Nazis At The Center Of The Earth
He showed up at twelve on the button, the punctuality almost frightening. Pepper immediately called Kitty down, who was sleepy eyed and still in her pajamas. Noon. On a Sunday. Fuck this.
"Oh, fuck." Kitty swore upon seeing her visitor. "King, why the hell are you wakin' me up?"
Kingsley had no time for his usual pleasantries or jokes, which was worrisome. The last time he looked this tired and serious was the Las Vegas shooting. "You need to call all available Avengers right now."
"What?" Kitty glanced over her shoulder at Pepper, who looked just as startled. "What's goin' on?"
Kingley met Pepper's eyes and pulled Kitty into a secluded corner before handing her an envelope.
Kitty carefully broke the seal and took out several photographs. Some were aerial photos of what looked like a snowy tundra while two were blurry up close shots of a dark haired man in a blood red snow suit. "But that's-"
"Call them right now." Kingsley urged.
"JARVIS, who's home?"
"Dr. Banner is, Ms. Vics." JARVIS responded immediately.
"Tell him to meet us at the round table." Kitty turned to Pepper. "I need you to lock down the Tower and only let in Avengers. Make them clear the doors with their codes first. Level two lock down."
Pepper nodded. "Should I text Happy or-"
"Nah, he and Harrison should be fine at home, but you need to stay here."
"Okay, do you want me to start calling the team?"
Kitty and Kingsley exchanged a look, then the FBI agent slowly shook his head. "Thanks, Pep, but I think we got it. Come on, King."
Violent_Vixen_6: "I need all available Avengers at the Tower- ASAP"
Iron Man: "What's wrong?"
Violent_Vixen_6: "can't say over non secure lines."
Captain_America: "I'm in Brooklyn with Bucky."
Violent_Vixen_6: "bring him"
Black_Widow: "Are you sure?"
Violent_Vixen_6: "trust me, he'll want in"
Spider_Man: "I'm in class"
Violent_Vixen_6: "and you're staying there, next"
Black_Widow: "On my way :)"
Captain_America: "So are we. ETA 15 minutes."
Violent_Vixen_6: "Barton?"
Black_Widow: "Still on vacation. Tony?"
Iron_Man: "I'm in Paris but I can be back in three hours."
Violent_Vixen_6: "don't have that kind of time. teams me, J.D., Cap, Bruce, Tasha. anyone else?"
Iron Man: "None that'll be there in time. I've got Wanda and her brother with me. He can probably make it in time."
Violent_Vixen_6: "Can he swim?"
Iron Man: "He'll just run on top of the water."
Violent_Vixen_6: "if he can't actually swim, I can't use him. anyone who's coming, be here within an hour at the round table."
"Guys, Kingsley," Kitty introduced by waving her hand towards the man sitting next to her. "King, guys."
"You won't believe the kind of treason I commited to get these." Kingsley held up a stack of photographs before throwing them down on the table. "These were taken five hours ago."
Steve grabbed one of the photos and inspected it. "That's Walter Weiham."
Bruce's eyebrows knitted together. "He was the head of Hydra, right?"
"Is," Kingsley corrected. "Is the head of Hydra. He's alive and well, in Antarctica right now."
"Antarctica?" Natasha asked dubiously.
"We think there's an old Nazi fort," Kingsley clicked a button on the table, which produced a holographic layout of a structure under the Artic ice. "Right here." He moved the holograph down a few inches and zoomed in. "Hope you have good coats, because I want you in."
With a glance at Bucky, Steve asked, "Government interference?"
"I doubt it." Kingsley shook his head. "The American government has decided that it's staying out of this. Legally, I'm not here."
"Staying out of this?" Bruce repeated. "How are they just going to stay out of this?"
"You know how." Kingsley said darkly. "The only people outside of the Oval Office that have seen these photos," He gathered them up in his hands and put them in his suit pocket. "Are right here in this room, which is where it's staying. I'm not saying you have to risk-"
"Be ready to go in twenty." Steve stood up, prompting the rest to follow. "We'll take one of Tony's jets-"
"We'll have to go full stealth. If we use autopilot, they might be able to change our telemetry." Bruce reported. "And we should probably take the Jovi. It's the smallest while still being equipped with what we will need."
"I can fly it." Kitty said confidently. She looked to Steve and added, "It won't be pretty, but I can."
"I'll copilot." Bucky offered quickly.
Kitty's eyebrows knit together. "You're a pilot?"
"This is your case." Steve put his hand on her shoulder and said, "You're taking lead, Kitty."
Kitty nodded. "I don't have to tell y'all that it's gonna be cold." Kitty announced with her hands on her hips. "Make sure you're bundled up. Even you, Cap. Bruce," His head snapped up. "I want the jet as well as her rescue pods to be fully equipped with whatever you think we may need for cool environments. Extra food, supplies, blankets, meds. Everything."
Bruce nodded and everyone left to prepare.
"Thanks, King." Kitty hugged her friend. "You won't get in trouble for this, right?"
"How am I to know if Stark got a hold of aerial footage and decided to check it out for himself?" Kingsley shrugged with a smile. "Call me when you get back, so I know you're okay?"
"Of course." Kitty walked him downstairs and watched as he left, while the others suited up. In less than twenty minutes, Kitty ceremoniously dumped a large pile of winter gear on the jet.
"You do know that I put some jackets in the cabinet, right?" Bruce asked her.
"Average temperature for that region in the middle of winter in -49c. That's only -56f and I'm quite attached to my hands and toes." Kitty sassed as she pulled on a pair of motorcycle gloves.
"Okay, okay."
"So, do you want to be on the raid team or just medical?" Kitty asked as she sat down in the cockpit. "I know you don't like to do any fightin'."
"If you don't need me," Bruce crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against one of the sides on the inside of the jet. "I'd like to just stay in the warm, cozy plane and suture you up when you're done."
"Who's to say I'll need stitches?" Kitty asked defensively as the rest of the team filed in the plane.
"Are you kidding? Have you met yourself-" Bruce's shoulder was bumped as Bucky rudely pushed past him. Bruce rolled his eyes and went to take his seat in the back of the jet.
Kitty switched on the jet's com system and said, "Settle down folks and buckle up." She flipped the com off and started prepping for take off. She saw Bucky sit down and greeted, "Hey, hotshot."
Bucky smiled his sleepy smile and buckled up his harness. "You ready, Sunshine?"
Kitty returned the grin as she slipped on her headset. "Are you?" She flipped up three switches on the instrument panel and the plane quietly started up. She carefully maneuvered the plane out of it's housings and set for the top of the world.
About ten minutes into their ascent, Kitty's ears popped painfully. "Gah!" Her hand flew to her ear and she opened and closed her mouth several times.
"Are you okay?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah," Kitty lied. "Yeah, I'm fine." Kitty's voice sounded distorted and weird to her and she continued massaging her ear.
"Are you sure? Your ears look like they're bleeding." Bucky pointed to her ear, which had a stream of blood steadily oozing out.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It does that."
"Okay…" Bucky nodded, but didn't sound convinced. "Hey, thanks for inviting me." Bucky said suddenly.
"Oh, no problem." Kitty shrugged. She used a napkin to clean the drying blood off her neck.
"Really, I mean it."
"No problem." Kitty looked down as her face blushed profusely. "So what were you and Stevie doing?"
"Talking about old times." Bucky said lightly. "It's nice being able to remember some of the old things we used to do."
"I'm glad you remember some of it." Kitty smiled. "What exactly were you talking about? If you don't wanna tell me, that's okay-"
"No, it's fine. We were talking about how our past selves would think of our current selves."
"And the consensus?"
"Past me would try to kick current me's ass for not being with you."
Kitty froze mid-action. But he will leave you. "Hey, hun, can you take primary so I can put on a jacket?" Kitty asked suddenly as she unbuckled her harness. "It's already starting to get cold."
"Of course." Bucky switched over the controls and watched as she left the cockpit. "Came on a little too strong." He whispered to himself. "Little too strong."
"How you guys holdin' up?" Kitty asked the group. Natasha was shrugging on her jacket and Bruce was rifling through the pile for a pair of gloves.
"Is there something wrong with the heat?" Steve asked as he rubbed his hands together.
"We're only about fifteen minutes from where we'll land," Kitty reported. She picked up her white jacket and shrugged it on over her suit. "Then we'll have to walk about three miles to where the ground radar says the structure is."
"Should've brought long-johns." Steve muttered. As if on cue, Kitty threw him a pair of bright blue pants and a shirt.
"Hot Chilly's." Kitty nodded to the bathroom. "Go put them on under your suit."
"Are you sure they'll fit?" Bruce said dubiously as Steve left.
"God, I hope so," She zipped up her jacket and started buttoning it up. "I ordered them in his size."
"You bought him base clothes?" Natasha asked curiously.
"I've got them for everyone." Kitty held up a bag full of different colored clothes. "Yours are red, Bruce, you're purple, Bucky's dark blue." She started handing out the garments. "I didn't want you to be cold."
Steve came out with them under his suit, as directed. "These are really great, thanks Kitty."
"Welcome." Kitty called over her shoulder as she walked back up to the cockpit, the dark blue pair in her hands. She shoved them at Bucky and told him, "Go put these on, then get your jacket on."
Bucky did as told and joined her just in time to start the land procedures. "Shit, there's a lot of wind." Kitty felt the jet sweep gently to the right. Over the com, she said, "Make sure you're strapped in, this is gonna be a bit rough. Sorry." She switched com off. "Hey, J.D, I'm gonna need you to turn the stabilizers off, redirect power to the second engines."
"You sure?" The look Kitty gave him made him apologize. He flipped off four switches and overrode the computer's complaint. "Turning stabilizers off."
The jet jerked downwards as it hit a strong gust of wind. Kitty pulled up on the controls to try to even it out.
"And redirecting power."
After a lot of careful maneuvering, Kitty and Bucky managed to land the jet in a moderately safe space. In the middle of a barren ice field. With no cover. Great.
"Everyone whole?" Kitty yelled.
Laughter and a weak, "No!" Rang through the jet.
"Nice flyin'." Kitty kissed Bucky's cheek and ruffled his hair, making him smile. "Let's go. Hey, Banner!"
Bruce's head jerked up to look at her.
"Come over here!"
He followed Kitty to the cockpit, where she sat him down. "This button is autopilot." She touched a green switch. "Flip it up and press this," A red button. "Twice. The wheels'll come up and then you enter where you need to go. All of us have a tracker, so you can see us here." There was a screen listing each person's name and coordances. "Click on it and enter in your code and it'll take the ship to fifteen yards out from us."
"Okay, got it." Bruce confirmed. "But I won't need this, right?"
She laughed at his obvious 'you'll be careful, right?'. Kitty said, "Yeah, yeah, just good for you to know."
"I've also got your heart rates," He held up an iPad. "Temperature, any suspected injuries, BP-"
"Ooh, can you check my credit score, too?" Kitty asked sarcastically. She started to walk away before pausing and turning around, "Actually, don't do that because it's probably really bad."
They made sure everyone was completely ready to go before they opened the doors. Everyone was bundled up in all white, hats and scarfs and long-johns, and loaded up weapons wise. And Kitty's teeth still chattered the moment the door was opened. The cold wind hit her like a slap in the face and her nose burned with each breath. "H-h-holy shit, is everyone's c-c-coms working?"
"Y-y-yeah." Steve managed as the group stepped out of their warm structure.
Bruce Banner: "Have fun, keep me updated on injuries so I can be ready when you get back."
"Will do." Kitty waved as he closed the jet's door, sealing them out in the arctic tundra. "Okay, g-g-guys, signal s-s-says that we need to go two and a half miles out. The wind p-p-pushed up another half a mile closer than I w-w-was planning."
"Yay w-w-wind!" Natasha cheered and the group trudged North.
Quiet sounds of shivering could be heard over the com system, except from one person. Kitty looked to the person next to her and gasped. "Bucky, aren't y-y-you c-c-cold?"
Bucky shrugged.
"Whatthefuck?" Kitty whispered as she stared at him with fear and amazement.
"That's not n-n-natural." Natasha hissed. "I'm f-f-fucking FROM Russia and I'm c-c-cold."
Bruce Banner: "It says that, with the wind, it's about -54c right now."
"T-t-thank you, Dr. B-B-Banner."
Bruce Banner: "In each of your zippered pockets, you'll find three little red pills sealed in a waterproof bag. If I tell you to take it, put one under your tongue and let it dissolve. It'll be extremely bitter and probably make your tongue numb, but whatever you do, do not spit it out."
"W-w-what is it?" Steve asked dubiously.
Bruce Banner: "An experimental pill that should raise your body temperature up to five degrees. You can only take one and only when I tell you to because it can have extreme side effects-"
"T-t-this sounds promising." Natasha muttered.
Bruce Banner: "Similar to Methamphetamine, so you'll have faster breathing, increased body temperature, and wakefulness, all of which we want. But like Methamphetamine, it'll probably be addicting, so you need to watch each other."
"Banner's a drug dealer," Kitty sang lightheartedly. "Banner's a drug dealer!"
Bruce Banner: "I'm not-"
He was cut off by all four members of the ice group singing, "Baaanner's a drug dealer, Baaaanner's a drug deeeeealer!" Their laughs seem to bounce off the blinding white ice and for a minute, they forgot how cold they felt. But only for a minute.
"W-w-what is t-t-that?" Steve asked. On the horizon in front of them lay an old mining town with rotting wood structures.
"That's w-w-where K-K-King's signal came f-f-from." Kitty had her cell phone out as she scrolled through the messages. She sealed it back in it's waterproof bag and stashed it in a zippered pocket.
"A-a-anyone getting a R-R-Resident E-E-E-Evil vibe?" Natasha asked.
"Hmmm...I was t-t-thinking more AVP but yeah," Kitty shrugged. "That w-w-works, too."
Bruce Banner: "There are heat signatures near where you guys are. Stay vigilant."
"C-c-c-copy that." Steve confirmed.
"O-o-oh shit!" Kitty hissed. She saw a snowmobile on the other side of one of the wood structures. A figure in a red snowsuit was bent over the vehicle, gassing it up for his twice daily run arounds. "We gotta hide, we gotta go!"
"Where the h-h-hell are we going to h-i-ide, Vics?" Natasha asked harshly as the group looked around for anywhere to hide. "W-w-we're in the f-f-fucking Artic with n-n-no cover!"
Kitty's eyes fell on a broken part in the ice, right under a domed metal sheet. It was going to be a tight squeeze and cold, but it was better than where they were. "G-g-guys, stay with me." She ran over the ice best she could, making sure to keep out of sight of the enemy and motioned to the water.
"Vics, do y-y-you know h-o-ow cold that'll b-be?" Natasha demanded.
"Would ya r-r-rather be caught by Hydra N-a-a-azis?"
Natasha silently followed the group to the water. Kitty closed her eyes and held her breath as she slid into the water. It was paralyzing. The cold immediately jerked her muscles and she fought to swim to the break under the metal sheet. Her hat and scarf weighed her down so Kitty tore them off and let the pieces sink down to the black abyss. Bucky was next in the water, then Steve, and finally the hesitant Natasha.
Bruce Banner: "Kitty, Natasha, your body temperatures are reading 92 and 91 degrees, what the hell are you two doing?"
"I-I-I don't wanna t-t-talk bout it." Kitty whispered as she shivered violently.
Bruce Banner: "Steve your temperature is starting to drop as well."
"I n-n-noticed." Steve responded. "N-N-Nat, come here. B-B-Bucky, you get-t-t Kitty. We h-h-have to keep our b-b-body heat up." He wrapped his arms around Natasha and the groups of two huddled close as they treaded water.
Bruce Banner: "Take those pills right now."
"A-a-are you s-s-sure?" Steve asked.
Bruce Banner: "Yes, one pill each of you, now."
Natasha fumbled as she got out her baggie. She went to unseal it but dropped it instead. "Shit." Natasha said as she tried to get the bag before it sank.
Kitty pried Bucky's arm off her and dived down into the deep for the pills.
"KITTY!"
She found that she couldn't keep her eyes open and was instead just blindly groped around for the bag. Kitty had it right there in her hands, but it was so cold that she couldn't curl her fingers up to keep them. They drifted back to the bottom. With her eyes closed and the darkness closing around her, Kitty's mind wandered. My chest hurts, She silently noted. And my feet hurt. I should stop kicking. If I stop kicking, they won't hurt anymore. Kitty stopped fighting the current and succumbed to the freezing depths. She could feel her body being pulled down deeper and deeper. I won't hurt anymore...
Then she felt a strong hand grab the hood of her jacket and she was dragged up to the top of the water.
"Kitty!"
Kitty gasped loudly as she broke the surface. "I, I didn't g-g-get them!" She cried hysterically. "I c-c-couldn't get t-t-them!"
"Kitty, it's fine!" Steve tried to reassure her, but she was past that point. He had gotten out his own pills and given one to Natasha. "It's fine! B-B-Buck, keep her w-w-warm!"
"Are you alright?" Bucky asked her as he pushed away some of the wet strands of hair sticking to her forehead. When she didn't answer (Kitty was still trying to figure out how she got back to the top of the water), Bucky urgently pled, "Kitty, tell me you're okay, please."
Kitty nodded. She was focused on keeping her head above the freezing water. "F-f-fine, J-j-j.D. T-t-thanks."
"Are you sure?"
Tears flowed from Kitty's eyes and she shook her head in response to Bucky's question. She noticed that his hair was wet too, meaning he had to dive underwater to grab her. She immediately felt guilty. "I-I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Kitty, I'm okay." Bucky insisted.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Kitty, please stop crying, please don't cry-"
Bruce Banner: "Kitty, your core body temperature just plummeted. You need to take a pill right now."
Kitty figured that it would be easier to get into Bucky's jacket than her own, so she unzipped the pocket over his chest and withdrew the sealed baggie. Her hands were shaking and she was worried she'd drop them. "B-B-Bucky, let g-g-g-go-o of me and put your h-h-hands und-d-der mine incase I d-d-drop one." He did as told and Kitty managed to fish one out. Bucky opened his mouth and she popped one under his tongue, then under hers. And Bruce was right, it was bitter. Luckily, her tongue was already pretty numb but it tasted like she had drank soap. He hugged her to him again and she waited for warmth, but none came. "W-w-what's the d-d-deal, Banner?"
"I t-t-thought these w-w-would make us warm!" Natasha complained.
Bruce Banner: "They'll start working soon. Well, they should, like I said, it's experimental, this only really the first trial-"
"This g-g-give you f-f-f-flashbacks to you being a C-C-Capsicle?" Natasha asked Steve.
Kitty pressed her cheek to Bucky's chest and tried to regulate her breathing. He was definitely warmer than her but after only a few seconds, she felt him push her away. I get it, Kitty thought as she fought to keep her legs kicking. I wouldn't want an icicle pressed up against me either. She was surprised, though, when she saw Bucky unzip his outer jacket. He pulled her flush against his chest and wrapped Kitty up so both were in his jacket. Dear god, there's even more heat. What is this man, a walking oven? "I'm so c-c-cold, Jack." Kitty breathed. "I'm so cold."
Natasha laughed but Bucky looked very concerned. He looked down at Kitty and said, "My name's not Jack."
"I-i-it's a movie," Kitty tried, then gave up. "Ne-e-evermind."
Natasha's eyebrows drew together. "W-w-why exactly a-a-are we here again?"
Kitty thought about that for a moment. Her head felt cold and cloudy and she was having a hard time remembering what they were doing there. She looked up at Bucky, who was surprisingly close to her. Seriously close, with their noses almost touching and she could easily lean forward and kiss him-no. Bad Kitty. "I c-c-can't remembe-e-er."
Bucky paused then gently ran his thumb over her slightly pink cheek. Finally, he bent his head and murmured in her ear, "Nazis. We're here for Nazis, baby."
"Bu-u-ut w-w-why are we h-h-here in the water?"
Bruce Banner: "Are you submerged in the ocean? In Antarctica? That'll kill you in less than four minutes-"
Kitty tuned out of Bruce's medical rant and instead concentrated on the sound of the snowmobile getting closer.
"Banner, shut up." Bucky hissed, cutting the doctor off. "You're going to get us killed!"
The group silenced and the cranking sound grew louder; They were right next to their hiding spot. Kitty held her breath and felt Bucky hold her closer.
"Don't worry." He whispered so softly that even Natasha and Steve couldn't catch it. "I'll never let anyone hurt you, Sunshine."
The part of Kitty's mind that felt like it was drifting away noted that he had his metal arm as far away from her as possible. Kitty appreciated it.
The snowmobile stopped and Kitty wretched her arm out from Bucky's embrace and retrieved her beretta. She was so cold that Kitty's hands were trembling and her aim probably wasn't going to be the best, but at this close range with hollow points, that wouldn't matter too awful much.
Natasha saw Kitty and drew her weapon as well. There were some yelling that Kitty couldn't quite make out followed by the snowmobile leaving. With her gun still in her hand, Kitty detangled herself from a silently protesting Bucky and carefully swam to the break in the ice.
"A-a-all c-c-clear." Kitty managed to whisper. She reholstered her gun.
Bruce Banner: "Every single one of you's core body temperature is below 90 degrees, you need to get out of there-"
The other three swam to the break and helped lift each other onto the ice. Kitty stubbornly insisted on making sure the others were safely on the ice before Bucky effortlessly lifted her from the water. She flopped on the ice and saw that the others were all laying on their backs. She couldn't help but close her eyes as she felt warmth roll through her body…
Bruce Banner: "Is anyone there? Kitty and Natasha, your vitals are dangerously low and the pills will be wearing off soon, Steve, I need you to make sure they're awake and stay that way."
"Sunshine-"
Someone was shaking her shoulder.
"Wake up."
The voice sounded worried and very insistent.
"Wake up, Sunshine, wake up-"
Someone put a very fucking cold hand on Kitty's cheek and her eyes snapped open. Kitty groaned when she saw that Bucky had touched her with his frozen metal hand. So much for that appreciation.
Bucky was looking Kitty over with extreme concern. There was ice in her hair and eyebrows and her lips were blue. It didn't even look like she was breathing and if Bucky didn't see that her eyes were open, he would've assumed she was an icicle. "Hey, Sunshine." He ran his hand over her hair. "You scared me there."
Bruce Banner: "Kitty and Natasha are in moderate hypothermia and Steve, you and Barnes are slipping from mild to moderate, you've got to get somewhere warm."
"Whyyaalwayscallme'Sunshine'?" Kitty asked breathlessly.
"Come on." Bucky helped her to her feet and saw Steve doing the same with Natasha.
"Wegottagetinside." Kitty nodded to the mining structures. "I d-d-don'tcareif we g-g-gotta punch e-e-every Naziinthat d-d-damn thing, we gettin'in."
Bucky smiled when she mentioned punching Nazis. It's the little things in life you have to cherish.
Bruce Banner: "Kitty and Natasha, both of you need to take another red pill. Your temperatures are 84 and 86 and you're experiencing heart arrhythmias."
"I-i-if he doesn't s-s-shut the fuck u-u-u-up-p-p," Natasha chattered. "I'm g-g-g-going to kill him-m-m." Steve gave Natasha another pill before she could continue her threats.
Kitty's fingers felt frozen in her gloves and she fumbled to unzip her coat pocket. After the third (failed) attempt, Bucky held up a pill. Kitty tried to take it from him, but her hands were trembling too much. "Open." Bucky stressed.
"I c-c-c-an do it my-y-yself." Kitty huffed.
"No, you can't." Bucky argued. "Let me help you." She rolled her eyes and he put his flesh hand on her cheek. She opened her mouth and Bucky gently dropped the pill under her tongue.
This time, it felt like a fire was in her mouth. Kitty opened her mouth and saw that Natasha was doing the same, fanning her mouth while panting. "Hot! Hot!"
Bruce Banner: "Sorry, forgot to warn you that the second dose will be more effective since there's already some in your bloodstream-"
"Burning! Burning!'
Bruce Banner: "But your vitals are already improving-"
"Bruce Banner!" The pill finally dissolved in Kitty's mouth and she ranted, "If you don't s-s-shut the fuck up, Tasha and I are gonna t-t-tag team and kick your ass so bad that the Other Guy will have to make a bloody appearance just t-t-to save you."
Bucky started laughing as Kitty swallowed multiple times to try to clear the bitter taste.
"Now," Invigorated by the sudden heat, Kitty smiled and took the lead. "Let's go kill us som-m-me fucking Nazis."
"Can't even argue with that." Steve said as the team started towards the cover buildings.
"Don't think either of us can."
"The o-one on the right." Kitty pointed to a smaller, unstable looking cabin. "That's where th-h-he most heat showed on King's thermal radar." She took out her gun and held it to her side. "All cl-cl-clear."
They gathered around the shack, which had a brand new looking box on the door. Steve looked at Kitty, Bucky, and Natasha, then back to the box, whose light shined red. "Any ideas?"
Kitty nudged him out of the way and said, "JARVIS, read the last text from King to me."
"9385011748295733."
She entered the code in and waited. The light flicked to green and the wood piece they were standing on jerked before slowing easing down. "Thank you, JARVIS." Kitty whispered.
"Thank you, Kingsley." Steve added.
The four hunkered down, weapons drawn, as the freight elevator made its way below the many layers of ice. After almost a minute of being on the elevator, their surroundings dimmed, then brightened again with an artificial yellow glow. Before the freight elevator stopped completely, all four rolled off as soon as they safely could and hid in an empty corridor. It was so warm in there that the group quickly shucked off both their inner and outer jackets.
Bruce Banner: "Everyone okay? Your body temperatures are rising exponentially."
Kitty rubbed her hands together and breathed on them. "Mmmm-warmth."
"It's so beautiful." Natasha murmured.
"We'll shove the coats over there," Kitty pointed to a small broom closet. "So we can put them back on when we're done." They all agreed and started stashing their clothes. Kitty caught sight of herself in a mirror hanging in an open locker door. "Hey," She turned around and touched her frozen hair. "You guys like my ice dreads?"
"Very attractive." Natasha said in a deadpan voice. She started rifling through a locker and pulled out a candy bar. "Ooh, Snickers." She ate the entire thing in two bites.
"Hey! Where's your clearance badges?" A voice to their left called. Kitty's head snapped over to see a woman with mousy brown hair briskly walking towards them. "You know you have to wear your-"
Kitty punched her in the face as Natasha swept her legs out from under her, causing the woman to flip over onto her back. The woman was unconscious before she hit the ground. Kitty pointed her gun at the woman, but Steve cleared his throat. Although he didn't actually say anything, it was obvious he disapproved of what she was gearing up to do. Kitty rolled her eyes and moved her gun off the woman. The gunfire that echoed through the loading dock wasn't from Kitty's gun, though. Kitty pulled Natasha and rolled to cover behind a set of lockers while Steve and Bucky hid behind the other lockers. Kitty peaked into the hallway, only to draw back when more shots rang out.
"Shit." Kitty hissed.
Bruce Banner: "Everything okay? Your heart rates seem to have-"
"Shut up!" Everyone hissed.
Kitty closed her eyes and stuck her hand and gun out from behind the cover. She shot five bullets out in the general direction she knew the shooters were. The gunfire stopped and each person eased their heads out to look. Four dead Nazis.
"Nice job." Bucky praised.
"Yeah, really nice job." Natasha said with her eyebrows drawn together suspiciously.
"What now?"
"It's too big to clear." Kitty sighed and rubbed her temple. "Even if we split up-"
"We are not splitting up." Bucky said firmly.
Kitty retorted, "You know what I mean."
"It's your call, Kitty." Steve reminded her. "Now what?"
-Three and a half minutes later-
Kitty forced herself to run as fast as she could, despite her lungs protests to the sudden cold air. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed in a command. A song started just as the base exploded.
"Oooh, I'm a pyro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I wanna burn it up-"
The explosion sent waves of shockwaves through the ice and Kitty stumbled. She looked behind her to see that Natasha looked jarred as well.
"I think that could've been handled better!" Steve yelled as the group continued running from the burning Nazi base.
"I don't think it could have." Bucky disagreed with an adoring smile at Kitty.
"What is that song?" Steve asked. Kitty turned the music off and smiled. "Did you just blow that up to music?"
Bruce Banner: "Are you guys okay? There seems to have been an explosion, I saw it from here-"
"I blew up the Nazis, okay?! I blew them up, poof, they're gone!" Kitty yelled in her defense. They continued running until they were out of breath. "Banner! Start up the plane like I showed you, lock in on my signal."
Bruce Banner: "Everything's safe out there?"
"Yeah," Kitty glanced over her shoulder at the raging fire over a mile away. "Should be far enough out that it shouldn't mess with the jet."
Bruce Banner: "Stay where you are, I'm coming."
Kitty sat down on the ice and hugged her knees to her chest. "Should've grabbed our jackets." She shivered, clad only in her base clothes under her suit. "Learned that mistake."
"Should have warned us exactly what you were doing with all that sugar." Steve retorted. "And we could have grabbed a jacket or two."
Bruce Banner: "ETA two minutes."
"Where'd you learn that anyways?" Bucky asked.
Ashley taught me. Kitty thought. Outloud, she said, "Special forces."
"I think the m-m-mission was a success." Natasha noted as she sat down next to Kitty. "Nazis are d-d-dead. Their fort is destroyed beyond repair. Anyo-o-one stuck under there would've died from the f-f-fire or from smoke inh-h-halation."
"Yeah." Kitty nudged Natasha. "Tell em."
Bucky plopped down beside Kitty. He leaned in close and set his head on her shoulder and smiled at her "I thought you did a good job."
"S-s-see, Cap," Kitty motioned to her two comrades. "I did good!"
"I'll give it to you," Steve nodded. "The plan worked."
"The plan worked." Kitty murmured as she shut her eyes for a moment. "It worked."
A low roar rumbled through the air and they looked up to see the Jovi slowly easing itself down on the ice. The door swung open and Bruce Banner, bundled up in his jacket, stood there. Kitty smiled softly and tapped Bucky's arm to signal him to get off her. She forced herself to peel her body off the ice and wander into the nice, warm jet. Bruce had set up a fort of blankets on the floor of the biggest part of the jet.
"Neither of you," Bruce pointed to Kitty and Natasha. "Are shivering. We have to get your clothes off and put you in dry garments."
Kitty started walking towards the bathroom. "I'm 'kay 'nuff to undress Tasha."
"Never too sick to not strip Kitty down." Natasha agreed as she followed Kitty, much to the amusement of the group.
"All the homo."
"Aren't you asexual?" Bruce asked Natasha over the wall.
"Yeah, but it's Kitty." She reasoned. "She could turn a straight laced religious girl gay for a night."
"Hey," Kitty said defensively. "Don't cheapen the night Ashleigh and I had."
"You did her solely to prove Deadpool wrong."
"Because he was. Besides," Kitty's voice was muffled slightly. "It's not like I'd have sex with people in the other room."
Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked down but remained quiet.
"Shut up, Bruce."
"I didn't say anything!"
"Shut up."
Kitty and Natasha came out, reclothed in comfy flannel shirts and leggings, courtesy of Kitty's preplanning. She plopped down on the floor of the ship and sighed.
"Here, you need to eat these." Bruce gave Kitty a small package of sour gummy worms.
"Trolli's?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow.
"She's got hypoglycemia and unless she wants me to give her a blood sugar test, she needs to eat those right now." Bruce said pointedly.
"Mm eatin' dem!" Kitty grumbled with her mouth full.
"Didn't you have that before the experiment?" Bucky asked Steve. "You were always eating candies and cookies."
Steve nodded. "That alone disqualified me for recruitment."
"I didn't have it before the bombing." Kitty finished the gummies.
"It's because they had to do so many transfusions." Bruce explained. "I have to have Tony eat something high in sugar before I even do anything for Kitty."
Kitty threw a pair of sweatpants and hoodies at Steve and Bucky and jerked her thumb towards the back. "Go change. Bucky, be fast, I'll need your help gettin' the jet off the ground and on autopilot."
Bruce walked up with a handful of granola bars and water bottles. "Try to stay as still as possible and here," He handed them the food. "Eat and drink."
Kitty munched through two granola bars by the time Bucky was ready. They quickly got the plane up and on autopilot so they could return to the warm pile of blankets.
Tony was already at the Tower when the Jovi landed. He opened up the door and froze. The entire floor space was covered in blankets and pillows. Four people were visible through the mess. Natasha was the furthest from the group, on the edge. A foot away from her was Steve, who was clutching a pillow to his chest. He's a cuddle-bug. Kitty was pressed up to Bucky, who was on his back with his head turned towards Kitty. Tony couldn't see, but his arms were wrapped around Kitty. Bruce walked out of the cockpit, careful to step around the sleeping people.
"What should we-"
Tony cut off Bruce's question. "Just leave them."