Lithium sat in the airport, a bright red, skin tight dress hugging her curves flawlessly. She kept her legs crossed, shaking one impatiently as she waited for her flight to be called for boarding. She loosed a sigh as she cradled her chin in her palm, her elbow resting against the arm rest of the chair.

'How terribly dull,' she thought, watching the bodies around mill around, going about their days. She made a point to avoid the stares that came from men and women alike, nearly all of them noticing the woman who sat alone, her body accentuated expertly, her dark waves of hair  brushed to one side, her flawless skin commanding an attention all it's own, but her lightly colored eyes were spacey.

She was deep in her own thoughts again, a thing she savored when she wasn't around her superiors. She knew that people noticed her, knew that they stared and whispered as they walked and waited. She didn't really care anymore. She'd gotten used to it since they'd changed her. She'd been pretty before but they'd made her gorgeous and irresistible to much of the male population, even a portion of the female. Even those who weren't physically attracted to her certainly admired her beauty.

She decided to occupy her time thinking about what the captain was like, though she resisted the urge to open his file in public. She'd taken the file with her, tucked safely into her carry on bag. She knew it would be frowned upon back at base, but she didn't much care. She'd been ordered to abandon that mission for this one. The least she could do was continue to prepare for it after she finished this one.

Lith sighed quietly through her nose. 'That's a lie and you know it,' she thought to herself, her eyes becoming even more distant. 'You took the file with so you could stare at his picture and read his information in the stupid hope that he'll show up in your dreams. Or even more impossibly, your life. They told you to give up on him a long time ago.'

She frowned, staring out the ceiling-to-floor windows without really absorbing the images outside. Once upon a time, she'd called him her hero. Her inspiration.

Lithium had also made the mistake of saying it aloud in front of her superiors. She'd gotten the coldest glares from them she'd ever received before or since. And it made her wonder what was so terrible about idolizing a nation's hero. Of course, her superiors worked in mysterious ways. They told her odd things all the time. It was second nature not to question them anymore. They certainly hadn't appreciated it when she did.

So she tended to keep quiet nowadays, receding deeper into her mind, imagining this or that to help satisfy her need for human interaction if she was lucky enough. She flicked her eyes toward her gate as boarding was finally called. People began shuffling towards the exit, going through the tedious processes that came with boarding a plane.

'Stupid public transport,' she thought with an unrestrained sigh. 'Couldn't have gotten a private jet, huh?' They'd been through that discussion before though. Each time she mentioned the issue of public transport, especially with flying, they just told her over and over that they didn't have the funds to dispatch a jet every time an agent went somewhere. Of course, she didn't buy that excuse. She honestly believed that they had plenty of excess funds, they certainly had the technology to show for it. She believed they madr their agents rely on public air travel as a test of it's own.

'To turn us into human detectors of those exhibiting dangerous behavior.' She did a quick search around the room. A few small families. A few businessmen and women. Every so often she could spot a shadier looking character. But she knew better than to go just by appearances. For all she knew, one of those who looked more innocent or strict in their morals, could be hiding a dark secret.

She'd be on guard the entire flight.

~~~

The flight had occurred without a hitch. Everything was quiet and utterly normal, much to Lithium's relief. She hated flying, but not because of the off-chance they'd crash. It made her nervous because she hadn't been in an actual combat situation before. She hadn't had to test her abilities. And if she needed back-up in the air, odds were slim to none that she'd be able to contact them at all.

Those hours had been a waking hell. She watched everything possible. She scolded herself every time she'd allowed her mind to drift off. Her superiors would scold and lecture her if they saw her guard drop for even a moment while she was technically on a mission.

But she'd managed. She'd gotten through hours of exhaustive air travel. And now.

Well now, she was in the middle of Midwestern nowhere; apparently they'd lied about 'overseas'. She scoffed, hating that they lied to her about something vital to her mission. She glanced around the airport, seeing fields beyond the runways. Her eyebrows knitted together at the sight. Of all places, the Winter Soldier had come here? She shook her head. If he decided to keep moving, she could only imagine where he'd wind up. And she definitely wasn't fond of the images that thought brought her.

Deserted, empty lands. Far from society and decent roads or notable landmarks. It would be harder to trail him. Harder to pinpoint him. Harder to get back-up when she finally had him in one spot.

'Oh, this is going to be a fun game, now isn't it?' She sighed, leaving the airport. But she couldn't help wondering how this would end. After she hit the button, reinforcements swooped in and finished the job and she went on her way without bothering to stay and find out what happened after. She decided she'd have to make a point of that this time, assuming she was successful.

~~~

She'd examined his file as she sat in the diner. She'd taken the time to skim it earlier. Lithium knew this was where the 'man with the metal arm' had been spotted. Apparently he'd shown up one day and visited irregularly since. The source of information?

Some waitress's online blog. She'd even posted pictures. Lithium nearly scoffed, but resisted the urge. Was nothing sacred anymore? Was it so horrible to give people some privacy instead of treating everyone who didn't fit your idea of normal as a freak?

Lithium was typically a happy, bright person. But something about events like these drove her insane. The world today was so horribly intolerant. So . . . Judgemental. So harsh. And she hated that it had been allowed, if not encouraged, to become what it was now.

The bell rang above the door as it was moved and a body entered, walking to the opposite end of the diner.

Lithium looked up to see who'd entered. The body was powerful. Well-built. Dark locks reached down to his shoulders. He looked a bit disheveled, if she said so herself. Her view was partially obstructed, the new man sitting at the western corner of the diner, the setting sun casting an orange glow that made it difficult to discern any real features.

And yet she didn't have any doubt in her mind about his identity.

James Buchanan Barnes. The Winter Soldier.

She sipped her coffee nonchalantly, like she hadn't even taken note of his entrance, or the way the metal of his hand glinted in the setting sun. Or the way his arm was covered in a jacket sleeve, the fabric light, a chill in the air outside making it seem less out of the ordinary.

She stayed in the diner late, even as the sun set, ordering a new beverage or small food item as she waited. She skimmed the file here and there, waiting quietly. She sat and thought things over, glancing at him every so often, relieved each time that he didn't catch her. He picked at his food over the next hour and a half. She decided to leave before him as the diner emptied out. She attracted attention as it was, and she certainly didn't need to seem suspicious.

She was up at the the counter, getting ready to pay when she saw one of the waitresses, phone in her hand, the lens pointed to the Winter Soldier.

Lithium felt bile rise into her throat and quickly grabbed the device, gripping it tightly and placing it on the counter. She quickly earned a glare from the waitress, and the young blonde opened her mouth to speak, but Lithium quickly cut her off.

"Keep taking pictures of people who give you the tips you rely on to make a living and I will crush this little piece of shit. Other people's lives are none of your business, and you aren't exactly one to pass out judgement, are you? I catch you exploiting people again and I'll break your phone. Then your computer. Then your face." Lithium quickly left a twenty on the counter, knowing full it barely paid her bill. The waitress didn't deserve a tip. She stalked out of the diner, feeling a bit more watched than normal.

'Don't look back,' she told herself as she walked down the street before circling back, hiding, waiting in the shadows between the diner and the building next door.

It was another hour before he left. He was one of the last, if not the last, customer to leave the diner. She watched him walk down the street, trailing him in the shadows, one hand edging along the device that held the switch that would call for her reinforcements. The people who would swoop in and finish what had to be done without a second thought. And she would walk away without pause.

For two seconds, two seconds she lost sight of him. She moved faster down the street in her black stiletto heels, ready to round the corner just a building away, certain she'd see him there. Of course she would. He wouldn't have gone anywhere else.

But she didn't make it to the street crossing. She was pulled out of the street lights by two strong hands. And she was pressed to the chilled brick wall firmly. Her hand quickly felt for the device that would get her back-up.

But she didn't press the button. And not because the man who'd pulled her aside wasn't her target. It was because the appearance of the man who held her was utterly unexpected. He wasn't anyone she'd specifically targeted, but was linked to her last target.

Falcon.

"What are you doing trailing that man?" He demanded simply.

She stared at him for a moment, before letting the words "It's an honor," spill out of her mouth.

He raised an eyebrow at her, scoffing. "Hey Cap!" He called out. "I think I'll need your opinion on this one!"

Nearly silent footsteps sounded on the pavement within the shadows between the two buildings. Another strong figure appeared quietly, in street clothing but nonetheless identifiable.

Captain America stood before her.

He examined her, his eyes constantly moving here and there. Obviously James was a fair distance away by now if Falcon hadn’t been afraid of alerting him when he’d called for the captain.

Lithium felt very, very self-conscious as his eyes roved over her. “Sir, I-.”

“She could have information. Knock her out and take her back to our temporary base. Try not to be too rough, Falcon. She’s still a lady.”

‘Wait, what?’ She blinked, frowning. “This is some sort of mistake-!” Her eyes moved just in time to spot the blow aimed for her cheek, and she narrowly managed to wedge her weight away from Falcon’s grip just enough to avoid it. Which meant his knuckles went crashing into the brick wall behind her.

“Son of a bit-!” She quickly knocked the air out of him in a curt blow to his diaphragm, which didn’t pack as much power as it could’ve, the small space she had to put momentum into the blow inhibiting her. She frowned as he doubled over just for a moment before he reached for her again, and she narrowly dodged. He was a mortal, without enhancement, she should’ve had him down and out by now.

She attempted a blow to his shoulder, to his leg, to his temple. Only one of the three managed to cut through, and she imagined she’d leave a nice little bruise on his thigh. Those were all that she managed to even attempt before a strong arm wrapped around her throat from behind.

“Sh-sh-sh-sh . . . Sleep . . . It’s okay . . . Don’t give us a reason to hurt you . . .” He murmured.

“She already did!” Falcon snapped, and the Captain sent him a glare. Lithium could feel his weight shift just slightly, and she struggled, gripping his arm and swinging her weight in an attempt to break free, but he held her still with ease. The captain. She’d finally met the captain. Captain America who she’d idolized for years. And he had her in a sleep hold over some stupid misunderstanding.

But one thought was prevalent in her mind as the world began to turn shades of black and grey, edging around her vision endlessly. ‘They lied . . .’