~April 9, 2015~
"I cannot believe on what just happened?"
Helen told herself in shock, standing in the middle of the elevator inside while waiting for the next floor in silence. Many of her thoughts began to swirl around her mind. She can't believe that Captain Steve Rogers had almost kissed her.
Almost giving her a kiss… Her first kiss!
Kissing on the check to a sweet boy as a little girl is far from a kiss, she thought a bit awkwardly.
Helen had never thought that Steve would go this far to put his thick lips closer to her soft ones. She can feel his heavy breath through his mouth near close to hers, and it made her feel so intimately hot when he's near her. But that desirable fantasy faded away from her mind, going back into her usual professional calm self. Instead of just saying about what happened, she moved away from him and bid him only a goodbye before shutting the elevator door right in front of his face.
Witnessing the intense and dangerous attack of Ultron and a small army of Iron Legions was bad enough… but telling Steve that she is leaving and going to fly back to Seoul then just shut the elevator door right in his face without giving him a chance to talk is the worst thing she had ever done tonight.
She can hear the elevator open widely and quickly walked out before going her way towards her guest room. Opening the door by sliding the room keycard she had kept in her pocket and went inside before closing it. She turns around and leaned her back slowly as her breathing continued to come quickly. Steve's actions had made her panic but it was her own reaction that had frightened her.
She held a hand to her chest, her breathing still hard and her eyes widened in overwhelming. Helen had been so firmly convinced and tried to stay convinced, ignoring all the signs she had with him that she was not falling in love with Captain America. And she had been right… that she wasn't falling in love…
She was in love.
The thought made her feel content yet it also terrified her. In all her life dedicated to her passion for her work as a geneticist, she had stayed away from any distractions and one of these distractions included love… Yes, being in love has nothing to do with her work. Her heart hammered now with fear as she slowly thought it aloud to herself. She was in love with Steve Rogers. And it seemed… Steve Rogers was in love with her as well.
But they had only known each other for like a week or a few days or so, then suddenly they feel something for one another with no reason at all? To Helen, this is too unrealistic and silly to think that people could easily be falling in love with one another. However… there is one thing that she had known about this strange yet a mythical phenomenon that is based on a Chinese Legend.
The Red String of Fate…
Her mother told a story about this as a child and had always been fascinated about it but the older she got, the more she thought of it as nothing but a fantasy for young girls who liked the idea of romance. Helen Cho has never been in love or had a relationship with a man, for she is always a woman who compulsively works hard on long days or hours, never distracting herself from anything but her passion for the work she has done in all her life. Yet… she can't help but feel this way with Steve even though she tries to ignore it. But it seems fate has other ways to make her fell for the Captain. And it took all for Helen to break down into tears right then and there.
Helen will try to not think of him and forget that this had ever happened, she didn't care how long it takes but she will try. By going back home to her country and continue her work in the lab without any distractions. And with this, she went on to get her things and prepare on packing them before flying back to Seoul. And there she will forget about the Avengers, their involvement with Ultron…
And she will forget about him…
For she doesn't believe that Captain Steve Rogers would ever fall in love with a woman like her.
~o~
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~o~
~April 10, 2015 (Early Hours)~
In half passed midnight. Tony, Bruce, and Natasha had spent the late-night searching through files, news, and the internet to find anything that could track Ultron without resting. Thor, Clint, and Steve stayed with them, the archer working closely with Natasha while Thor and Steve discussed and helped wherever they could. Rhodey was escorting Helen back to Korea before he returned to his duties with the US Military, although he'd told them that he will be ready to help them if they called.
The Avengers worked until the sun came up, each only moving when it was their turn to go wash up and get more comfortable. Steve was the last one to go after he was informed by Tony that Rhodey escorted Helen to fly back to her country. He really didn't want to think about that right now, for what's important to him is to find Ultron and stop him.
He finished himself up and dressed in a workout shirt and loose training pants, and returned to the ruined communal lounge just as Maria came to give him the latest updates.
"He's all over the globe. Robotic labs, weapons, facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man or men, coming in and emptying the place." Maria explained to him.
"Fatalities?" Steve ask while checking immediately.
She slightly shook her head and answered. "Only when engaged."
The pair made their way to the stairs and lead their way towards the lab as Maria elaborated. "Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears and something too fast to see."
"Maximoffs." Steve murmured before he sighed then added thoughtfully. "Well, that makes sense he'd go to them. They have someone in common."
"Not anymore." Maria corrected as she handed him the tablet she'd been holding.
He looked down at the screen to see Strucker's dead body in his prison cell. The picture had captured just the outline of a robotic arm, clearly indicating Ultron and on the wall beside Strucker's body was one word painted in the dead man's blood.
'PEACE'.
Steve's jaw locked and his face became even grimmer before he nodded and continued to walk their way back to the lab. As they approached, he could hear Clint talking quietly in the corner of the room outside the lab doors. "That's negative. I answer to you… Yes, ma'am."
"Barton." Steve called out as he stopped by the doors. "We might have something."
Clint nodded in reply before muttering into his phone. "Gotta go."
He hung up his phone and shove it into his pocket as Steve asked, a little surprised that the archer would be on his phone at a time like this. "Who was that?"
"Girlfriend." Clint shrugged at this.
Steve's eyebrows lifted in astonishment but he didn't comment on that as he walked back into the lab. They all looked at him handing the tablet to Thor, who nearby him. The Norse God glanced down at the picture before Tony asked while he walked over curiously. "What's this?"
A message." Steve explained while Thor smacked the tablet into Tony's stomach, who silently grunted at the God's impact on him.
Tony took it as Steve told the rest of the team. "Ultron killed Strucker."
Natasha frowned at the information she just heard while Tony looked down at the picture and commented. "And he did a Banksy at the crime, just for us."
Bruce wandered over to also take a look while Natasha pointed. "This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"
"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." Steve agreed to this thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I bet he…" Natasha quickly typed at the computer, muttering before huffed a little as the computer beeped. "Yep, everything we had on Strucker has been erased."
"Not everything." Tony corrected as the rest of the team looked at him in surprise.
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Thor and Steve did most of the heavy lifting as they lugged up the boxes filled with files on Strucker. The rest of the team had started on rifting through the files and Steve carried the last box before placing it on the table beside Thor as he said dryly. "Known associates. Well, Strucker had a lot of friends."
"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce added out as he started to read one of the files he had just opened when Tony suddenly called out. "Wait."
The scientist looked over in surprise but Tony was staring at the file Bruce was holding as he pointed at the picture inside. "I know that guy."
Natasha, Steve, and Thor looked over as Bruce handed Tony the file. The billionaire stared down at the photo and explained. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms."
Steve gave Tony a glare like a disapproving parent.
"There are conventions, alright? You meet people." Tony said in an annoyed tone while he met Steve's eyes defiantly as Clint walked up in between them. "I didn't sell him anything." He handed it over to Thor before returning to his point as he said thoughtfully. "He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was very 'Ahab'."
They examined the photo of Ulysses Klaue, a shady looking man and that was without even reading his file. Thor suddenly pointed to the back of Klaue's neck as he asked. "This?"
Tony peered over a bit to look as he said thoughtfully. "Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it…"
Steve frowned as he saw the scar on Klaue's neck and agreed with Thor as the Norse God pointed out. "No, those are tattoos." He indicated one of the many on Klaue's body before he pointed back to the burned scar on the back of his neck. "This is a brand." It was shaped like an odd rectangular symbol with curved spirals coming out on two sides.
Bruce moved to run the search on the mark at the computer before he called over from his shoulder as he found the meaning of it. "Oh yeah." His computer pulled up the match as he explained it to the team. "It's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief'… in a much less friendlier way."
Natasha snorted at this and Clint just raised his eyebrow at the meaning of the symbol while Steve asked curiously. "What dialect?"
"Wakanada…" Bruce tried to pronounce it as he read it off his screen. "Wa… Wa… Wakanda."
Tony turned to look at Steve in disbelief as the Captain returned the look as well, both were shocked at the information they had just heard.
"If this guy got of Wakanda with some of their trade goods…" Tony hinted quietly.
"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve answered quietly, although there was a hint of horror in them.
Considering how grave the situation was, Bruce got up from his seat and rejoined them as he asked. "I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?"
Tony turned to face his friend grimly while turned to look down at his shield.
"The strongest metal on earth." Tony flatly said.
The team's faces all changed as they also understood the full impact of Tony's words and Steve turned back to him then demand quietly.
"Where is this guy now?"
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The team infiltrated the salvage yard where Klaue's warehouse was, the DELTA team sneaked in amongst the shadows while Thor and Steve moved down the dark corridors about midlevel. Tony was hovering outside, waiting for the signal to come in while Bruce safely in the quinjet.
They could all see Ultron now, a giant robot towering well above the average man's height standing with the Maximoff twins and Klaue before a hidden compartment filled with Vibranium. They watched as Ultron suddenly grabbed Klaue's arm, shouting angrily at him. "You think I'm one of Stark's puppets, his hollow men? I mean look at me, do I look like Iron Man? Stark is…"
In fury, Ultron suddenly twisted Klaue's arm as he let out a scream of pain as his arm was cut cleanly off. Klaue reeled back, clutching at the stub where his upper arm is now ended while Ultron let go of the remainder of Klaue's arm.
"I'm sorry." Ultron apologized, almost cooing softly as he examined Klaue's injured arm apologetically. "I am sor— Ooh, I'm sure that's going to be okay. I'm sorry, it's just I don't understand." the AI was clearly crazy and seemed to have inherited some of Tony's self-destructive tendencies and then amplified It, along with a temper as Ultron shouted out. "Don't compare me with Stark!"
He kicked Klaue away down the stairs savagely then snarled. "It's a thing with me. Stark is, he's a sickness!"
"Ahh, Junior." Tony called out sarcastically as he flew in and landed heavily on the catwalk across from Ultron. Thor and Steve appeared behind Tony as he sarcastically said. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."
Steve watched anxiously as the Maximoff twins' faces changed, becoming enraged at the sight of the Avengers while Ultron replied scornfully. "If I have to."
We don't have to break anything." Thor warned before the trio walked a little further onto the catwalk.
"Clearly you've never made an omelet." Ultron mocked him as Tony quipped back. "He beat me by one second."
The Norse God gave him a confused look but then his eyes quickly flickered back to the twins as the bleach blonde male, Pietro said scornfully. "Ah this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable?" His eyes moved down to the missiles stored on the floor below before he asked scathingly. "Like old times?"
"This was never my life." Tony argued quietly.
Steve stepped forward with his eyes on the Maximoff twins as he said firmly. "You two can still walk away from this."
"Oh, we will." The girl, Wanda answered with a pretend sad pout on her face before smiling with anticipation.
"I know you've suffered." Steve tries to convince sincerely but Ultron cut in with a groan. "Uuughh!"
The Captain turned to face Ultron warily as the robot chuckled and scoffed before he spoke. "Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war."
Steve's jaw clenched at the mocking words Ultron spoke of him as the DELTA exchanged looks as they took their positions, poised and ready.
Ultron continued mockingly. "I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"
"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." Thor interrupted sharply.
"I think you're confusing peace with quiet." The robot countered as he stepped forward arrogantly.
"Yuh-huh." Tony chimed in impatiently. "What's the Vibranium for?"
"I'm glad you asked that." Ultron answered almost a bit casually. "Because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!"
He suddenly activated a magnet on his hand, dragging Tony forward by his metal suit. At the same time, Iron Legions appeared out of nowhere landing on the catwalk to attack Steve and Thor.
Ultron shot Tony, sending him flying and incensing the man before Tony fired his engines to shoot back at Ultron. The pair flew against each other, meeting in the air halfway and began to wrestle high above everyone else. Steve and Thor had their hands full as they battled themselves against the Iron Legions and the Twins but before the DELTA could help, they heard machine guns firing from all around the area.
Natasha quickly moves to take out as many of Klaue's alerted men while Clint proceeds to shoot them with his arrows as possible as the hostiles began to run in from the outside.
From the outward of the catwalk, Thor and Steve were working on it to take out the Iron Legions, although their task was made significantly more difficult by Pietro. Steve had just thrown his shield at an Iron Legion when he felt something punched him hard in the face. The speed of Pietro's movement adds the momentum and sending the Captain flying backwards.
Steve was gratified though when moments later, there was a yell as he saw Pietro went flying down the side of the catwalk, crashing into the crates on the lower level. Apparently, that kid had tried to grab Thor's Mjonir and it did not end very well for him. He stood up with a grunt before attacking one of the Iron Legions.
Tony and Ultron had crashed out of the roof, taking themselves outside as Steve used his shield to grab an Iron Legion in a chokehold. He leaned back before letting Thor swing his hammer passed him to hit off the robot's head. The Captain then threw his shield at the mercenaries, knocking them out before they could fire.
The shield bounced off the men before flying onwards as Steve jumped after it. He caught his shield and spun through the air to land a bit in front of where Pietro had fallen. The young man was just getting backed up when Steve whacked him hard on the head with his shield, knocking the speedster back down into the crates.
"Stay down, kid." Steve muttered at the dazed man before he dashed off to rejoin the fray.
He glanced up and frowned in concern when he saw Thor staggered slightly on the catwalk above him as he called out urgently to him. "Thor! Status?"
"The girl tried to warp my mind." Thor called out back warningly as he took out another mercenary by shoving his head down swiftly. "Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty."
Steve frowned as the Norse God suddenly broken off but he was little preoccupied, taking out some of the mercenaries. After knocking out the last hostile, something came running at him, knocking into him and sending him flying. Pietro stopped his fast pace, grinning a bit victoriously as Steve crashed into a staircase with a groan. Then suddenly, he felt something tingling in his mind. Steve got up to his feet as he staggered about.
He dropped his helmet on the floor, faintly hearing Clint's call urgently. "Who's ever standing, we gotta move! Guys?"
But Steve didn't hear as he blinked his eyes and found himself in a 1940s jazz restaurant. The music was blaring as the people around him laughed and danced, taking photographs and popping champagnes. Steve blinks again, looking around in confusion as he saw a banner hung up with a victory message.
He glanced down to see he was dressed in his full army uniform and he slowly made his way into the restaurant, dazed and confused. He glanced at a laughing couple nearby as the pair smiled for the camera and as the bright light flash went off, Steve flinched at the effect, imagining that it was a bomb in front of him.
Steve glanced over to where several men were laughing with a couple of women, one of the men was mopping up a wine stain on his friend's clothing chest. But Steve swallowed nervously as the stain looked eerily like blood and he thought of all the people who would've died in a similar position.
This was too much. Too much noise, too much movement. Steve was feeling overwhelmed as he hadn't been here for so many years since he had been unfrozen from the ice, and he missed the presence that made it all better.
"Ready for our dance?"
He heard a familiar voice that he had missed for so long and felt a gentle pat on his arm as he turned around and only to blink in surprise as he saw Peggy smiling at him. 'Peggy…' he thought pleasantly yet also stunned at her appearance, wearing a coral green dress. It had been so many years to see her look so young and beautiful as always since the day he met her. He missed her… he missed her so much and It has been so long… so long.
But he is still confused by all of this as he continued to look around in bewilderment and unable to understand what is happening here until he hears Peggy's warm voice again.
"The war's over, Steve. We can go home…" He gazes into her, longingly as she spoke out happily. "Imagine it!"
Steve blinks again, and suddenly he was all alone in the restaurant as the sudden silence threw at him. He then imagines himself dancing with Peggy, looking so loved and happy. Thinking that if he ever survived after the war, it would've been like this. Having this first dance with the only woman whom he had believed that he loves.
Though he struggled to come to terms with what happened. More than anything He missed his team, the Avengers team... he hadn't felt this lost in years. And now despaired that he was once again alone and without any friends to encourage him, to laugh with him and comforted him.
He looked up as he was no longer in a restaurant but instead it was a beautiful forest surrounded by these odd pastel pink blossom trees he had never seen before as the pink petals flew from the soft winds, gazing at them in sudden admiration of the colors. Suddenly he heard someone calling out his name as he paces around the forest to find that person who called out to him until he hears it again from behind him but this time, it was a familiar voice he hadn't heard in a while whom he thought he was going to forget about her.
"Steve…"
He stopped quickly and turns around to see Helen standing in front of him from a small distance, wearing a summer white dress with her long dark hair falling in loose around her shoulders.
"Helen?" His eyes widened at the sight of her.
Steve continuously stared while enamoring at the beauty of her. He didn't expect to see Helen looking this beautiful right in front of his eyes, smiling serenely at him. He had thought to himself that he shouldn't have feelings for her, never seeing her again and to forget about her yet he can't stop his feelings from growing.
'Why Helen…? Why do I feel this way with you?' Steve asked himself about his affection towards her while gazing at her presence until she raises her hand in front of Steve gesturing him to come to her.
In a daze, he slowly walks his way towards her. Yearning for her touch as he continues to approach Helen, his eyes fixed on hers. In all of honesty, he missed Helen. He missed her smile, her laugh, and her touch. Steve regrets on what he thought that he never had feelings for her. He really wished that he could have just told Helen that he loves her. He didn't care if they had only known each other for a few days, he wanted her. He wanted to hold her in his arms. To be able to feel love again.
Suddenly the warmth of the lightness above him began to darken and a loud thunder appears at the sky when Helen's expression turns from a serene smile that he has grown to adore into a heartbroken smile as her tears are starting to fill her eyes. Confused yet crushed at her expression, he calls out to her.
"Helen, what's wrong?"
She didn't say a word as she slowly moves back away from him, still raising her hand in front. Troubled by her movement, he continues to walk towards her and tries to call out to her.
"Helen! Tell me, what's wrong?" Convincing her to answer his question until he saw a cliff ahead.
Steve's eyes widened in horror as Helen continues to move back slowly, nearing herself to the cliff. She is going to fall to her death! No longer walking but instead run towards her to stop her from falling, his eyes widened in panic.
"HELEN! STOP!" He yelled out to her but she didn't stop and kept on moving backwards until her foot touches the air below and her whole body falls down from the cliff.
"NO!"
Steve sprinted towards her falling form and completely reaches her hand and catches her from falling with a grunt. With his other hand gripping the hard soil to keep himself from falling, he gazes down at Helen who just stares at him with a saddened expression and softly spoke to him in a calm tone somehow not fearing to fall from death.
"Let me go…"
Hearing her say those words, he angrily protested. "No!"
"You can't save me…"
Ignoring her words, he tries to pull her up with his strength but strangely he can't. its as if something is trying to pull Helen down to the dark abyss below.
"I can save you!"
"Steve…"
Hearing her saying his name comforts him and it should have made him feel lighthearted but in a saddened tone, his fears are consuming him for losing the woman he has easily grown to love.
His eyes became watery as he tries to beg for her to not let go of his grip.
"Helen, just stay with me. I'm going to pull you up, alright. Don't let go, you hear me! Don't let go!"
"Let me go, Steve." Helen says those words again, still in a soft tone but Steve doesn't listen.
"Helen please… don't do this…" His tears continue to fall from his eyes, almost blurring his sight in front of her.
Blinking once again where he can see her expression soften and wistfully smiled at him as if she is trying to say…
"I'm sorry…"
And with that, her hand slips from his strong ones as Helen falls to her death.
"HELEN!"
Steve screamed out in anguish as the darkness slowly consumes her whole body and disappeared from his sight.
His greatest fear is he couldn't save the one he truly loves… is now gone.
Whoa! What a nightmare our Stevie boy is having.
At least he realizes that he loves Helen❤️
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See you soon for the next chapter ;)
Review (^u^)❤️?