Steph POV

'What in the world is that?!' I thought as Steve abruptly broke us apart. There was this loud blaring alarm sounding around us. "What is that?!" I ask, scared out of my mind; with good reason I find out shortly after.

"Avengers Assemble Alarm, JARVIS only uses it for dire emergencies to get us gathered really fast for some reason." Steve explains as he grabs my hand and races us out of the room.

We take the elevator down to the Avengers common floor. Steve then rushes us across the hall to the large conference room that they call the 'war room'.

All of the rest of the team is already there, in full battle gear. Steve looks around the room before demanding. "What's going on? Why was the alarm set off?"

Tony, who is in one of his Iron Man suits, but with the face plate of his helmet raised so we can see his face; answers. "JARVIS, you said you would explain when we all got here. Well, we're all here, so what is it?" JARVIS' soothing voice soon fills the room, as he lights up a projection screen on the blank wall in front of us.

"Sgt. Barnes' face was recognized again through my facial recognition software. This is the image from a camera in Boston. Since Major Manoso has offices there, I have taken the liberty to contact him as well."

"I'll call Ranger in a bit and get an update from his end." I tell the others.

"Looks like we're going to Boston." Clint says, then adds. "JARVIS, get a jet ready for take-off. I'll be piloting."

"Already done Mister Barton. Also Captain Rogers, your battle uniform and shield have been taken up to the roof, currently waiting for you on the jet."

"Thank-you JARVIS, let's go." Steve calmly states.

Minutes later we are all rushing out of the elevator onto the roof and scrambling to get settled on one of Stark's quinjets. Clint fires up the engines once we are all buckled in tightly, Tasha in the co-pilots chair and the rest of us scattered in seats in the rear.

Steve buckles me into a seat beside him and takes my hand in his. He brings it up to his lips and places a gentle kiss to it, calming my nerves. He is really good at reading people, then again my sweaty face and jittery body may have given me away also. He then starts soothing me with his words.

"I know you've been feeling helpless, and I've told you that it's unfounded. Your hard work and persistence have gotten us this far. We have been telling each other for a while now, but I'll repeat it again, you need to keep hearing it. We will find him ... together. Hopefully this time is the time we finally catch up to him."

"I hope you're right. I do feel like this time is different. But I still can't shake that feeling that he's in danger. Steve, I'm scared for him." I shakily whisper.

"It will be okay. Like I keep telling you, we'll do this together. He can take care of himself also. He's a fighter Doll." Steve's voice is interrupted by Clint's.

"We're here. I've landed us on the roof of Rangeman Boston."

"Damn, I forgot to call Ranger. He's going to be furious, and worried; and with Ranger that's a bad combination." I sigh.

We all exit the jet onto the roof. I glance around and see a wall of black. Wait, some of these guys are my Merry Men from Trenton. What gives? My line of sight is drawn to the left and to Ranger standing next to Tank. Ut oh, I was right he is pissed! But I can also see the worry deep in his eyes.

He starts toward me with Tank right beside him. When he is standing right in front of me, he speaks up. "Babe, how are you?"

"I'm fine, really Ranger. Now what about Bucky, what's going on?"

"He was spotted a couple of miles from here in an empty building that used to be a hospital years ago. The camera that caught him was from the building across the street, one that we do security for. Mark, my first in command here called me shortly after JARVIS did."

"Do you think he's still there? And why does he keep showing up at abandoned buildings? What is he looking for?" I ask.

"I don't know. That's what we're going to find out. As you can see I brought all of my best men from Trenton. This time he will not slip through our fingers." Ranger promises.

It's then when I take a good look around to see exactly who Ranger has brought with him. Tank is here, of course, along with the other two of the core team in Trenton, Lester and Bobby. With them is also Woody, Hal, Cal, Ram, Vince, Junior, and lastly Binkie. I guess that leaves Zip and Zero in charge of the Trenton branch.

All of the guys that Ranger brought have individual specialized skill sets. Tank, well Tank always has Ranger's back. Les is a hell of a fighter to have on your side. Bobby is there for medical purposes. Woody is the best driver Ranger has on payroll, I jokingly call him the 'get-away' driver. Hal is a forensics expert. Cal is the explosives expert. Ram is the sharp-shooter, the best sniper I know; well besides Clint, now that man never misses! Vince and Junior's specialty is communications, they usually set us up with comm links. And Binkie is a genius with computers, he was trained by Hector, so he should be.

Looking around I begin to feel more comfortable and confident that we will succeed this time. With my new Avenger family and my old Rangeman family here to back us up, I know we will get the job done.

I peek back at Steve to my right and notice that he has changed into his battle uniform. Wait ... when the hell did he do that? Steve leans down and whispers in my ear. "While you were talking to Ranger." I just shake my head at him.

"Let's get downstairs and start planning." Ranger says.

We all trudge to the elevator, which we have to take down in shifts due to the sheer number of us. Shortly later we arrive at the largest conference room on the 3rd floor. I hear Ranger on the desk phone as the last of us enter.

"Just an assortment, yes for about 40, thank-you Gina."

"Who's Gina?" I wonder aloud.

"She's Boston's version of Ella. She's bringing up food for everyone." He supplies.

"Oh, okay," I reply. I am suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness. I quickly sit down before anyone else can notice. I feel a little better after sitting, but still a bit woozy.

A couple of minutes later a tall, dark-haired woman enters the room wheeling a cart loaded down with food, sandwiches, fruit and the like. After she places it all on the table, I grab a sandwich and start to eat. I immediately feel better, guess I was just hungry.

"So, Boss, what's the plan?" I inquire after swallowing the bite I was chewing.

Ranger does his version of a death glare, now that's some scary shit right there. I smile inwardly, he never did like it when I called him 'boss'. Too bad.

"I sent out several teams to check on the building Bucky was spotted at. Just moments ago, one of those teams contacted me and told me that the building looks like it's being used for something. He said it looks like someone is trying to start the hospital back up. Rooms have been cleaned, equipment polished, and the utilities mysteriously turned back on. I checked, there is no record of anyone doing that through the city. I can only guess that it is generators. We will be going in later tonight in the cover of darkness. This will give us time to plan the perfect strategy."

"Why would someone open up an old abandoned hospital, illegally no less." I ask Ranger.

"No one would, not unless it was legally. And it would be all over the papers that it was opening again. The city is in dire need of hospitals and medical treatment centers." Ranger tells us.

"So who would need a space like an old hospital?" Bobby adds.

"HYDRA," Steve supplies.

"What?!" Tasha exclaims. "I thought we got rid of all of HYDRA in D.C."

"There will always be a few stragglers. And I'm afraid of why they would want an old hospital. I fear they have started experimenting again. They were always trying to re-create the serum used on me. That's how Bucky survived the fall from the train during the war, when I found him HYDRA had been testing serums on him and others in his unit; but none of the others lived through the testing." Steve explains. I can see the fear and worry on his face. He hates when other people suffer because someone is trying to make others like him. Guilt tears at him.

"HYDRA, this puts a whole different spin on things." Tasha admits.

"Yes, we will have to plan carefully. I will not have more innocents lost because of me." Steve grouses.

"Steve ... " I start, only to be cut off by Tasha whispering in my ear.

"Don't, he works better when he has what he thinks is a cause. He'll be alright, trust me." She pleads with her eyes. I nod my assent. I hope she's right.

Ranger addresses the room again. "That's enough for now, everyone break. We'll meet back her in two hours."

Everyone starts filing from the room. Ranger's phone rings and he is holding it up to his ear as he makes his way out the door. I pull Tank aside before he can get out of my reach.

"Tank, where can I crash for a few? I need a nap to recharge."

"I'm sure Mark will let you use the couch in his office. His office is right next door. I'll let him know you're there, Ranger too." Tank lets me know.

"Thanks Big Guy," I tell him after giving him a hug.

I peek over to Steve and wonder what he's thinking. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine. You go get some rest. I'll find the gym, I need a workout. It helps me think." He answers.

"Okay," I reply. I wrap my arms around him for a hug. He closes his arms around me, holding me close. Then he bends down to give me a sweet kiss, no tongue, he doesn't want to get carried away.

He then walks me next door to Mark's office and makes sure I'm settled on the couch for my nap. I feel him kiss my forehead as my eyes drift closed. My last conscious thought is hearing him softly close the door on his way out. I am left to peace and quiet, for the time being.

The door groans and creaks on it's hinges as I carefully open it. It opens to a darkened hallway. The floor is a grimy, old-fashioned tile with what looks like decades of grit and dirt caked on it.

My boots crunch slightly with every step I take further down the eerily lit hall. There are doors lining each side of the hall, reminding me of a hospital, without the antiseptic smell; this place smells musky.

I continue to creep my way down the hall, glancing into rooms as I pass by them. They appear to be abandoned hospital rooms. Two beds per room, made of rusty metal and lacking sheets; the naked mattresses soiled with years of unknown stains.

I keep my feet moving slowly down the hall to the double door at the end. A glimmer of light is showing from the crack at the bottom, urging me forward like a moth toward a flame.

As I push the right hand door open a fraction of an inch, I hear a blood curdling scream in the distance. I am frozen for a second. 'Who...' I thought to myself. Whoever it is, it sounds like they need help. I pick up the pace, still trying to be as quiet as possible.

As the door swishes closed behind me, I take in my new surroundings. This doesn't appear to be more patient rooms. It's more like a nurse's area. A round desk in the center of the room, with 3 broken chairs lying on their sides, and a large, tall metal container along the wall. It looks like an ancient refrigerator. I assume this is an old break room for the medical staff's use.

I spy another door on the left hand side of the room. I peer through the dirty glass window on the door and see that a staircase looms behind it. I take a deep breath and slip through this door and to the stairs beyond.

I peek over the stair railing and see what is down below me. I notice the faint light from before is a little brighter a couple of floors down. I take my gun out of my hip holster and hold it out in front of me. I don't know why I didn't pull it before now.

I slowly creep down the two flights of stairs, ever aware of my surroundings. When I finally reach the bottom and the point where the light is the brightest, I take a deep breath and ease the door open with my shoulder.

I crane my head around the edge of the door and glance around. It's another hallway. This time the light is bright enough for me to have to stand for a few minutes to allow my eyes to adjust from the previous darkness. I am forced into action by another loud, ear-piercing scream from the other end of the hall.

I make my way stealthily to the other end of the hall, crouching low near the door to avoid anyone seeing me through the dingy glass two-thirds of the way up it. I ease myself up inch by inch from my crouch to peek in the room.

I remain standing to get a better look, it can't be. The room appears to be an old operating room. The metal operating table in the center of the room is surrounded by two men in all black, with white lab coats over their clothes.

But who is lying on the table is what shocks me. It's Bucky! He is naked, with only a sheet draped over his hips. He is strapped down to the table by leather belt-like strips, with metal restraints holding his shining silver arm in place. There is pure agony present on his face. What have they been doing to him?!

Just as I think this I see the man with his back to me lift his left arm up with what appears to be a large hypodermic needle in his hand. He lowers his hand to Bucky's neck and injects him with the mystery fluid. Nearly as soon as the needle pierces his skin, Bucky screams again. The man on Bucky's other side slaps him across the face, hard!

I can no longer stand by and watch Bucky suffer. I slam the door open and yell out, two-fisting my gun in front of me.

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

I jerk up to a sitting position. I look around the room frantically. There is no sign of Bucky anywhere, but Steve is kneeling in front of me with concern and fear in his eyes.

"What is it Steph? What's wrong? Nightmare?"

"Oh my God! It was horrible!" I cry out, clutching at Steve, trying to find comfort and solace from the horrors I have just witnessed. The whole time wondering it they were real or imagined. My spidey sense speaks up, telling me that they were not imagined. I can still feel Bucky's presence and he is in pain.

"Shhhhh ... it's OK. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." Steve soothes.

I take several minutes to calm myself down, cradled in Steve's strong arms, while he gently rocks me and rubs circles on my back and neck.

He gently lifts my chin with his fingers, looking deep into my eyes, showing me all the love he has for me. He places a light kiss to my forehead then asks.

"Better?"

"A little," I sigh out.

"Feel up to talking about it now?" He further inquires.

"We need to. Steve I had an awful dream. I was in an old hospital. It was dark and deserted, but still in use. I roamed around looking for something, I didn't know what at first. But the last room I went to was an old operating room. There were two men there, HYDRA I assume; there was a third man on the table. Steve, it was Bucky! They were experimenting on him, torturing him. God his screams, I'll never forget his screams." I sobbed into Steve's shoulder.

I hear Steve talking to Ranger while my head is buried in his shoulder. I didn't even realize Ranger was in the room too.

"Did you hear? She saw Buck being tortured. Now we know it's HYDRA and what they're up to." Steve comments softly.

"We don't know that. It was just a dream. Maybe she is just scared of what could be happening." Ranger tries to argue.

"No, Ranger! This is NOT some figment of my imagination! He was being tortured by those animals. My spidey sense never lies!" I screech up at him.

Steve adds his disappointed Captain America face to the mix and Ranger finally caves in.

"Alright. We'll get all the teams together in a few hours and head out."

"We have to go now! He may not have that much time!" I fire back.

"Major, she's right. Her spidey sense has been more accurate where Bucky is concerned. She's been feeling his presence. If she says he's in trouble, I believe her. We have to go now." Steve adds in a calm voice.

Ranger sighs, yes Ranger actually sighed. He pulls his phone off of his hip and tells Tank, "it's time."

He then walks over to Mark's desk and picks up the desk phone there. He hits a few buttons on it, bringing the building's intercom system to life. His following words spring the whole building into action.

"All staff on the 'Barnes Mission' suit up now! It's go time!" ##########