We're getting close to the end of Cap America: The First Avenger.

Chapter 26

The group stood on a snowy outcrop looking down across the ravine at the train tracks that Zola's train would soon be passing by on and that they would be ambushing so that they could get their hands on Zola and find out the information that they needed about the secret base.

It was a waiting game now for the train to come, Morita and Gabe were fiddling with the HYDRA cryptograph listening out for any chatter over the airwaves that things had changed in Zola's itinerary.

"Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?" Bucky questioned as he and Steve looked out over the landscape, the wind ruffling through their hair.

"Yeah, and I threw up?"

"This isn't payback is it?" Bucky asked.

Steve avoided Bucky's eyes and small smile on his face as he looked the cable over, "Now why would I go and do a thing like that? Pay back isn't my style."

Starlyn jumped up from where she had headed around the mountain for a different angle, her claws coming in handy for the work to get around the rocks, "So how are we? We on time for our guest?" She asked joining them.

"We were right. Dr. Zola is on the train." Gabe spoke up interrupting anything anyone was going to say, "HYDRA dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Where ever they're going they must need him bad and fast if they are willing to risk going full speed through snow covered mountains."

Everyone became serious, this would make things a little bit harder, the train would now be moving faster than they were anticipating so they had to be quick down the zip line, Falsworth was still looking out for the train when he saw it come around the mountain side.

"Let's get going, because they're moving like the devil." Falsworth spoke up in an urge to get them moving.

"We've only got about a 10 second window." Steve said hooking up, "You miss that window, we're bugs on a windshield."

"Mind the gap kiddies." Falsworth said with a small smile.

"Better get moving, bugs!" Dum Dum spoke up and Frenchie timed out when each person went down the line, Steve, Bucky, Gabe and then Star, they flew down the line and landed on the train, each one losing their footing a little due to the harsh winds pushing them back further down the train, Star had to use her claws so that she didn't go flying off the end of the train car.

Once their footing had been gained they moved up the train cars carefully but swiftly when they had gotten to the train car they needed Steve, Bucky and Star headed down into the cab leaving Gabe to take position on top and make sure that nothing surprised them from above as they moved to the front where Zola was holed up with the driver.

The three ended up in what looked like a cargo hold, though the whole train was probably a cargo train and there was no one there, the car was clear but they moved through carefully not wanting to get caught off guard. They paused at the joining of the cars, unsure as to whether they should pass through, Star nodded and Steve headed through first looking out for danger in the next car, Star followed next leaving Bucky to bring up the rear when the doors closed on them, Steve in one car, Star in the middle of the cars and Bucky in the car they had entered from.

Bucky had to duck down as two HYDRA soldiers came out of the car that adjoined the one they had come in on and started shooting at him, Bucky was shooting back before taking cover while they all tried to pick each other off, Star was quick to move, there was no way in hell she was going to watch as Bucky was gunned down, HYDRA be damned she unsheathed her claws and sliced through the door and watched it drop with a clang, taking a couple of shots to the chest as she went over to where Bucky was covering himself with some creates.

Meanwhile Steve was fighting off one of the HYRDA soldiers that used twin cannon pulse guns made of the same blue light that could make a person vaporize, he quickly ducked down behind some creates, Steve was having a tough time of taking out the soldier he was facing because of the guns and armour he had on.

"Are you ready?" Star questioned as she was shot at again, she was not really a gun person, even in her time she rarely used one, she was an up close and personal kind of fighter.

"Yeah." Bucky responded as he moved from his position ducking around Star and shooting at one of the soldiers taking them down and ducking behind another lot of creates with Star moving to cover him again, she was his armour for this fight now. Bucky changed his magazine as another guard came into the area and down the opposite side and he shot around Star, not moving too far from his hiding spot.

Once they had gotten Zola, Star was going to have to make sure that the train was destroyed, there was no way in hell she was going to let anyone get their hands on her blood and use it for nefarious reasons.

Steve was finally able to move into a position where he could take out the soldier shooting at him and by using the small crane attached to the roof of the train car and used it to knock the soldier down before knocking him out with his shield and heading back to where he could see that Bucky was now down to his hand gun and still had two enemies in front of him, Star couldn't go anywhere as she was using herself as a shield, if she went one way to take out one of the soldiers there was a possibility that the other could take out Bucky first, so she wasn't going to move and risk losing the man she loved.

Bucky shot out as he moved back over to the other side of the car and Steve shot out his closed door with the soldiers weapon and headed quickly down to join Star and Bucky. Bucky had just ran out of ammo as Steve got to the door and didn't have any more magazines, Steve quickly pulled out his side arm, checked it, got Bucky's attention and threw it to his best friend so he had a way to defend himself.

Steve rushed into the room, shield raised as he rammed one of the boxes causing it to slid toward the soldier to move from where he was standing and right into the oncoming bullet from Bucky's gun the three could finally take a second to get their breath back before continuing on with their mission.

"I had him on the ropes." Bucky spoke up as he walked over to Steve.

"I know you did." Steve said in response when the soldier with the cannons appeared at the other door with his cannons raised, "Get down!" He said as he raised his shield, pushing Bucky to the side as the blast hit his shield blasting a hole in the side of the car, Star let out a cry of pain as some of the blast hit one of her arms right down to the silver sheen of her bones.

Bucky got himself up picking up Steve's shield as he did and fired his gun at the soldier and with another blast from the cannons it hit the shield sending Bucky out the side of the train and he latched onto one of the left over rails, "NO!" Star screamed moving over and out of the train with Steve right behind her after throwing his shield at the soldier and knocking him down, despite her injury she pushed the pressure points in her hand to make the claws come out so that they could secure her so that she could use her other hand to grab at Bucky so he had something secure to hold onto, Steve grabbed at her feet and the doorway so that there was more reach for them and so that he could pull them both back in, Steve manoeuvred so that he was standing on the blasted away wall of the car to reach Bucky easier, his grip bruisingly tight on Star's ankle, not that she noticed the tight grip.

Star held onto Bucky's hand tightly, "Hang on please baby." She begged and could feel his grip tighten a little more, "Pull us back Steve." She called out over her shoulder and Steve started to pull them back onto the train as quickly as he could, Star let out a cry of pain as her claws were pulled out from the metal causing Steve to stop in concern, "Don't stop." She told him as she cradled her hurt arm to her chest while she held on tightly to Bucky, she was not happy that those HYDRA weapons did so much damage to her and slowed down her healing those wounds.

Bucky was looking at his girl in concern now, the fear had dissipated at her cry of pain, "Stop doll." He said to her firmly, "Just let me go."

Tears were streaming down Star's cheeks, "No way in hell James Buchanan Barns, you are NOT leaving me, I am NOT letting go of you." She told him firmly, no matter how much pain she was in at that present moment in time there was no way she was letting go of the man she loved, there was no way in hell she was letting him die. With effort she pulled him closer while Steve was trying to pull them back into the train at the same time.

"Just hold on!" Steve called out under the slight strain of the heavier body of Star and then Bucky on top of that, he could lift a lot, but when they were going at a full speed and gravity took over making it worse.

Bucky brought his free hand up to his neck and pulled off his dog tags, he had a second set made so he could give one set to Star, put them around her neck and brought her into a kiss when he was close enough, "I love you Starlyn." He said softly, she barely heard him over the howling winds but heard him all the same, "I love you too." She responded and he kissed her again and in seconds there was nothing but air in front of her and Bucky was no longer in her grip, he had somehow slipped out of her tight grip, "NOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed as she watched him fall in to the ravine below.

Steve just watched in stunned shock as his best friend fell, somehow getting out of Star's grip that shouldn't have been possible, with one giant, grief stricken pull they were both back in the train car and Star was sobbing into Steve's chest. Steve had to wrap himself around her as she tried to jump out of the train a few times to follow Bucky down so that at least they would have a body to bury and return to his family. She would survive the fall, that was for sure, but then they would have the issue of going back for the pair and getting to them before the enemy did.

Meanwhile Gabe headed to the front of the car, he had just witnessed what had happened and knew that Cap and Star wouldn't be in the right state of mind to take Zola into custody, they would probably kill him in retribution for loosing Bucky. He jumped through the window startling the driver and Zola, his weapon was raised and the look on his face was daring them to do something that warranted getting shot.

Gabe had the driver head to their new destination where the others would be waiting for them with a force of men to make sure that nothing happened in between the train and getting Zola back to headquarters. Star and Steve hadn't moved from where they were grieving, by now Star had gone quiet and was just staring blankly into space while Steve wasn't any better. They had arrived at H.Q and everyone seemed stumped to see the pair of patriots in such a state but Gabe quickly explained, to those that needed to know, what had happened and why they were pretty much catatonic.

The Commandos moved into the train car and with the effort of them all they managed to get Steve and Star moving from the train and into the privacy of the building and left the pair to continue grieving together while Gabe told the officials what he could of what had happened, there was no way of getting it out of Steve and Star at that moment of time. The Commandos warned the officials that if they wanted to try they would probably end up with some severe wounds in response, if not dead.

Phillips walked down the corridor with a tray in his hands, he was taking some steak to Zola to see if that would entice the man to talk, if not he had other ways of trying to get the man to say what they need for him to say. Phillips nodded to the MP standing at the door and walked into the room and saw Zola looking around the room, startled Zola turned to Phillips and watched as the Phillips placed the tray down, "Sit down." Phillips told him.

Zola cautiously sat down and looked at the tray that was in front of him, "What is this?" Zola questioned.

"Steak." Phillips told him.

"What is in it?"

"Cow." Phillips said as he sat down across from Zola, "Doctor, do you realise how difficult it is to get a hold of a prime cut like that out here?"

"I don't eat meat." Zola said with a shrug.

"Why not?"

"It disagrees with me." Zola told Phillips.

"How about cyanide? Does that give you a rumbly tummy too?" Zola just gave a bland smile in response, "Every HYDRA agent that we've tried to take alive has crushed a little pill before we can stop him." Phillips explained as he was cutting into the steak, "But not you. So here is my brilliant theory." He said taking a bite of the meat, "You want to live."

"You're trying to intimidate me, Colonel."

"I brought you dinner. If I was going to intimidate you I wouldn't have brought you dinner and if I was going to kill you then I would have sent in the Rogers'." Phillips said and moved the paper that he had carried into the room over to Zola where he could read what it said.

"Given the valuable information that he has provided and in exchange for his full cooperation, Dr. Zola is being remanded to Switzerland." Zola read out aloud.

"I sent that message to Washington this morning." Phillips explained as he seasoned the meat, "Of course it was encoded." He had a potato on his fork, "You guys haven't broken those codes, have you? Cause that would be awkward."

"Schmidt would know that this is a lie." Zola said with confidence.

"He's going to kill you anyway, Doc." Phillips said bluntly, "You're a liability. You know more about Schmidt than anyone and the last guy you cost us was Captain Rogers' best friend and his sister's boyfriend, neither one of them would be there to lend a hand, you wouldn't get the best protection." Phillips explained, "It's you or Schmidt and 1st Lieutenant Rogers would have no problem taking you out if she can't have Schmidt."

Zola was thoughtful for a moment, "Schmidt believes that he walks in the footsteps of the Gods. Only the world itself will satisfy him now."

"You do realise that's nuts, don't you?"

"What? The sanity of the plan is of no consequence."

"And why is that?" Phillips wondered.

"Because he can do it!" Zola stated firmly and with conviction.

"What's his target?"

"His target… is everywhere." Zola revealed and Phillips had a hard time not reacting and racing out of the room, he still needed to know Schmidt's location.

"Then it would be in your best interest to tell us where Schmidt is before 1st Lieutenant Rogers makes her way down here."

"And what can one woman do?" Zola scoffed, he had been watching Steve, not what Star had been doing to help out Bucky.

"She's a woman of many surprises." Phillips responded.

Starlyn stared blankly ahead, she couldn't feel anything she was completely numb as she sat on Steve's bunk. She hadn't even changed out of her Liberty uniform and Steve had left a little while ago much in the same state as she was but he had changed out of his Cap uniform. Bucky was gone, her Bucky was gone, he had slipped literally through her fingers, her grip on him had loosened slightly when he told her he loved her and he took advantage of that so that Star would be safe.

"Ma'am." A voice came from the door but she didn't move, "Colonel Phillips has requested your presence in interrogating Dr. Zola."

Starlyn moved on autopilot as she followed the MP to where Zola was being held and headed in once the door was opened, "Colonel." She said in a bland voice and saluted the man half-heartedly.

"1st Lieutenant." Phillips responded with a salute, "We need your help in getting Zola to cooperate with us." He explained, "You may do what you wish to get the answers we need but try your best to leave him breathing and able to talk." He said and left the room.

Star looked blankly over at where Zola was sitting and the man flinched at her look and she moved toward him and finally ended up next to him, looking down on the sitting man, "You took something from me, it'd be best if you talk." She said in a dead tone.

"There is nothing that you can do to me that will get me to tell you what you want to know." Zola said confidently.

Star grabbed Zola by the scruff of his shirt and hauled him up so that he was now above her and with little effort threw him at the wall behind him before she moved over, picked him up and threw him down on the stretcher that was in the room, "Talk." Was all she said but he still said nothing so she went to the door and knocked on it and spoke with the MP and a few minutes later she was being handed a bag, Zola hadn't moved from where she had put him, there was a little fear in his eyes from her show of brute strength, he didn't expect a woman to hold so much strength, "Talk." She said again but he shook his head, he'd be dead either way.

Starlyn unrolled the bag, the clinking of tools sounding out in the small room and she grabbed the pliers from their pouch and turned back to Zola and took his hand and ripped out all of the fingernails on one hand. Zola cried out in pain at the action, never did he think that a woman would do something like she was doing, would have the gumption or the stomach to do what she was doing, "I learnt to torture people for information a long time ago." She told him when she saw his look, her voice monotone, "It's what I was originally trained for." She said as she finished off the other hand, taking the fingernails, "I also know how the body works due to my medical background, helps in getting information with minimal blood loss but maximum pain. You'd be surprised at how quick some would talk when needles are involved in getting information."

Starlyn hummed as she worked, she was going slowly and since Phillips had left behind the salt she made sure to make liberal use of that too, "How does it feel to be the experiment?" She questioned, "After all you did something to Sargent Barnes while he was being held captive and now you are responsible for his death. Captain America and I take that rather personally." Still Zola said nothing though she could tell she had gotten to him a while ago but he was being stubborn, "There is one thing I could do I suppose and it would hurt an awful lot." She mused as she picked up two metal spikes and showed them to Zola, "I could slam these into the femur of each leg and then attach them to a car battery, electrocuting you from the inside, right through your bones."

Zola looked horrified at the thought, "The Alps, Schmidt is in the Alps but there is nothing you can do, he will be taking off within the next 26 hours." He finally released, "But you will not win, development has already finished."

Starlyn put down the spikes and wrapped up her kit and headed for the door, "Get Phillips and I suppose that you should get him a medic." She said and left the room to return to hers and continue to mourn.