A/N* Early upload as I have a busy weekend.
Thank you for reading and enjoy!
Aubrey lay on her stomach, propped up on her elbows as Captain America jogged into the open and towards the helicopter that had clearly been placed in sight. The whole situation screamed trap. Sure enough, as he neared the copter something hit it, electricity sizzled as the helicopter went dead. Cap stopped as Ironman flew up into the air, with the grey ironman, Rhodey. Cap backed up slightly as they landed in front of the helicopter.
"Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" Tony started as the suit retracted his helmet.
"Definitely weird" Rhodey landed beside him.
"Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the physiatrist, he's behind all of this."
A black-suited person jumped out from behind a stack of crates and Aubrey couldn't help but growl at the sight of him. Cap had explained who he was and her mind started running through everything she knew about him. Her hearing picking up the words traded
"Captain" Black Panther greeted
"Your Highness"
"Anyway-" Tony directed the conversation back "- Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in. That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"
"You're after the wrong guy"
"Your judgment is askew, your old war buddy killed innocent people-"
"And there are five more super soldiers like him and Aubrey. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't"
"Steve-" A red-haired woman, Black Widow, stepped out and Aubrey shook her head, they were multiplying. "-You know what's about to happen. Do you really want to punch your way outta this one?"
"Alright, I've run out of patience, Underoos!-" Tony called. Out of nowhere flipped someone in a suit, web-like material shot out of his hand and he pulled Cap's shield away from him, wrapping his hands in the web at the same time. The person landed on a piece of machinery, giving Aubrey a chance to look at him. He wore a red suit, striped with black and the bottom half of his suit was blue. He almost looked like a spider. "-Good job kid"
"Thanks, I could've stuck the landing a little better, it's just...New suit. Wai...It's nothing, Mr. Stark...It's perfect, thank you-"
Tony held out his hand and said something but Aubrey's brows had pulled down as her goggles zoomed in on the newcomer.
He saluted "Cap...Captain America, big fan. I'm Spider-Man."
"Yeah, we'll talk about it later-" Tony tried to quiet him
"Hey everyone" Spiderman waved and Aubrey smiled slightly, who was this person? He sounded young and clearly Tony thought it his job to care for him.
"You've been busy," Cap nodded to Spiderman.
"And you've been a complete idiot. Dragging in Clint, "rescuing" Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave. A safe place. I'm trying to keep-" he paused, sighing "-I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."
"You did that when you signed"
"Alright, we're done. You're going to turn Barnes over, you're going to come with us. Now. Because it's us or a squad of J-Soc guys. With no compunction about being impolite. Come on" Tony looked desperate
"We found it...Their Quinjets in the hanger five, north runway" Falcon's voice came over the comms and Aubrey watched Tony's heart break as Cap raised his hands up. Clint fired an arrow from his vantage point, slicing the webbing. She had wondered about parring Falcon and Bucky together but Cap had been right when he mentioned that she would be needed elsewhere.
"Alright, Lang" Cap murmured into the comms as Aubrey's wings grew, her bow in hand.
"Hey guys some-" Spidey was cut off as Lang, who was Ant-man, grew off of the shield and kicked him away. He landed the backflip before handing the shield back to Cap.
Tony rose into the air, headed towards Wanda and Clint. The moment Black Panther moved in the direction of Bucky she tensed.
"Permission to engage" she murmured into the commlink. Cap had wanted to have Aubrey stay hidden until she was needed.
"Watch the Spider" He responded before going hand in hand with Black Panther. Aubrey nodded to herself, getting to her feet before stepping off the roof. Headed towards Spidey, who was swinging on his webs towards where Bucky and Falcon were. She easily knocked into the side of the red-clad person. He made a noise of surprise but caught himself as Aubrey hovered in the air
"How.…. I love your wings!" he started before flipping to the side and shooting a web at her jets. When it hit, Aubrey moved the Nanos so the web slipped off. But surprise was still working its way through her
"You're...just a kid"
"Your jets reform! How did you do that?" He sounded genuinely interested and she sighed, Tony had definitely picked out this kid...but a kid? This was no place for him. He tried to web her again and she easily dodged.
"If I ever see Tony after this he will hafta introduce us" she smiled beneath the cowl before touching the ground and flipping over the top of Spiderman. She landed behind him, her leg flying out and knocking him onto the ground. He threw a punch, webs shooting from his wrist but Aubrey backed up as noise from the comms came to her attention. Meeting spiderman's eyes she warned
"Stay out of this if you don't want to get hurt." with that she turned and darted to where Cap was being ganged up on by Black Panther and Rhodey.
"Sorry Cap, this won't kill you, but it ain't gonna tickle either." Rhodey pulled out what looked like an electrical sword. Black Panther kicked Cap into the ground as Rhodey jumped, his sword raised. But Aubrey grabbed onto his metal foot, her jets grinding at full power as she pulled him back. He spun in surprise and she heard him say
"Tony? She's here" vaguely Aubrey heard Tony curse in response but her attentions turned to the grey iron-man. He flew towards her, sword still in hand. It barely missed her wing as Aubrey dodged out of the way and behind him. Her claws grew as she latched onto the back of his suit. Where the helmet met the body was a small gap, she assumed underneath was the guts of the suit. Her claws blindly scratched in the gap and she felt it catch on a wire. But something rose where her arm was and Aubrey had to detach as a gun rose out. Rhodey pushed off of the ground, launching at Cap again. His sword hit the shield and shattered into pieces, the force knocking Rhodey back and onto the ground.
"Heads up!" Ant-man ran up, tossing something to Cap. He met Aubrey's eyes and nodded his head back. She darted backward behind him, landing. "Throw it at this" Lang threw a disc, Cap did the same with the toy truck he had been handed. Rhodey had gotten back to his feet and stood at the receiving end of the attack. Aubrey watched in amazement as the toy truck grew. The moment it hit the ground flames erupted, knocking back Black Panther, Widow, and the grey ironman.
"Oh, man...I thought it was a water truck...Uhm...sorry" Ant-man looked to Cap and they turned, running in the opposite direction towards the hangar. Aubrey turned and flew after them, joining up with Wanda, Clint, Falcon, and Bucky. The hangar sat just in front of them. But a yellow beam of light cut them short. Aubrey's wings reversed, landing as Vision started to speak.
"Captain Rogers, I know you believe you're doing what is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now-" Black Panther, Widow, Rhodey, Iron man, and Spiderman assembled in front of them. Aubrey shifted her weight, hand gripping her bow as it formed, ready to grab for an arrow. Clint had shown her some of his arrows and given her a few beforehand, they had electrical abilities and she couldn't wait to try them but now was not the time.
"What do we do Cap," Falcon asked
"We fight" He started walking, they followed, speeding up. Aubrey powered her jets as the two teams collided into battle. She weaved around a shot from Spiderman before taking on Black Widow. They traded punches before Aubrey sensed someone coming from behind. Black Panther advanced closer and she stepped back, one on each side. Bucky came behind Widow, as Aubrey went for Panther. She threw double punches, landing them on his shoulder before catching him under the chin. He flipped onto his back but easily launched back onto his feet before throwing a kick that hit her on the jaw. WIncing, Aubrey's hand took hold of Panther's neck, he grabbed hers.
"Bucky didn't kill your father" she hissed, jets pushing them.
"Then why did he run" His leg shot out as he spoke, pushing into Aubrey's stomach. She let go, flapping back.
Widow and Clint grappled as Bucky and Cap made a break for the hangar
"Because he wasn't given a choice" Something hit her in the back when she finished speaking. It caught her off-guard and her wings evaporated, sinking back through her pores. Webbing. She thought. But before Aubrey could wipe it off more spattered onto her ankles. Black Panther jump-kicked, she bent over to avoid it. Talons growing as she sliced the thick webbing. Aubrey's wings grew, slicing the webbing and she barreled back into the sky, keen eyes spying Bucky behind a stack of crates.
"We gotta get outta here, that guys probably in Siberia by now" he murmured into the commlink.
"You guys are going to have to go. We aren't getting out of here" she hated every word of it. More than anything she wanted to go with them. But deep down, Aubrey knew she needed to stay. She wasn't going to fly her way out of this one.
"Brie-" Bucky started, his voice slightly softer than it had been a minute ago "-Are you sure?"
"If we're gonna win this one...some of us have to lose it." Aubrey gulped as she dodged beams shot by Tony.
"This isn't the real fight Steve," Falcon said.
"All right Sam, what's the play?"
"We need a diversion, something big"
"I got something kinda big… But I can't hold it very long.-" Ant-man piped up "- On my signal, run like heck….and if I tear myself in half….don't come back for me"
"You sure about this Scott?" Cap sounded skeptical but Iron man was gaining on her and Aubrey hoped he did it fast. Rhodey came from around the corner, something shooting at her
"I do it all the time…. I mean once...In a lab...Then I passed out…-" Vaguely she could hear him repeating "I'm the boss" over and over again. She weaved and dodged both of them when suddenly, Ant-man grew. He grabbed ahold of Rhodey, laughing maniacally as he threw the grey iron-man into the sky. Spiderman caught him with a web as Falcon pushed Ironman away.
Ant-man kicked a bus towards Panther but Vision sliced it in half. Aubrey flew towards Lang as Spiderman attempted to weave webs around his legs to trip him. She sliced the webs with her talons but he shot faster than she could cut. Ant-man shoved Spidey away but not before he was able to trip him with webs. He fell, shrinking back to his normal size. Aubrey hurtled towards Rhodey who was aiming at Wanda. Vision had attempted to block the entrance to the hanger and she held it open with her powers. Aubrey barreled into Rhodey just as he shot but she had been seconds too late. But what he shot wasn't a bullet, it was high sound waves that caused Wanda to lose concentration and cover her ears, yelling in pain. He turned to Aubrey and shot another at her.
Pain enveloped her overly-sensitive ears and Aubrey stumbled backward onto the ground. Head pounding as she tried to shake it off. Pushing back onto her feet just as the dampened sound of a jet filled the runway. Her ears rang, everything sounding gurgled as she sucked in a breath.
They'd done it.
The jet took off into the sky but both Rhodey and Tony gunned their jets after them. Aubrey shook off, the resounding pain in her ears as she ran across the cement, wings flapping and taking her after them.
Falcon flew beside her as the two gained on the metal-suited men. He shot mini-missiles from his suit and Aubrey aimed her bow. Only one of the electrical arrows hit Tony but his suit sparked and she was sure that something went offline. Aubrey rapid-fired several more arrows but he was able to dodge or shoot them. Suddenly, Vision shot at Falcon, but he somersaulted in the air, causing the beam to continue and hit Rhodey. His power source flickered before going dark and Aubrey watched in horror as he started to fall.
She dove, wings wrapping around herself like a bullet, streamlining through the air. He fell just within her reach. Grabbing at his foot, she was able to grab hold but the suit was heavy and Aubrey was being pulled with him. She tried slowing him down but lost her grip, the ground hurtling towards them at an alarming rate.
"No...no no no" She whispered, trying to reach him again. A fall from that height would most definitely kill him. Vaguely, through the whistling of wind in her ears, she could hear Tony yelling Rhodey's name but it was no use. The ground got too close and Aubrey had to veer away, reversing her jets as he hit the ground with a thud. Tony landed beside his friend, tearing off the grey faceplate. Panting, she crept closer, pulling her cowl off to breathe easier.
"Read vitals" Tony murmured to his A.I
"Heartbeat detected," F.R.I.D.A.Y said "-emergency medical is on its way"
Aubrey almost fell over with relief but she knew his injuries would be serious. Falcon landed in front of him, a pained look on his face.
"I'm sorry" the moment he said those words, Tony's arm shot out and a mini-missile hit Falcon in the chest, he flipped onto the grass. Aubrey stepped back as he whirled around, eyes narrowed.
"I tried to catch him...I'm sorry Tony" She whispered.
"I told you to stay out of it" he sounded both furious and heartbroken at the same time.
"Tony-" she started, but something in his suit clicked and before Aubrey could react, Tony shot some sort of electricity net at her. It threw her back, onto the ground. Agony rolled across her as the shocks reverberated across her body. Aubrey felt something pop in her nose and blood dribbled out of it. Her body took over, sending her unconscious before anything else could happen.
Bucky and Cap sat in silence as the Quinjet headed towards Siberia. Bucky's mind couldn't stop wondering if Brie was still alright or not. She had known the consequences of staying behind but had done it anyway...for him...they'd all done it.
"What's gonna happen to your friends?" his voice was quiet and Steve sighed from his place in front of Bucky.
"Whatever it is… I'll deal with it"
"I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve" his eyes stared at the floor as Cap turned slightly to look at him before focusing back towards the front.
"What you did all those years...It wasn't you. You didn't have a choice"
"I know" he couldn't keep the brokenness from his voice. "But I did it"
"We all do things we aren't proud of Bucky-" he opened his mouth to say more but Bucky had a small smile on his face. "-What?"
"You sound like Brie now...She says that a lot" His gaze turned towards the window, speaking after a moment's hesitation "Do you think she'll be alright...Steve?"
"I...hope so. She'll figure it out...wherever Ross puts her. She thought staying behind was worth it though..that was her choice, she made it for you."
Bucky was quiet for a few minutes, processing his friend's words. Just when Cap thought he wasn't going to respond, he heard quiet words.
"I'm realizing that."
Aubrey woke her body on a hard bed. Pain reverberated through her bones, her head fuzzy and jumbled, and nose stuffed with dried blood. But the feeling of something heavy on her ankle brought her to a sitting position.
"No….nonono.." things came rushing back...from before Hydra. The chain that sat tightly on her ankle brought back painful memories. She slid her aching body onto the floor, noticing the scratchy blue jumpsuit that had replaced her combat suit. Aubrey moved over to where the chain met the wall and fingered the cold steel. Bits and pieces from before flashed behind her eyes. Her palms pressed to her closed eyes but that only made it worse.
It was a nightmare no matter what she did.
When Aubrey's eyes opened, she was met with a scarily familiar cell, when they closed, she was face-to-face with her past...something she had tried to bury.
"Breath" the command helped but only slightly as she scooted as far away from the wall as possible. Aubrey's back pushed against the metal bars as she tried to force away the resurfacing memories. The cell had a bed and a metal stool. The chain was hooked beside the door and upon further inspection, Aubrey noticed the blinking red light on the part strapped to her ankle, a sensor lining it. She connected the dots, realizing it must sense if she were to use the Nanos.
"You alright over there princess?"
The voice caught her off guard and Aubrey leaned her head back against the metal, using the prickly cold to center herself. Puffing a breath out of her lips before responding to Falcon quietly,
"No" choosing a spot on the wall, she stared at it.
"Are you...do you need help?"
"No I…-" she paused, sucking in a breath "-it's very...very..similar to..before Hydra...my cell-" the words were broken up, each one coming slowly.
"Oh" he became very quiet, unsure what to say
The cell was timeless. She knew time passed because meals came, but they seemed random, without purpose. She didn't move, stayed plastered to the spot, fighting to push away the onslaught of memories that tried to take over. During what she assumed was the night the lights turned off and Aubrey let the silent tears down her cheeks. Clint, Wanda, Falcon, and Ant-man, all were held captive in similar cells. But they hadn't been held in a cell before being turned into a mindless killer.
The elevator sounded, heavy doors banging open. Sudden noise erupted, startling her.
"The Futurist gentlemen! The Futurist is here!-" Clint clapped sarcastically "- He sees all. He knows what's best for you whether you like it or not."
"Gimme a break Barton-" Tony's voice surprised her and Aubrey twisted her sore body so she leaned sideways against the bars, enabling her to watch and listen. "-I had no idea they'd put you here. Come on"
Clint spat on the ground as he paced to the bed and sat down, staring at the concrete floor. "Yeah, Well you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony"
"Yes, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. This is a place for maniacs-"
Aubrey's mind mentally checked off what Tony listed
"-This is a place for killers….It's a place for-"
"Criminals?" Clint filled in as he pushed to his feet, walking towards the bars again "- Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for….right?" leaning against them, he met Tony's eyes. "-That didn't use to mean me, or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are"
"Because you broke the law, I didn't make you"
"La, la, la, la, la" Clint repeated
"You read it, you broke it, you're all grown up. Got a wife and kids. I don't understand, why didn't you think about that before you chose the wrong side." Tony turned, walking away from the cell.
"You gotta watch your back with this guy-" Clint paced along the edges of the cell, anger in his voice. His hands shot up, pounding the bars once "-There's a chance he's gonna break it"
"Hank Pym always said you can never trust a Stark" Lang added, she didn't know who Hank Pym was but Lang seemed to think of him highly.
"Who are you?" Tony barely stopped as he headed towards Falcon.
"Hows Rhodes?" Where the first words out of his mouth as Stark stopped in front of his cell.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow….so...fingers crossed….What do you need? Did they feed you yet?"
"So you're the good-cop now?" Aubrey readjusted as Falcon spoke.
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went"
"Well, you're going to have to get the bad cop because-"
But Aubrey cut him off, slowly getting to her feet.
"Why Tony?"
He turned, blinking hard at the sight of her. Coming over, Tony opened his mouth, and hesitated.
"I'm fine, why do you need to know?"
"Because I need to find him before it's too late..-" he fiddled with his watch "- I just knocked the A out of their AV. We got about thirty seconds before they realize it's not their equipment...just look, because that-" he pulled up a small hologram on his watch "-is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly, I made a mistake. Aubrey, I was wrong."
"That's a first," Falcon muttered from his cell.
"I'll tell you, Tony. But you have to go alone and as a friend.-" Aubrey sucked in a breath "-and try to get them to let me go with you."
"What?" His eyebrows shot up. "They wouldn't -"
"You can't get into that compound without the security codes, everything's locked with a code. It's a labyrinth of halls and rooms..I...I need to get out of this place….at least try?... Tell them I can track him or something...make it up...Please, Tony" she whispered the last words and he sighed heavily before nodding.
"But you owe me"
"Of course, I'll add that right beside saving my life" she quipped as he turned, going back up in the elevator.
A guard opened the door to her cell, a scowl on the man's face. Motioning her over, he unlocked the chain from her ankle. Aubrey couldn't keep the shock off of her face, Tony had done it. She limped along behind the man, getting used to not having the chain. He took her to a separate room where her combat suit, boots, cowl, and quiver sat on a steel table. He walked out of the room, closing the door while she changed. Then, Aubrey was taken up in the elevator. She was met with Tony's triumphant face and Secretary Ross's unpleasant one.
"This does not mean you are scott-free. It just shortens whatever sentence you will be given in the end." Ross growled as the three moved towards Tony's helicopter.
"Yes sir" she muttered.
"Stark, this is your final chance." the sour man warned
"Yep and you call anytime, I like to watch the line blink"
The two got into the copter, its doors closed and she felt herself relax against the seat.
"How did you do that" she breathed
"He owed me one for something..a while ago. And I may have said you were going to be tracking Barnes from the compound under lock and key." Tony explained as the copter rose into stormy clouds. The waves rolled, lightning flashing as Aubrey stared out of the window, relishing the freedom. He tore off the arm sling that held his right arm before clicking a button on the middle console.
"Can you keep up?" he looked to her as an ironman suit built around him
"I'll try" The seat behind her opened up, dropping Aubrey into the air. Her wings formed as Ironman hovered beside her. The two took off towards Siberia, but what they didn't see was the sleek Wakandan ship trailing them.
They landed on the frozen tundra to find the rusted doors wide open, the Quinjet parked not too far from there. Snowflakes drifted around them as Aubrey rolled her shoulders, bow forming as she notched an arrow and they headed inside. The elevator moved slowly and the doors wouldn't open when it thudded to a stop. Tony's chest glowed as he grabbed a hold of the doors, forcing them open. Cap and Bucky stood on a set of stairs, a spooked look in their eyes. Tony walked out, Aubrey not far behind him. At the sight of her, Bucky's shoulders tensed.
"You seem a little defensive" Tony took the lead, strutting towards them.
"It's been a long day" Cap crept forward, his shield up.
"At ease soldier, I'm not currently after you" he nodded towards Bucky before focusing back on Cap.
"Then why are you here….Tony"
"Maybe your story's not so crazy….Ross has no idea we are here and I'd like to keep it that way...otherwise, I gotta arrest myself."
"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork" Cap's shoulders relaxed slightly as she skirted behind him and padded over to Bucky. His eyes were full of suspicion and his gun was still trained on Tony.
"It's good to see you, Tony"
"You to Cap...Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here so you can drop it."
Captain America nodded to him and his gun lowered, his eyes finding hers. Questions shined in them but he kept quiet. They started moving down the corridor, each with their weapons drawn. Before too long, the corridor ended and a huge room lay in front of them.
"I've got heat signatures" Tony murmured
"How many?" Cap asked
"Uhm...one"
His words made Aubrey stiffen and she gripped the notched arrow, ready to fire. They stepped into the room and the lights flickered on. What she saw made her stop in both horror and shock.
All of the chambers were still activated but their occupants had been shot.
A control computer sat in the middle and she glanced at a memory chair in the corner.
"If it's any comfort...they died in their sleep.-" an accented voice started, blaring from speakers. They crept further into the room and Aubrey swallowed nervously.
What was this man's plan?
"-Did you really think I wanted more of you?-" he continued
"What is this?" she whispered.
"-I'm grateful to them though, they brought you here-" the voice stopped, and suddenly at the other end of the room, a face appeared. Aubrey's fingers let the arrow fly a moment before she realized he had thick glass in front of him. Tony fired at it, and Cap threw his shield but it didn't crack.
"-Please, Captain, the Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."
"I'm betting I could beat that" Tony threatened as he and Cap went left, Aubrey and Bucky going right.
"Oh I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark, given time…. But then you'd never know why you came."
"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Cap stalked forward, coming face-to-face with the man.
"I've thought of nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here...I just realized… There's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes.-" he chuckled darkly "- How nice to find a flaw."
"You're Sokovian...Is that what this is about?"
"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell...No..I'm here because I made a promise" The man's eyes became glassy.
"You lost someone?"
He clicked his tongue as he furiously spoke
"I lost everyone, and so will you" Looking down, he pushed a button. One of the computer screens in the middle turned on, a date written in Russian.
December 16, 1991, it read.
Suddenly
Aubrey knew.
And she was afraid.