHAPTER TEN
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THE TRIO TOOK A SEAT at a small wooden table and was provided with three coffees. Steve sat down and let his eyes travel the room warily, searching for any suspicious activity. Emersyn did the same and greeted Natasha with a nod.
"Where is it?" Steve asked quietly.
"Safe," Natasha replied bluntly.
"Do better," Steve snapped through clenched teeth.
"Fury gave you the drive, didn't he?" Emersyn inquired, even though she guaranteed she knew the answer.
Steve hesitated a moment and gazed deep into her eyes as if searching for something. Emersyn locked his gaze. "Yes," he answered. "What's on it?"
"We think it has information on Project Insight." Natasha lowered her voice and raised the coffee mug to her lips. "Fury told Emersyn that before he..."
Steve nodded. "What else did he say?"
"Shield was compromised, I needed to find the hard drive and not trust anyone. That's it." Emersyn said.
"I bet you two knew Fury hired the pirates?" Steve said in a low, gravelly tone.
"Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you." Natasha defended.
Steve was openly frustrated. "So all of this, why?"
"We don't know," Emersyn muttered, sipping her coffee.
"But I know who killed Fury," Natasha spoke up.
Steve and Emersyn's attention immediately shifted to her words. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years." Natasha said with an edge of fear in his voice. The way she spoke about him made Emersyn's hair creep up.
"So he's a ghost story," Steve concluded.
Emersyn had heard talk of the Winter Soldier among the older shield agents, and Natasha had described their previous encounters, but she never thought he would come to haunt her too. The idea of a man, living and killing freely for half a century was terrifying, like something out of a horror film.
"Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran," Natasha continued in a low, serious tone. "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." Natasha lifted her shirt slightly so her lower abdomen showed scarred skin from a bullet wound. "Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye-Bye bikinis."
"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now," Steve said sarcastically.
Emersyn snorted out her coffee at the comment. She wiped herself with a napkin and tried to focus again on the conversation. Natasha flashed her a glare, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Steve looked at her curiously when she laughed, and when Emersyn returned the gaze, he turned away hastily.
"Going after him is a dead end, I know, I've tried," Natasha said, before raising the hard drive into their view. "Like you said he's a ghost story."
They all knew the correlation between the drive and the Winter Soldier was obvious.
"Then let's find out what the ghost wants." Steve finished as he got up from his seat.
Emersyn sipped the rest of her coffee and set it down. "I'll drive."
"No you won't," Steve interjected, sounding worried.
"What?" Emersyn teased. "You don't like my driving?"
"Not my first choice." He replied dully.
Natasha set a bill on the table and walked toward the exit saying, "I'm driving."
Steve flashed Emersyn a smirk of satisfaction while she frowned. They left the cafe and the girls sat in the front seats. Out of spite, Emersyn rolled her seat back so Steve, who was behind her, would be crammed in the car again.
"Really, Sharp?" He sighed as he moved his legs out of the way of the seat threatening to squish him.
Emersyn chuckled and Natasha hissed at her to grow up. After adjusting her seat, she felt her eyes wandering to the side mirror, where Steve's reflection showed him gazing out the window. Emersyn stared for a moment, a smile still etched on her face, not seeming to fade in the slightest. As if Steve felt her gaze, he looked at her through the side mirror and their eyes met. Surprised, Emersyn quickly looked away, but despite her attempts, she could not hide the growing smile on her lips.
The car ride was silent, but Emersyn was itching to say something so her mind would not keep resorting to thoughts about Steve. "What's the plan?" Emersyn asked casually.
Natasha glanced at her briefly before answering, "We're headed to a mall to access the drive and find out what information S.H.I.E.L.D's trying to hide."
"Don't you think people are gonna recognize us? Or at least the bulky patriot over here?" Emersyn asked with a teasing tone.
"Bulky?" Steve repeated as his brows knitted together in confusion.
"We'll have to make do," Natasha said, tossing a pair of glasses and a baseball cap to Emersyn. "I've got a hood on," she continued. "And you've gone one too, Em. We're good. Give the accessories to Steve."
Emersyn obeyed and once Rogers put on the glasses and cap, she snorted, not trying to hide her amusement in the slightest. "You look like a nerd," she snickered.
Steve gave her a blank stare and said in a serious tone, "I don't want to hear another word from you unless it has something to do with the mission."
Emersyn laughed and replied, "That's impossible."
Steve took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and asked Natasha, "Is she always like this?"
Nat gave him a sympathetic look through the rearview mirror. "I'm impressed you've made it this far."
Emersyn snickered to herself and looked out the window happily. It was enjoyable to watch Steve's frustrated face scrunch up and his voice get tense and sharp. For some reason, she just felt an uncontrollable smile fix itself on her lips every time she teased him.
When they arrived at the mall, Emersyn did mentally tell herself that she ought to focus on the mission and not ruin it by doing something reckless, but she still wanted to have fun while doing so. Her hood covered her braided head and she walked alongside Steve, with Natasha opposite. The mall was relatively busy, with people walking back and forth in two directions.
"First rule of going on the run is don't run, walk," Natasha muttered only loud enough for her companions to hear.
"If I run in these shoes they're gonna fall off," Steve replied. His eyes were attentive to every movement, sound, passerby, and obstacle ahead. Emersyn could feel his anxiety radiating off of him like heat. Steve's shoulders were tense, and his strut stiff. She elbowed him in the ribs and said quietly, "You look like a walking toothpick, relax a little."
He bit back a sharp reply and continued keeping his gaze forward. It was better to not argue with Emersyn's comments, especially in public, he thought. Steve slumped his shoulders in an effort to look casual, but Emersyn thought that his broad frame made it difficult for him to appear relaxed at all.
"Maybe we should smile and have a conversation like normal people instead of looking like walking bricks," Emersyn said, slightly louder than previously.
Steve and Natasha flashed her a warning look for her tone of voice.
"What?" She asked. "You really think any of these strangers are gonna care what we say?"
"They might care if they're S.H.I.E.L.D.," Steve hissed.
"How would they even know we're here? It's been like two minutes." Emersyn sassed back. At his annoyed look, she gave him a sarcastic smile.
"Expect the unexpected," Natasha said. "you can keep your voice down, Em."
"Alright," she shrugged nonchalantly.
Steve's brows narrowed and he looked at Natasha for an answer. "How come she listens to you?"
Natasha answered him by not answering him and turned the corner to an electronic store. They made their way to a computer where Nat typed speedily on a keyboard and informed the others, "The drive had a level six honing program, so as soon as we boot up, S.H.I.E.L.D will know exactly where we are."
Steve's alert eyes were focused on everything around them rather than on the computer. "How much time will we have?" He demanded quickly.
"About nine minutes from..." Natasha clicked the hard drive into the computer. "Now."
Emersyn leaned against a desk on the side and peered over Nat's shoulders. Her curiosity was growing the longer her eyes waited to find answers on the computer. This hard drive would explain everything: Fury's death, Project Insight, S.H.I.E.L.D turning on them... and likely more they didn't know yet.
Several files and firewalls were popping up on the screen, all denying Natasha's access.
"Fury was right about that ship. Somebody's trying to hide something." The redhead said as she worked. "This drive is protected by some sort of A.I. It keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands."
"Can you override it?" Steve asked.
Natasha sighed and quirked a brow. "The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me." She looked up to see Emersyn smirking. "Slightly."
Steve was still watching the room like a hawk, and Emersyn thought for a moment before piping up, "Try running a tracer?"
"Doing that.." Natasha replied. "This is a program that S.H.I.E.L.D. developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from." The map on the computer zoomed into a location on the east coast, loading the destination name.
Emersyn looked up to see an employee walking toward them. "Heads up." She said only loud enough for Steve and Nat to hear. "Blondie coming on your 9:00."
Steve raised his eyes and subtly nudged Natasha. His stone-cold face met the man's pleasant and friendly one. Cringing at the awkwardness, Emersyn stepped forward and greeted the employee with a wide smile.
"Hey, can I help you guys with anything?" The man asked.
"Oh, hi there!" Emersyn said cheerily as she put her hands behind her back so no bare ring finger would be seen. "We're just looking up some final honeymoon destinations with my fiancé, here." She leaned into Steve and wrapped her arms around him, smiling.
Steve tensed at her touch and looked down at her awkwardly. She widened her eyes at him to follow her lead. When he said nothing, Natasha interjected and laughed, "Yeah, it's about time! I've been betting on these two love birds for years, now!"
Emersyn elbowed Steve roughly behind the back, so he forced out a chuckle and said, "Yeah... haha... we're getting married."
"Congratulations," the employee said. "Where you guys thinking about going?"
Still clinging onto Steve, Emersyn craned her neck to see the computer screen zoom into a location. "New Jersey," Steve said flatly before she could speak up.
"Oh." The employee exclaimed.
Emersyn cringed at the choice of New Jersey as a honeymoon vacation but tried to cover up for Steve's awkward tone. "Yeah, they have great gardens there! That's why... it's uh.. called the garden state!" She laughed painfully loud.
The employee gave a half-hearted chuckle, and Emersyn pleaded for him to walk away, but he continued to stare at them.
"Do you like gardens?" Emersyn asked him abruptly.
"Uh, yeah!"
She barely gave him a moment of silence before she rambled, "Well I've always loved gardens because they're just so beautiful y'know, but Tom, here," she nudged Steve and squeezed him again. "Has never really been into it! While all other boyfriends buy their girls flowers, he bought me a motorcycle!" Emersyn paused a moment for dramatic effect, gaping. "Can you believe that?"
The employee opened his mouth to speak but Emersyn cut him off. "And the funny thing is, I can't even drive a motorcycle!" She laughed and shook her head at Steve. "Isn't he so funny?"
The man nodded, smiling, and gave one last weird look at Steve before saying, "If you guys need anything, I've been Aaron." He showed them his badge before turning and walking away.
As soon as his back was turned, Steve pushed Emersyn off him and hissed under his breath, "Was that really necessary?"
Rolling her eyes she spat back, "It was more creative than New Jersey!"
"That's what the screen said!" Rogers argued, pointing to the evidence on the computer.
"But who goes to New Jersey for their honeymoon?!" Emersyn struggled to keep her voice soft.
"Guys the acting is over you don't have to be a bickering married couple..." Natasha joked.
Steve put his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath. Emersyn crossed her arms and fixed him with a disapproving glare, "you need to learn how to lie."
His brows raised in surprise and Steve was about to snap at her before Natasha stepped between them. "And both of you need to learn that your opinions of each other don't matter. I found it: Wheaton, New Jersey. Let's go."
Steve directed his eyes to the computer and his brows furrowed. Natasha read his troubled expression and she asked, "You know it?"
"I used to." Steve grabbed the drive and walked away, signaling for them to follow. "Standard tac team," he told Nat and Emersyn once they caught up. "Two behind, two across, and two coming straight at us. If they make us, I'll engage, you both hit the south escalator to the metro."
Ignoring his plan, Emersyn said quickly, "Shut up and put your arm around me. Laugh at something I said."
"We're doing the marriage thing again?" He snapped. "Seriously?"
"Shut up," Natasha said through clenched teeth.
Steve reluctantly put an arm over Emersyn and chuckled loudly. They passed by the S.H.I.E.L.D agents and picked up the pace, anxiety fueling their strides. Once the trio worked their way to the elevator, Steve's eyes were no longer on the lookout. He turned to Emersyn, eyes fuming, and said deadly quietly, "Can we quit the acting gig?"
"What?" She replied. "Don't you know how this works? If we fight our way out like you want, we'll be dead. There are too many of them. We have to blend in."
Steve's chest heaved as he tried to contain himself. Emersyn knew she was irritating him, but it was no longer teasing at this point. She was completing the mission in the best way possible, and Steve didn't like it. For once, something was not going his way and he was getting angry about it.
His eyes were alight with annoyance and he glared at her again. "This is a serious mission and not a time for your childish antics."
"Childish?" Emersyn gasped, offended. "This is not-"
"Yes, it is!"
"Wh-"
A hard elbow to the back cut Emersyn off. Natasha's panicked voice hissed into her ear, "Rumlow!"
Emersyn whipped around, spotting Rumlow on the opposite escalator coming directly at them. While Steve was so intent on arguing, he hadn't been looking for agents, and now the trio was in plain sight. Emersyn quickly turned back to Steve, fear sparking in her eyes, and she realized by his expression that he had noticed their exposure too.
Her eyes traced Steve's face and fell on his lips. Without a second thought, Emersyn crashed her face onto his and pressed against him roughly. The force of it knocked Steve back slightly and he readjusted himself to stay upright by holding onto Emersyn. He leaned forward into the kiss to balance himself and then gasped slightly for air. Emersyn did not dare break until she was certain Rumlow had passed.
After several more agonizingly long seconds, Emersyn let go abruptly and held onto the escalator for support. She turned her back and brought a sleeve to her lips to wipe them, grimacing at the wet feel.
Steve opened his eyes, shocked, and asked with an edge to his voice, "What was that?"
"Rumlow was coming up on the other side and PDA makes people very uncomfortable..." Emersyn mumbled quickly. Itching to get out of the situation, she pushed past Natasha and walked down the escalator, burning with embarrassment.
"Yes, it does..." Steve said breathlessly, staring with wide eyes at Emersyn. When he remained frozen, Natasha stepped in front and hurried down the escalator, frustration obvious in her strides. Steve followed slowly, blinking and struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Emersyn was burning red and wanted to escape as soon as possible. A thousand emotions seemed to be floundering in her head. At the bottom of all the anger, embarrassment, disgust and regret was something that united them all. She was shocked to find that somewhere there were butterflies in her stomach, a feeling she rarely found inside her. Nervousness, but it was happy. Emersyn began to wonder if it was really the thought of PDA that made her kiss Steve or an underlying desire.
A/N
AHHH so sorry this update is very late! I've been so busy but now that it's summer updates are gonna be coming like crazy! Can't believe it's their first kiss already! Even though the circumstances aren't the most romantic ;) it's still great. Lots more to come! Lmk what you think of the chapter and what you want to see next!