A/N: Thanks to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur for the Bravo, and the brainstorming. And to Lady Pandora, and Black' Victor Cachat for additional brainstorming.
Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take,
towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Namaste,
Sunny
Captain America
Echoes in the Memory
Chapter 51
Crouching next to her backpack, Mia removed the small round grenades that would-hopefully-destroy the targeting and firing computer so the ship couldn't be used to kill the innocent. Beside her, Bucky had taken out the tools and the blades that would upload the virus to destroy the algorithm.
Signing, Mia asked, Why don't we just fry everything? They'd get the blue screen of death, and that's that.
It's not enough to destroy the computers. The virus is designed to rewrite the algorithm so it can't be used, as long as anyone who has a copy connects to the Internet.
She huffed. What's to stop someone from recreating it? We can't stop all of them.
Her grandfather shrugged, and signed for her to stay while he set the grenades, and replaced the targeting blade. It made her laugh, silently. I should go. Mia rubbed her fingers together to create a spark. I'm the detonator, remember?
You can't detonate that close to the tower, Mia. I'll go, and you watch my back.
At the same time, they heard the footsteps of several people coming their way. Mia had locked the door by zapping the controls. That left them locked out here on the platform, but they already had an escape strategy.
When the footstep had faded, they went back to work. Bucky set the grenades where they would do the most damage. There was no guarantee that this would work, but they'd give it the old college try.
Listening at the door, Mia nodded to Bucky that the coast was clear. She yanked the broken door open, and the pair made their way to their next target. One by one, they wired the grenades with an electronic detonator that would send Mia's blast of electricity to the grenades, setting them off a few at a time to keep the crew off balance.
With their mission accomplished, Mia and Bucky returned to the hatch through which they'd come. They were within moments of being home free when two squads of HYDRA agents surrounded them as they were crossing the deck.
"Drop the backpacks and your weapons," ordered the leader, a clean cut, wiry fellow who looked more like he belonged behind the desk at an accounting firm than being part of a terrorist organization bent on world domination. They also knew he wasn't playing.
The guns and backpacks hit the deck, and the pair allowed themselves to be tied. And why not? Both were strong enough to break the restraints, but at a time of their choosing.
The leader motioned for them to be brought closer. He looked from one to the other then at the men and women holding them. "Take her to the bridge. We'll deal with this one."
Not giving the HYDRA goons the satisfaction of even pretending to be scared, Mia went along with them without a fuss. Bucky did the same, and when she looked over her shoulder, she could see him signing behind his back, and smiled.
"HYDRA doesn't take prisoners. That means you're gonna die soon. What's so funny about that?"
Because smiling made them uneasy, Mia kept it up. "I've always wanted to tour one of these. Can we stop in the gift shop on the way out? I wanna get a shot glass for my collection."
One of the women gave her a shove to shut her up. "Quiet!"
Not happenin', b****!
As they passed one of the quinjets, she peered at the underside with her mouth open. "Whoa! I shoulda bought the gold ticket so I could go for a ride in one of those."
The woman poked her again as they reached the hatch. "I said quiet."
To throw her and the squad off, Mia gave her a leisurely onceover, leering, and grinning. "O-oh. I like a woman who takes charge. What's your name, sweet cheeks?"
The rest of the squad snickered, and the guard shot them a glare. "My door don't swing that way."
Mia lifted one shoulder, and let it drop. "Neither does mine, but I'm willing to try almost anything once." As she passed the embarrassed woman, Mia leaned close to stage whisper, "As long as I get to be on top."
She was shoved again, harder this time, while the other guards laughed. "I said shut the **** up!"
"I'm sure you didn't." Tilting her head to the side in thought, Mia pursed her lips. "No. You said 'quiet'." A longsuffering sigh came out. "Trouble is I can't be quiet. Not in my nature. Even talk and walk in my sleep. Been known to get a little frisky in my sleep too." To keep them off balance even more, Mia kept going, turning her attention to a couple of the guys, getting as close as possible, and winking. "If you know what I mean, fellas. BFs could only take being woken up with a hard-on in the middle of the night for so long before makin' themselves scarce. Then, a few years ago, something happened that, well, it just turned my whole life upside down. Dropped out of college, and roamed the country for a couple of years lookin' for answers."
The squad, especially the woman she'd propositioned, looked at her as if waiting for the next part of the story. Finally, one of the men asked, "So what happened?"
"First I should explain that the man I was with is my grandfather. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. He's way too young and hot to be a grandfather. See, what happened was in World War II, he was captured by a mad scientist by the name of Arnim Zola. And like Steve Rogers, he was shot full of this serum that changed him." She cocked her head to the side. "Those souped up genes were passed onto his progeny, giving some of them what you might call superpowers." The group stopped, and one of the men called for the lift. Mia just kept talking because the timing had to be just right.
"My superpower is different than my cousins though. You see, in addition to being exceptionally strong and fast…" Mia jerked her wrists in opposite directions, breaking the zip tie, quickly disarming and knocking out three of the squad members. The rest had been caught off guard, as Mia had intended.
"I can do this…" She'd never used the power to kill before, and wouldn't now. She created a strong electrical field that filled the hallway floor to ceiling. As they brought their weapons up to fire at her, the shield deflected the bullets, some of which ricocheted and hit a couple of the squad. Three of them fell against the lift door, falling inside when it opened.
Making a pushing motion, Mia sent the field toward the remaining guards, knocking them out. Standing in the hall with her hands at her sides, she looked down at her former captors. "Well, hell's bells. Now I won't get to finish my story."
One by one, she dragged the guards into the lift, leaving them in an undignified pile. She leaned in, and hit the button for the top floor, pulling her hand out before the doors closed.
Mia reached over her left shoulder with her right hand, and patted herself on the back. She picked up one of the discarded weapons, and made the return trip back to the deck.
Peeking out the door, she didn't see anyone. She readied herself for a quick sprint and a jump over the side when an explosion rocked the entire bay. It was followed quickly by three more.
Damn! We're supposed to be on Bravo by now!
Another blast, much bigger than the others, shook Alpha, and Mia lost her footing. She fell to the floor, the AR-15 flying into the air and over the side. The ship rocked again, and when it stopped, the deck was tilted at an angle. As if it were there with her, she heard groaning and the tearing of metal.
Through the hatch, she could see that the bay was dark. Using the edge of the hatch to pull herself up and out, Mia got to her feet, and moved toward the bow, intending to jump off, and get the heck out of Dodge. That plan went out the window as Alpha shifted again.
She heard a rumbling, followed by the bay doors opening, and the Potomac pouring in. O-oh, not good!
Mia tapped the headset to activate it. "This is Mia. Does anyone copy?"
"This is Sam, Mia. Where are you? Is that water?"
"Um, about that. I'm stuck on Alpha, and water's coming in. The bay's flooding."
She heard the whoosh of his wingpack, followed by gunfire. "Dammit! Ha! Take that, HYDRA!"
The distant sound of an airplane crashing reached her at the same time another explosion shook Alpha. Looking up, she could now see the sky through the millions of gallons of water still coming in. "I could use a lift. Wanna help a girl out?"
In her mind, Mia could see Sam's brown eyes, and smile that accompanied the laughter in her ear. "I thought the Barnes family had all these superpowers. Why don't you just go for a swim?"
"Two reasons. One, the water's moving too fast."
"And two?"
Mia didn't want to give away one of her personal secrets, but now wasn't the time for vanity. "I don't know how to swim!"
~~O~~
Charlie's first explosion set off a chain reaction that Steve hadn't intended. If Chase hadn't taken off, this would've gone as planned. Steve rushed up to the deck, and while he was planning his next move, a HYDRA goon fired at him with a weapon that used a force beam strong enough to destroy anything in its path to go by the smoldering chunks of metal to his left and right.
The man took a bead on him, and Steve brought the shield up to protect himself. The beam's impact with the shield sent him flying up and back. He came down on Bravo's deck just as the water came pouring in. His suit was waterproof, but that didn't stop it from getting inside. And it smelled rank.
Steve looked up, and saw Sam swoop into the bay, confusing him when his friend flew over Alpha, disappearing around the con tower. Then Sam came out the other side carrying someone that looked like Mia. She was facing him with her arms around his neck while he flew. He tapped his headset. "Mia, where's Bucky?"
"We got made. The guards split us up. He's probably on his way to you now."
"Copy that. I'll keep a look-out." Sam and Mia disappeared from sight as Steve took out a double squad of guards with his shield. "Anyone seen Chase?"
Static crackled in his ear, and when it cleared, he was relieved to hear a familiar voice. "Shit! Damn HYDRA goons knocked me into the water. I'm out now, and headed for Bravo. Not sure how long the headset will last." They heard shooting, and fighting then Bucky was back. "Haven't seen Chase. How could you lose a hundred and eighty-pound armed IT guy?"
Steve resisted responding in kind to his best friend's use of language. A lie seemed the prudent option in this situation. "We got separated, Buck. Not sure where he is. May not have his headset or he'd be giving us hell by now."
~~O~~
When the guards had taken Mia back inside, the leader grabbed Bucky by the arm, dragging him across the deck because he refused to pick up his feet.
"Who are you?"
Because it made jailers uncomfortable when a doomed prisoner smiled, Bucky did so. "I'm crushed that no one in HYDRA recognizes me. I'm one of Zola's most successful experiments," he proclaimed proudly. "I'd flex, but, well…" he wiggled his restrained hands.
The leader finally put it all together. "You're James Barnes."
"You do remember me! You know, because of Zola, I'm ninety-seven with the body of a forty… okay fifty-year-old, with none of the usual age-related issues that plague so many of this world's elderly. My fiancée will be thirty in November, and my best friend is marrying my granddaughter." Pausing for comments, Bucky was just a little annoyed when the guards made none. "I can run faster than an Olympian, and I'm stronger than a world-class weight-lifter."
To prove his boasting, Bucky snapped the wrist restraints, and quickly took out his guards. "Ha. Never knew what hit 'em."
Moving around the unconscious HYDRA guards as if they were too slimy to step on, Bucky disarmed them, keeping a couple weapons for himself, and tossing the rest in the water that was rapidly filling the bay. He squeezed the water out of his hair, and pushed it off his face as he sidled up to the doorway.
Getting to Bravo would be problematical with the open expanse of deck between his hiding place and the ship. Mapping out in his mind where he wanted to go once he was on board, Bucky eased around the corner, and behind a shrink-wrapped pallet. He readied himself for a run, staying still as Bravo lifted into the air while the bay doors were still opening. Hoping to stop it, he dashed out onto the deck, and turned to face the control room ten feet above him.
Bringing his weapon up, he aimed for the weakest points on the windows, switched over to fully automatic, breathed in, and let it out as he squeezed the trigger. The men and women inside the control room rushed to get away, probably thinking he was trying to kill them.
Nope. Not gonna happen. Not unless you give me no choice, HYDRA scum. Knew you guys were trouble back in WWII. At least your creepy leader's long gone, that red-faced sonofa****, and that sorry excuse for a scientist and a human being, Zola!
All Bucky wanted to do was keep them away from the controls long enough for Steve to take down Bravo on his own, because it was too late to join him. In many ways, Steve was still that skinny kid from Brooklyn who refused to back down from a fight. From the first time a bully had pushed the sickly six-year-old off the swings on the playground in kindergarten, Bucky had vowed to always be there to take care of him. It wasn't anyone's fault that he couldn't keep that promise when Steve ditched Schmidt's plane in the North Atlantic to save the residents of New York. If he'd been there, Bucky would've gone with Steve, and they both would've been at the bottom of the ocean.
The thought that he might not have his family, kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, made Bucky scared, and angry. They had to find a way to bring down HYDRA. Natasha and that jerk Sitwell hadn't shared their plans with the rest of the team. He just hoped this would be all over soon, and no one got badly hurt in the process.
~~O~~
Without appearing to do so, Justin took in his brother's clothing. An image floated out where he could see it clearly, and a name teased at his memory. Mentally rolling his eyes, Justin avoided his brother's hug, taking a step back. "What are you doing here, Chase?"
His brother leaned against the railing, crossing his arms, and grinning wryly. "It's good to see you too, Big Brother."
"This isn't a time for sarcasm. People are gonna die, and I'm trying to stop it."
The grin was gone as quickly as it came. Chase pushed off the railing, closing the physical distance between them. "And what, exactly, do you think I'm doing here? Not on a sightseeing tour, Just. Those HYDRA a-holes have tried to kill all of us more than once in the past couple of days." He pointed a finger in the air for emphasis. "Not counting when you tried to kill Nat, Steve, Sam and me. The Barnes family is resilient, and we'll bounce back even stronger."
"Who's here?"
"Steve, Nat, Gramps, Mia, Sam, me, and a bottom-feeding scumbag by the name of Sitwell." Chase must've seen something in his eyes. "Five-nine, bald, glasses, arrogance out the wazoo. Know him?"
While fanciful, the description brought to mind an obsequious little man who followed the leader around like a love-sick puppy, agreeing with everything the man said. Brown-noser was the term. "You could say that." Justin narrowed a glare at him. "What're Mia and Gramps doing here?"
"Same damn thing we are, bro. Takin' down the bad guys."
"Do Mom and Dad know?"
Chase snorted loud enough to make it echo. "Hell no! If they knew, we might as well let HYDRA kill us, and get it over with, because Mom would torture us for the rest of our natural lives." He looked down at his feet, and back up until their eyes met again. "So how'd you…"
"Get out from under HYDRA's control?" His brother nodded. "I had help. A friend. After I kill their leader, I have to go after her."
The eye roll Chase mimed was highly exaggerated. "Trust you to fall for a woman, or man, while you're a psycho-assassin for the ultimate bad guys."
Not as annoyed at the implication as he thought he should be, Justin half-smiled. "She's a woman, and a friend, Chase. Not a girlfriend. Without her, I'd still be that psycho-assassin. Still am, in all the ways that count. But now I have free will. I can choose not to kill." To his relief, Chase accepted his words without asking for details. "I've remembered almost everything."
"Want me to fill in the gaps? Just the Cliff Notes."
For some reason, Justin was hesitant to know the identity of the woman he kept seeing in his dreams, and when his mind wandered. He held up a hand at shoulder height. "A woman with dark brown hair, greenish eyes, smiles all the time. I think she has a cat, a black one."
"That's Celeste. You call her Rey. R-e-y." Chase moved another couple of inches closer, making Justin wonder what he was up to. "You and Rey were a hot little item for several months before…"
~~O~~
Chase let his voice trail off, and cleared his throat. "Yeah. She's, uh, she's doing okay. Not seeing anyone at the moment. Still has Cleopatra, and is still living in the same condo. The studio's so busy, she's thinking of opening a second one."
His brother cocked his head to the side, thinking, mildly confused. "Who is Sean? I remember we were…"
"Shackin' up? Yeah. Broke up when Sean decided that his music career was more important than being with the man he supposedly loved." Justin still had that befuddled expression in his eyes. "Yes, that means you're gay."
"But Rey is a woman."
He couldn't help it. Chase laughed, not out loud. That would be stupid when hundreds of bad guys were out for your blood. "Right. You also adore breasts, and guys don't have them." Chase held his hands out to the side, palms up. "Welcome back to your world, Justin."
Instead of the smartass retort he expected from his brother, Justin held a hand up for silence. He spun to one side of the door, and because he could now hear it, Chase did the same on the other side.
Barely breathing, Chase listened to the men and women talking as they crept past the stairwell door, recognizing the voice of the man who'd captured them during their fight with Justin. The one they called Rumlow. Anger boiled up inside him, and when he would've burst through the door with guns blazing, his twin stopped him with a small shake of his head. Justin signed listen.
The council's been breached. Black Widow's up there. Don't know what her plan is, but we gotta stop her. Her life is already forfeited. If she's injured Pierce, we'll make sure she dies slowly, and in a great deal of pain.
In his ear, Chase heard Hill's voice, "Cap, Rumlow's headed for the council chambers. You copy?"
Steve responded immediately. "Can't help. I'm solo on Bravo. Gotta take it down before they deploy the algorithm."
Knowing Steve would hear, Chase kept his voice super soft. "Chase to Cap. You handle Bravo. I'm on Rumlow." Even Justin smiled at Steve's response.
"Chase, you sonofa*****! Where the hell are you?"
Pretending to be shocked, Chase quipped, "Whoa! You kiss my sister with that mouth?" Not giving Steve a chance to answer, he continued, "Don't worry about me. I've recruited some help." Glancing at Justin questioningly, he got a short affirmative nod.
Justin's eyes widened as a sarcastic voice intruded. "Have fun stormin' da castle!"
Chase wanted to tell Gramps to **** off, but the look on Justin's face was worth the restraint. At the sound of their grandfather's voice, Justin got the strangest look in his eyes. A moment later, he smiled and shook his head, signing, He hasn't changed a bit, has he?
Nope. Come on. I've got a score to settle with that a-hole, Rumlow.
What happened?
Scowling, Chase responded, Sonofa**** was gonna kill me, Steve, Nat, and Sam. Needs to be taught that payback's a bitch.
~~O~~
The HUD in his goggles gave Sam a countdown of the distance to Mia before HYDRA realized she'd gotten away from the guards. He could see her heat signature moving. As he got closer, he found her climbing to a higher elevation to make the pick-up easier. She waved, and stretched her arms up high.
Flying in a random pattern, Sam dived into the bay, coming out of the loop just a few feet from Alpha's deck, close enough to see the rivets in the deck plates. His weapons went back into their holsters so he'd have both hands free, and reached out as he curved back into the air, catching Mia under the arms.
As soon they were out over the water, a couple of choppers headed for them, firing round after round from opposite directions.
Idiots, Sam thought as he used some fancy flying to fool them into shooting at each other. Their engines belched black smoke as the pilots lost control. One of the choppers managed to land on the wedge of grass between the Triskelion and the opening of the bay, while the other lost the battle with gravity and hit the water.
"That's some fancy flyin' there, Sam," Mia whispered directly into the ear without the headset.
"All part of the service, ma'am." His arms went around her waist, holding her in a hug that was more about not dropping her than being affectionate. "I've been thinkin'."
"'Bout what?"
The buckle of her belt pressed into his stomach, giving him ideas that were out of place. "When this is all over, and we've sent HYDRA runnin' away with its tail between its legs, we should celebrate."
She made a yummy sound causing her cheek and chest to vibrate where they touched. "Sounds intriguing. Who all would be at this wingding?"
"Hmm. Let's see. There would be you…"
"Of course."
"…and me."
Sam felt her smile where their cheeks touched, and at the same time, one finger lightly brushed up and down the back of his neck. "That goes without saying. Anyone else?"
Pretending to think it over, he came around the side of the Triskelion, scanning the horizon for a safe place to set her down so he could get back to the fight. "That's it. Just you and me. I like my celebrations cozy."
"O-oh. You read my mind, Sam." Mia's voice had changed to a husky whisper, telling him that their attraction was mutual, and not just a figment of his imagination. "What venue did you have in mind for this intimate little soirée?"
"Can't go back to my place. Not right away. Any suggestions?" Seeing an open field a half klick from the river, Sam headed in that direction. Mia would be safely out of the combat zone there. She started to slip, and Sam tightened his arms. "Whoa! Don't let go."
"I won't," she whispered in his ear, the bantering tone gone. "My place. The press won't be able to find us there." Staying low to the treetops, he angled down, landing near the tree line, and setting Mia away from him. She frowned at him. "What're you doing?"
He pushed the goggles up on his forehead, not looking at her as he adjusted the fit of his fingerless gloves. "I gotta get back to the fight, and you gotta get back to your family."
Turning away, Sam replaced the goggles, fitting them snuggly over his eyes. But Mia wasn't done with the discussion.
Her hand came down on his shoulder, spinning him around. Sam kept forgetting about those super-soldier genes of hers. "Like hell, Sam! Steve needs my help. If we don't stop that ship, a lot of people will die. I can zap their systems, make the targeting programs go bonkers. They'll end up shooting themselves in the ass. You gotta take me back!"
Looking into Mia's eyes, and silently praying for patience, Sam said one word. "No."
She gritted her teeth, and he could see what it took to keep her temper in check. "I'm not doing this out of some misplaced sense of my own importance in the grand scheme, Sam. I think we can both agree that plan A was a failure of greater than epic proportions. Steve needs back-up in case plan B bites it too. No offense, but in close quarters, all you can do is fight and shoot. I can fight, shoot, and electrocute the ******* s*** out of 'em."
Knowing he was beat, Sam gave in without another word. He put his arms around Mia, and waited for her to grab on as well. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, my ass is grass, and the Barnes family will be the lawn mowers."
"It will."
"It better. You agreed to a date, and I'm holding you to it."
Taking a stealthy approach to Bravo, Sam came in low, landing lightly on the deck. Mia stepped out of his embrace, and turned in the direction of the hatch. She took two steps, stopped, and came back. She grabbed the wingpack's harness, and pulled him into a kiss. When they parted, she winked, and grinned. "For luck."
TBC
