Ariel here.

So what was my bright idea for fixing the damage I might not even have inflicted? I actually went up to try to watch and make sure that everything went as it should. I need my head checked… then again, if you've heard my last story, you probably already have a really low opinion of my intelligence and reasoning capability.

It took a while to work my way up to the top floor. A while that involved a lot of stairs. Luckily, a lot of security stuff was down, what with the whole "S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA both going after each other" thing. Otherwise, I never would have been able to get up so far.

The elevator was the biggest problem. The thing only works if you work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and have clearance and stuff like that.

I don't work for them, and don't intend to any time soon. It would intrude on my growing career in musical theater – and on screen, actually. A TV show that's filming in New York has offered me a role – not an every episode deal, but appearing occasionally throughout the season. Okay, I'll stop talking about that and get back to the story.

My first thought was to try to impersonate someone's voice – but that probably wouldn't work.

I briefly considered going back.

No. We had a serious problem here. I was going to fix it. That's what Ivy would do, and what I was going to do. As soon as I could get up there.

The elevator door opened.

Brock Rumlow stared at me in disbelief. "How'd you get out?"

"It involved a gun, a lot of bluffing, and air vents." I aimed my weapon at him.

"As if you would," he said with a smirk.

"You have no idea what I'd do if I had to. I impaled a man's foot with my shoe once." If only I'd impaled Ward's other foot while I was at it.

He stepped forward. "You won't. Your hands are shaking. You've never pointed a gun at anyone in your life, have you?"

I kept well out of reach. "You really don't think so?"

"No. You're with that Ivy girl. She'd never kill anyone. Lost an escape opportunity because she didn't have the guts to kill the guard instead of knocking him out."

The sheer nerve he had in talking about Ivy like that nearly made me attack him. But I kept the weapon steady. "It doesn't take guts to kill a person. It takes guts not to." I jerked to the side and pressed the button that would close the elevator door, then fired the gun through the door.

The bullet missed Rumlow, just barely, but it had the desired effect – he hesitated a moment.

I kept the gun aimed as the door closed. That should keep him out while I figured out what to do.

I didn't know what to do. You can't threaten or sweet talk or reason with technology – all of which are tactics which you can use with human beings.

I almost punched the thing that you give instructions to – and then it hit me. Jack. I might not be any good with technology, but Jack has a genius IQ and is very good with it.

I still had my phone. I don't know why. Maybe they didn't search me all that well. I dialed Jack's number, praying that there was nothing to block it.

"Ariel?" said Jack's voice a minute later.

I explained the situation to him. "I'm grasping at straws here. I need some help."

"I don't know if I could do anything if I was there, let alone explaining it to someone over the phone who has no tools. Just a minute, I'll get someone to help."

"Someone who will tell me not to go up? Jack, I made the mistake. I need to fix it."

"Are you crazy? Look, let Agent Romanoff and Director Fury handle it. We can get them the information and they can make sure everything works."

"And they could also wreck havoc with everything without realizing it or by accident. Jack, if you don't help me, I'll make my way up through the elevator shaft. Which means climbing probably at least forty stories, probably all filled with traps. Which will it be?"

I could sense Jack glaring at me over the phone. "Fine. Don't blame me if you get killed or something." He had me carefully remove the front of the thing, leaving me with a bunch of wires and buttons. One wrong move and I could ruin the entire thing – set off a trap or make something explode.

"Okay, take the wire that you said was sticking out slightly from all the others and pull it out. Carefully, do not damage it."

I pulled it out carefully.

"Okay," said Jack. "Now, pull out the wire you said had something red on it, now put them in the opposite holes."

I obeyed.

"Okay, now try giving it a command."

I did so, asking it to go up a level.

To my shock, it actually did.

"Okay, Jack, it seems to be working. Thanks. I owe you big time."

"Believe me, if you get out of this alive, you owe me more than big time."

I sent the elevator to the top of the building.

Ivy here.

I woke up to my feet dragging along a smooth surface. I twisted hard. My hands connected with a cold floor. Pain shot up my wrists, but I ignored it, scrambling to my feet.

A hand grabbed my hair and jerked hard, sending me backwards. My head hit a metal bar – a railing. Something tugged at my wrist. I wasn't quite with it, otherwise I probably would have tried to keep him from cuffing my wrist to the railing.

I pulled against the restraints and glared at the Winter Soldier. I knew what he'd done to me in that cell, months ago. But, somehow, I didn't blame him. It would be like blaming a gun for killing someone – the gun wasn't responsible. The person who fired it was.

"Ivy!" yelled a male voice.

"Cap?" I stood up and turned toward him. "It's a trap!"

He stopped.

"I'm fine. Carry out your mission."

"People are going die, Buck," said Cap. "I can't let that happen. Please, don't make me do this."

With their attention off me, I turned my attention to the handcuffs, ignoring the gunshots and sounds of fighting. I didn't have anything that could be used to pick the lock. I remembered the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode where Agent May dislocated her wrist in order to slip her hand out. Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary. My actually plan wasn't much better. I actually broke them. Courtesy of the serum. I broke part of the railing, too. Whoops. Not like they'd need it anymore, though.

That serum didn't seem to be wearing off yet. I couldn't complain about the effects, no matter how it had gotten into my system.

Cap and the Winter Soldier were down below me, fighting.

I sent up a little prayer. Dear God, please just let me survive falling out of here when the time comes. Please. Please. Please. Or better yet, let me somehow get out before it falls.

Ariel here.

Have you ever listened to an argument from behind a closed door? You can feel the tension even without being part of it. That's how it was for me. Kind of. Except for that I knew what was going to happen – and was afraid it might not happen.

"Are you ready? For the world to see you as you really are?" Pierce asked Agent Romanoff.

"Are you?"

"Are you ready to see the girl exposed? See her life ruined? There's no one to protect her after this."

"I trained her to take care of herself." There was a note of… was that pride? in her voice. "And she's not alone."

I waited, listening to the ensuing events. In hindsight, I probably should have kept a better lookout on everything behind me.

Wow. It's like we're all in some really bad fanfiction or something, and the writer can't figure out how to put us where she wants us so she makes us stupid enough to do this stuff.