Celia was separated from Bruce, despite his protests. She was still in a little bit of shock, so she didn't have the wherewithal to put up a fight. And the gun they were pointing at Bruce's head was a bit of a deterrent. There wasn't much she could do besides comply and try to keep her eyes open for anything that could help them get out.

She was led to what looked like a lab, but it felt so different than Bruce's. His was clinical, but it was also casual. This was all harsh metal tables and computer monitors. More like something out of a nightmare that Celia had been terrified to find herself in. Yet here she was.

The men walking her in stood her in the middle of the room before walking away, going to their tables like they hadn't just frogmarched a prisoner to their execution. But could she even be executed? What happened with the Hulk should've been the end, but luckily for her it wasn't. Or unluckily.

"Do I have some questions for you," the man said with a smirk, standing a few feet in front of her. It was starting to feel like her encounter with Agent Axe was going to be a walk in the park compared to this. "But first, let's watch the show." He pointed to one of his men who pushed a button on one of the keyboards, bringing up a video.

Celia forced herself not to react when she saw her face on the screen. It was a recording from the room Bruce was in, starting from the time she'd walked in. She didn't want to relive what happened to her, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. It was like she could feel every hit again as she watched, remembering the moment she knew her spine had been damaged and when her ribs had pierced her lungs.

"Now, here's where things get interesting," the man said, walking closer to the screen as Celia seemingly came back to life. She'd never witnessed this part before and it was awful to watch. The complete lack of control over her body brought up some memories she preferred to keep shoved down. But the man was watching like it was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

The video paused on a close-up of her face as she coughed up blood and Celia couldn't hold back her slight shudder. They'd obviously set out to do something with Bruce, but somehow she'd become the main event. And if they were smart enough to have something to incapacitate the Hulk, she was terrified at what else they could do.

"I don't mean to be crass, but how are you alive right now?" the man asked, looking her up and down. Celia stared straight ahead, forcing herself not to cringe away from where she could feel his eyes on her. What could she say? That Steve's blood had changed her? Those words would never cross her lips, no matter what. The last thing she was willing to do was put Steve in danger.

But what were her other options? Did she make something up and hope they believed her? Even if they did, how would that get her out of this situation? And how would it help Bruce? Celia doubted that being distracted by her would make them decide to let Bruce go. The best thing she could think to do was keep her mouth shut.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being so rude," the man chuckled, holding his hand out for her to shake. "My name's Vince." Celia flicked her eyes down to his hand incredulously, before resuming her earlier stare at nothing. She wouldn't be able to get away with attacking him, so there was no point in touching him.

"Not very friendly I see. That's alright. I feel like we'll be well acquainted very soon," Vince said smugly, pulling his hand back and walking a few steps away. The casualness of it all was setting Celia's teeth on edge. The people who thought they were doing nothing wrong were the most dangerous. The man in the elevator was the same way and Celia ended up with a bullet in her chest.

"When my men picked you up, you told them you were a nurse. While that may be true, that's not all you are, is it?" Vince said, glancing around the room. "Speaking of, which one of you was the one who decided to bring our new friend here?" The masked men looked around the room at each other before one of them stood up. He walked over to stand at attention in front of Vince.

"It was me, sir," the man said, a bit of pride in his voice.

"Spectacular find. That's the kind of initiative that will take you places in life," Vince commended. The man stood up a little straighter, soaking up the praise.

"Thank you, sir."

"Yet, you still went against my plan." Before the man could even register the reprimand, there was a bullet in his skull. Celia sucked in a sharp breath as she watched him crumple, Vince holding the gun in his hand as if it were nothing more than a pen, and not the weapon he just used to murder someone in cold blood. "Let that be a lesson to everyone that I won't tolerate disobedience. When I give a command, I expect it to be followed. When I ask a question, I expect it to be answered. No exceptions."

Celia knew that was aimed toward her, but she was firm in her resolve. If she had to choose between her safety and the safety of the team, there was no question who she would choose. Steve's name would never leave her mouth. Celia pursed her lips, setting her shoulders in determination.

"Disappointing, but not unexpected," Vince sighed. The bang caught her off guard, especially since the last one was still ringing in her ears. Celia barely had time to look down before she was falling, her back colliding with the floor and stealing the rest of the air from her lungs. She rested a weak hand on top of her chest, feeling the blood pouring from the bullet wound just above her heart.

Looks like she was right about the casual ones.


"What do you mean they're gone?" Natasha demanded as soon as she and Clint made it back to the jet. Tony had explained what they missed in the few minutes it took them to get there, which wasn't much. They had no idea what happened.

Steve felt numb, standing back as Tony used his suit to scan the space for any clues. This was his fault. He'd been the one to bring Celia along on this mission. If she'd stayed at the tower, she'd be safe. And if he'd called for the Hulk to join them in the fight, he would be too.

"Why didn't Jarvis tell us something was wrong?" Clint asked.

"Like you said, this isn't our usual jet. Jarvis isn't installed in this one," Tony sighed, flipping his faceplate back up after Jarvis finished scanning. "There's nothing out of place. It's like they just got up and left."

"They wouldn't do that!" Steve snapped. As much as he wished it were true, he knew it wasn't. Bruce and Celia would at least leave a note if they had to leave, even in an emergency. Something had prevented them from doing that.

"I know. I'm just saying there is nothing pointing to what happened here."

"I'm sorry," Steve mumbled, blowing out an aggravated breath. Fighting with Tony wasn't going to help anything.

"I know this is personal, but you can't think about it like that," Tony said firmly, stepping up to stand in front of them. They still weren't the best of friends, but Steve knew he could trust the other man when things got serious. "They need Captain America right now. Do what we know you can do." Steve took a few stabilizing breaths, shoving away the emotions that were threatening to overtake him. Tony was right.

"Natasha, Clint, I want you to go outside and see if you can find any traces of someone else being here. Footprints, tire tracks, even a broken branch," Steve directed.

"On it," they agreed, immediately darting out of the back of the jet and getting to work.

"Tony, is there anything you can get from the jet? A recording or a log of when the doors were opened or a button was pressed?"

"I'll plug Jarvis into the system and let him do a complete analysis," Tony replied, moving over to the controls to get started. Steve stood in the middle of the jet, feeling a bit useless at the moment. If he wasn't planning or fighting, there wasn't much for him to do.

He wasn't sure if he should call this into Shield. They'd taken care of the business that was directly related to them and he didn't know if the disappearance had anything to do with the mission. And a big part of Steve felt like calling Shield would make this all more real. And be admitting defeat. But if they could help, should he really let his pride get in the way?

"We got something!" Natasha called from outside. Steve and Tony raced out, rushing over to where she and Clint were waiting. Clint was crouched down on the ground, pointing at the grass with a grin.

"Got some tracks. Tried to cover them up too. They're good-"

"But we're better," Natasha bragged.

"So they were kidnapped," Tony mumbled, glancing around the field. "How did they get away with taking Bruce?"

"Maybe they threatened Celia? Or they had other hostages?" Clint shrugged.

"The how and why isn't important right now. Let's focus on the where," Natasha said, walking carefully away as she looked for more signs of disturbance.

"Let's follow these and see where they take us. It's our best lead at the moment," Steve determined, nodding for Natasha and Clint to lead the way. They walked for miles until they got to a set of tire tracks, then took off at a jog since these were easier to follow at a faster pace. Tony flew above them, looking for any other signs in the distance surrounding them. But his comms stayed quiet with no updates.

"Here," Natasha called out, pointing to a big spot of nothing.

"What is it?" Steve asked, trying not to sound discouraged.

"Helicopter," Clint sighed.

"This was planned well," Natasha muttered.

"Jarvis, scan for any cameras in a five mile radius for a sign of the helicopter. And if that isn't enough, go further. Check social media if you have to," Tony demanded.

"They have no idea who they are messing with," Clint growled.

"I think they do," Steve mumbled. This was planned out meticulously, not some random thing. If he had to guess, the signs were pointing toward this being about Bruce, but that didn't make him feel any better. The list of people who knew about Celia was very short, but he was terrified that that was about to change.

"We'll find them. They'll be okay," Tony said in an unusual show of support. "Of all the people for this to happen to, they are pretty likely to come out of this on the other end." Steve nodded, unable to add to the hopeful words. While that may be true, how much would they have to go through before they were found?