Once arriving near the outskirts of DC Steve had assured the two uncertain people with him that the person they could trust was trustworthy. But even then Rachel and Natasha still had their worries.
As they approached the back door of the supposed house Steve knocked on the door twice and the three waited. Rachel looked her her to make sure no one was there. To say she didn't seem slightly paranoid would be a lie.
At the sound of a door opening Rachel head snapped towards the now open door and a very familiar man.
"Sam?" Rachel almost exclaims. "Of course it's Sam..." She then muttered to herself. "How did I not think of Sam...?"
"Hey man.." Sam begins averting his gaze from Rachel to Steve.
"We're sorry about this..." Steve apologises as Sam anxiously takes in their looks. Covered in dirt and not looking too well. "But we need a place to lay low."
"Everyone we know is trying to kill us..." Natasha adds looking up at Sam with an almost tired look on her face as Rachel rubbed her temple with her hand.
"I have never been in so much trouble..." she whispers to herself. "It's just like primary all over again."
"Not everyone..." Sam assures letting the three in with ease. After looking outside for anyone suspicious Sam slid the door shut before putting the blind back down. "There a spare room out back if you guys want to clean up." Sam tells the three as he puts an orange juice bottle back in the fridge.
"Thanks." Steve thanks before looking towards Rachel.
"You guys go." Rachel assures motioning for Natasha and Steve to clean themselves up first. "I'll be fine for now." Steve nods in understanding before motioning for Natasha to leave first in which she does and Steve followed close behind.
"So." Sam began making Rachel spin in his direction as he leaned against the countertop. "You weren't wrong about being an agent. Or having secrets."
"Oh, that's only the beginning." Rachel assures. "So you and Steve?"
"Jogging partners." Sam explains. "But he likes to act cocky because of his enhanced speed. 'On your left' this... 'On your left that...'"
"He's just teasing you." Rachel assures letting out a soft giggle. "Trust me when I say I'm faster." Sam could help but raise an eyebrow at Rachel's response.
"Really?" He asks.
"Oh I'm the one who started the 'on your left' trend." Rachel assures in a mocking tone.
"So your some sort of super soldier maybe?" Sam wonders as Rachel looked around the place. Her eyes usually finding their way towards a picture of him and a friend.
"Not exactly." Rachel admits. "Injected with serum? No. Enhanced naturally. Yes."
"Naturally?" Sam questions. Rachel took a deep breath before turning back around to face Sam.
"I have to know that I can trust you." Rachel starts sternly pointing towards Sam. "Fully."
"You can."
"Prove it."
"I didn't rat you out." Sam slowly suggests.
"Good point." Rachel mutters.
"I'm now a friend of two Avengers who could easily kick my butt if I did them wrong." Sam then suggested in a more confident tone.
"Fair." Rachel nods. "Okay."
"Okay',what?"
"I'm Spitfire." Rachel watched as Sam's eyes narrowed towards Rachel in suspicion. "Britain's fastest woman alive?"
"Yeah, I know." Sam interrupts. "I just didn't see you as the hero type, no offence."
"None taken." Rachel tells him honestly. "But I'm an MI6 agent. That's pretty heroic if you ask me."
"Good point." Sam admitted before he opened the fridge door and grabbed a water bottle. "Your pretty fast you know."
"Really? I never noticed." Rachel sarcastically responds.
"So what's happening with all this running?" Sam asks as he offers Rachel the water of which she gladly took.
"Hydra." Rachel summarises. "Turns out they stayed hidden and Shield is officially compromised. Thousands will die if we don't stop them and that will include god knows how many important people."
"You've faced stuff like this before right?" Sam asks hopeful.
"Unless you think that aliens and time travel doesn't count as some what being a problem then this is no iffy. But this could have us lose everything including freedom." Rachel explains simply after drinking some of the water. "This is Hydra we're talking about."
"They never went with Skull then.."
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." Rachel sighs quoting Zola. "Bullshit. But I saved the world once from them winning. I can do it again."
"You stopped Hydra? But you seem surprised they're back now-"
"Forty's." Rachel interrupted smirking in his direction. "Time travel." She quickly explained patting him on the shoulder. "Were you not listening?"
- -
"So the question is: who at Shield could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha asks as the three sat around the table and Sam made breakfast for the three even though Rachel had insisted on helping him he refused.
"Pierce." Steve states.
"That son of a turtleneck sweater." Rachel mutters. "Oh, he's so annoying."
"Who happens to be sitting on the most secure building in the world." Natasha continues as she walked around the table.
"I'm trying to honestly not be offended by that." Rachel admits cringing as she rubbed her arm. "But continue."
"He's not working alone." Steve figures referring to his and Rachel's experience at the Triskellion the day before. "Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."
"So was Jasper Sitwell." Natasha recalls.
"If Sitwell's in on it, it only expands the amount of Shield that was compromised." Rachel instantly assumes crossing her arms over her chest. "Your Strike team seems to be a issue. More importantly Rumlow. They'll find us in minutes if we get on their radar."
"So the question is: how do three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a Shield Officer in broad daylight?" Steve says as Rachel leaned her head back in thought.
"The answer is: you don't." Sam simply answered plopping a file in front of Steve.
"What's this?" Steve asks as he and Rachel stood.
"Call it a resumé." Sam insisted.
"Is this Bakhmala?" Natasha asked curiously as she picked up the picture that was laying on top. "The Khalid Khandil mission. That was you?" Sam nodded towards her in confirmation as Rachel noticed the file on the table and read its title suspiciously: Exo-7 Falcon. "You didn't say you were para-rescue."
"Is this Riley?" Steve asks and once more Sam nods in his direction as a yes of confirmation.
"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs." Natasha recalls looking up at Sam as Rachel reached for the file and picked it up with ease. "What did you use? A stealth shute?" Natasha question.
"No, those." Sam corrects before motioning to the open file Rachel was holding.
"These a pretty dang cool." Rachel admits before handing the file to Steve so he and Natasha could see. "How did I not know about this?"
"I thought you said you were a pilot." Steve says looking up at Sam with a smirk.
"I never said pilot." Sam tells him.
"I can't ask you to do this Sam... you got out for a good reason." Steve admits shaking his head from side to side.
"Dude, Captain America needs my help, that's no better reason to get back in." Sam responds in a serious tone as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I see we are in the same boat Sam." Rachel tells him walking towards him. "We both got helping Captain America in common. With time travel for me and... well... you with not being apart of an evil organisation." As Rachel turned her head back towards Steve she only met his glare staring right at her. "What? I saved your ass a bunch of times. That counts."
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asks smiling in Sam's direction as Rachel looked up at Sam with a hopeful smile on her face.
"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a twelve inch steel wall." Sam quickly explained. Rachel shrugged towards Natasha who also shrugged but in Steve's direction and Steve looked towards Sam nodding.
"Shouldn't be a problem." Steve assures before placing the file back on the table.
"Let the games begin." Rachel smiles rubbing her hands together. "Let the games begin."