Steve closed the door behind him feeling his shoulders heavy like they weighed a ton, he let a sigh comes out and massaged a shoulder trying to relief the sensation. It had been months since Natasha disappeared in the middle of a mission and although they kept investigating little they knew about what happened to her. And that was keeping him awake for countless nights. He was the responsible for the team if one went missing the way she was, it was on him.
Not only that, he was extremely frustrated because he was planning on proposing her soon when she was captured. After his awoke in that Shield's headquarter, he took a long time to adjust to the new reality and it was only after Natasha walked in that he actually started feeling better. He always felt as the woman was something unique in his world, and having her gone so sudden and without traces left him disoriented.
The Black Widow disappearance was disclosed everywhere in every channel and online by fans for months not letting him forget for a minute, not that he could ever forget it. Natasha was always beside him and her absence hurt. Now that some months had passed though the rest of the world eventually stopped twitting and commenting on the matter, they continued their lives but he couldn't without the redhead.
The blond showed trying to stop his thoughts and get some rest, he was fully aware that he was still in charge and needed to keep his mind cool. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling feeling miserable. What served him the super soldier serum now? He couldn't find the one that he cared the most. She was tough for sure but he didn't know what happened. Maybe she was alright and only laying low for a time, he really tried every night not to worry.
"Captain!" He heard a knock on his door. "Open up!" The voice carried an urgency that brought him alert. He hurried to the door and opened it. "We found something!" Tony announced not waiting for him to walk down the hall back to the elevator that led to the conference room. Steve didn't mind following the brunette bare feet at all. "Someone leaked an information that she might be located in a facility in West Russia. I don't know why or if it's a trap or something but what do you think? Should we go take a look? I already tracked the source and it comes from the same address. I have… an image of the place." He paused as he opened the image of a large old building.
"I'm going." He said after thinking for a second studying the building in the image. It could be a trap and he couldn't ask the rest of the team to take such a risk in his behalf.
"What do you mean? We are going too." Tony said frowning, clearly unsatisfied with the other's attitude. "You can't go alone. It's dangerous."
"I can't ask any of you to come. As you said, it's dangerous and it could be nothing." Steve said, realizing that the others were in the room as well. The Captain was so agitated when he came in that he didn't see anything that wasn't regarding Natasha.
"We already lost Natasha, if we lose you too there will be no more Avengers." He replied. "You're the Captain. Plus, Natasha is our friend too."
"Alright." He looked down for moment considering his point before looking at the others. "We should get prepared, then." He hoped it wasn't a bad decision, theirs lives were in his hands as much as Natasha's.
Less then quarter after, they all reunited in the quinjet ready for their new mission. Tony sat beside him to co-pilot the quinjet.
In his heart, Steve prayed in the sake of Natasha. He wished more than anything that this trip led to something and they finally could find their friend, and see that she was okay. He looked back for a moment during the flight at Clint, he looked back at him. In a silent understanding, they comforted each other and tried to ease the pain and worry that consumed them.
The time seemed to slow down impossibly and he couldn't even hide his uneasiness anymore, and he noticed that because Tony didn't stop sending him concerned looks all the time since a while.
"We're getting close." He announced serious to the others so they could start getting ready to leave the plane. It was all snow around them, Steve was a bit worried over the problems they could get due the climate. He looked at Tony who sure that he knew well enough about those issues.
"It's way colder than I expected." Tony commented calmly looking back at him, reading his mind. Steve only nodded.
"We're landing" Steve announced again, spotting a good place. He turned his seat and got his shield sitting close to the others equipment. He didn't need to instruct his team since their already knew. They were going to recognize the place first, he didn't know what they were going into inside the building so Bruce had to stay in the quinjet until second orders.
"Do you think the quinjet will stand this?" Tony asked in a low voice.
"It has to. But we'll have to be fast." Steve answered, also concerned. We can't back away now, he thought. "Okay." He said louder, pressing the bottom to open the quinjet. "We gotta be fast, the snow storm won't get any better and we are a bit away. Stay together." He shouted so that they could listen to him, they all nodded.
The trees were enough to hide their plane if anyone would see from the building, but he couldn't be sure of anything else until they reached the facility.
The cold wind made it difficult to even walk but it wouldn't stop any of they, the problem was that it would slow them down. Since he couldn't do much about it, Steve only ran together with them.
When they got closer to the building, they were readily received with shotguns sounds. So, he shouted his orders through their com: "Clint and Thor stay outside. Tony and I will go in. Cover us."
Tony was already on the fight to open a way for him since he had the suit, Steve thanked him mentally and ran trying to find a way in. Some soldier tried to stop him facing him in a fight but he was straight to the point and subdued all that came close, beating them unconscious.
"I can't find a way in." He informed in the com and in the next second he heard the sound of glass shattering and looked ahead after beating another man.
"I found a way in, Cap." Tony answered him, going in through the recently broken window. "Please, be my guest. It's frozen outside." Steve was so focused in finding Natasha that he didn't pay any attention to the usual jokes, only he went running through the whole his friend opened in the old window and followed his lead as he scanned the place.
"Where to?" He asked noticing Tony stopped in his track.
"I'm scanning the building. Obviously, they have a secret passage here, because who doesn't have these now days?" He said sarcastic. "Let's take a look."
"Hey!" A soldier shouted. "They're here!" He shot at them uselessly. As Tony opened the door, he shot at the said soldier that fell on the ground, and before his comrades caught up with them, they went in and closed the door again.
"What do you think…" Steve started saying but interrupting himself when noticed that inside the environment was totally different from the outside.
"It's a lab…" Tony voiced it, still scanning. "What are they doing here?" He asked no one with curiosity clear. Steve also was puzzled. "Could it be that Natasha's been undercover here to find something out?" He continued.
"I don't think so…" Steve replied. "She would've let us know beforehand. She knew we'd be worried sick." The captain didn't think that'd be likely but Tony looked at him doubting what the taller man said.
"I think it can be it. She could've been sent by Fury." Tony looked around, searching for something he just didn't know what. The white hall had a climatic control he'd never tell the building would have.
"She doesn't work for him anymore. Shield's is over." He disagreed again following the suited man until a closed door at the end of the hall.
"You'd be surprised how those two are. I think she'll always respond to him whenever he calls on her." Tony told him a bit bitter. Steve couldn't tell why he said it that way but it wasn't important. The soldier would track them down there anytime. The Captain looked back while Tony shoot the panel by the door to let them in and the door opened leading them to a even colder room. "Look at that!" He let out in surprise. "These are…"
"Tanks." He breathed still puzzled as his friend worked in the computer.
"These are special tanks. They are totally sealed, and these tubes you can see control the conditions inside. What do they keep… No way." He stopped again before starting typing.
"What?" Steve asked but soldiers came in just at that moment and interrupted their talk. "Tony whatever you're doing, hurry up!" Steve hided and looked back at Tony who was now looking at a tank close to them. The tank opened slowly letting a vicious liquid come out and soak the floor. "What?" He was confused. "Tony, we need to get out." We need to get out and Find Nat. But he froze in the moment he saw what was inside. "Natasha!"
Tony turned his back to her and shoot all the soldiers that were onto them, letting Steve shield her. Which he hushed to do.
"Natasha!" He called the woman as he freed and held her tight behind his shield. Tony looked at them to see if they were okay and when their eyes met, he asked: "There are more people inside those others, right?" He indicated the tanks with his head.
"Yes. But we need to leave." He walked at them to check on Natasha.
"I know." Steve agreed. Holding Natasha and getting up to get her out.
"I'll cover you." Tony said and Steve nodded. Since most of the soldiers were already beaten, it wasn't so difficult to head out.
Though when Steve stepped outside, he noticed that the storm had worsen and Natasha not only wasn't properly dressed as she was also wet from to tank's liquid. He had nothing to cover her with, he frowned.
"Tony, take Nat." He asked through the com, hiding from the remaining soldiers. "Take her to the quinjet. She needs blankets." He said and in a minute Tony landed in front of him ready to get her. Clint and Thor were just shadows with all the snow falling. "We got her, head back." He shouted when he reached them and they ran off. By that time, none of the soldiers could see them nor they could see the soldiers any longer, so one less problem.
Steve focused on his team mates while running, they had to stick together now or the storm would make them fail the mission. That proved right when Clint tripped and he had to help him to get up. Just a bit more, he thought anxious to get out of there and to learn about Natasha's situation.
"We're here." He informed through the com in his ear and waited for the others to let them in the quinjet. Thor landed close and they entered the quinjet. Steve looked at Natasha laying still unconscious in the quinjet under Bruce's care but he had to get them out of that place first of all. The Captain sat on the pilot seat letting his team prepare for the departure as he turned to Tony. "Do you think we can fly?"
"One way to know." Tony answered plainly. "The storm is harder but every second we stay here is a second we're risking the quinjet, it won't work if we wait." He reasoned, paused and then added looking at the immobile body behind them: "And there's Natasha."
Steve started the plane and it was all Tony needed to start pressing bottoms to get the quinjet flying.