Chapter 7 - end winter soldier
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Fortunately, Sam Wilson was home after his morning run. He opened his door to discover the shocking sight of Captain Rogers, Captain America, and the infamous Black Widow.
"Hey, man." He said, observing the suit covering them, the tense postures they had.
"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve said, pleading to Sam with his large blue eyes.
"Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Nat said.
Sam paused, "Not everyone." He checked their surroundings before stepping back, allowing them to enter.
Sam left them to clean up themselves.
"You okay?" asked Steve.
"Yeah." Answered Nat. "Not so sure about our little niece though. I've only heard of how she suffered, but seeing it…" she said gravely.
"She's been through too much. Much more than she should." Said Steve, "But I have faith in her. She will be better than ever. She has us now, and she won't be alone. Don't worry about her. One day she will kick our butts and break hearts around the world."
Nat's lips turned up.
"What's going on?" Steve asked after looking at her face.
"When I first joined SHIELD, I thought I was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for Hydra. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but… I guess I can't tell the difference anymore." Said Nat. She looked at Steve, examining his reaction.
"There's a chance you might be in the wrong business," Steve answered. They both enjoyed the inside joke.
"I owe you," Nat said sincerely.
"It's okay." Steve gave her an understanding nod.
"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?" She asked seriously, staring straight, interrogatively into Steve's eyes.
"I would now," Steve said, "and I'm always honest." His eyes twinkled at that promise. Their relationship had evolved at this moment.
"Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing." Nat joked. Steve sat back in his chair, letting out the breath he held for the new discovery, "Well, I guess I just like to know who I'm fighting." He became the cheerful, optimistic Steve Rogers again, most charmingly so.
Sam Wilson walked into the room, breaking the pleasant silence, "I made breakfast. If you guys...eat that sort of thing."
As they sat around the table, the doorbell rang again, causing all of them to jump up.
2 hours previously, Ceci went to pick up some well-needed supplies she knew were stocked in a house that her father brought her for her sweet sixteen, she wasn't supposed to know about the present, however, a certain bodyguard was not able to evade her clever pestering. Her father had, as he put it, placed the armory for safety purposes. It had a volt dedicated to weapons ranging from daggers to 950 JDJ, the largest handheld gun. It also contained dozens of different bows, and thousands and thousands of arrows with different functions, like Clint's arrows, all custom made by her father. There was also another Stark Iron man armor inside. It was colored neon green, one of her favorite colors.
People might have been wondering why Tony Stark, the billionaire, the protective father, the most capable man alive, would not be hunting down his precious daughter. Well, it was because Cecilia was well trained by SHIELD, was accompanying the world's most deadly assassin, Natalia Romanoff, and the world's first super soldier, Captain America. Plus, by tracking her down, it would serve as more harm than safety. By pinpointing her location, that would mean hydra would know where they were and would advance on them. The best option was to leave her to solve her situation, which the wonderful Pepper Potts has repeated to him twice every passing hour to prevent him from doing something irrational.
Ceci took some fresh change of clothing that have been already filled in her dressing room, some first-aid medication, and a few small, portable guns before heading back to the address Steve had sent her.
She fit everything in her backpack. She wore an "I love America" cap and flagged a taxi.
As she neared the door, a little girl came before her so she could only hide behind a tree, yeah, that sounded pretty pathetic.
As the door opened, she glimpsed Natasha quickly putting away her gun, which was moments before, aimed at the little girl. "Would you like some cookies for our scout's group?" she asked.
After the little girl had left with only a few boxes of cookies, she moved towards the door and simply just opened it.
"I'm back, did you miss me?" she declared.
"Hi! My name is Cecilia Stark, you can call me Ceci," she said politely extending her hand to Sam.
"Sam Wilson, nice to meet you." they shook hands.
Conversation between the adults returned to normal as Ceci took some food and started to lay out the weapons that she had collected. She passed Nat a change of clothes.
"So the question is: who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?" she asked.
"Pierce," Steve said through gritted teeth.
"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world," she added.
"But he's not working alone, Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star," said Steve.
Ceci rummaged for her phone which showed 5 notifications, 3 from MJ and 1 from Peter and 1 from Ned, all asking her where she was, and why she wasn't at school.
"So was Jasper Sitwell," said Nat in the background.
"So, the real question is: how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?" Steve said quizzically.
"The answer is: you don't." Ceci looked up at him as he dropped a file in front of them. "What's this?" Steve asked.
"Call it a resume," said Sam as Nat picked up a photo of Sam with his para-rescue team. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you," she said with a hint of impress. She turned to Steve accusingly, "You didn't say he was a para-rescue. I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?"
"No. These." he passed Steve the files.
Steve took one look and asked, "I thought you said you were a pilot."
"I never said pilot." he returned.
"I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason." Steve said seriously.
"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." Sam answered. Ceci grinned.
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asked.
"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall."
Ceci had no intention of capturing Jasper Sitwell. She watched as the figure of Sitwell fell from the ceiling, 99% chance Natasha did it, and the Falcon pulling him back to the roof, the poor man must have been peeing his pants by now.
Soon all of them were in the car, with Sam driving, Steve in the seat next to him and Ceci, Nat, and Sitwell sitting huddled in the back seat.
Sitwell has been chattering non-stop since he sat down, Ceci played on her tablet while the grown-ups have their conversation.
"What?!" Sitwell exclaimed, "Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea."
When suddenly a huge impact was made to the car and Sitwell was pulled out through the window and thrown into the oncoming traffic, killing him instantly.
The Winter Soldier was on their car roof. Nat struggled to pull out her gun and shot upwards. She pulled Ceci with her, climbing into the front part of the car, onto Steve's lap. The Winter Soldier was forced onto the street when Steve pulled the brake handle. He later jumped back onto their car and pulls out the steering wheel.
Causing Sam to yell, "Shit!"
The Winter Soldier jumped off while their car crashed into the side block before it could tumble down the highway, Steve yelled, "Hang on!" and grabbed Nat, Sam and breaks open the door. Ceci slipped from his grasp, landing full impact onto the ground. She scrapped her head on the road, blinking back stars from her vision and the nauseatic feeling, she scrambled to her feet as gunshots began to fire.
3 Hydra agents joined the Winter Soldier and were shooting. Sam, Steve, Nat ran in different directions. Ceci tried to run to Sam from where she stood, but her knees met the ground again, one of the guns was pointed at him, and when the trigger was pulled, Ceci raised her shaking hand, pulling Sam towards her with her telekinesis. Sam who was now safely next to her helped her up, "thanks." and Ceci quickly tore her necklace from her neck, pressing a small button, it expanded to her custom made bow. She pulled an arrow from beneath her school bag and fired the agent's foot, pinning him to the ground. Ceci tiredly lowering her arrow. She did not use her powers because another mutant displayed to the public will not do her any good.
"Remind me never to mess with you," Sam said before running to help Steve and Nat who have both ended up below them. Not before settling Ceci on the nearby block.
Ceci, knowing that her family was in danger could not sit idly, so she struggled and made her way to the edge and activated her power, green light submerged her and she levitated feet from the ground, her eyes were replaced by crystal green orbs. She descended downwards, landing without making a sound behind the Winter Soldier, she pressed her arm to the back of his head, yellow light flowing from her to the man, looking for his past, digging his mind. She could see tourn gaps, violence, torture, confusion when she found a place that was so compressed inside his mind, she heard the Winter Soldier saying, "I'm with you till the line." and saw his hand landing on a much smaller form of Steve. Both of them were wearing ridiculous haircuts and clothes. Ceci jerked out of his mind when a dagger pierced her stomach. She grabbed his metal arm, heating up the man's arm instantly making the metal turn to orange. He let go of her. She dropped to her knees. Her head, her whole body aching too much. She knew she couldn't block the arm he rose to swing at her, she closed her eyes but no impact came, instead, she heard clashing of metal, the Captain America shield returning to Steve and he started combat with Bucky, Sargent James Buchanan Barnes.
She didn't see much after, for she had blacked out completely.
"Hands behind your head!" Steve placed his hands behind his head, watched as SHIELD strike team forced Nat, who had a bullet wound in her shoulder, Sam who was next to Ceci – who was unconscious – into handcuffed.
They were dragged and placed into a containment van with 2 other "SHIELD" agents.
"It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." Steve said miserably.
"How is that even possible? It was like seventy years ago." Sam pointed out.
"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..."
Nat cut him off between breaths, "None of that's your fault, Steve."
"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." Said Steve.
"We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound she's gonna bleed out here in the truck. " Said Sam, having noticed that Nat was bleeding. "Also she has a concussion. "
All of a sudden, one of the guards pulled out an electric rod, at first seemed to be aimed at Sam, but then the guard turned to the other guard and neutralizes them and knock them out.
The guard takes off their helmet to reveal Maria Hill, "Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain."
Later when Ceci woke up, she noticed the smell of moss, the not-the-typical smell of sanitized hospital and then a looming eye-patched person looking at her from above.
"Ghost!" she yelled and sat upright. "Aww" she felt her headache and spin.
"Here drink some water." Said that voice of the ghost.
"Uncle Fury, how are you here?" she blinked, "am I dead?"
Nat walked in, "Now that's an amazing story, turns out he's alive."
"I'm going back to bed now. See you tomorrow or never. Have a good time wherever you are Uncle Fury." Said Ceci, laying back down, covering her face with the blanket.
Later, she found herself inside a helicopter with Uncle Fury, unfortunately, she had given all her guns to Nat, she was sure she had fitted them all into that professional blue suit of her's before entering the conference room of the most secure building in the world with her disguise.
"Why can't I help Steve or Sam?" asked Ceci grumpily.
"because I promised your father and you are too young to be undercover or put on any disguise. Main reason being I need you here for back up." Nick answered.
"Fine." She groaned. Preparing her bow and arrows. She was dressed in her combat uniform, she was quite imposing in it. She crossed her legs and pouted starring outside the window.
When they landed on the top floor, she strapped her bows and arrows to her back, put on her mask which had neon greed edges fading out into the darkness. It made her feel cool.
She marched up behind Fury following him into the room.
"Did you get my flowers?" Pierce said to Fury, "I'm glad you're here, Nick. "
"Really? Cause I thought you had me killed." Answered Fury.
"You know how the game works." He said unphased by the accusation.
"So why make me the head of SHIELD?" Fury inquired.
"Cause you were the best and the most ruthless person I ever met."
"I did what I did to protect people." Said, Fury.
"Our enemies are your enemies, Nick. Disorder, war. It's just a matter of time before a dirty bomb goes off in Moscow, or an EMP fries Chicago. Diplomacy? Holding action, a band-aid. And you know where I learned that; Bogota. You didn't ask, you just did what had to be done. I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people by sacrificing twenty million. It's the next step, Nick, if you dare to take it." Ceci rolled her eyes.
"No, I have the courage not to."
Pierce, who had Nat's gun aimed at him, both took the retinal scan.
SHIELD Computer: Retinal scanner active.
"You don't you think we wiped your clearance from the system?" Pierce said triumphantly.
"I know you erased my password, probably deleted my retinal scan, but if you want to stay ahead of me, Mr. Secretary... " Fury removed his eyepatch to reveal his frightening scarred eye, "You need to keep both eyes open."
SHIELD Computer: Alpha Level confirmed. Encryption code accepted. Safeguards removed.
Natasha and Fury had their guns pointed at Pierce, while Ceci took out her arrow, mounting her bow, "Unless you want a two-inch hole in your sternum, I'd put that gun down." Natasha did not back down from the threat. "That was armed the moment you pinned it on." The three of them reluctantly took put their weapons down.
Ceci rushed to the computer and tried to connect to the server that the remote Pierce had, she mentally cursed, "Natasha, take off that suit."
Nat looked at Fury hoping he would do something, take her out or something.
"Agent Romanoff, don't' you dare move," Nick ordered.
"Initiate the weapons," Pierce instructed as the machine points towards its respective targets. Including Avenger's tower, Pentagon, the White House.
When suddenly they all pointed at each other, Steve must have succeeded.
"What a waste!" he scoffed, "Time to go, Councilwoman. This way, come on. You're gonna fly me out of here." As he motioned for Nat to walk in front of him.
"You know, there was a time I would have taken a bullet for you," Nick said spitting at him.
"You already did. You will again when it's useful. "
Natasha pushed a small device that made her whole body get electrified. Also helping her disable the pin. Fury shot immediately at Pierce while Ceci dived and caught Natasha. She was knocked out.
"Nat! Aunty Nat!"
"Romanoff! Natasha! Natasha, come one!"
When Ceci was almost at the verge of tears, Nat's eyes fluttered open. "Ow. Those really do sting."
Ceci and Fury both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, we have to get out of here," Ceci said.
They boarded the helicopter, "Agent Hill, where is Captain Rogers?" asked Nick through their telecom.
"Sir, he is still on the Hellicarrier."
"What!? Steve, get out of there." Ceci yelled through the telecom, but "He disabled his com." Said Hill.
While the triskelion collapsed, they swung by to collect a building jumping Sam and a still forever professional Agent Hill.
They had to restrain Ceci from jumping out of the helicopter as they watched the 3 carriers fall.
They quickly swirled down, Ceci saw the falling figure of someone with her highly enhanced vision, courtesy of the Power Stone. She struggled out of Nat's grasp and dived below them into the river surrounding the triskelion.
She used her powers to manipulate water to propel herself forwards through the falling debris from the sky. When she got close enough to Steve, another figure got him before she did.
She raced after them.
"Stop!" she demanded as the guy was about to walk away. He looked back with his shabby hair, he had a metal arm and a face very familiar to her.
"Don't come near us." She said defensively, "зимний солдат" she'd recognized him from her time in Hydra captivity, this man, although she understood him to be acting out of character and was a friend of Steve's, she knew him to be kind but unstable. She was forced to train, learn from him. She had once let herself penetrate his mind before, on the bridge, but now seeing his face, she remembered him. During her time in Hydra, she had looked into his brain, helped him soothe himself from his confusion and mental conflict. The power she had enhanced and was pleased with at birth, mind manipulation, she helped him regain a part of himself during that time, he had thanked her, when they fought, if she was hurt or was being abused, he would step up and scare them away. He was nice to her, and she viewed him as more of a friend than foe. But now, she was unsure, she could sense the conflict in him, see it through his eyes, but she feared for Steve's sake, for her sake that he would not be that person he used to be.
"быть безопасным детеныш" (be safe youngling) he said before turning and leaving her standing there, "Take care of him, please."
Ceci watched him leave before using her telekinesis to levitate Steve in front of her, bringing him with her to the helicopter, Natasha nearly burst at her for jumping out the helicopter, "You are never allowed on a helicopter, ever again." She said.
They were all admitted into the hospital, where Ceci was checked for her concussion. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts stormed into the building after 2 hours demanding to see their angel. Pepper kept muttering thank god, and Tony just sat next to her bed and stared hard at Fury. Thankfully they took their conversation outside after kissing her on the nose.
"You are grounded for 2 months," Pepper said.
"Sorry mom," she said sheepishly.
"I called the principal, said we went for a business vacation and had some accident there, don't worry honey." It sounded more like she was calming herself.
Tony looked less furious when he came back in and settled on the other side of the bed, "I'm installing a bodyguard wherever you go, I'll pay the school and hire security. You know what, Happy can do that."
"Daddy, I'm fine." Tony frowned, "I'm still in one-piece and we took down Hydra."
Tony couldn't stay mad at his lovely daughter though.
Fury walked in, looking very tired, "Cecilia Stark, there will now be no SHIELD until it is newly configured, enjoy your school life and be careful."
he left.
2 days later, with classy music playing in the background, Ceci was playing with the pressure dependent table, adding weight, losing weight, having fun with it. Sam fell asleep on the chair. They were both in Steve's room, waiting for him to wake from his comma.
She heard a pick up in heart rate, "Morning stupid," she said.
Sam jerked awake.
"On your left," Sam smirked.
Ceci just shook her head at the old man joke they must be sharing.
