Chapter 32: Rock

October 20, 2014

Dawn was still hours away, but Summer and Winter sat as alert as ever, back to back on a large rock so that one of them could watch down the mountain, and the other up it. The cave was loud with the sounds of children sleeping, the open air making them fidget and murmur, as if it was easier for them to be in the tight basement from the first night rather than out in the open like this. Perhaps they never had slept out in the open, Summer thought, her enhanced vision allowing her to see the vague grimaces on most of the children's faces, and how their hands clutched at the thin blankets. Or perhaps, like Summer and Winter, they knew that the danger was only growing as time went on.

"Air tastes wrong." Winter murmured, his voice vibrating against her back. Having him close helped to ground her and keep her focused; no matter what happened, she could get out of it if she had him.

"Mhmm." she hummed in return, nodding her head even though he wasn't facing her. The edges of her ponytail, now fully blonde again, tickled the skin exposed by the collar of his shirt. She too could feel the subtle shift in the world around them, the one that said something was amiss. She closed her eyes, not to rest, but to focus her senses. She quieted her breathing and shifted away from Winter, decreasing the amount of sensory input her body was receiving at the moment. He was perfectly still behind her, more than likely doing the same thing. Cero was asleep at the mouth of the cave, but even if she was awake, she would not be able to sense things in the way they could. And if they waited for morning light…

"South." they said to each other at the same time, Summer jumping up and turning to face the same way Winter was. They couldn't see the aircraft, but they could barely hear it, barely feel the beating through the air as the blades turned in the dark. It was a very quiet chopper, but not quiet enough, and the whump-uh-tah-whump-uh-tah rhythm gave away that this was not a Hydra vessel.

Winter pulled up his rifle with the night vision scope, seeing if he could spot anything on the ground. Would they only send an air strike? Or would they send ground forces too? They had to be ready for anything. Summer moved to Cero, roughly shoving her awake. Cero rolled out of the push and onto one knee, glaring at Summer with a knife already in her hand.

"Okay, what the fuck was that for?" she asked, irate. In another life, Summer might have spat back a brassy retort, but they were in this life, and she didn't have time for that. Yet.

"Nought is on its way." she said shortly. Cero's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose, her gaze immediately going outside. But there were no lights that suggested tanks, and the sounds of the chopper hadn't reached her human ears yet.

"You're just hearing things." she said, though she couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice. She stood up, her grip on the knife growing tighter, though she wasn't planning on threatening Summer.

"This is what you recruited us for." Summer said shortly. "We need to move."

Cero let out a sigh. "You're right." She turned to the kids, talking a little louder than she needed to in order to rouse them from their sleep. Most of them seemed on the brink of consciousness anyways, their instincts catching on to what their brain could not. Only the smallest ones moved slowly, trying to rub the sleep from their eyes. The littlest girl didn't want to let go of her blanket, clutching it in one hand and the hem of Cero's shirt in the other. The woman spoke to her in soothing tones, gently running her hand over her hair despite the severity of their situation. The juxtaposition threw Summer for a loop as she remembered children she'd tried to save before, flashes of small kids with Polish accents begging in broken English for help, gold stars stitched onto their too-big shirts as they clutched the olive green tails of her uniform. Winter came to stand next to her, his hand barely touching her elbow. She wondered if he remembered those other kids too.

"We need to move." she said again, somehow forcing the words through the tightness in her chest. Cero looked between the two of them and nodded, picking the girl up and resting her on her hip.

"It'll be dangerous in the dark. We can't risk too much light." she said as the kids got up and organized.

"Leave that to us." Winter said quietly. His tone was gentle enough, but they could hear the order in it, and Summer had to agree. "Where is the pass?"

Cero pulled out a map, its creases and corners worn as if it had been folded and refolded and stuffed into pockets a hundred times. She flipped it around as expertly as she could with a child in her arms, forming it into a square with the most important location visible. Winter glanced at it quickly before handing it over to Summer, who memorized it just as fast. They handed the map back to Cero, who looked at them once again as if she was wondering if they were really human. They weren't sure they were either, but they weren't about to tell her that.

"Let's go." Winter said, turning and striding off into the darkness. Summer followed him, not paying mind to the brief hesitation behind her. The sounds of feet filing after them were much quieter once they were out of the cave, and though the light would have been helpful for their footing, they were going to have to be okay with the quarter moon hanging high above them.

"Tell them to step where I step." Summer said, taking the lead ahead of Winter. When it came to strength and strategy, he was superior, but trekking through the wilderness was her expertise. She heard Cero translate the message, and then they were off.

They quickly realized why Cero recommended waiting until morning to go up the mountain. The going was even slower than they anticipated, the children struggling with the darkness and the uneven terrain. Summer had to take smaller steps than usual, allowing them to reach the same places she did and keep steady. But to their credit, the children did not cry or complain. In fact, they were eerily silent, as if they knew that this was the moment that was going to make or break this mission.

The further up they went, the slower they had to move, with rocks often loosening and tumbling down the vague trail that Summer found. It was likely some sort of animal trail, but it hadn't been used in a long time, and its borders were foggy at best. But they started moving with a renewed sense of purpose once the helicopter was close enough that they could hear it, Winter dropping to the back in order to be the first line of defense. The youngest child was back in Cero's arms, as carrying her was easier than trying to get her tiny body to move the way it needed to. The inky black sky was just starting to turn grey in the pre-dawn when they saw it, the great matte beast moving through the sky with slow and steady precision, almost lazy in its pursuit. Summer stopped to watch for a moment, her eyes flicking to Winter to find him already looking at her, and likely already thinking the same thing. Nought knew exactly where they were.

"We're close." Cero said, interrupting their thoughts. They could see her fingers flexing as she tried not to grip onto the child too hard, her muscles trembling as she tried not to rush the kids that were doing the best they could.

"They'll catch up." Summer replied, matter of fact. She realized a moment too late that she probably should not have said it so loud, and was glad that none of the kids seemed to speak English.

"Well yea, especially if we don't move." Cero said through clenched teeth. Summer glanced back to Winter, who shrugged. They would just have to cross that bridge when they came to it. Summer didn't bother responding, instead just going back to the climb. Cero was partially right - they were, as the crow flies, very close to their destination - but this would be the steepest and most difficult part. At least now there was a little more light than the moon, allowing the kids to see more than just dark and darker shapes on the mountainside.

Summer stopped as they reached a literal wall. She could see the cliff ten feet above them, and at the back end of the cliff, a dark pass that was barely more than a crack in the rock. She sighed heavily; of course that was where they were going.

"I'll climb up." Cero said, putting the little girl on her back. "Boost the kids up to me."

"You're not strong enough." Summer pointed out. The chopper was close enough now that she had to raise her voice to be heard.

"I'll be fine. I need you two down here." she said, and Summer could see why. The cliff face was not big enough for the chopper to land, or for any forces to drop to reliably. Above them, there was nothing waiting for soldiers except unsteady footholds and a quick trip down. They would have to come up the same way they did, and at the top, they would meet the soldiers. Summer let out another sigh but found herself nodding, placing her hands so that she could help Cero to the cliff edge. With surprising strength she grabbed the rocks and, despite the child on her back, pulled herself up. She gave rapid instructions in Greek and the girl disappeared into the pass. Cero didn't give her a second glance; instead, she was reaching down, waiting for the next child.

The chopper shone lights on them as Summer started all but throwing the kids up onto the ledge, gritting her teeth as she willed them all to move faster. They were halfway through the group, but they needed all of them into the shelter of the rocks in case the enemy opened fire. They assumed Nought had the same philosophy that Hydra did - if they could not have their assets, then no one else could either. Summer was not going to let more innocent people die on her watch.

With three kids left to go, the chopper idled above them, the lights blinding and the blades sending gales across them. Small rocks flew in the wind, landing small lacerations over any exposed skin. The kids cried out as they hit them, but kept moving, as if they knew that the tiny rocks were going to be followed by very big, very deadly bullets. With two kids left, thick black ropes snaked their way down from the chopper, soldiers in the same uniform Cero was wearing poised at the top. Winter actually threw the last kid up, the force knocking him and Cero to the ground as she caught him. The soldiers were sliding down the ropes now, weapons trained on the three of them. Summer forgot about Cero and the kids, and instead focused on the enemy in front of her.

Winter opened fire on them, drawing their attention even though his bullets bounced uselessly off their reinforced uniforms. That was alright, he could land a kill shot if he needed to once they were down. Right now, they just had to draw the enemies out of their hiding spot and away from their target. Summer scrambled halfway up the cliffside before leaping, but instead of aiming up, she aimed away, tackling the first soldier midair and sending both of them careening into a second one. They tried to grapple with her, but she was too close for any weapons to be effective, and her objective was not to try and kill them. Yet.

One hand grabbed a rope, and the other found the carabiner holding the first soldier to it. With expert precision she unlocked it, her super strength making it easy to rip it from its hold. The man yelled as he plummeted towards the ground, landing hard on his back. The second soldier had just enough time to take note of what happened to his fellow before Summer was on him and giving him the same treatment, sending him down to the waiting Winter below them. He made quick work of them with a knife under their chins, blood splattering over the metal hand. The helicopter swung around, trying to get a visual on their new targets as well as shake Summer from where she was climbing up the rope. She shifted with it, using the momentum to take her back towards the mountainside. At the right moment, she let go, sailing through the air and landing easily on the rock. Winter was at her side in an instant, both of them realizing the same thing at the same time.

The landing was bigger than they thought it was. And Summer had just given them a grand idea.

"Into the tunnel." Winter said gruffly, and Summer didn't need to be told twice. She pulled her pistol from her waistband and moved quickly into the tight space, giving Winter enough room to get in with her. The walls were barely wide enough for him to stand, and even then the rocks squealed as his metal shoulder rubbed against them. They couldn't not run from this, otherwise they'd be fish in a barrel. They had to fight.

Luckily, they'd been in this situation before. Many times.

Summer kneeled down, making herself as small a target as possible. Winter did the same, but shifted sideways so that his metal arm could be used as a shield. A shield - didn't they have one of those at some point? No matter.

The first soldier swung too high, giving Winter the perfect view of the underside of his chin as he flew towards them. One well timed and well aimed shot and the man fell limp, dropping to the edge of the cliff like a bloody sack of potatoes before sliding off to join his comrades below. The second soldier's jump was true, and he was able to land with a running start, his gun pointed towards them. Winter shot at his hand before he could shoot at them, the gun falling from his grip. However, he kept running, pulling a knife and continuing his attack. He swung the knife with amazing speed, but he would never be faster than Winter, who threw up his left arm to block the stab. The knife sparked as it hit the metal, and the man paused and looked at them with surprise.

"I'd heard you two were out of the game." he said, but Winter didn't care what he had to say. He cared more about the three other soldiers following him. "There's a pretty bounty - AURGH!"

Winter had disarmed him and grabbed his helmet with his metal hand, the gears in it whirring loudly as he squeezed and crushed through the helmet and into the man's skull. The prosthesis could not sense the wetness of his blood as it poured out, it only noted the softness of his brain matter, and the weight as his body went limp. The men behind him were opening fire, but the dead soldier was an excellent shield, if not a little gruesome. He waited patiently until the men behind him were in a good position, and when their shots lulled for a second as they realized what was going on, he grunted and used his whole body to throw the dead soldier forward, the weight of him taking him and all three of his comrades over the edge.

"Let's go." he said to Summer, but her eyes weren't on him, or on the blood all over his uniform. They were on a man in the chopper. He wasn't pursuing them, or aiming a weapon at them. No, he was just leaning against the open door, watching them. As he turned away, she could barely see the glint of the red octopus pin on his shirt. Her blood ran cold, and for a moment she was rooted to the spot, her body frozen as fear settled into her core. Hydra was here? Hydra had found them? "Summer!"

"Yes, sir." she said, snapping out of her nightmare. The helicopter was moving around again, this time to point the larger guns on board towards them. Summer moved into the darkness without hesitation, not caring if the rocks bit into her skin and tore at her clothes. Winter was right behind her, grunting as he tried to fit his larger body through the small space. If she was struggling to get through it, she was surprised that he was managing at all. Bullets ricocheted all around the entrance, some of them whizzing by their ears and landing hard in the rock. Summer kept her head down and her feet fast; all they had to do was get out of range and not lose an eye, and then they'd be clear onto the grey map. Nought couldn't touch them.

But she knew what she'd seen. Hydra knew now that they were helping Cero, and knew where they were going. It wouldn't be hard to piece together their plan to go to Romania. Her mind began whirring, trying to think of alternate routes and alternate plans. The only good thing was that Hydra knew they couldn't send just any team to take them out; they would have to take time to gather resources from all over the world. That would give them at least a couple days.

They finally made it deep enough into the mountainside that the bullets stopped, allowing them to rest and catch their breath. The sound of the helicopter grew fainter and fainter as it flew away; whether or not it would actually stop pursuing Cero or not remained to be seen, but they were at least safe for now. The tunnel was silent except for their breathing, and Summer figured the kids must be much further ahead of them, probably finding it much easier to squeeze through the tight spaces than her or Winter.

"Did you see him?" she whispered. Even at her lowest volume, her voice still felt deafening in the tight pass, her muscles seizing as if the man from the helicopter could hear her if she spoke too loudly. Winter took a shuddering breath, the only sign to show that he was just as scared as she was by the sight.

"Yes." he whispered back. His eyes were fierce in the low light of the tunnel, and once again he seemed more like a wild animal trapped in a cage. She didn't have to see herself to know that her expression mirrored his. She felt her heart in her throat, her veins once again turning to ice.

"We can't go back." she said, shaking her head painfully as the muscles in her neck spasmed. "We can't, Winter, we can't-"

"We won't." he said sharply, reaching out and roughly pulling her to him. Her hip banged painfully into a rock but she didn't care. She grasped him like he was her last lifeline, trying and failing to catch her breath in the tight space. He was shaking in her arms, holding her a little too tightly than was comfortable. They fell against the rocky wall, the only thing solid enough to keep them standing as the panic rolled over them in waves. They'd known, every moment since they walked away, that they were at risk of getting found out. But until today, they hadn't realized how thin the line they walked was. One misjudgement, one wrong step, and they would fall back into the hell of Hydra.

They stayed that way for a long time, clutching each other and the cave wall in an effort to ground themselves. Winter was the first to calm down and stop shaking, his breath evening out as a plan formed in his head. Then, to further soothe himself, he thought of another one, and another. They could leave Cero if they needed to - she was safe now, behind borders that Nought agreed never to cross. She and those kids didn't matter anymore. The only one that mattered was the woman in his arms.

He pushed off the wall, firmly planting Summer on her feet. She took a deep breath and held it, squeezing her eyes and his arms until she could finally get herself under control. When she opened her eyes again, she still looked afraid, but she also looked ready to do what she needed.

"We're not going back." Winter said, his voice echoing off the nearby rocks. It sounded dramatically loud, which almost helped at that point. "We're not going back."

"We're not going back." she agreed with a nod. "We're done."

"They don't get us anymore."

"They don't. We're free." she said, staring at him with all the trust a partner could have - and a little something else that he hadn't seen on her face in a long time. He didn't dare try to place it. Instead he cupped her cheek, remembering too late that his hand was covered in blood. She didn't seem to mind, especially when he leaned into her and kissed her. It was a little rough but she didn't care, it reminded her of what they meant to each other, and what exactly they were fighting for.

"We're free." he reiterated when he pulled away. He missed her lips immediately, but now was not the time. Soon, they would be in Romania, and every day he could kiss her and show her how he cared for her - but right now, they had to keep going.

She had a much easier time going through the tunnel than he did, as made evident by the various grunts and muttered curses that she heard from behind her as they moved. Every once in a while his metal arm would grate loudly against the stone wall, causing shards of rock to rain down onto the floor, making a sound like the mountain was giggling at him. The further in they went, the tighter it got, and the more the rocks laughed and Winter cursed, and before she knew it, the panic from earlier was forgotten, and Summer could feel amusement bubbling in her chest. A particularly loud scrape sounded through the tunnel, and she became acutely aware that Winter was no longer moving along with her.

"Fuck a duck." Winter muttered, making Summer turn to look at him.

"What…" she trailed off as the took in the sight. He had raised his arms above his head in an effort to make his chest slimmer during a particularly cramped section of the tunnel, but he hadn't accounted for the rock above him and his bicep had completely wedged itself between the two sides. He looked, decidedly, unamused. She couldn't help it, and let out a snort of laughter before she realized what she was doing.

"It's not funny." he said darkly, which only served to make another laugh break free of her chest.

"No. It's not." she said, the laughter bubbling up into her voice.

"Stop it." he said, though the statement didn't have the bite of an order.

"I'm not laughing." she replied. She was.

He gave her the angriest, winteriest look that he could manage, but it did not dissuade her, and it took longer than she cared to admit to stifle her giggles. She went up to him, leaning in close and taking a look at the situation. He put his other arm around her waist, just barely, to stabilize her as she smacked the metal arm with a broad hand. Thanks to her super strength, it popped free of its prison, allowing him to hold her close once again.

"You're pretty when you laugh." he murmured, making her breath catch in her throat. He leaned his forehead against hers. They almost felt somewhere within the realm of normal - or as normal as they could get.

"You should try it sometime. You could be pretty too." she replied, the sarcasm falling flat. When was the last time someone called her pretty? Some of the doctors did, but they did it in a demeaning way, like she was a thing to put on display. Winter said it with feeling, as if she were precious. It made her remember how they fell in love all those years ago, and reminded her how this was the closest thing to love either of them was going to get. He let out a sigh, nuzzling her for a moment longer before pushing her away.

"Smartass." he said, taking care to put his arm in a good place this time. She sent a grin over her shoulder, not bothering to come up with a response before taking the lead.

Hydra may be closing in, but they were still moving forward.

Poor Summer and Winter, can't catch a break!

Thank y'all so much for your patience while I was out of town. Barring life events, we should be back on a regular schedule. Did y'all see that Falcon and Winter Soldier premiere got delayed? I'm hoping it's a hoax, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me at this point.

As always, thank you for your support and reviews, it's what keeps me going with this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you thought!

-XM