The rest of the drive there is mostly quiet. Apart from Steve filling Freya and Natasha in on his conversation from the day before with Fury about Project Insight and his full conversation with Pierce earlier in the day. Sunset is on them by the time they pull up to the origin of the thumb drive's files. They slowly get out of the car and walk up to the gate. Steve walks around the truck to join the two women.
"This is it," he tells them. Freya steps up next to Natasha as the redhead checks her phone.
"The files come from these coordinates," Natasha confirms. Freya looks around and her eyes land on the sign to their right.
"So did I," Steve sighs.
CAMP LEHIGH
Looking past Natasha, she meets his eyes and sees a sadness in them. She gives him a reassuring smile before turning back to the gate. She reaches her hand out, grabs the chain around it and easily yanks it off. Hearing Natasha chuckle next to her, Freya gives her a wink. Entering the army base, they spread out while they look for any clues as to where the files could've came from.
"This camp is where I was trained," Steve tells them.
"Change much?" Natasha asks while she holds her phone in the air and scans the buildings around them.
Freya also tries to reach out with her mind to see if she can hear the thoughts of anyone that might still be there. She's met with silence. Hearing Steve's footsteps come to a stop, she turns. She watches him stare at a flag pole. She can see him get lost in a memory and so badly wants to see what he's thinking. What he's remembering. But she knows they're on slightly rocky terms right now. Thinking how it's also an invasion of privacy, she turns around and continues to slowly walk down the path.
"This is a dead end," Natasha sighs as she puts her phone away. "Zero heat signatures, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off."
"Yeah, I reached out with my mind and there's no one near here. We're alone," Freya agrees. Looking over at Steve, she sees him staring at something. "What is it?" she asks him. He quickly glances at her before nodding at a building ahead of them and quickly walking toward it.
"Army regulations forbid storing munitions within 500 yards of the barracks. This building's in the wrong place."
He walks up to the door and breaks the lock with his shield. They're met with an elevator that takes them down to a dark underground room.
"I can't see a damn thing in here," Natasha grumbles.
In response, Freya ignites her aura. Illuminating the general area around them. She grins at Natasha, who rolls her eyes.
"Show off," the redhead mumbles.
Steve chuckles behind Freya at the exchange. She smiles up at him before pointing at the wall to their right.
"There's some light switches," Freya tells them.
Natasha moves over to the wall and hits switches. The overhead lights turn on to reveal rows of desks. On the back wall is the original S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.," Freya says in amazement while she powers down her aura.
"Maybe where it started," Steve agrees.
They make their way to the back of the room and go through a door. Passing shelves full of files, they walk up to a few pictures that hang on the back wall.
"That's my grandfather," Freya gasps.
"Stark's father," Natasha nods.
"Howard," Steve says sadly.
They look to the picture next to it and Freya's heart aches. It's Peggy. Looking up at Steve to her left, she can feel his sadness. Reaching out, she grabs his hand. He instantly grips it and gives it a squeeze.
"Who's the girl?" Natasha asks when she sees the way the two blondes are looking at her.
Ignoring her, Steve turns away. With his hand still gripping Freya's, he pulls her along the shelves as they walk down the back isle. Looking ahead to the right, something catches Freya's eye.
"Steve..." she mumbles.
He looks over at her and follows her eyes. Spotting the spiderwebs over the cracks between two shelves getting blown around by an air current. Releasing her hand, he scans the shelf before looking back at the two women.
"If you're already working in a secret office..." he begins before pausing to pry open the hidden door. Revealing another elevator. "Why do you need to hide the elevator?"
The three Avengers walk up to it and Natasha scans the keypad. Retrieving the pass code, she punches it in and the elevator dings as its doors open. They quickly glance at one another wearily before stepping inside. The doors slowly close and the elevator starts to descend. When it finally comes to a stop, they step out into dark basement. As they walk further into it, the lights suddenly turn on. Revealing a room full of hundreds of outdated computers. Freya walks ahead and steps onto the platform containing the main monitors that are linked to the rest of the equipment.
"This can't be the data point. This technology's ancient," Natasha says as she looks around in confusion.
"You'd be surprised at what technology even this old can do, Red," Freya says while shaking her head in amazement. Her eyes are as big as saucers while she scans the room in awe.
Natasha notices a small panel of USB ports and makes her way over to it. Freya follows and walks up to her right while Steve steps up to her left. She pulls out the thumb drive before hesitantly plugging it in. All electronics in the room instantly whir to life. The three of them look around in disbelief. The monitor in front if them lights up and emits an automated voice.
"INITIATE SYSTEM?"
Without hesitating this time, Natasha steps up to the keyboard and begins to type.
"Y-E-S spells yes," she says out loud while she types. After hitting enter, a smirk forms on her face as she tries to lighten the mood. "Shall we play a game?" Freya responds with a snort and shakes her head in amusement. Natasha throws the smirk over her shoulder at Steve. "It's from a movie that was really-"
"I know. Frey and I watched it," he cuts her off with a tone of mild annoyance. The monitor in front of them fizzles to life and a pixelated face appears.
"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918."
Freya immediately tenses up as she scans their surroundings. She quickly spots a camera that's panning between the three of them.
"Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984."
Freya glances at Natasha. Both of them are now on edge. She freezes when the camera pans to her.
"Danvers, Freya. Adoptive name: Stark, Freya. Born 1989."
Her eyes go wide when the computer speaks the information. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Steve watching her. Turning to him, they both share a look of uneasiness.
"It's some kind of recording," Natasha says, attempting to make reason of the situation.
"I am not a recording, Fraeulein," the computer instantly responds. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945. But I am."
A picture appears on a smaller monitor to the right and Steve steps toward it. Freya's eyes go wide when she sees it. She whips her head around to look at Steve in shock. Knowing exactly who this computerized man is.
"You know this thing?" Natasha asks Steve. Steve pauses before he begins to walk around the platform with the monitors.
"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years," he answers.
"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving on 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain."
"How is this even possible with this equipment?" Natasha asks Freya.
"A lot is possible if you know how to correctly code and program it," Freya replies while she stares at the monitors.
"The young Stark is correct. You seem to take after your grandfather in the intelligence department," Zola compliments her.
"Don't you dare talk about my grandfather," Freya snaps while glaring at the monitor. She goes to take a step toward it, but Steve walks up next to her and puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Stepping up between the two women, he faces the monitor.
"How did you get here?" he asks.
"Invited," Zola simply says.
"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II," Natasha realizes out loud. "S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited German scientists with strategic value."
"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own," Zola brags.
"HYDRA died with the Red Skull," Steve denies.
The monitor displays the HYDRA logo before splitting its pixelated face into two.
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Zola taunts.
"Prove it," Steve challenges.
"Accessing archive... HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist."
One of the smaller monitors begins to play old footage. Some of it including Steve and the other Howling Commandos.
"The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed."
Brief footage of the Winter Soldier's metal arm is shown. As well as a picture of him with a sniper rifle.
"Oh, my God," Freya gasps. "You're the one's that have been controlling him."
"That would be correct, Fraeulein," Zola confirms.
"That's impossible," Natasha denies. "S.H.I.E.L.D. would have stopped you."
A monitor displays a newspaper clipping. The headline announces Howard and Maria Stark's deaths. A picture of Nick Fury follows.
"Accidents will happen," Zola jokes darkly.
"My grandparents..." Freya's voice cracks as she begins to tear up.
Steve reaches out to her and grabs her hand in an attempt to comfort her. Zola continues as the monitors begin to play footage of Project Insight.
"HYDRA created a world so chaotic, that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once a purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum."
Steve lets go of Freya's hand and slams his fist into the monitor with a grunt. Effectively shattering it and rendering it useless.
"As I was saying..." The pixelated face appears on another monitor as Zola's voice emits from the speakers again.
"What's on this drive?" Steve asks angrily.
"Project Insight requires insight. So, I wrote an algorithm."
Freya suddenly begins to get a sickening feeling in her stomach. This one is bad. Something is about to happen. She looks around, trying to see if the source of the feeling is in the room. Fear begins to grip her.
"Guys, something isn't right. I have a bad feeling..."
Steve and Natasha's heads whip over to her before the redhead leans around Steve to look at the monitor. Panicking at Freya's warning.
"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha demands.
"The answer to your question is fascinating," Zola hums. "But, unfortunately, the young Stark is right. You shall be too dead to hear it."
The doors behind them leading to the elevator begin to close. The three of them spin around and watch with wide eyes as their exit disappears. Freya doesn't try to stop the doors since the feeling in her stomach is basically screaming at her that it won't matter. Steve still throws his shield at them. Trying to wedge it between the doors to prevent them from closing. It doesn't make it in time and ricochets back. As he catches his shield, Natasha pulls out her phone when it begins to beep.
"Guys, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. Thirty seconds tops," Natasha informs them.
"Who fired it?" Freya questions.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha mutters with wide eyes.
"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain," Zola begins to taunt Steve from behind them. Natasha quickly grabs the thumb drive as he continues. "Admit it. It's better this way."
Steve and Freya frantically look around the room for an escape. She spots a hole in the floor that they might be able to hunker down into and points at it.
"Steve!" Freya yells.
"We are, both of us, out of time," Zola says in farewell.
Panicking, Freya turns to Natasha, grabs her hand and yanks her with her as she runs. Steve throws the grate that's covering the hole to the side and turns back to them. Natasha lets out a small squeak when Freya flings her into the hole. Steve grabs Freya and dives in behind the redhead. As soon as they clear the edge of the hole, the building explodes around them.
Steve stands over the two women and tries to protect them with his shield while they kneel together. Freya throws her arms around Natasha and tries to cover her the best she can. Looking over her shoulder, she sees Steve struggling as everything begins to collapse on top of them. Knowing she can help, she turns around and pulls him down to kneel too. Throwing her hands out above his head, she creates a barrier. She immediately feels the weight of the building falling on them and lets out a yell of surprise. Her muscles immediately begin to burn under the pressure.
Steve's forehead presses to hers as she cries out in pain. But she continues to hold the weight of the rubble falling on them. He watches her as she begins to struggle. Her eyes are screwed shut in concentration while the silver glow of her aura illuminates the hole. The building continues to fall and exhaustion is quickly setting in for her. She opens her eyes, revealing her silver irises, and sees Steve watching her with worry. Spots are beginning to dance around the edges of her vision. But she ignores it and forces herself to hold the barrier. Suddenly, it becomes silent. She continues to hold the barrier, afraid to let go. Knowing the rubble will crush them if she does.
"Steve, I need you to help me push this off of us. I can't do it by myself," Freya pants, struggling to talk.
He nods and begins to help her lift the debris up and away from them. Both of them audibly struggle to push the collapsed building out of the way. Finally, they clear a hole for them to crawl out of. Steve pushes ahead to see if the coast is clear. Freya's eyes go back to normal and her aura powers down as soon as she leans on a cement slab to catch her breath. She looks to her left to check on Natasha and finds her unconscious. Panicking, she reaches her mind out and initiates a connection. When she confirms she's okay and had only hit her head, she breathes a sigh of relief and breaks the connection. After making sure the path is clear, Steve climbs back into the hole and inspects Freya.
"Doll, that wasn't smart," he frowns.
"Don't start, Spangles," she rolls her eyes and gives him a weak reply. Her voice raspy with exhaustion. "We're alive, aren't we?" He shakes his head in reply and goes to help her up. Pushing his arms away, she declines. "No, get Nat. I'm good."
He hesitantly nods before scooping up the redhead and climbing out of the hole. Groaning, Freya forces herself to her feet and follows. As they step into the open air, the sounds of quinjets in the distance make them freeze. They look at each other briefly before sprinting into the nearby forest. Barely escaping HYDRA. Knowing they can't take the truck they came in, they hot wire another one and quickly get on the highway. Steve had laid the still unconscious Natasha down in the back seat. Freya rides shotgun this time. The two blondes sit in silence for some time before Steve decides to finally voice his thoughts.
"I wanna hear it from you," he says quietly. "Your explanation."
"Explanation of what?" Freya gives him a confused look.
"The Winter Soldier," he glances at her. She sighs at his request, but nods. Knowing he deserves an explanation.
"The first time I ran into him was in November of 2007. Almost two months after my eighteenth birthday. I was on a mission in London. The goal was to retrieve files on a high level target from a secure location. Everything was fine at first. The mission was running smoothly. Until Winter showed up. Apparently, he was after the files too," she sighs. "We fought. Hard. We both gave each other a beating. But, he ultimately bested me and got away. I was stumbling out of the building, trying to make it to my rendezvous point, when a sniper from the adjacent building tagged me with an armor piercing round. I went down. There was another shot and I thought I was dead right then and there. But, the sniper that shot me fell from the roof. The next thing I know, I'm being picked up and carried. I look up and see Winter and realize he's helping me. He carried me to my rendezvous point and hit the distress signal on my suit. And then, he just left."
Freya looks up at Steve and finds him watching her. He nods before turning his attention back to the road. Indicating that he wants her to continue.
"After that," she continues. "I kept running into him on missions every so often. We started to pull punches when we fought. Neither of us wanting to hurt one another. One specific mission made me realize he's just a puppet in someone's master plan. Forcing him to do things he doesn't want to. I had come to that conclusion when I asked him why he was doing the things he'd been doing. He just told me, 'I don't have a choice. I can't fight it. I don't even know who I am.' The last time I saw him was on a mission in Moscow in 2011. He was after a target of high importance to S.H.I.E.L.D. I was tasked to protect and extract that target to safety. For the first time in a long time, he actually fought me. Without restraint and without remorse. He wasn't himself. He didn't even recognize me. Winter had me on the ropes. But, my powers ended up taking over and I turned the tables on him. I ended up almost killing him and the target I was tasked to rescue. Who's also a friend," she frowns.
"The second incident you mentioned," Steve sighs. He glances at her with a concerned look. "You said you almost killed them though. So you took back control, right?"
"Barely, but, yeah," Freya nods. "In the process, Winter ended up hitting his head pretty bad. It broke him out of their control and he finally recognized me. By the time I had gotten him to his feet, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were storming the building. I knew it wasn't his fault, but I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't care. So, I made him leave. Told him to hide. But HYDRA must have found him again and now he's back to doing their bidding." Freya finally finishes and sits in silence. Letting Steve process her story.
"Do you think he can be saved?" Steve finally speaks up.
"Yeah, I do," she immediately looks at him and nods.
"We'll figure it out, Doll," he nods, hearing the confidence and hope in her voice. Reaching out, he grabs her hand and squeezes it.
"Thanks, Spangles," she smiles. She leans her head back against the headrest and gives his hand a squeeze in return. Neither one makes a move to unclasp their hands. Her nickname for him makes him smile as he looks over at her.
"When all of this is over, I think we should talk," he tells her.
"About?" she asks as her face scrunches in confusion.
"Us," he answers with a warm smile. Her stomach does flips at the mention of him calling them "us."
"O-Oh. Like, us, 'us'? More than friends, 'us'?" she stutters out. He nods at her, still smiling. "I'd really like that," she smiles back.
They sit in silence for the rest of the drive, hands still clasped. Not realizing that the redheaded assassin in the back seat is awake and smirking. Having heard the whole thing.
