Darcy's doing her normal rounds of feeding the Scientists and making sure they're taking their breaks when Maria Hill seeks her out.
"Lewis!" She calls out, sticking her head into Doctor Foster's lab. "Still interested in some fresh air?"
The woman in question perks up, grinning, whereas Jane frowns at the idea of her friend leaving the tower. "Uh, yeah! What's the sitch?"
"Walk with me."
Jane makes her displeasure known for Darcy leaving the safety of the tower, but Darcy merely waves off her friend's concern. "I'll be fine, Janie. Promise! Now get back to work. I'll see you before we leave."
The petite astrophysicist pouts and whines, but the curvaceous brunette laughs as she hurriedly follows after Maria. Catching up to the older woman, Darcy grins at her. "What's going on?"
"An old HYDRA facility in Washington, D.C has just been brought back online." Maria brings up her Stark tablet from where she had it gripped by her hip, she then tapping away at the screen to show Darcy aerial views of where she'll be going. "We don't have access to the cameras inside, but their motion detectors have been going off like crazy."
"The undead couldn't have just busted down a glass door or something?"
Maria shrugs. "They could have, but would the dead be able to start turning on the electricity?"
"Ah. I see."
"Yeah. While we are aware people are just trying to survive nowadays, we can't take the risk of these people actually being HYDRA and starting up their work again."
"Okay. So who's on the team?"
"Just you, Cap, the Sarge, and a few of the legionnaires," Maria tells her. "The boys will be dealing with the individuals responsible for this trip and determining whether or not they're threats, and you'll be tasked with being the friendly face and food supplier if it turns out they're good people."
"And if they're not good people?" By now, she and Maria have made it to the tower's pantry where a group of workers are packing a few boxes full of food and drinks.
"If they're HYDRA, they'll be brought in as usual and locked away until pickup. But if they're regular bad people, they'll be sedated and stripped of their weapons before being dropped off in the Dead Zone with only a week's worth of supplies. The good folks will be coming home with you."
Darcy nods, lips pursed in thought. "Sounds easy. When do we leave?"
"Wheels up in an hour. You're in charge of getting the supplies needed onto the quinjet and then you need to change into the appropriate clothing."
"Good deal, boss. I won't let you down."
xXx
With the new and improved quinjets- thanks, Tony!- the flight from Manhattan to Washington, D.C is just under thirty minutes. Darcy waited patiently in her seat, checking her rifle and then absentmindedly braiding her hair over her shoulder just to give herself something to do.
The facility soon comes into view, but Bucky flies right over it and Darcy grins as the engines quiet to a nearly indistinguishable purr. They land just on the other side of the woods that sits at the facility's back- a good ways away from said facility- and lower the jet's ramp so three guards from Tony's Iron Legion march on out to secure a perimeter.
"Keep an ear out on the comms," Steve tells her. He, Bucky, and Darcy stand at the edge of the ramp, listening as repulsors whir and shoot at what they know are the undead walking around. "We're going to go in and secure everyone as quickly and delicately as possible so they know we're not the bad guys here."
"Roger that."
He huffs at her little display of saluting him and Bucky chuckles before getting into the mindset of the Soldier to follow the Captain into the facility. The two men soon leave when the Legionnaires return to the jet, two of them keeping watch outside the jet while the other walks up to Darcy's side and stands guard.
Pacing back and forth a handful of minutes later, the only sound Darcy can hear is that of the leaves rustling outside and the thumping of her boots inside the jet. For a good while, it's complete silence and then a couple gunshots ring out, freezing Darcy in place. It's absolute silence then, except for the rustling leaves, and Darcy's heart is practically in her throat. Her stomach fills with dread and just when she's about to send the Iron Legion in after her boys, the comm in her ear crackles to life.
"The facility is safe to enter."
"Copy that, Captain."
"And, Sparky? Bring the supplies with you. There are two children involved."
"Jesus," Darcy swears. "How old?" She asks, already shouldering her rifle and bending down to pick up a box of food and drinks.
"One appears mid-teens and the other can't be older than two."
Her eyes close, she mentally sighing at the thought of children still roughing it nowadays, especially at the thought of a child being born into this world. "Okay.. okay. I'm taking one guard with me. I'll be right in."
"Copy that," Steve muses. "Don't be worried if you don't see Buck and I at first. We're taking the two men who both admitted to being the leader of this group and questioning them in separate rooms."
"Got it. Over and out, Cap."
When Steve doesn't say anything else, Darcy heaves a sigh and readjusts her grip on the box in her arms. She looks to the Iron guard at her side, nodding at it and then gesturing with her head for it to follow. "Iron Dude, you're with me." The metal of it's feet thump along behind Darcy, following as told, and then she addresses the other two standing guard of the quinjet. "And you two," she glances between them. "-don't let anyone on or near our ride."
The Iron Legion nod their assent, the repulsors in the palm of their hands whirring as they stand guard. Darcy grins at them and continues on, walking confidently with the third legionnaire at her back. Her nose wrinkles as she comes upon the undead which are truly dead now, and she thinks back to the time when she once had to get up close and personal with the walking dead. But now living in Manhattan, she lives in absolute safety and hasn't had to get her clothes bloody in a long while.
The trek through the woods is an easy and quick one since she doesn't have to worry about shooting or stabbing the undead through the head- the legionnaire taking care of them for her if one stumbles too close- and she grimaces at the facility when it comes into view.
How could something so plain looking once house HYDRA and all their villainous plans?
The legionnaire generously opens the door for Darcy, she smirking at it's face knowing full well that Natasha is watching through the camera from her place back at the tower. The entrance room is surprisingly clean with the exception of dust covering everything and the only signs of an evacuation are the papers littering the floor and the overturned chairs. She continues walking through the winding halls, straining her ears for the muffled voices she can hear and following them until they get clearer and clearer. Eventually she comes upon a hall with quite the amount of people sitting against the wall- all with their wrists zip-tied and ankles duct taped together.
She snorts, gaining quite a few head turns and sheepishly grins. "Bucky went overboard with the tape again, I see." Her little quip earns a few glares and huffs, and she continues to walk closer, stepping over outstretched legs. But while she gets a few glares, the legionnaire gets quite a few fearful stares.
"I thought Captain America was a good guy?" A redheaded, surly man says.
"He is. We are," Darcy shrugs. "It's not our fault you broke into a facility that once housed HYDRA- the organization that caused this shit storm of a planet we live on now. If you are good guys, you have nothing to worry about. Answer all questions honestly and you're golden, pony boy."
"Darcy-Lou?"
Darcy startles, trips over a pair of legs and drops the box she had been clutching like a life line. Heart pounding in her ears, Darcy's wide eyes search the curious expressions now directed at her until she lands on a rather familiar- yet aged- face staring at her in awe and shock.
"Carl?!"
Had she been paying attention to everyone else, Darcy would have seen every unfriendly expression vanish- slow smiles taking their places and bodies slumping in relief. But as Carl's expression breaks out in a grin and he laughs quite hysterically, Darcy dives and falls to her knees in front of him and wraps her arms around him.
Knocking the Sheriff's hat from his head, Darcy half sobs/half laughs. "What are you- how are you even here right now?! Where have you been?!"
"It's a long, long story," he chuckles.
Darcy pulls back, hands planted on his shoulders as she takes in his clearly malnourished presence. He's appears a lot taller and older from when she's last seen him, and after accepting the fact that he's right before her eyes, Darcy's hand falls to a blade that's holstered at her hip. She quickly cuts through the binds at his wrists and ankles, and pauses to briefly cast a glance at the rest of the people lined up against the wall who are staring at her with amused expressions.
"They're not, you know, gonna kill me if we cut them loose, right? I mean, Nat's watching from back home," she gestures at the legionnaire standing behind her and staring at each individual. "-and trust me, you guys do not want the Black Widow hunting you down to avenge my death."
"You know Avengers," Carl breathes in awe. "Your life is so cool." Darcy stares at him expectantly, eyebrow raising in amusement until Carl clears his throat and nods. "Yeah, no, these people are good. Promise," he smiles.
Nodding once, Darcy retrieves another knife from her hip and hands it Carl- the both of them setting out to cut everyone else's binds. Once free, everyone's rubbing their wrists and standing to their feet, warily.
"So, uh, I heard a few gunshots," Darcy nervously muses. "Who was the unluckily idiot that shot at Captain America and the Winter Soldier?"
"What makes you think they didn't shoot at us?" The same surly redhead from before answers.
"Uh, because we really are the good guys," she snorts. "And let me guess, it was you, wasn't it? You're a little too defensive."
"Yeah, well, that metal armed dick clocked me something fierce," he grumbles.
Some of the group chuckle while others are curiously staring at the box they can now see contains food, and Darcy hurriedly explains that the food is for them. Some waste no time in diving for the food to divide it up among themselves, and Carl's quick to introduce Darcy to everyone present.
She meets Michonne- a dark skinned woman with dreads and a katana strapped to her back who hovers a little too closely to Carl- and Glenn and Carol who were apparently part of the first group Carl had stayed with when the world went crazy. Then there's Maggie who had lived on a farm and offered Carl and the others a place to stay, and Sasha, Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Eugene, and Father Gabriel.
Michonne's the one to ask how Carl and Darcy know each other, and Carl confesses that Darcy is his cousin- his mother's niece. Understanding dawns on quite a few faces as some others turn sympathetic. But before Darcy can question what that's all about, Carl's grasping Darcy's hand and drags her down the hall. "Come on! Dad will be so stoked to see you!"
"Where is your dad?"
"Captain America took him and Judy to another room- Judy's my sister, by the way," he says and doesn't give a startled Darcy a chance to ask questions. "The Winter Soldier took Daryl, too, but they're in another room."
Carl barges into one of the room's, dragging Darcy along with him and completely ignoring the shouts of Captain America.
"Darcy, what the hell?!"
But she, too, ignores Captain America and instead freezes upon setting her sights on the man with a salt-n-pepper beard and curly hair slicked back with sweat atop his head. Not even the cooing baby is enough to grab her attention.
Seeing her reaction, Steve steps closer while cautiously glancing at everyone else present. "Uh, Darcy? You okay?"
"He's my family, Steve. They're my family," she then amends while turning her gaze on him. "Steve," she half sob/half laughs again, a smile lighting up her features and tears making her blue eyes sparkle behind her glasses. "This is my uncle and cousins. They're my family!"
Steve's then struck speechless, he gaping as he watches the little reunion. His friend is quickly engulfed in a hug by the man he'd just been interrogating, and the teenage boy is now cradling the toddler to his chest as he laughs at his family.
"It's really you," the man- Rick, as he introduced himself- mumbles. "Where- how?"
"I roll with superheroes now, uncle Rick," Darcy mutters into his shoulder. "I-" She pauses then, planting her hands on Rick's chest and pushing back so she can peer over her shoulder at Steve. "Permission to tell my family where I've been, Captain?"
Rick startles at his niece's sudden change in demeanor, he gulping as he watches Captain America straighten and give Darcy a terse nod. "Permission granted, Sparky."
Carl snorts at the nickname and Darcy grins as she turns back to her uncle. "I was with my friend, Jane Foster, in Asgard with Thor," she admits. "Time works differently in that realm and by the time we returned back to Earth, the virus had taken hold of the entire planet."
"You were on another planet? Cool!" Carl remarks.
Darcy grins. "Something like that. Jane and I were stuck in New Mexico afterward, and after seeing how completely wrecked Earth was, Thor was whisked away against his will and banned from coming back down. We made do- I learned to defend ourselves since Janie is a Scientist and really isn't about violence- and the other Avengers eventually found us when Jane rigged up a portal to draw their attention. Since then, I've been staying in Stark Tower."
"What about your parents?" Rick asks, looking quite like he can't wrap his mind about what he's been told. "Did you look for them?"
"I did," Darcy confesses. Her bottom lip finds itself caught between her teeth, she frowning as she averts her gaze. "When Jane and I were taken to the tower, the first thing we were asked was if we had any family. A small team took Jane to look for hers and another team took me." She pauses here, clearing her throat nervously. "Mom and Dad, their vehicles were still in the driveway. The house was surprisingly in good shape and none of their belongings had been packed. We- I," she stammers, tears filling her eyes. "I went to their room and I found them. They- they, um-"
"Self inflicted gunshot wounds to the head," Steve says, coming up behind Darcy and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he then tells Rick who had startled at the revelation.
Rick takes a deep breath before nodding and then he's grasping Darcy's chin and making her look him in the eye. "I'm sorry, kid."
"I looked for you, too, you know. I went to your house, but it was ransacked. Looked like you and aunt Lori left in a hurry. Speaking of," she says and clears her throat before wiping the tears from her eyes. "Where is Lori? I didn't see her."
Rick's breathing stutters and Darcy sees yet another sympathetic expression directed towards her. Dread filling her, she looks to Carl, but he's now avoiding her gaze. "Oh, kid, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but-"
"How?" She croaks, already sniffling.
Steve suddenly clears his throat. "I'll, uh, I'll give you guys some privacy," he tells them. "And tell Bucky to cool it with your friend," he tells Rick. "I'm really sorry about all this."
"S'not a problem," Rick mentions. "You were just looking out. I understand."
Steve nods and makes his exit, and then it's Carl who answers Darcy's question.
"Childbirth," he admits and looks at the little girl in his arms. "Maggie had to perform an emergency c-section and Mom bled out."
Darcy's eyes close, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes that she's quick to wipe away. Rick pulls her into another hug, he muttering about how it's all going to be okay now- that they're all together- and Darcy sniffles some before pulling herself back together. Her gaze eventually lands on the baby- Judith, Carl tells her, but Judy for short- and Darcy soon finds her arms full of a gurgling baby.
"Come on," Darcy suddenly says as she watches Judith play with the tail end of her braid. "Steve and Bucky will explain a few things before we get going."
The reunited family make their way back to the rest of the group, they finding Captain America and the Winter Soldier standing stoically as the others mumble among themselves.
Seeing Darcy with the baby, Steve winks at her and Bucky smirks, and she easily flips them off with a scowl. "Don't even think about it. No. Just- no."
"Awe, but come on, Darce," Bucky drawls. "You look so good with a baby."
"Yeah, doll," Steve agrees.
Darcy glowers some more before passing Judith back to Rick. "Here. Take your daughter back. My boys are getting ideas and nope. Not happening."
Some of the group chuckle at what she's insinuating and Carl gets this starstruck, yet disgusted expression on his face. "My cousin.. and two supersoldiers. I'm torn between being proud and being weirded out because.. well, my cousin!" And now the group is full on laughing with the exception of Rick who's now staring down the two Avengers.
"As much as I like to see Rick get his panties all twisted up, what exactly is going on here?" Abraham demands.
A few others murmur in agreement and then Steve sobers up to give the group a quick run-down of what's going on. He apologizes for the scuffle and binds, but he tells them how it was a must since the facility they decided to take shelter in was an abandoned HYDRA facility. It also gets explained how HYDRA had developed a new organization they were hiding behind, so that when they released the virus that's currently ravishing the Earth, they could swoop in and save the day. Only the virus really took hold and HYDRA was too overwhelmed to do anything, and that's how the virus got so out of hand. Binding the survivors and interrogating them was just a precaution before they settled on what to do.
"Okay, so what happens now?" Carl asks. "You're not just gonna leave, are you?"
Darcy looks to her younger cousin and grins. "Well, after some mandatory blood tests to make sure no one's infected on a level of turning, I'm hoping you'll all come back to the tower with us."
"What?" Michonne asks.
"Yeah, what?" Rick gulps. "To Stark Tower?"
"Correct," she chuckles softly. "Tony built his own power source and the Avengers quarantined all of Manhattan, so all of Manhattan pretty much runs on Stark's energy. There's hot water, A.C for the summer, heating for the winter, and electricity to do whatever you please. There is literally no way in or out of Manhattan unless you're flying."
"And all you need is to run a blood test?" Glenn asks warily.
"Yep. We have the supplies in the jet out back. With the technology we have, your blood results will come up within minutes."
There are a lot of astonished expressions and gaping faces, but everyone eventually agrees to the blood test if it means absolute safety and no more running for their lives.
"Good," Captain America then says. Turning to the legionnaire, he commands," Iron Guard, lead the way back to the quinjet. And home base," he stares the guard directly in the eyes. "-have someone prepare an entire floor. We got Sparky's family and friends returning with us."
The legionnaire gives a nod of assent and then everyone's scrambling after it as it starts walking away. Daryl- the guy with a crossbow strapped to his back- bends down to pick up the box of food, and after explaining that it's for them, Rick's quick to find something edible for Judith and drinkable for him.
When the group gets closer to the quinjet's location, Darcy runs out to be in front and shout at the Iron Guards to stand down when their attention is honed in on the approaching group.
Darcy then immediately jogs up the ramp, pulling out all the supplies needed and waving everyone inside. Wary glances are cast all around the back of the jet, but no one says a thing. One by one, Darcy draws blood, labels the vials with their owner's names, and clicks them into place inside what appears to be a suitcase. Ping after ping, Darcy's alerted to the results and one by one, Darcy starts clearing everyone. One set of results, however, catch her attention and as Darcy's lips purse at what she's seeing, the rest of the group seem to grow anxious.
"Steve, Bucky, can you guys come here a sec?"
"What? What is it?" Rick finally asks, shifting from foot to foot. "Is someone infected?"
"Hmm? Oh, no," Darcy tells him when she sees how her reaction has freaked everyone else out. "I'm sorry, it's nothing bad. I just want to make sure I'm reading this right."
Some of the tension drains from the awaiting group, and as Steve and Bucky look at the screen and have a whispered conversation with Darcy, the others start growing anxious again. But then Darcy's smiling as the two men chuckle, and she looks out at the group. "Which one of you is Maggie again?"
"Oh, God," Glenn groans and grasps the woman's hand next to him. "What is it?"
Seeing Maggie is who Glenn had claimed as his wife, Darcy smiles at them before reaching for her bag and pulling out a granola bar. "Eat up, Momma," she says and tosses the bar at Maggie. "You're eating for two now."
The "dead zone" as Maria Hill mentioned early on is a secluded safe zone with a few strategically placed walkers around the place to spook the bad guys so they'd scamper off and hopefully turn over a new leaf. While the Avengers and Co. are not in the killing business, they had to come up with something for the bad guys instead of locking them up since HYDRA is carded off to parts unknown.
Also, I know in TWD 'verse, everyone's already infected, but for the sake of this ficlet we'll just say that that's not the case and one only gets turned if bitten or the blood of the infected gets into you.
And for those of you who are wondering, "WHAT?! THAT'S IT?! WHAT ABOUT THEIR REACTIONS TO BABY GREENE!", lets just say they're ecstatic about it. They're moving to Stark Tower where EVERYTHING works and they have scientists and doctors, so everything will be okay. Maggie will have an okay pregnancy.