A.N – I apologise for the delay in updates. Writers block hit me hard, then i started a new job and it all kind of snowballed. But don't worry! I haven't abandoned this story and I will have more for you soon.

Disclaimer – I do not own anything you recognise. The Avengers and the characters therein, belong to Marvel.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chaos had rained from the moment the team landed. Fires raged, buildings crumbled and terrified civilians ran in every direction as gunfire cracked through the air like thunder. Knowing their individual tasks, everyone had immediately split up. Sam, Vision and Wanda took to the sky while Natasha, Steve and Nadia covered the ground. It wasn't difficult for her to find the medical tent – it was swarming with wounded citizens and overwhelmed medical staff. Pulling on a pair of latex gloves and tying her hair back, Nadia got to work. She set up a triage station, tagging the injured with coloured labels – red for critical, yellow for patients whose care can be delayed in favour of more urgent injuries, green for minor cuts and scrapes, which left black for the deceased. Once this was done and the doctors and nurses who had stepped in to help on short notice had things relatively under control, Nadia swept up her bag again to head back out into the field.

The village resembled ancient ruins. Between the robot's destruction and the violent HYDRA agents running around, the streets ran thick with blood and mud. She did what she could, tending bullet wounds, crushed limbs and burns. Over time her collected demeanour was cracking and it had nothing to do with the mangled bodies, the grenades exploding far too close for comfort or even the frantic chatter through her comms from her teammates. No, it was the screaming that got to her.

The terrified wails and screams of children who had lost their parents, the horrible keens of mothers whose children had perished in the attack and the heartbroken sobs of those who had lost loved ones. Her training as a doctor had taught her how to compartmentalize her emotions but in the midst of a war zone it was proving difficult. She had to lock her jaw to keep from crying because that wasn't what she was there to do. Those people were already scared, she couldn't afford to show that she was too.

"Lie still," Nadia ordered in her broken Russian. "I need to keep the pressure on."

The woman in her care had been shot in the leg, the bullet ripping through muscle and tendons, but thankfully missing any bone or arteries. Delirious with pain, the woman thrashed under Nadia's hands, the bandage she had been tying coming loose as the woman spoke in frantic, panicked sentences. A man, seeing Nadia treating the woman, came over to help, holding the woman still.

With the man's help, Nadia managed to get the bandage secure and tied a yellow tag around her wrist. The woman's wide brown eyes were hysterical, darting around in each direction while she practically shouted at Nadia. She wasn't speaking Russian and frustrated, Nadia shook her head.

"I don't know what you're saying!" she cried helplessly in English. The man next to her looked up and frowned thoughtfully before he spoke.

"She says zat…zere iz a…child? Her…boy." The man translated, his accent so thick it was barely understandable. He listened once again before pointing towards a nearby street. It was almost completely destroyed.

Nadia jumped when a strong hand gripped her forearm and she looked down to see the woman staring up at her pleadingly. "Ojaluista."

Please.

"I…vill take her. Go." The man offered, heaving the injured woman into his arms. Nadia threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder and took off, shouldering past villagers who fled from the carnage. A thick blanket of smoke was choking the village from all the fires, the air getting harder and harder to breathe.

Nadia coughed, turning the corner of the street and looking around, her eyes watering. She spotted an old well in the middle of the square and felt the pull of water residing there. With a breath and raising her hands up, the cold water rose at her command. Extending her arms like a ballerina, the water fell on the burning houses, a great hissing sound filtering through as the flames died.

The crying of a child filled her ears, and she turned towards the sound. Her eyes darted from left to right, and her heart started to pound in her chest. Nadia followed the noise, each moment that the boy wasn't found making her gut churn and her throat tight. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she got closer, pushing her legs faster as she ran. She ducked behind an overturned car just as another grenade flew through the air, landing not far from her and promptly exploding, leaving a large crater in the road. Dirt rained down upon her, the impact of the small clumps making her flinch. The village was looking more and more like a warzone and it filled Nadia with rage. Pushing herself from behind the safety the car afforded her, Nadia kept going in her search.

She skidded to a stop when she finally caught sight of the child, and for a moment, the tightness in her chest eased. He was standing in the middle of the alley pathway, his cheeks red from crying and clutching a small bear in his hand while he glanced around. He couldn't be more than a year old.

Nadia charged towards him, but a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. It was one of the HYDRA agents, dressed in all black with a ski mask over his face. He was waving a gun around in one hand and had an arsenal of grenades looped onto a belt over his chest. Her mouth went dry when she saw him raise the barrel of the gun at the boy.

"NO!" she roared.

It was a stupid thing to do, but it got the HYDRA agent's attention, and he swung the gun towards her instead – but she was ready for him. She dropped into a roll, the bullet whizzing over her head harmlessly. When she came up, she was right in front of him and Nadia saw the panic in his eyes. She jabbed quickly at his wrist, disarming the gun from his grasp, then curled her other hand to hook into the soft flesh of his neck, stunning him. She spun, the ground forming a protective rock casing over her foot as her heel connected with his jaw in a powerful roundhouse kick. He went down, knocked out cold within the space of six seconds.

Natasha would be proud.

Without waiting, she turned and scooped the little boy into her arms, smoothing back his hair with one hand and raking her eyes over him for injuries. There didn't seem to be a scratch on him and Nadia sighed with relief. She had never felt such raw panic and desperation in her life, as when she saw him in danger. With a start, she wondered if that was her maternal instinct kicking in and she shook her head with a smile.

Flicking her wrist and then clenching her fist at the man lying on the ground, rocky cuffs fixed around his wrists, strong and unbreakable. She saw no need to take him into custody herself – he wasn't going anywhere.

Nadia walked briskly out of the side-street and hurried back towards the medical tent. She rubbed the little boy's back the entire way, mumbling soothing words and shushing him. He must have realised he was safe as his cries died away into pathetic little hiccups, his tears leaving little wet spots on Nadia's suit. The longer they walked, the calmer he seemed. Soon he was playing with her necklace, which he had somehow pulled from underneath her suit and was trying to shove the little gold star into his mouth.

"Doc? Status report?" Sam's voice filtered through the comms, which she had mostly been ignoring during the fight in order to concentrate on her patients.

"Heading in now," she replied, stepping over debris and stone. The medical tent came into view in another few moments, and she spotted her team standing just outside it. Steve was speaking to someone in a military uniform, with Natasha close by – no doubt translating for him. Sam was crouching on the ground, offering high-fives to a small group of children who were eyeing his wing-pack with awe. Rhodey, Wanda and Vision were nowhere to be seen.

"We taking in strays now?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow at the baby in Nadia's arms as he rose to his full height, the children scattering.

She rolled her eyes and adjusted the child on her hip, pulling her necklace from his grip gently. "I was treating his mother. They'd been separated so I went to get him."

Sam reached out and smoothed the boy's hair back gently. "The kid okay?"

"Not a scratch on him, thank god." Nadia smiled, looking at the sweet boy in her arms who was gripping her tightly while his wide eyes were darting around. "What's been going on here?"

"All those HYDRA agents are either dead or have been taken into custody. The local police and military are going to do a final sweep of the city for anyone who's injured. Search and rescue just left."

Nadia nodded, eyes catching on the sterile white bandage that wound around his leg, just above his knee. "Are you alright?"

Sam glanced down at it and then scoffed. "Just a scratch. Wanda is worse."

"Wanda? What about Wanda?" Nadia demanded. Sam held up his hand defensively.

"Whoa, calm down. She got a little banged up but they say she'll be just fine. Vision is with her now."

Pursing her lips unhappily, Nadia said nothing. Steve and Natasha seemed to finish up their conversation and jogged over quickly. Nadia noted with displeasure that Steve's forehead was sticky and scarlet with blood, and he had what looked like a bullet wound on his calf.

"I'm fine." He said immediately, catching her scrutinizing look. Natasha's hair was singed on the ends and she was covered in ash, but otherwise looked okay. Steve's eyes dropped to the boy. "You replacing me, doll?"

Nadia grinned and held the boy closer to her. "He is better looking than you."

Steve smirked at her, but didn't disagree. The boy had a small tuft of dark hair and big brown eyes that were framed by the longest lashes Nadia had ever seen. The boy was staring at Steve with fascination, his fist in his mouth.

"What happened with Ultimo?" Nadia asked, changing the subject. Steve held out his hand to the baby, who took his fist from his mouth and wrapped it around Steve's forefinger, gripping it tightly and smiling brightly.

"Wanda," Natasha answered. "Rhodey and Vision drew his fire while she used her powers to burn his circuits from the inside out, then she pulled his body apart."

"It was the coolest, most freakiest shit I've ever seen," Sam added.

"Don't swear in front of the baby," Steve admonished.

"Yeah, Sam. Language." Natasha grinned, shooting a teasing look at Steve, who stoutly ignored her.

"I'd better get him to his mother. She's probably worried sick," Nadia said. She pinned Steve with a stern look. "You're coming with me, Rogers. You need to be checked out."

He didn't argue. He trudged behind her as she wove through the throngs of injured civilians and worried loved ones, looking a little like a sulking child. It didn't take long for Nadia to find the boy's mother, as he started squirming furiously in her arms as he spotted his mother. The woman was sitting on an exam table, a doctor was stitching her up and upon spotting her child, tried to stand up. The doctor had to physically restrain her from standing, but she struggled, seemingly uncaring about the hole in her thigh. Nadia handed the wriggling boy to his mother, who was smiling and sobbing at the same time. She rocked her son close to her chest, mumbling what Nadia assumed was a prayer of thanks. She left the parent and child together, a smile on her face as she looked around.

"Come on. Let's take a look at that," Nadia said, pointing at the still gushing wound on Steve's head. He tore his eyes from the touching scene in front of him and reluctantly followed her to an unoccupied corner of the room. "Sit."

"You know I outrank you, right? You can't give me orders," Steve teased, sitting down in the canvas chair available. Nadia smirked, snatching a small suture kit from a nearby tray. She had lost her medical bag in the field, but it was all equipment that could be replaced.

"I can in this medical tent," she quipped. She peeled back the soaked hair from his forehead and dabbed gauze against the slash on his head to clean away the blood. "Doctors trump captains. Hate to break it to you."

Steve grinned. He sat still as Nadia poked and prodded at him, stitching him up and examining the wound on his calf as well. It was a well-practised routine between them. Nadia secretly enjoyed having someone having to fuss over and Steve secretly enjoyed having her fuss over him.

"How are you doing?" Steve asked, watching her intensely.

Nadia sighed. "It's been a long day."

And it had. Hours upon hours of blood, sweat and tears. Bodies piled in the corner covered in white sheets when they'd run out of body bags. Families broken apart by death and destruction. Her back ached from kneeling in the mud over injured civilians and soldiers, there were bruises already forming on her arms and legs and a headache was blooming slowly at her temples.

"How many patients have you lost today?" Steve prodded. He knew how much it bothered her when she couldn't save someone, and it irked her that he wanted to talk about it now.

"Too many."

"Nadia."

"Steve," she snapped, losing her patience. He raised his eyebrows at her. "Stop. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"You should," he insisted gently.

"And I will," Nadia agreed. "Just not now."

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired and sore and angry, okay? I just need to be angry with those HYDRA bastards for a little bit longer before I delve into my own failings and feelings of guilt."

Steve stared at her and Nadia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She knew that he was only trying to help her, to lend her a sympathetic ear so that Nadia could air her feelings of guilt and grief without judgement instead of bottling it inside like she was wont to do. It was a flaw they both shared. While she loved him for his concern, she didn't want to dwell on her feelings.

"Hey," Natasha interrupted, appearing out of nowhere as she usually did. "The boys in blue said that we can interview those HYDRA agents before they're taken to lockup."

"Well, we're good here," Nadia said, throwing the bloody gauze and used thread in the garbage.

"Don't you need to be checked out?" Steve wondered gently. Nadia resisted the urge to roll her eyes – he was walking on eggshells around her now, afraid that one wrong word would set her off. Granted, it had happened before, but now was not one of those times.

"No. I'm good."

Natasha glanced between them with her eyebrows raised, but wisely kept her opinion to herself. She led them from the medical tent and out onto the demolished street. Sam was waiting for them, Rhodey at his side as they watched their surroundings tensely.

"Where are they being kept?" Steve asked, walking briskly behind Natasha.

"The military command centre that they set up. It's not too far from here. They've agreed to turn over Ultimo's body to us, along with any other parts they find."

"Good. We don't need a repeat of this," Steve said, glancing around his surroundings with a deep frown.

"Who has jurisdiction over these HYDRA assholes anyway?" Sam asked as they walked.

"Well, since HYDRA was a part of SHIELD for so long, they would normally take care of their own when it came to punishment. Now, it's a matter of finding out each agent's identity, where they're from, whether they're law enforcement or ex-military and then coordinating with their home countries which charges they want to lay against them. After that it's about organising extradition to the countries they've committed crimes in," Rhodey explained, trudging along in his heavy War Machine armour. He sighed. "It's a lot of paperwork and a huge pain in my ass."

Nadia had to bite her tongue. It was only an issue for Rhodey because even though he was an Avenger, he's a colonel in the American military and he answered to them first. He would have to submit reports on everything that happened, including organising with the Avengers to turn over Ultimo's body to the US military for research purposes.

She snorted to herself.

Sam shot her a look with a raised eyebrow. Nadia shook her head, but he smirked at her.

"Here." Natasha jerked her chin at the non-descript tent ahead of them.

They entered the tent, the assembled men going silent. Nadia supposed that between them, their small group made quite an impression. She saw in their faces, not only awe and respect, but also suspicion and hesitation.

"You are here for the prisoners?" one asked, a man called Adamovic. He had dark hair and a thick moustache, his skin spotted with age.

"Yes, sir." Steve replied, always courteous and polite. Adamovic gestured towards the flap at the back of the tent, and with a grateful incline of his head, Steve led the way, and single file, they followed him through the crowded room. Nadia fell into step behind her fiancé, with Natasha at her back. Sam followed afterwards with Rhodey bringing up the rear. It wasn't just about putting their biggest assets at the beginning and end of their queue – it was about rank too.

There were three HYDRA agents being held under armed guard in the adjacent room. They were in thick steel chains, with manacles attached to their wrists and ankles. Each of them was a little worse for wear, covered in mud and blood, colourful bruises forming on the cheek of the one closest to entrance. They were kneeling on the floor, looking thoroughly defeated and pathetic.

Savage satisfaction shot through Nadia.

"Which of you is in charge?" Steve asked, his tone brooking no nonsense.

They didn't answer.

"We have questions for you and we're not leaving until we get them from you." Natasha promised, her honeyed voice sounding far more threatening than a growl.

"You will get nothing from us." the man on the end with the bruises spat. "You are all fools."

"I've been called worse," Sam quipped, crossing his arms.

"There is no pain you can inflict on us that will get us to talk."

Natasha sighed, and crouched in front of the man in front of her. "Not pain, no. You've probably gone through training to resist torture and interrogation. But you see my friend over there?" Natasha jerked her thumb at Nadia, who tensed as every eye swivelled in her direction. "She has this rare ability. You see, she can control the elements, and she's a doctor. She knows how the human body works on an intimate level and frankly, you've pissed her off with your little stunt today. She would have no problem pulling the air out of your lungs and watching while you gasp and beg for something as simple as breath and just when you're about to black out, she'd let all the air rush back in, crushing you under it. Or, she could set your cells on fire from within your body. Or drown you in your own blood. Perhaps even shove a small piece of dirt under your skin and move it around a bit. So whatever training HYDRA provided for you will be useless with her. You understand?"

The man in front of Natasha had paled dramatically, his gaze switching between her and Nadia frantically. He swallowed thickly and seemed to consider before jerking a nod, seemingly terrified.

"Alright. Alright. Ask me your questions."

Natasha straightened up and threw a satisfied smirk at Steve, who resolutely ignored her. Steve tucked his thumbs into the belt of his suit, staring down at the man in front of him. Whatever Steve wanted to know, the man answered. His companions said nothing, but glared at the traitor with loathing. Nadia was trying hard not to show how uncomfortable she was. Interrogation was nothing new to her, but the thought of using her powers to torture another human being revolted her. Natasha had painted such a vivid picture that it made her feel nauseous.

"Where did you get the weapons?" Steve asked, "HYDRA isn't this well equipped anymore."

"We have a new supplier. Goes by the name of Crossbones."

"What's his real name?"

"I hear you've met. His name is Brock Rumlow."

"What? No. Rumlow died in the Triskelion with the fall of SHIELD," Sam said in disbelief. The HYDRA agent shrugged.

"Evidently not. He's a mercenary now, selling weapons to terrorists."

Steve stormed from the room, his face like thunder. Nadia hurried out after him as he weaved through the soldiers in the next room, bursting out into the street. The others weren't far behind, each looking as worried as Nadia felt.

"Rumlow is probably selling information as well as weapons." Steve proposed. "We need to find him."

"That won't be easy. He was special ops before he joined SHIELD, and he was part of your Strike team, Cap," Sam reminded them. "It's not going to be easy."

"Good thing we're not amateur PI's then, huh Wilson?" Rhodey snarked.