"What was Captain America like?" I look up from my lap to the man across from me.
"Pardon?" I ask. Fury told me that Coulson rather enjoyed what we did, but he didn't say he'd be so forward.
"The Captain... Was he everything that he was said to be?"
"Steve." I begin, setting the record straight. "He was very good at speaking to people in high stakes situations, I think that's where the people got their perspective on him. He was one of the best men I've ever known."
"You grew up with him though. Who was he before he donned the shield?"
I think for a moment. "Why do you care so much? We're all a little... before your time."
Phil smiles. "My parents both served in the army during the war. Neither one of them met him, but my mother did meet you once." I look on for a continuation. "She was one of your nurses in London after you and Agent Carter went on a mission." I nod remembering it like it was yesterday... Well most of it. The memory of that base was made up of inside the base as well as when Bucky and the medic carried me from the woods with my raw arms and shock. "Anyway, my father passed away recently and he gave me a few of his old trading cards... Sorry if I upset you." He adds that last bit genuinely caring. He's a man I hadn't had near me in a long while, and it's extremely refreshing. I smile.
"No, no, it was a long time ago. What do you want to know?" The conversation continues for nearly an hour. Surprisingly it's full of laughs and happy memories, until we reach the final question.
"Why did you leave the SSR originally?" The question in a sea of light hearted ones takes me aback.
"Grief. I'd lost Bucky and it just didn't seem important anymore. I was incredibly different then." Coulson leans back in his chair in understanding as we get a knock from the cockpit. Agent Barton joins us. He had been extremely quiet during briefing and didn't seem too keen to be here. I had been told as I was leaving that he had some personal things going on at the moment.
"Hate to break up the nostalgia fest, but we're nearing the target." Clint Barton... err Hawkeye exits the cockpit, where he'd been copilot with Melinda. I take in a deep breath as I feel the engines switch their pace and descend. The mission is fairly simple when talked about, but I know all too well it will be a challenge.
Barton and I are to head inside the located base to see what we can find. We've been getting intelligence from back in the states, and been told that last American scouts reported little to no activity. With the fall of the Soviet Union in a matter of days there's been endless reports of the abandonment of these bases. Once inside we'll see if we can find anything of importance. If... we can find Bucky, and that's a strong if; well I don't actually know what we'll do. Clint seems like a good guy, and I'd hate to get him in trouble, but if there is even a chance that I can get James back then I have to try, whether Clint will let me or not.
Coulson of course is in charge of communications between us, them, and our home base in DC. He is truly a man of honor and I can tell that he genuinely loves the good that SHIELD can do. I can't help but wonder if he's seen the bad yet. Melinda is also to hang back in the jet, in case we need an emergency take off or in an extreme case a rescue. I wish we could bring her into the field with us. Just from the few words I shared with her before we took off I know she's someone I'd like to have on my side during a fight.
As the jet finally stops Melinda comes out from the cockpit. "We're about two miles from the front door. Be quick about it, we cannot let anyone know we are here or ever were here. Moore, I don't know how much they briefed you about how rocky the world is right now, but..."
"They told me enough." When no one says anything close to approval I continue. "Look I may have been living in fast forward all these years, but I know how the world works. Trust me, they won't find out about it." The Soviet Union may be in ruins, but if any knowledge of any of the allies' actions during the Cold War here on their land were to come to light it could lead to major consequences for us, and those undercover.
We're all left to ourselves as we make final arrangements. If Russian winters are as bad as they were years ago then I know I need to bundle up. I throw on a big coat over my other layers and pick up a walkie talkie. I holster a hand gun and strap an automatic behind me. I put on some gloves to finish it off. ready.
I hop down the ladder to the snow packed ground. It's been a while since I've felt this kind forceful cold. The sudden chill takes my breath away in a ball of condensation. Clint is already out here and the other two are above finding the right channel for communications. Clint is up the hill on his stomach. I wouldn't have been able to see him if it hadn't been for the discolored soles of his shoes. We've both been outfitted to camouflage in a thick snow. Everything, even Clint's bow and arrows, are a pure white. I look down at my own clothes, it's the color I'd dreamed my wedding dress would've been. I shake my head, and trudge up the hill.
Clint's holding binoculars up to his eyes, as I lay down beside him he hands them over. I lift them up to my eyes, though it takes a minute I'm able to spy our location out and beyond. We're on a hill overlooking a valley that is spread thin of pine trees. The base lays beyond that with a background of mountains beyond. "It's beautiful." I say forgetting I'm not alone.
"Yeah it is. But somehow I think we'll be feeling the opposite in a few hours." Clint says with a laugh. I chuckle and instantly feel comfortable. I hand back the binoculars, and crawl my way over the crest of the hill. Going feet first I slide down the ice caked hill to the base of the clump of trees. Clint is seconds behind me. We scanned the small thicket of trees from the air with no signs of life... at all. I take a step forward, but Clint sticks out an arm to stop me.
He pulls out something from his back pocket and pulls it over my head. I swat his hand away, and pull the wool hat further down over my ears. I take a step back and splay my arms forward and out. "Satisfied?" He grabs the the edge of it and pulls it down over my eyes.
"Yep. Now I am." He's already steps ahead of me as I fold it up. I find myself smiling again. I didn't think I'd ever find someone I'd be able to work with again, but he's been a nice distraction from the task that's coming. He turns back to me, "You coming kid?"
"Yeah, yeah." I say, "You know I'm pretty sure i'm about 60 years older than you." I take a few more steps forward. Snowy forests don't hold my best memories, but maybe this time I can change that.