Hydra Base

Location: Patagonia. Argentina(The Andes Mountain Range)

2014

Emma's eyes fluttered open as she heard something in the distance. It was well known around base that the Viper Assassin had extraordinary hearing abilities. She was a relatively light sleeper due to her enhanced senses so whatever sound she heard had easily roused her from her sleep. Emma barely dreamed of anything but nightmares these days so the noise was a welcomed alarm clock to her ears. The blonde girl immediately sat up in her small bed, surveying the room for any sign of a threat. She slid her hand discreetly underneath her pillow, grasping her .22 magnum in her hand. Someone might call it paranoia but Emma just called it life. Old habits die hard.

Emma had spent one month inside the top secret Hydra base which was much more hidden away than the one in Siberia. It wasn't as if she was unused to being moved from Hydra base to Hydra base but normally she would transition between Hydra bases in Europe. Argentina was drastically different from the other Hydra bases she frequented. She could tell that the base was built in a hurry because it was practically built underground and all the while was falling apart.

Emma had really thought the base in Siberia was small but this place could even make someone like her feel claustrophobic. Her room was even smaller than the one back in Siberia and she didn't even have the luxury of her own bathroom. The agents at the base were okay but she much preferred the cold silence of the Russian Hydra agents to the smugness of the Argentinian agents…they reminded her too much of Rumlow. Emma gritted her teeth at the thought of the dark eyed man and forced herself to let her mind drift away from painful memories. Rumlow would get what he deserved soon enough.

The thirteen year old had grown up a lot within the past five years. Killing had been something she had once been hesitant about doing but things changed…people changed. It was hard at first for her, of course. Her parents were brutally murdered in front of her so how was she expected to do the same to someone else? It was simple actually…threaten the life of the one person in the world who she cared about then Emma could become very cooperative. It was difficult at first but her father helped her through it. No one ever said killing was easy but it did become less and less difficult with time. It became more and more like a chore to her rather than a job. Jobs could be fun sometimes but there was no part of Emma that actually enjoyed killing. It was something that she had to do because it was either that or Hydra would decide that she and her father didn't serve a purpose anymore.

The last month spent in the shabby looking base was really starting to take its toll on Emma. She had been sent to the base a month prior due to unknown reasons. Colonel Karpov had just informed her that she would be temporarily stationed in Patagonia, Argentina until further notice. Emma, like always, knew that it was best not to question Karpov's orders. She had a stronger endurance to pain than she had when she was little and the Russian man would beat her for her insolence but she also knew there were other ways he could punish her.

Speaking of which…she hadn't seen her father in almost a year. It was always like that between them. They would see each other on and off within the past few years because Hydra was very adamant about keeping him in the Cryo-Chamber whenever he didn't have a mission. The last time they were together was when they were given a mission in Thailand. The moment they got back, Hydra put him back in the Cyro-Chamber and Emma hadn't seen him since. They only spent short amounts of time together but Emma cherished that time together all the same. He had been gone a year and Emma missed him more than she would ever admit aloud.

Emma hadn't been completely sure as to why Hydra decided to suddenly move her to the base in Argentina but she had her suspicions. They never gave her any information that they thought would benefit herself rather than Hydra. She and her father were essentially on a need to know basis because they didn't work for Hydra…no, they were enslaved by Hydra. Still, Emma heard rumors around the base and those Argentinians sure liked to gossip. There were rumors of the destruction of Project Insight as well as the fall of Shield. Shield? Emma thought. No, the fall of Shield couldn't be good for Hydra. Shield was a foundation for Hydra. It was one of their top resources. They also spoke of the death of Alexander Pierce and Emma really hoped that rumor was true. She hated Pierce almost as much as she hated Rumlow…almost.

The blonde girl ended her surveillance of the room, coming up empty. She sighed tiredly as she ran her hands through her long blonde hair. Emma winced at the oily feel of her hair…she hadn't washed it in a couple of days due to a lack of water within the base. Everyone was permitted to one shower a week which wasn't the brightest of ideas considering the place was like an oven filled with sweaty men. She was about to dismiss the noise that had woke her up when she heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from above ground…like there was something moving up there. Emma stared up at the ceiling, her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, before she made a decision. She quickly grabbed an all too familiar uniform off a single wooden chair in the corner of the room.

It was time to see what the hell was going on out there.

The Viper Assassin emerged from her room much to the bewilderment of the Hydra agents hurriedly passing through the hallways. It had been a quiet month for Emma and it had been clear that her skills weren't needed at the Hydra base which made her wonder why she was even there. She literally did nothing all day and mostly just stayed in her room, reading whatever books Hydra had permitted her to read.

She calmly walked through the base with a stoic expression on her face. Emma's Viper Assassin uniform looked mostly the same during the past few years except for the adjustment in size considering that she was still growing. The only thing that was missing was her goggles and mask. Emma usually only used the goggles and mask while she was out on missions so she felt no need to use them for walking around the base. She watched one of the young looking, but still much older than her, Hydra agents running by in a hurry. She quickly analyzed the nervous yet frightened expression on his face and decided that he was the one to question. Emma reached out and gripped his arm tightly, forcing him to stop in his hurry. The young Hydra agent gave her a frightened look as he realized just who she was. The Viper Assassin had earned something of a legendary reputation during these past few years.

"Qué está pasando?" (What is going on?) Emma questioned in fluent Spanish. The Hydra agent swallowed nervously as his eyes locked onto the cold, blue eyed gaze of the Viper Assassin.

"Lo siento, pero no puedo revelar esa información." (I'm sorry but I can't disclose that information) He told her and Emma sneered at him.

"Dime lo que sabes de buena gana o te haré decírmelo. Confía en mí ... Puedo y lo haré. Las interrogaciones son una de mis muchas especialidades." (Tell me what you know or I'll make you tell me. Trust me…I can and I will. Interrogations are one of my specialties.) Emma told him with an eerie evenness to her tone. It was enough to frighten the young, inexperienced Hydra agent into telling Emma everything he knew.

"La base en bajo ataque." (The base is under attack.) The agent told her reluctantly and Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"Por quién? Cómo encontrarían la ubicación? Nadie sabe sobre esta base ...Ni siquiera la mayoría de Hydra sabe sobre esta base." (By who? How would they even find the location? No one knows about this base…Not even the majority of Hydra knows about this base.)

"Los Vengadores parecían habernos encontrado de alguna manera." (The Avengers seemed to have found us somehow.) The agent told her with a suspicious tone. Emma's eyes widened as she took in this new piece of information. The Avengers? Emma didn't know how to feel about this new information. The Avengers were here? How did they even find the base?

"Cómo? Eso es imposible." (What? That's impossible.) Emma told him, managing to keep her curiosity at bay in regards to the Avengers.

"Dile eso a tu precioso soldado de invierno." (Tell that to your precious Winter Soldier.) The agent all but spat out, gaining some courage. Emma felt a little speechless at what the agent just told her. Did he really think her father told the Avengers the location of the Hydra base? Why would he do that? Her father sometimes pushed his own boundaries to help her but he was still brainwashed and wiped of most of his his memories at the end of the day.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion because she tried remembering when the last time she heard any information regarding her father was but she couldn't remember hearing anything. She couldn't even remembering anyone mentioning whether or not he had been taken out of the Cyro-Chamber. This Hydra agent seemed to think that her father had something to do with the Avengers being here and Emma had no idea why.

"Me prepararía para una guerra completa si yo fuera tú. Hay sólo una docena de nosotros aquí. No hay manera de que podamos contenerlos." (I'd get ready for a full out war if I were you. There's only a couple dozen of us here. There's no way we'll be able to hold them off.) He told her coolly before he yanked his arm out of her grip and hurried away to wherever it was he was ordered to be. Emma stood there, other Hydra agents passing by in a rush, but she was incredibly still as she thought about what she was going to do. Emma realized what this would mean for her. She would finally come face to face with her grandfather…Captain America.

Pierce never told her the name of her grandfather when he finally disclosed why Hydra chose her of all people to use the serum on. Emma wasn't stupid though. As soon as she got her hands on a computer she did a little research. How hard was it to find a war hero from World War II who had also been experimented on with a super soldier serum? The answer was that it wasn't hard at all.

Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, was quite famous and had mysteriously vanished in 1945 when he crashed into the ocean. It suddenly all made sense to Emma as she pieced everything together. Not only did they have the same last name but they were also both super soldiers and what other reason would Hydra want her for if not just for her being related to that man? All the stories that her grandmother Peggy had told her about the man she had loved, the man she had lost, suddenly made sense.

When the alien invasion in New York happened, it sent tremors through Hydra and especially the scientists who would've liked nothing more than to get their hands on some of that alien technology. It came as a shock to her that her long lost grandfather wasn't actually dead but was alive and well. There had been faint rumors, before then, in Hydra that Captain America had been found but she had just assumed that his body had been found. That was true to an extent but Emma thought that they had found a dead body…not an alive one. She felt indifferent to the Captain the more time she thought about him. To Emma he was just another Avenger…another person that continued to be a pain in Hydra's side. She knew that it was likely that she would be required to respond to a hit on him so it was best not think about just how much he looked like her dad…her biological one, not the Winter Soldier.

Emma clenched her jaw tightly as she forced the thoughts of the patriotically dressed man out of her mind. It wasn't the right time or place to dwell on such things. Emma moved from her position in the hallway and started to devise a plan on how to hold off the Avengers. There was six of them and one of her but Emma wasn't normal, after all. She would fight them and kill them if she had to because Emma wasn't going to let them take her. Emma had a job to do and that included protecting both her and her father. The Avengers weren't about to get in the way of that and Emma was prepared to do whatever she could to prevent their interference. Emma heard a loud explosion coming from the main hangar of the Hydra base followed by some hysterical screams.

"Es Iron Man! Ellos estan aqui! Están en la base! Envía noticias a Sokovia! Con rapidez!" (It's Iron Man! They're here! They're in the base! Send word to Sokovia! Quickly!) One of the head operatives at the Hydra base ordered. Emma could hear one of the subordinate Hydra agents hurrying out of the way to do what his superior ordered of him. So this was it. The Avengers finally made it into the base. If this was any other situation Emma would've laughed at the terrified looks on all the faces of the Hydra agents. They were so not prepared for this. Emma's face was calm as she peeked around a corner towards the main hangar. This was the difference between them and her. She was prepared for everything.

Emma glanced into the main hangar, her hand on her gun that was situated in her gun holster on her right hip. She watched with mild curiosity as Iron Man flew through the main hangar of the base, blasting Hydra agents with his repulsor beams. Emma looked at the scene, remembering that Stark had been one of Hydra's targets that should've been taken care of by Project Insight. It was no secret about just how much Pierce despised the man so of course Stark was one of the first targets on the list. It was a little amusing about just how much the tables had turned. Emma only wished that Pierce had lived long enough to see this for himself.

She watched as the other Avengers entered the main hanger which included a long haired blonde with a flowing red cape and a hammer. Thor. Now Thor was someone that Emma had been immensely curious about but how could anyone not be? He was from an entirely different planet and also happened to be a prince on top of that. A man with a bow and arrow had seemingly found a highly elevated space, watching the ground with a close eye as he aimed his weapon at the unknowing Hydra agents. Emma recognized him to be Clint Barton. Shield's resident archer and one of their top agents until the agency fell.

Emma's eyes then lit up in mild interest as she spotted an all too familiar face fighting on the ground next to Thor, her moves as quick and graceful as a dancer. Agent Romanoff. It had been a few years since Emma had seen her last but the redheaded woman had managed to make an impression on her. She felt a little annoyed that the spy couldn't seem to stay away especially with the warning Emma gave her when they last met. She had meant it too. It really wouldn't be wise if they met again yet here Romanoff was. That was when Emma noticed the man fighting off a Hydra agent next to her.

He was wearing a blue mask which covered the top part of his face but Emma knew who he was just by that ridiculous looking uniform. Captain America himself. The man fought a lot differently than Romanoff did, Emma observed. His movements were less graceful but not less effective. While he lacked the fluidness Natasha Romanoff had, he made up for it with forceful punches and faster speed. Emma had to admire his defensive stance as memories of her earlier training sessions with her father flooded her mind. She looked away from Captain America and instead looked at all the Avenger's positions, assessing their moves as well as where they were in the room. The only one Emma noticed that was missing was the Hulk. She figured that the Hulk was probably a last resort. A smart move, she calculated as she briefly praised their battle strategy.

A Hydra agent was suddenly thrown across the room by Thor, crashing against the wall Emma was hiding herself behind as she assessed the situation. The agent groaned in pain before he opened his eyes, Emma filling his vision. He looked at her in disbelief as she just simply stood there and watched him with an emotionless expression on her face. The man gave her a questioning look, obviously wanting to know why she wasn't helping, but Emma only ignored him as she silently moved more behind the wall. Thor came back to retrieve the man and Emma held her breath, hoping that he didn't have any sort of enhanced sense of smell or hearing like she did. If he did then he didn't notice, Emma thought, as Thor grabbed the man and flew back into the main hangar.

She peeked around the corner again, noticing that Hydra's numbers were decreasing quickly. Emma decided that she needed to make a move soon if she was going to get of that place. There was no way she could defeat them all on her own, maybe if her father was there, so she would need the Hydra agents to distract some of them as she made her escape. This worked in her favor since the Hydra agents were already providing the distraction Emma needed. She couldn't wait until all the Hydra agents were dead because that would mean she would have the Avenger's full attention.

No, she could hold off a couple then escape when she defeated them and by then the other ones would be too late. Emma wasn't about to fight Thor because he wasn't human and wouldn't likely be harmed by her attack. She might be able to fight off Iron Man but there was no telling what fancy gadgets his suit had but Emma could just rip him out of that suit if she had to. As for Captain America…Emma really didn't want to face him for personal reasons more than anything else. No… her best hope was Romanoff and Barton. Both of whom were highly trained killers but they were normal humans and would prove to be easy for her to gain the upperhand against before she would make her escape.

Without another thought given to her decision, Emma quietly stepped out from her position behind the wall before she stood in the middle of the hallway. It was still a distance away from the main hangar so Emma was sure none of the Avengers on the ground would notice her but those weren't the ones whose attention she was trying to get. No, her eyes were locked onto a certain archer. If the stories were true and his name did him justice then the man, also known as Hawkeye, wouldn't have any trouble finding her. It was then that the older man spotted her as she looked directly at him with a stoic expression. His face hardened when he saw her and Emma gave him a slight nod before she disappeared down the hall. He would follow her and then it would only be a matter of time before he found her. This was going exactly as according to plan.

Emma hid around a corner in the south end of the Hydra base as she waited for Barton to find her. It took a bit longer than she thought it would but she knew that it was only because he was being cautious. It was quite obvious that the Avengers might know who she was and that was something that Emma didn't like. She usually gained the upperhand in most of her missions because her targets thought she was just a sweet, innocent young girl. If the Avengers knew who she was then she wouldn't have that edge to her. Emma then stiffened as she heard soft footsteps pad their way down the hall.

She had to commend Barton since his footsteps were unnaturally quiet, probably something he spent many years practicing, but unfortunately for him Emma had enhanced hearing. It was also unfortunate for him because Emma also had enhanced speed which was something the archer soon found out as Emma jumped out from behind the wall and in the blink of an eye landed a hard kick to his stomach, sending him careening into the wall to the right of him. Barton groaned from the forceful impact of the young blonde's kick but recovered quickly. He didn't spend years as one of Shield's top agents for nothing. He went to grab Emma but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that she was already gone. How did she do that? She was just there a second ago. Clint cautiously raised his bow, holding it out in front of him and waiting for any sign of the blonde. The arrow he was about to use was a tranquilizer of course but it still filled him with uneasiness over having to use it on a child.

"I'm not here to hurt you, kid." Clint spoke to the air as he searched for a flash of blonde hair but came up empty.

"That's what they all say." The girl replied and before Clint could react he felt himself being shoved forward. He turned around to respond to the shove when he felt his bow being ripped out of his hands. Clint turned to face the young girl when he saw that she had his bow in her hands. The expression on her face was blank save for a raised brow as she looked at him.

"You should really hold onto your toys with much more care." She told him before snapping his bow in half, causing his jaw to drop. It took some effort on her part since it was a bow Stark had specially designed just for him, after all. However, it eventually snapped into two pieces when she applied more force. Clint looked disheartened by his broken bow and immediately looked up at her with a glare. It was so on. He suddenly raised his leg in the air quickly as he made a move to knock her legs out from underneath her. Hopefully she would stay down after that. Clint didn't really want to fight her anyways…they were all there to save her, after all.

It seemed that Emma had already anticipated his move as she briskly dodged the kick and retaliated with a hard punch to his shoulder. Clint winced before he tried to respond with a punch to her side but it seemed like for every move he tried to make…Emma was two steps ahead of him. It made him feel all the more old as she supplied him with brutal punches and kicks before she dodged all his moves with so much ease it looked as if she were dancing around him. It was clear to Clint that she fought almost exactly like Natasha.

When Clint was about to dodge one of her kicks to his right side, she punched him harshly in the head which automatically knocked him unconscious. Emma watched curiously as he fell to the floor limply but she didn't have much time to observe the man as someone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back. She groaned in pain as the person yanked harshly on her long blonde hair before she grabbed their hand and twisted it back before the person let go. When Emma turned around, she could only be reminded of that day in the desert from over five years ago. Natasha Romanoff.

The redheaded woman hadn't changed much in the looks department but she still looked just as fierce and dangerous as she had back then. The woman smirked at her, her green eyes flickering with mischief. If Emma was being honest then she had to admit she was a bit cautious about fighting the famed assassin. Only because the last time she saw this woman was when she had failed her mission because she couldn't take the shot. Romanoff held a very similar resemblance to her mother, after all.

Emma narrowed her eyes, not wasting anytime as she delivered a swift kick to the woman's side but this woman wasn't like Barton. Romanoff seemed to anticipate all her moves and Emma suspected that was due to her training which was rumored to be very much the same as Emma's training. She winced as Romanoff landed a harsh punch to Emma face, causing Emma to become very annoyed with the woman. Emma reached out and grabbed Romanoff's arm before she turned the older woman around with her enhanced strength, twisting the red head's arm behind her back. Romanoff stifled a groan of pain as Emma applied more pressure to the grip she had on her before she heard a sickening snap. Emma shoved her all the way to the ground, giving the former Russian spy a cold look.

"I warned you that it wouldn't be good if we met again." Emma told her as she stalked towards the redhead. Natasha managed a smirk as she looked up at the young blonde but underneath she felt guilt. Something had changed about this girl. The Viper Assassin hadn't even been able to harm her the last time they met but something was different now.

"Yeah, well, I don't listen that well." Natasha told her with a snarky tone but before Emma could respond with a comment or a kick, her attention was captured by something else…someone else.

"Emma." The voice called out and Emma slowly turned around. Pierce always called her Emma but it still sounded strange to hear her name. The way this person said her name wasn't as mocking as Pierce. No, her name sounded softer coming from this mysterious person.

Emma was soon face to face with none other than Captain America himself. His blue eyes, which were identical to her own, were locked onto hers. His expression seemed softened at the sight of her as he stared at her. Emma swallowed, not knowing what to say or do in this sort of situation. She didn't really want to fight him because he was technically related to her but she knew she would if she had to. She feigned a confident, smug look as she looked at the man who was supposedly her grandfather.

"Captain America," She announced with a sarcastic tone. "How nice of you to show up. I wasn't expecting a family reunion today or I would've worn something nicer."

"We're not here to hurt you." The Captain told her in a serious tone. Steve had to admit he was a bit surprised that Emma seemed to know who he was. He thought Hydra would have hidden that from her but apparently not. Steve glanced behind his newly found granddaughter and noticed an unconscious Barton on the floor as well as Natasha cradling a broken arm. Hydra wasn't kidding when they said that she was enhanced.

"The archer said the same thing…so I broke his bow. I can't imagine he'll be happy about that when he wakes up." Emma quipped and Steve gave her a look of amusement.

"No, I don't think he will." He paused as he stepped a little closer to Emma, not missing the way she stiffened when he did so. She eyed him in a suspicious and distrustful way. Steve had done some charity work not too long ago at an animal shelter to benefit the public's opinion of the Avengers but also because he wanted to help. The way Emma was reacting to him reminded Steve of those abused and neglected dogs that used to bare their teeth and snarl at him whenever he grew close. It seemed like Steve might just have to treat this situation like that one. "I know you know who I am."

"Yes, how could I not? You're on the news all the time." Emma told him as she carefully assessed any movement he made.

"You know that's not what I meant." Steve replied and Emma sighed.

"What? Did you think that I'd come running into your arms and we'd live happily ever after." Emma said, her voice laced with too much bitterness for a thirteen year old girl. "I'm thirteen, not four. Maybe if you came around here nine years ago, I would've done that but I've grown up."

"I thought you were dead…everyone thought you were dead, Emma. They told me you and your parents died in a house fire." Emma scoffed at Steve's explanation.

"Well, I don't think I've heard that one before. I don't remember any house fires but I do remember my parents being murdered in front of me…it's kind of hard to forget something like that." Emma said coolly and Steve winced at her response. He hadn't wanted to believe that she had watched her parents being murdered but Hydra, like always, wasn't merciful. It also struck Steve just how much she sounded like an adult…a very bitter, cynical adult. It nearly broke Steve's heart because she shouldn't be like that. Not at thirteen.

"You're still a kid, Emma, you shouldn't be involved in any of this."

"Well, I am." She snapped as she glared at the man who was technically her grandfather. "I know why you're here. You want to take me away but I won't let you."

"Emma, you don't have to stay here anymore." Steve said with persistence but Emma just shook her head.

"Yes, I do. I still have things to do…things that someone like you wouldn't understand." Steve furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Someone like me?" Emma rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, a do gooder like you couldn't even comprehend the things I've had to do. What? You think I like killing people?" She scoffed. "No, I don't kill people because I like it…I kill people because I have to. It's my job and it's survival. If protecting myself and the one person who's ever cared about me means that I have to kill a few politicians and scientists then so be it."

"Bucky?" Steve questioned suddenly, causing Emma to give him a confused look.

"What?"

"The Winter Soldier." Steve corrected himself as she stared at him suspiciously. "He's the person you were talking about. The person you're protecting."

"I wouldn't tell you if he was." Emma replied but Steve just shook his head.

"I knew him before he was the Winter Soldier." Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're lying to me." Steve looked her right in the eyes, trying to signal to her that he was being honest.

"I'm not lying. His name was James Buchanan Barnes, we grew up together…he was my best friend." Steve told her as Emma listened to him intently. "I thought he died years ago but he was experimented on like me and you. The experimentation saved him and he survived."

"No, you're tricking me." Emma accused, her blue eyes frantically glancing over him. "You're tricking me just like they've tricked me. They always trick me."

"I'm not tricking you…it's the truth." Steve told her seriously. He needed to get her to come with them and soon. She was starting to get hysterical. "Bucky escaped Hydra. He's on the run now. He's the one that sent us here. He told us where you were because he wanted me to find you…to help you."

"I don't need your help!" She hissed. "Papa would've never have left me alone if that were true. He would've found me himself and not sent a bunch of superheroes." Steve felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion as he listened to her. Papa? Before Steve could analyze anymore of what that could mean he replied to Emma's statement.

"He sent me because I'm the last family you have." Steve said as he moved closer, his expression softening as he looked at her. "You're all I have left, Emma. Please just come with me and leave this all behind you."

"I will never go with you!" Emma said bitterly although she really wanted to say yes. She didn't belong in Captain America's world. What place could a person like her have in a world like his? No, she belonged in Hydra…it was where she was intended to be. It was just too late for her. "You have your world, Captain, but I have mine and it's most certainly not-"

Before Emma could continue her little rant she felt a pricking sensation in both sides of her neck. She pressed her hand to the side of her neck and felt something odd. Emma pulled at the thing she felt sticking out her neck and was surprised to see an arrow in her hand. It didn't look like a normal arrow, the point was very thin and needle like. Emma's eyes widened in realization as she pulled out the other arrow.

Tranquilizers.

She didn't even have time to react because her vision started becoming blurry. Captain America became a disfigured and blurry shape in her vision as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It was only a second later when she began to collapse, everything going black as she passed out. Steve rushed forward to catch her before her head hit the ground. He glanced back up at a guilty looking Natasha and Clint, sending a glare their way.

"Did you have to tranquilize her?" Steve questioned and Natasha shrugged before wincing, remembering her broken arm.

"She was talking a little too much." Natasha explained with a calm expression on her face. "I don't think she was going to come willingly…she seemed a little hostile actually."

"She broke my bow." Clint said as if that explained everything. Steve just shook his head as he scooped Emma up into his arms and began to walk back down the hall, Clint and Natasha following him. Clint groaned in pain as he began to move. The thirteen year old had sure taken a toll on him which was embarrassing for him to admit to himself. "I'm going to be sore in the morning…that's for sure."

"You're not the one with the broken arm, Barton." Natasha retorted before looking ahead at Steve. "Your granddaughter sure knows how to fight, Steve. You're going to have your hands full with this one." Steve just smiled as he looked down at the unconscious blonde in his arms. She looked so peaceful when she was resting, a far change from what she looked like before. Emma would be okay, Steve told himself, she just had to be.

"You got her, Cap?" Tony said through Steve's ear pierce. Steve smiled a grim smile as he looked up from Emma's sleeping form.

"Yeah, I've got her."