In order to look at the drive, they need a computer. In order to get a computer that's not currently in their own apartments — because SHIELD is conducting a manhunt for Steve over Fury's death — they need to go to the Apple store in the mall.

They're all wearing hoodies, Nat and Kate finding it best to hide their hair — Kate especially. She braided it, tucking it into the hood. Steve's hood is down, but he's wearing a baseball cap and glasses. The problem is, he keeps looking over his shoulder and walking too fast.

"First rule of going on the run: don't run, walk," Nat mutters.

"If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off," Steve replies.

"Maybe keep your eyes forward," Kate adds. "Trust me, I'm struggling with it, too."

They go up the escalator, then find and enter the Apple store. Nat heads to a computer right across from two teenage boys looking at their own computer. Kate stands in front of Nat's hand as she pulls out the flash drive. "This thing has a Level Six homing program, so as soon as we boot up SHIELD will know exactly where we are."

"How much time will we have?" Steve asks.

"Uh, about nine minutes from-" she plugs in the drive "-now." Kate caves and glances over her shoulder, sees nothing. "Fury was right about that ship; somebody's trying to hide something. This drive is protected by some sort of AI; it keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands."

"Can you override it?" Kate asks, turning back around.

"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me — slightly. I'm gonna try running a tracer. This is a program that SHIELD developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from."

Unfortunately, an employee walks up to them. "Can I help you guys with anything?"

Nat immediately switches into a lie, her tone almost sickeningly sweet as she puts her hands on Steve's shoulders. "Oh, no, my fiancé was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations."

"Right," Steve jumps in, putting on a smile. "We're getting married."

The employee glances at Kate, who panics, not knowing what to say.

Nat nudges her. "This is my sister. Helping out with wedding shopping and all."

"Hi," Kate says, lifting her hand awkwardly.

The employee smiles and nods, turning more to Steve and Nat, the latter of which is typing again. "Congratulations. Where are you guys thinking about going?" He looks at the computer screen.

So does Steve. "New Jersey."

"Oh," the employee replies. He then looks at Steve's face, studying him, sending a shot of panic through Kate before he says, "I have the exact same glasses."

"Wow, you two are practically twins," Nat says, not looking up.

The employee laughs. "Yeah, I wish." He gestures to Steve. "Specimen... Uh, if you guys need anything-" he holds up the name tag around his neck "-I've been Aaron."

"Thank you," Steve replies, and Aaron thankfully leaves. Steve turns back to Nat. "You said nine minutes, come on."

"Shh, relax," Nat replies. Then, a second later, "Got it."

Kate looks over, sees the screen displays Wheaton, New Jersey. She recognizes it as soon as Steve does. "You trained there during the war."

"Yeah," Steve replies, nodding. He grabs the flash drive. "Let's go."

They head out of the store, trying to look around without being obvious. Kate keeps her head forward, trying to plan an attack. She can't go full flamethrower in here, so she'll have to use hand-to-hand against whatever weapons they've brought. And if there's guns-

"Standard tac-team," Steve says. "Two behind, two across, two coming straight at us. If they make us, I'll engage, you two hit the south escalator to the metro."

"Shut up and put your arm around me, laugh at something I said," Nat replies.

"What?"

"Do it. Kate, hide behind us." Steve does so, ducking his head while Kate stands behind Nat, letting Steve block her from the two agents.

The three of them get on the escalator, going down. Kate notices Rumlow getting on the one going up and nudges Nat. "Behind Steve," she says before turning to Steve himself. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."

"Yes, they do."

She pulls him down, making Kate uncomfortable as she turns her head around, pulling her braid forward, her shoulder against Steve's until they get to the bottom.

"You still uncomfortable?" Nat asks.

Steve clears his throat. "It's not exactly the word I would use."

"I would," Kate complains, following them out of the mall. "Thanks for leaving me out to dry."

"You were hidden behind us," Nat argues.

"Excuses, excuses."

In the parking lot, they realize they need preferably not public transportation to New Jersey, so Steve actually steals a car, getting them on the road. Kate isn't entirely surprised, knowing a few things about his history in the war. Thinking on this, she misses the chance to call shotgun, so Nat does instead. Kate gets in the back, sitting in the middle so she can look out the windshield. Steve put his shield back with her. He avoids the interstates.

"Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?" Nat asks, her feet up.

"Nazi Germany," he replies.

"Hmm."

"And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash."

Nat looks at him for a moment, but ultimately listens. Kate sees a small smirk on her face and starts to get worried — and rightfully so because she says, "Alright, I have a question for you — oh, which you do not have to answer, by the way. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know-?"

"What?" Steve demands.

The smirk grows. "Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

Steve chuckles as a knot develops in Kate's chest. "That bad, huh?"

"I didn't say that!"

"I mean, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying," Kate jumps in, shifting in her seat.

Nat looks back at her with a playful glare. "No, it isn't." She turns back to Steve, poking his shoulder. "I just wondered how much practice you've had."

"You don't need practice," Steve argues.

"Everybody needs practice."

He sighs. "It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm ninety-five, not dead."

Kate raises a brow, leaning forward, willing the knot away. "Who's this mystery woman you never mentioned?"

"No one important. Didn't last."

"So nobody special?" Nat asks.

He pauses, glances at her. "Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience."

"I mean, sure, nobody else has spent sixty years on ice-"

"As far as we know," Kate jumps in.

"-but there are people who have been through some similar things. Feel... similar ways."

Steve sighs. "I don't know..."

"Alright, then, make something up." Nat shrugs. "This 'shared life experience' or whatever."

"What, like you?"

"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstance. It's not all things to all people, all the time. And neither am I."

"That's a tough way to live."

"It's a good way not to die, though."

Steve shakes his head. "You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that someone really is."

"Yeah," Nat agrees. She turns to him. "Who do you want me to be?"

"How about a friend?"

She chuckles. "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers."

"I'm already fighting for space with Clint," Kate speaks up, the knot loosening. "I'll fight you, too, if I have to."

He looks at her in the rearview mirror. "I think I can distract you long enough to weasel my way in."

Kate shakes her head. "My focus is locked, Cap."

"Not if you're... on a date," he tries.

Kate groans. "Are you kidding? That was no where near what we were talking about."

"Sam's a good guy-"

"And?"

"He leads group therapy for vets."

"I'm sure he's wonderful, but I'll pass," Kate replies as the knot returns, worse now. She crosses her arms as her hands warm.

"Why?"

"Why do you care?" she snaps, irritated that he won't let it go, let her be. Won't let her forget about it all.

"Okay..." he says quietly. "Sorry."

She sighs again, feeling bad; it's not like he knows anything. "It's just... I don't date."

"Not even a first date?" Nat, who should know better, asks, turning in her seat. "You don't have to go on a second if you hate it."

"I..." Kate starts. She hasn't been on a first date since...

She shakes her head. She won't think about it.

"No, not even a first date," she insists. "That's the seed. You plant a seed, you want to water it. I wanna avoid that all together."

"But... why?" Steve tries, evidently deciding to risk it. "Are you really gonna live your whole life like that?"

"Why do I need to be in a relationship?"

"You don't need to be. But you could be."

"That ship has sailed, Steve."

Nat snorts. "The SS Kate's Love Life. Out on the water."

"Watch as she hits an iceberg and sinks, down and down and down..." Kate sighs with mock sadness. "Everyone on the ship is now lost at sea. All two of them..."

Steve's brows raise. "Only two?"

"Geez, Cap. Didn't think I came all this way with you just to get attacked," Kate retorts after a shocked, offended gasp.

"Who's the second guy?" Nat asks, brows furrow.

"High school summer fling. Didn't last."

"Can I ask... why not?" Steve tries.

Kate answers; she doesn't care about this one, not enough. "Got too busy with school work when Fall came around. I wasn't in love with him or anything."

"What was his name?"

"Ken."

Nat laughs. "What, like Barbie's boyfriend?"

Kate sighs. "Yeah, I got that a lot over the summer."

Steve laughs, then after a short pause, tests the waters again. "What about... the other guy?"

Kate swallows, trying to untangle that knot that won't go away. "Yeah, Hulk doesn't make a great boyfriend, so..."

Steve laughs, thankfully not pushing her. "I'll bet the mood swings were terrible."

"No, he really had just the one mood. But he cost me thousands of dollars in damages every time he swung by my place."

"Man, that's tough. Don't think I could top that."

"I could," Nat speaks up. "Most of my relationships were fake, anyway."

Kate nudges her. "But some weren't..."

"Hey, if you don't have to share details, neither do I."

"Fine, then, Steve can share." Kate turns towards him, her eager expression at his shoulder. "Tell me more Bucky stories — or Peggy Carter ones, since we're on the dating subject."

He glances at her. "Seriously?"

She pulls out the puppy dog eyes, desperately wanting not only stories but a change in subject. "Please? Go on, I'm listening."

Nat chuckles. "Cool it, Frasier Crane, I'm sure he hasn't even started that show yet."

Steve sighs. "Alright, fine, I'll do all the sharing here." He thinks for a moment. "Okay, here's a Bucky one. We were at Coney Island..."

~_~_~_~_~

By the time he's finished three stories, they've made it to where the flash drive came from. It looks like an old army training camp, fenced off, and Kate knows it can't be a coincidence. "This is it," Steve says as they get out.

Nat looks at her device. "The file came from these coordinates."

"So did I," Steve replies.

Kate runs up to the fence, grabbing it, looking in. "Whoa..." Old, half-circle buildings are in a line, planted among the overgrown grass. This place should be a museum, not fenced-in like this. Her dad would've loved to see this.

Steve stands next to her, forcing the gate open. She notices it's not easy, with the metal locks and chains, so she helps by using her hands to melt them a bit. By the time they've gotten it open — it takes about ten minutes — the sun has fully set.

"Change much?" Nat asks as they walk around.

Kate tears her eyes away from everything to look at Steve, who replies, "A little." He stops, looking a flag pole with no flag, lost in memories. Kate combs through her own of what she's read, seen, and heard, trying to figure out what he's thinking about.

Nat, scanning with her device, brings them both out of their thoughts. "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."

Steve acts like he's going to reply, but then he sees something past her and stops. Kate steps closer to him. "What is it?"

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks," he says, walking towards a building, Nat and Kate following. "This building is in the wrong place." He breaks the small lock with his shield, then pulls the door open, revealing a set of stairs. At the bottom, he flips on the lights.

There's a logo at the end — a retired one, but still familiar.

Kate gasps quietly. "This is SHIELD."