Hello all! I am so sorry for not updating sooner... I'm currently without a laptop of my own and no internet! Hopefully, I will have an update for you by next week. As my laptop has died, it also means that I have lost most of what I have written for this story. :(
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.
Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.
Recap
It was time to load the jet and get into the air, Lowri handed over some of her breakfast to Steve, knowing full well that Steve hadn't had time to get breakfast.
Nat eyed Lowri carefully but Nat didn't say anything. It was clear that Nat did want to say something but she would wait until she and Lowri were alone.
With the jet loaded up and everyone belted in at the back, Lowri was at the controls and Nat was her co-pilot. True enough, Nat waited until the jet was in the air and already cruising towards their destination, Lagos, before turning to Lowri with that look in her eye.
With a sigh, Lowri switched on auto-pilot and turned to Nat. Nat disabled her comms and gestured for Lowri to do the same, once that was done, they were free to talk in low tones.
"So, something is different in Steve." Nat said, "He's smiling. And he hasn't stopped smiling since this morning."
"So? Steve's a happy person. He's allowed to smile, isn't he?" Lowri asked.
"Yes. But this is a different smile." Nat said firmly. "Have you and the old man finally got down to do the dirty?"
Lowri let out a laugh and looked out at the skies in front of them.
"Is that what you kids call it now?" Lowri asked.
"You did the dirty." Nat said slowly. "Oh, I gotta call Clint. We've had a bet on for years."
"Why am I not surprised?" Lowri asked with a laugh. "Who won?"
"I did." Nat said with a grin.
"Well, keep your mouth shut about it, Nat." Lowri said, keeping the smile on her face, "Steve and I don't want everyone to know."
"But it's such big news. We've all been waiting for the day that one of you finally made a move." Nat teased her.
"It's not big news." Lowri said, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, Steve and I slept together. But we've slept in the same bed plenty of times. Besides, it's been well over seventy years. Can we have our peace?"
"Hell no." Nat said with a grin.
"I'm not going to hear the end of this, am I?" Lowri asked with a smile on her face.
Lowri switched the auto-pilot off and took control of the jet once more. That was the last she and Nat talked about Lowri's relationship with Steve that day.
The jet had been upgraded again and thanks to these upgrades, courtesy of Tony, the jet was able to teach long distances in less time than before. So, their journey to Lagos was quicker but it was still not fast enough for Steve.
More than four times in the length of the journey, Steve popped his head into the cockpit and asked whether they were close or not.
By the fifth time, Nat was ticked.
"Are we any closer?" Steve asked, popping his head into the cockpit again.
"You're really getting on my nerves now, Rogers." Nat snapped. "Yes, we're nearing the damn city."
Steve stepped into the cockpit fully and rolled his eyes at her as he leant against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you say, Ri? You don't seem angry with me." Steve asked, smiling down at her.
"And for good reason." Nat muttered under her breath.
"We're about ten minutes out. You can start your final brief." Lowri said with a smile, she caught sight of Nat's smirk and she looked at her. "And you should go back there and listen."
"So should you." Nat replied quickly, "This plane has got auto-pilot, you know."
"Ah, but I know the brief inside and out." Lowri replied with a smirk.
Steve turned away from the cockpit and called the rest of the team around him. Nat unclipped her seatbelt and got up slowly, Lowri grabbed hold of Nat's arm and brought her closer.
"Keep your mouth shut about Steve and I." Lowri warned Nat, she merely smiled before stepping out of the cockpit.
Lowri kept the jet steady and level while Steve delivered the final briefing, giving out everyone's jobs and roles, locations and the plan, and the back-up plan.
She dropped the others off and then landed the jet nearby, she made her way over to the small street which housed the small Police Department and by then, the team had split up.
Steve was going to be in a room in the hotel a street behind the street, dressed in his suit just in case the mission went upside down. He was going to be a pair of eyes on the street.
Sam was going to be the main eyes of the operation. He'd be on the highest building, in his Falcon suit. He'll only fight if needs be.
Nat, Wanda and Lowri were tasked with blending in with the tourists around them, hiding in plain sight. They were to sit on the street in the local café, sipping tea and coffee, munching on the local delights as they waited and waited.
Each of them were dressed in civilian clothes and they did blend in, granted it took Wanda a little more effort to blend but this sort of thing was second nature to Nat and Lowri.
They'd only been sat there for ten minutes before Steve began giving Wanda a lesson on espionage and looking at their surroundings.
"All right, what do you see, Wanda?" Steve asked over the comms.
"Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target." Wanda replied.
"There's an ATM on the south corner. Which means?" Steve asked. He likes to take the opportunity to teach a lesson, and now was no different.
Lowri took a sip of her tea and glanced around her as she placed her cup down on the table in front of her. The street was busy, which is good for them because it's easier to blend in but bad for them as these civilians could become obstructions if Rumlow takes the fight out onto the streets.
Just up the road from them was a deep red, top of the line, Range Rover, it had just parked up and a large man stepped out, dressed in an all-black suit, white shirt. This man opened the back door and out stepped a man of medium build, dressed in a finer suit, and another chap in an all-black suit stepped out beside him.
There were three more men sitting inside, each armed with pistols and looking stern. Lowri tore her eyes from the shiny red Range Rover and she looked down the other end of the street.
"Cameras." Wanda concluded.
"And both cross streets are one way." Steve prompted.
"So, compromised escape routes." Wanda added.
"It means that our guy doesn't care about being seen. He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out." Steve said.
"Which means we need to think about civilian involvement and the possible outcome." Lowri added.
"Exactly. Do you see that Range Rover, Wanda?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, the red one?" Wanda asked, stirring her coffee. "It's cute."
"It's also bulletproof, which means more private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." Nat said quickly.
"The Range Rover might be there for a while." Lowri said, "The car pulled up a few minutes ago and you're right, Nat. Private security, though their weapons look not that good."
"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda asked.
"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Nat remarked.
"Anybody tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam asked.
"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" Nat asked jokingly.
"Eyes on the target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't wanna lose him." Steve warned.
"If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us." Sam added.
There was a slight pause as everyone looked around each other.
"Sam… See that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve ordered. Lowri sat up quickly and took her hand off the warm cup of tea in front of her.
"Garbage truck?" Lowri asked, "What's happening, Steve?"
"The truck is knocking things over, driving very fast and it's like the driver is drunk." Steve replied.
Lowri got to her feet and took one final sip of her tea and then brushed down her trousers before stepping off. That truck set her off.
"The truck is loaded for maximum weight. And the driver's armed." Sam said a moment later. Lowri walked past Wanda and then Nat.
"Where is the truck headed, Sam?" Lowri asked, she began walking faster.
"It's a battering ram." Nat said slowly.
"Go now. Follow Ri." Steve ordered.
"What?" Wanda asked, a hint of confusion laced her voice.
"He's not hitting the police." Steve added.
Lowri jumped onto a bench and then jumped onto one of the market carts and then climbed to the top of the cart and then threw herself into the air and let her fire take hold. She rose into the air quickly and from there, she could see the path of the garbage truck and she could analyse it.
"I think it's heading for the Institute of Infectious Diseases." Lowri said quickly, "What's there that Rumlow wants?"
"If it's something in the Institute, it can't be good." Steve said shortly.
Sam reached the Institute first and he was carrying Steve, Sam dropped Steve into the destroyed front courtyard of the Institute and began taking out Rumlow's men.
Gunshots sounded in the air around Lowri and she pressed herself to fly faster.
"Body armour, AR-15s. I make seven hostiles." Steve said, breathing heavily.
"I make five." Sam noted.
As Lowri reached the compound and she saw the wreckage inside the courtyard, she cut out of her fire and dropped into the compound, just in front of one very surprised guard. As Lowri landed, she spun on one leg and kicked the guard in the chest. She rounded on him and he swung back at her but she dodged the hit and took him out.
"Four." Lowri breathed.
A man across the courtyard shouted at her before raising his rifle and shooting. In one second, Lowri dropped to one knee and she sent up her wall of fire, reaching well over ten feet of pure fire, which stopped the bullets.
Wanda flew over the wall of fire and began working her magic, she choked the man and then tossed him up to Sam.
"Sam!" Wanda called as she threw the man upwards.
"Three." Sam said smugly as he took out another one of Rumlow's guard. "Rumlow's on the third floor." Lowri dropped her fire and got to her feet again and looked around, the rest of Rumlow's men were now hiding and regrouping.
Steve made his appearance and strode towards the three of them, now congregated in the centre of the compound.
"Wanda, just like we practised." Steve said to Wanda, Steve walked past Lowri and looked down at her with a smile on his face. "Do you wanna take on Rumlow?"
"Of course." Lowri replied.
"What about the gas?" Wanda asked.
"Get it out." Steve ordered. He jumped onto the hood of a truck and then he threw himself into the air, Wanda flung her hands out and caught him using her magic, she lifted Steve further into the air and flew him towards the window. As Steve crashed through the window, Wanda moved her hands quickly and began pulling the gas out into the air into a large bubble.
"Aren't you gonna follow the man?" Sam asked as the two of them ducked behind a jeep. Lowri glanced at Wanda, who had a shield at her back to stop bullets and she concentrated on pulling out the gas.
"He's a grown man. He can take care of himself." Lowri replied, she shrugged her shoulders before pulling out her hand guns and checked the ammo. "Besides, you know he likes to charge ahead and take out all the opposition first."
"Well, if you wait too long you might miss the fun." Sam noted with a smirk.
"True." Lowri said, she stashed her guns away again. "Cover me."
Lowri jumped up into the air and let her fire take hold. She heard gunshots but none hit her. Lowri flew through the hole in the glass window and she landed on the balls of her toes. The room was filled with swirling gas and it was hard to see anything within close proximity to her.
As the swirling gas disappeared from around her, Lowri spied the bodies of armed guards lying around her and she knew it was Steve's work.
Lowri delved deeper into the building, following the trail of armed guards and she found Steve standing in an isolated room, right in front of an open glass cabinet with a large danger sticker on the front.
She looked at him with wide eyes as curiosity took hold, Steve had the exact same look.
"Rumlow has a biological weapon." Steve said in a rushed tone, he looked around them with a panicked look in his eyes.
"I'm on it." Nat replied.
Steve and Lowri shared one last glanced before taking off at a run towards any window which would give them a view of the courtyard. Steve pulled ahead, he's always been faster than her but as she raced after him in a long corridor, a loud boom outside shook the floor they stood on.
Lowri paused for a second, looking around. She tried to peer outside but she couldn't see. She ran after Steve as he reached the balcony.
In the small car park just below them, there was one heavily armoured vehicle sat in the centre, ready to drive off.
People surrounded the vehicle, Nat was one of them, she was sitting up and rubbing at her side.
The vehicle also had a large machine gun mounted on the top of the armoured vehicle, aimed right at them and the man behind the controls was Rumlow.
He fired the first shot at them and in a split second, Lowri reached for Steve and he yelled at her to get down but they were both too slow to avoid a hit.
Both were thrown back against the wall and they lay in the rubble for a few seconds, gathering their bearings.
Bits of concrete showered them and Lowri was sure that she had hit her head on the wall behind her and that there was blood running down the back of her neck from a cut at the base of her skull.
She blinked through the dust and spied Steve next to her, she reached across and shoved his shoulder in an attempt to get him up.
"We need to get moving." Her throat was scratchy from the dust. Lowri stumbled to her feet with Steve just behind her. He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her with him at his speed.
Explosions followed them back down the long corridor. A mix of fear and adrenalin powered her on, though she couldn't actually die, but Steve could.
One final explosion caught them off guard as they neared the end the end of the corridor. Steve was thrown out of the window and down the long drop, Lowri was thrown against the wall, all of her breath was knocked out of her body and she blacked out as she dropped to the floor.
Lowri was surrounded in darkness for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was seconds. Her head ached and everything she saw and heard was distorted.
"Lowri! Lowri, come in!" It was Steve's voice in her ear.
"I'm good. I'm good." Lowri said slowly, she looked around herself at the corridor, it was a bombsite. Debris was scattered everywhere and there were holes dotting the falling down walls. The window to her right was smashed completely and there was glass. Steve must have fallen through it.
"I've got the two on the left." Nat said urgently, her voice was so dim and Lowri could barely hear it over the pounding in her ears.
"They've ditched their gear. It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload." Steve breathed. Lowri was relieved to hear that Steve had made it out and was on the move.
She needed to do the same. Lowri used the wall behind her to help her stand, she found herself weak and very dizzy. She knew there was no way she could fly in her state.
Lowri stumbled her way out of the building and towards the town again, her strength slowly returned to her and by the time she actually reached the town, she was much stronger.
"He doesn't have it. I'm empty!" Sam reported.
A few seconds later, Nat reported in too.
"Payload secure. Thanks, Sam." Nat said.
"Don't thank me." Sam replied.
"I'm not thanking that thing." Nat replied firmly.
Lowri tuned out the rest of the conversation as she neared the busy town. There was a large crowd gathered near the market, and it seems to be a fist fight.
She neared and pushed her way to the front so she could see who it was and her stomach sunk when she saw it was Steve and Rumlow, who had now ditched his heavy gear and was almost bare.
Steve and Rumlow were fighting hard, almost to the death. It was looking as though Steve was losing until he swiped Rumlow's legs from underneath him and Rumlow crashed to the floor and landed on his knees, defeated and breathing heavy. He clutched his arm to his side and kept his eyes on the ground.
Lowri felt relief soar through her.
"You know, he knew you." Rumlow breathed heavily, he looked up from the floor and scrutinized Steve's face. Steve, who was hovering over Rumlow, debating whether or not to knock him out and be done with it or leave him conscious, barely glanced at Rumlow. "Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky."
As soon as Rumlow said the word Bucky, Steve had all of his attention on Rumlow and he dropped his fists, he froze.
"What did you say?" Steve asked. He grabbed Rumlow and shook his shoulders violently, it was clear his mind was on Bucky.
Lowri stepped forward into the circle and made to get closer to Steve but he sent her a warning look that made her shrink back. He's never looked at her like that before.
"He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in the blender." Rumlow spat. "He wanted you to know something. He said to me, 'Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go… you gotta go." Rumlow breathed out the last words, as if preparing for something big.
Lowri could see the cogs working in Steve's head, wondering the same as hers, why would Bucky say that?
Rumlow made a small movement with his wrist and there was a little quiet click.
"And you're coming with me." Rumlow hissed.
Everything happened at once, before Lowri could even react, she was pushed to the side by a small woman, just as an explosion started at the centre of Rumlow's chest. Lowri saw Steve launch himself at Rumlow but suddenly, a red mist shot around Rumlow and contained the huge explosion.
Wanda stepped in front of Lowri, a look of sheer concentration on her face mixed with pain as she fought hard to keep the explosion from breaking free.
Steve looked at Wanda with worry and shock aimed at Wanda and her capabilities but Lowri knew that Wanda was already pushing herself to her limits and she might not be able to hold the explosion for longer.
"Get back! Everyone, get back!" Lowri began ordering, she managed to get mostly everyone out of the way before Wanda bent her knees and threw the ball of explosion into the air, still containing it so she could release it over the city but the ball hit the corner of a tall building about twenty stories up and it released too early with a loud boom.
Wanda collapsed to the floor, clearly exhausted and she looked up at her work with horror written in every line of her face.
The explosion had taken an entire corner of the building off and it went up a further four stories, blowing out all of the windows and making the structure of the building compromised.
Lowri looked at Wanda, torn between going up to the building and helping and going to the young girl and soothing her. Wanda had down so much more than she could handle.
Without another thought, Lowri began running towards the building and then she threw herself into the air and flew right up into the inferno going on.
"Lowri!" Steve yelled in a panicked voice but Lowri ignored him. The fire was raging through the building and all Lowri could think of was saving lives.
Fire raged on the four floors that had taken the brunt of the force and the first thing she did was stop all the fires. Everything in the four floors was scorching hot and on fire, she knew that there would be no life on these floors.
Even though it was almost impossible for her to get warm or hot at all, she could feel the heat sticking to her. She knew this was bad.
"We need evac from the upper floors. I've got the fires under control on the four impact levels and I'm going to head up and move people from the immediate explosion proximity up a few levels. We need an evac team on the north side of the building, that's where I'm moving them all to." Lowri said through comms.
"Are you alright, Ri? How's everything in there?" Steve asked hurriedly. "Fire and Rescue is already on their way."
"Good. It's a mess in here, Steve. I'm fine." Lowri replied.
Again, I am sorry about the late update!
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