CHAPTER THREE: the mall

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

MALCOLM LAWRENCE STOOD NEXT TO STEVE ROGERS, IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHOWING FURY ON AN GURNEY. He heard the door open but didn't look to see who it was.

"Is he gonna make it?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know." Steve answered.

"Tell me about the shooter."

"He took us down before." Malcolm spoke. "Earlier, on the road. But, he left. He's fast and strong. He also had a metal arm. And a mask that covered half his face, but, the lower part." Malcolm tried to think of everything about the man's appearance. "He had long hair, too."

He felt the quick glance he had gotten. "Ballistics?" Natasha asked, Malcolm realized that Agent Hill was appeared next to Natasha.

"There slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Agent Hill answered.

"Soviet-made."

Malcolm replaying the events in his head, trying to think of anything that would make the man stand out. Aside from the metal arm. But, something that they could track him down.

"He's in v-tach." One of the nurses said, the others working quicker. "Crash cart coming in."

"Nurse," one of the doctors spoke. "help me with the drape."

"BP's dropping."
"defibrillator!"

They grabbed the paddles, pressing them together. "I want you to charge him at one hundred. Stand back."

The voices started to fade. Even with Malcolm's enhanced hearing. They pressed the paddles to his chest, it shocking him.
But, nothing happened.

They announced the time of death.

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

Malcom didn't go to see Nick's body.  But, instead simply left as he couldn't bring himself. Nick was one of his friends. 
Sam was his best friend.  And Fury was his one of his only other friends on the Avengers team.

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

Malcolm stayed at the hospital, unsure of what to do.

And then Natasha and Steve walked up to him, Steve wearing a blue jacket. 

"We know who killed Fury."

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

They all had something to cover them up. Which, Malcolm didn't think was a good disguise, but try didn't have time to get an actual one.

They were a hoodie over their head, and a baseball cap, shades covering their eyes-although Natasha wasn't weren't shades and Steve was wearing normal glasses-. But, Malcolm has also had slightly shifted, so the his side burns were longer, and was able to shift his face to give it a different structure. But, not completely shifted to give himself away when he's fully transformed.
No one knew he could do this.

"First rule of going on the run is don't run, walk." Natasha spoke.

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

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

"The drive has a Level Six homing program, so as soon as we boot up  S.H.I.E.L.D will know exactly where we are."  Natasha said.

"How much time do we have?" Steve asked.

"Uh...about nine minutes from..." she pressed the flash drive in to MacBook Pro. "now." The computer shows the video of several SHIELD vehicles heading towards them. "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?"

"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."

"Can I help you guys with anything?" A apple store employer asked, Natasha threw an arm around each of the two men.

"Oh, no. My fiancés was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations."

"Right! We're getting married." Steve stuttered.

Malcolm smiled. "Yep, can't wait to marry these two." Idiot. Stupid. Shut up.

"Congratulations. Where do you guys thinking about going?" The apple employer said.

Steve glanced quickly at the monitor and sees the signal traced to somewhere in New Jersey. "New Jersey." He answered.

"Oh." the employee looks at Steve for a moment, making the three worry that they had been discovered. "I have the exact same glasses."

Malcolm laughed slightly, shaking his head as Natasha spoke in a monotone. "Wow, you two are practically twins.

"Yeah, I wish. Specimen. Uh...if you guys need anything, I've been Aaron."

"Thank you. You said nine minutes, come on."

"Shh, relax. She's got this." they find the signal is coming from Wheaton, New Jersey. "You know it?" Malcolm asked, turning to Steve.

"I used to. Let's go." Steve pulled the flash drive from the computer and they walk out of the Apple store. "Standard tac-team. Two behind, to across, two coming straight at us. If they make us, I'll engage, you hit the south escalator to the metro."

Two agents are coming straight towards them. "Shut up and put your arm around me, Laugh at something I said." Natasha said, then grabbing a hold on Malcolm's hand.

"What?" Steve asked, confused.

"Do it!" She demanded. Steve threw an arm around her and both men faked a laugh.  The three made their way towards the escalators.  Natasha turned to Steve, leaning up. "Kiss me."

"What?" Steve asked, confused. Malcolm didn't voice his confusion has he spotted Rumlow.

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable." She replied.

"Yes, they do." she quickly pulls down Steve's head and kisses him, making Rumlow look away as he goes past them on the escalator. Malcolm has also turned away, being at the step in between the two.

"You still uncomfortable?" Natasha asked.

"It's not exactly the word I would use." Steve replied.

"Well," Malcolm spoke. "it's the word I would use."

Natasha laughed, walking down the escalator stairs, and Steve followed her while Malcolm shaken his head before following.

╰☆☆ t͖͖̠̬͛h̨͚͚͖ͯ̒̄͗͞ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧ b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧa͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡t͖͖̠̬͛i̧̻̻͉̜͑ͪ̾͟f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘ t͖͖̠̬͛ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎g̬̬̱ͩ͋͟͟ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓y͙͙̪̰ͫ͌́ ☆☆╮

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