Chapter 28 is finally here.
I'm vibrating in my seat. But crying at the same time.
The glass windows of the Alps base come into view through the clouds. Steve is glaring hard out the windshield as Clint comes down. "Everyone ready?" Natasha asks. She hears confirmation from everyone, but Steve. "Cap?"
Steve looks at her, "This is it, I know it." He turns to the closed ramp, "turn us around, Clint." The ramp lowers, revealing the glass he saw in the front earlier. There isn't any defense on this side, no one could attack this way in the forties. But Steve can see agents beyond the glass scrambling. He puts on a jet pack that Tony provided them. Black Widow and Falcon are next to him with similar packs. Ironman is already in the air with Thor.
"Ready Bruce?" Clint says, putting the Quinjet on Jarvis-pilot.
"I think it's safe to say I'm angrier than usual," Bruce says, taking his shirt off. He doesn't need it destroyed. The others move to the side. Bruce starts turning green and takes a running leap off the ramp. He lands, in full Hulk form, through the glass.
The others fly over, stepping on the broken glass as Hulk stops over by them. There aren't any conscious Hydra agents in the vicinity. "Thanks buddy," Clint says, already aiming his bow at the big doors on the left side of the room. Hulk nods, grunting.
"Alright everyone, split into pairs. Stark, do you-"
"Schematics are downloading," Ironman answers. He whistles, "Not many modern improvements."
"Stark," Steve warns.
"Yeah, I got it. Commando, your team ready?"
"It's Command, but yes," Rick says from the Tower, "And Ghost is our leader."
"Alrighty then. Cap gave you your pair to consult, Jarvis is sending you the route each team is taking. Tell them where to go, you're the eyes.
"Yes sir," Josh answers.
Steve and Sam are paired with Nikki, who will be directing them to the cells. Rick is taking Thor and Natasha to the infirmary area. Clint and Tony are going to the interrogation wing. August, Finn, and Josh are watching for heat signatures coming towards the teams. Hulk is in charge of guarding the entrance, which means he has to get to the front door. Jacey's calm words guide him through the halls. Jarvis will bring the Quinjet to the ground for their departure.
The teams go off to their missions. "Turn right, Cap," Nikki states.
"Thanks Proton-ess," Sam answers for him. They turn.
"There's a squad of eight coming down the next hall, Widow," August says.
"No problem." Natasha and Thor take out the agents easily. "Which door, Command?"
"Left."
"The cells are five levels down."
"You're doing good Hulk. There are stairs on your left, they will bring you closer," Jacey says carefully, "understood?" She hears a grunt, followed by a door opening.
"Two groups are converging on your next intersection, Black Widow. And there are some coming up the stairs at the door behind you, Thor."
"Keen eye, young one," Thor says, barreling around the corner to bash them with his hammer.
Cap and Falcon arrive at their place first. After taking out all the agents in the area, they split to cover more area. "Heather?" Steve calls, looking in each cell.
"Lass!" Falcon says, on the opposite side of the gray concrete dungeon. They can hear the others calling out enemies inbound and directions.
Steve doesn't see anyone in the cells, "Falcon?"
"Nothing here, Cap. It's empty."
"No life in the infirmary," Natasha states. Steve freezes.
"Hulk is in position, and smashing with delight," Jacey says.
"Team Iron Arrow has reached our checkpoint, we'll get back to you," Ironman says.
"Wait wait, go back," Steve says, "Natasha, you said, 'no life,' what do you mean?"
Natasha looks at Thor, taking a deep breath.
"Natasha!"
"She's right, Cap," August says, "there isn't any other heat signatures but their own."
"But why did she word it that way?" Steve asks.
"Because I found blood, Steve," Natasha says calmly, "I don't know if it's-"
"No life forms here," Clint says, "but Cap, I'd get down here."
Steve and Sam arrive at the interrogation wing. Clint meets them at the elevator. They jog back to Ironman, trusting the teens to alert them of any enemies. They stop at an open door. Ironman is looking at the group, but with his mask down, Steve can't read his emotions.
"What is it?" Ironman moves out of the way. The room was converted into a make shift cell. The door was busted open by Ironman's repulsers. There is a cot with a thin pillow. Steve stares at the blood coating both, as well as the floor.
He walks into the room. "…Jarvis scanned the blood," Ironman says. Steve looks back at him. "..It's Heather's."
Steve turns back. There's red sprayed on the floor near the back wall. There's a bullet in the wall, along with bits of white amid the dried blood. "..What did they do to her?" Sam asks, having stepped in behind Steve.
"They must have known we were coming," Clint says. He draws his bow and shoots an agent down the hall. "You alright, Novelty? You're slipping."
The team at mission command is too busy looking at the picture coming from Ironman's helmet on Finn's computer. "…Yeah, we're fine," August says, "Black Widow, five in the next hall. Eleven are about to join them."
"On my way," Natasha takes out the soldiers. "It's bad, isn't it?"
Jacey had looked away, resorting to talking to the Hulk so he doesn't lose control. Finn had also walked away, with Josh.
"Yeah," August admits. He nods to Rick and Nikki, who nod back. They can still help. "Anything else, Captain Rogers?"
The question brings Steve out of his stupor. "We'll be on our way back, Night Ghost," he says, feeling numb at the sight of Heather's previous living space, "Thank you for your team's assistance."
"Yes sir." Steve turns around and exits the room. The team starts down the hall. Natasha is the last to leave the room, her fists clenched white.
Steve stops again after they turned a few corners. The interrogation and torture wings are next to each other. He had stopped going to the exit once he saw faint streaks of red on the floor. He followed them to a few rooms. The one with the freshest trail has a pair of chains hanging on the far wall, a whip on the table. Red is coating the floor and wall.
He reaches for the door.
"Steve-?"
He slams the door, so hard the walls crack and the hinges in the middle try to hold the door to the frame. He stares at it.
"Steve…" He doesn't look up, only tilts his head so they know he's listening. "Let's go. Heather's long gone. We have to keep looking."
Steve nods curtly and turns away from the wall. He doesn't look down any more doors. He keeps his gaze on the person in front of him.
"Cap, stealth agent-" Steve doesn't let Josh finish. He turns around and knees the agent in the gut. Then he kicks him square in the chest. The agent hits the wall, falling in a heap. A few more join him before anyone can warn Steve. He doesn't even look at them when he's done. He just stomps off to the front of the base.
Almost twenty agents later, he steps onto the Quinjet, fuming. Bruce had calmed down with Natasha's help and was sitting on one of the benches with a blanket. Sam walks onto the Quinjet. "Steve-"
Steve yells, turning around. Sam ducks out of the way, leaving Thor to take the punch. Thor barely moves, even if it did actually hurt. Steve punches again, which Thor lets him do. He takes out his anger for a moment, then stands there, one hand on Thor's armor, the other pulled back, but unable to hit his friend again.
"You aren't the only one angry with this-"
"Then why am I the only one showing it!" Steve yells. He stares at Natasha. "Heather's…"
"You says she's a child again and I'll punch you," Natasha says slowly.
"She doesn't deserve that!" Steve yells, motioning to the building. "That's her blood! I saw bone!" Steve sits in a huff a few benches down from Bruce. He takes his helmet off and runs a hand through his hair, "What did she go through..?" He asks himself. Natasha sits next to him, but he slaps off any attempt at consoling him.
Sam watches his friend silently fume, then turns to Clint, "Take us home." Clint nods, then sits in the pilot seat.
"You know she isn't an adult yet," Steve tells Natasha, "that's what I mean. She should be hanging out with friends, doing homework, living with her family, and the worst injury she gets is from falling off her horse. She shouldn't worry about being kidnapped by Red Skull, and she shouldn't willingly risk her life everyday."
"I understand that," Natasha whispers back.
"…She is a 'child' to me," Steve says, soft enough so only she hears, "because… I needed her to be that. I needed something to care for, so I'd actually care for myself. She made me try to live, without asking. She has a light that could lift anyone-"
"She still has that, Steve," Natasha says.
Steve looks up at her, "How can you be so sure?"
The plane comes to a halt after a smooth landing. Heather had actually managed to fall asleep, but with her cell being opened, she flutters her eyes awake to see who's 'escorting' her. She expected to see the two guards, but now it's only Red Skull. He opens the door and steps in. Heather uses the energy from her much needed rest to glare at him. He smirks at the gesture.
He picks her up, with a hand under her back and his other arm under her knees. To some, they'd think he's actually being kind to her. But Heather would tell you different. The injuries on her back protest from the pain, and but it is her knee, that is bent without her consent, that makes her howl in his ear. With each step, it brings her more pain.
Guards are on either side of the them. The group arrives at a cell block. Red Skull puts her down in one of the barred rooms. She doesn't move from her spot, the trip there was torture in itself. Red Skull locks the door and leaves the guards there.
"…Steve's looking, isn't he?" Red Skull stops and turns back down the hall. Heather is staring at the ceiling, with something of a smile on her face. "That's why we moved, he got too close." She turns to look at him, "He'll find me eventually. And then, you'll have to face the music."
Red Skull walks back over and unlocks the door. Heather keeps a brave face on for about six seconds, before her terror appears. "Now you don't want that to happen, Ms. America," Red Skull says. He rolls up his sleeves, "want to know why?"
Half the Novelty is at the landing pad when the Quinjet arrives. "You need us," August states, firmly, "Now that we know just how in trouble Heather is-"
"We still don't know where she is," Steve says back, "She could be anywhere, now. We'll have to check the bases we checked before and…" August is stifled to silence. Steve sits down on a couch, taking deep breaths.
Sam looks around, but only see August, Finn, and Rick. "Where's the rest of your team?"
Finn sighs, "Either throwing up or helping her not get her hair dirty. …Jacey has a delicate stomach."
"That is why I didn't want any of you to go," Steve says, "you wouldn't be able to handle what you see."
August steps forward, "Some of us don't have that problem."
"Is that why you are a shade greener than the last time we were here?" Clint asks. August looks at him, then at the floor. "No one should be used to that, so it's not a bad thing to be appalled."
Steve stands up, "Everyone back to work. We're back to square one with this, so we have to gain ground-"
"Steve," Natasha says, "we're all tired, we're bothered by what we saw-"
"Really Widow? Because you haven't shown a single emotion since we stepped onto the plane," Steve accuses.
"That's because all I could think about was the Red Room," Natasha says, hardness in her voice, "it isn't the same, but the only reason I don't plan to kill Red Skull myself is because I know that it is your right." She takes a breath, "We won't be able to find Heather while we are half asleep and shaken. I suggest that everyone get at least a few hours of sleep and have something to eat. If something is bothering you, you need to talk to someone. Keeping it in will not help."
She looks at the three boys still standing there. "Yes, ma'am," Finn says. August and Rick nod as well. They break off to find their places to sleep, and Finn reaches for his phone to tell his parents he won't be home that night, with the usual excuse.
Natasha looks at Steve pointedly. He sighs, then starts for an elevator as well. The doors close and the box slowly descends for his level. "Captain Rogers."
Steve sighs, rubbing his face, "Yes Jarvis?"
"I was running analysis on the bases that were already searched, where SHIELD was cleaning up-"
"And?"
"…There is one that is off SHIELD's radar. The agents working there just disappeared."
"...Where?"
"The one in East France."
Steve opens his eyes, "New destination, launching pad."
"Sir, Ms. Romanoff clearly stated-"
"Override Jarvis." The box stops moving, then slowly treks up again. Steve puts his helmet back on and walks out of the elevator, "I'll sleep when she's safe."
YAY! Steve's on the way! ...A little worse for wear though.. But Nothing Stops Cap right?
We're so close. I can feel it. He's coming, he's coming, he's coming- Can you hear me Heather!? He's coming!
I'll leave you with this little tidbit and try to get the next chapter up by tomorrow.
*smiles* I have a feeling you'll love it~!
~CtW
