Wakanda
Villa of the Royal Family - far outside of city

As the Quinjet's ramp lowered, Sam began to reach over to unclasp Polly's buckle to allow her to stand up. His hand barely touched the edge of her hip. That was when her entire body flinched away again. She had done the same when he'd first talked to her. He had not taken into account that due to the blindfold that she would not know when someone was trying to help her. He had not tried to hide his steps and though she'd have heard him approaching but with everyone moving about, she probably hadn't.

"Sorry," he told her. "It's Sam. I'm going to help remove the seat straps."

Polly just sat still, again not responding to his comments with even a nod. He took that as his cue to do so.

"If you'll stand, I'll guide you down the ramp," he then told her.

But after Polly stood up, he saw that her free hands automatically went behind her back to clasp together, as if she expected to be secured.

"Polly, we're not going to secure you. You don't have to hold your hands like that," he offered to her, knowing that she didn't have any real reason to trust them except for the fact they had taken her from the Raft.

Standing next to her, he felt more like a guard than someone trying to help. But instead of just putting her hands at her sides, she folded them over her chest as if trying to protect herself, her hands forming small balled fists. He had a feeling that there was a lot more to her than Ross' small file.

"I'm going to hold your upper arm to guide you," he then said before doing the maneuver, getting a strange look from Scott at her stance. But he was starting to get an inkling as to her mentality.

She was more used to be treated like a prisoner than a person, so to get her to respond for now, she might have to be told what to expect, and not given a choice. Once they got the restraints off of her, then she would be free to move around on her own without running into something and hurting herself.

Guiding her, they walked towards where she probably could hear the others moving to. After so many hours, even with the grey clouds overhead everyone was happy to get out of the cramped, confined area. Slowly and carefully, he led her to the ground of the landing platform where they had arrived at somewhere inside the country of Wakanda.

Looking around, he was struck by the advanced architectural details of the villa that they had arrived at. It looked to be formed in the traditional shape of a round hut but on a much larger scale with curved wings jutting out on each side to form a horseshoe. It sat close to the edge of a stone cliff overlooking a river which was formed by a couple of waterfalls nearby located at the rear of the structure. Their spray made the air heavy with moisture. A jungle line was not too far off giving the entire villa privacy.

The front doors opened and he spotted a one-armed Bucky walking out to greet them. Steve had told them briefly about what had happened, how Bucky had lost his arm in the fight with Tony, so it wouldn't be too much of a shock. His eyes were drawn to the black item covering up Bucky's missing arm's stump.

Since it had been he that sent Tony to find them, Sam felt partially responsible for that happening. He might even have to be nice to the dry-humored ex-assassin.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that you were only supposed to pick up three prisoners, and maybe Sam too if you could find him, but definitely not five," Bucky jokingly stated walking towards their group which was lingering on the landing platform.

Leaning over slightly towards Polly, Sam informed her, "Ignore anything that comes from him. He thinks he's as funny as Bob Hope since they're close to the same age. "

Sam knew that she didn't understand the comment, but they would have a chance to talk later on and he'd explain it to her then.

"Special circumstances," Steve told Bucky as he continued holding onto Polly arm, guiding her to a stop. "Let's get inside, and have T'Challa join us if he can, before we start the explanation. He may not be too happy with me real soon."

"What kind of trouble have you gotten us into now?" Bucky asked taking a real good look at Polly.

With his hand still on her upper arm to guide her, Sam was able to feel her body slightly tense up, as if she knew that someone new was inspecting her.

"It seems that Ross decided to keep a prisoner of Hydra's for himself instead of freeing her," Steve briefly explained as they all headed inside. "We'll explain all that we found out in a little while."

Walking with Polly, Sam moved to wrap his arm with hers in a more gentle hold and noticed that through the blue jumpsuit that her limb seemed very thin. He then considered that due to how she had been feed for almost half of two years, she was probably grossly underweight. Her file did state that before each 'punishment time' that Polly was sent to medical for an examination. It seems that even though she was slowly loosing weight that it was not enough of a concern for a doctor to put a halt to Ross' torture of her.

After their discussion with T'Challa, no matter the outcome, he would request that she be examined by doctors to determine her real medical status. Since it seemed like they were only doing what Ross ordered, it was possible that the Raft doctors may have even altered the records to show what they, or he, wanted to be there. They would need to see if what Ross had been doing to her would have any long-term effects on her health.

Steve had told them that T'Challa was granting them access to this out-of-the-way location for their stay. It was a villa that only the royal family and their close associates were allowed to use. Therefore, nobody should be coming here so they would be safe from discovery. There was a private medical staff, a household staff, and guards for the king's protection also here. All of them had been selected to be here for their group while also swearing to T'Challa that they would keep the secret of them being here.

On the jet just before landing, they had also been informed by Steve that they were not staying in Wakanda for longer than a day or two at most. He was not going to put T'Challa out for any length of time, especially considering that the entire world was now very interested in the small kingdom after the bombing in Vienna. He wanted their group away from the prying cameras that were being held at bay just outside of their borders. King T'Chaka's funeral was days away and Steve told them they would be gone before then.

The villa's front entrance was formed of a small circular entry room and beyond it was a large lowered living area. Sam stopped him and Polly for a moment as he took in the view through the wall of windows overlooking a lavish tropical garden with seating area and the waterfalls beyond the cliff-face. It was a magnificent view they would be enjoying for a short time. He was about to ask Polly what she thought of the sight before realizing that she still couldn't see any of it. He would make sure that they returned to this room soon after the items were removed. He was sure that she would agree with his assessment of the villa.

Following their escort through another passageway, they entered a large dining area. As Bucky and Steve talked about how the breakout went, he pulled out one of the chairs and guided Polly to sit in it. Again, she never once even tried to resist or give any trouble. There had to be more to her story, especially since even Ross had no idea how she had come into Hydra's possession. Maybe after they had earned her trust, and vice-versa, she would tell them.

While they waited, most of the group began a careful questioning to Bucky and Steve about what happened in Siberia. Some of the information they had already heard on the jet, but Sam wanted to find out more about what happened with Tony. With his suit being so damaged, there was no way for him to fly out of there on his own. But he also knew that Steve would never strand him there intentionally. He didn't want to bring up such a rough topic in front of the others and figured it could wait until later when they got a moment alone.

After only a few minutes of chatting, a Grasshopper flyer containing T'Challa arrived at the villa along with his ensemble of Dora Milaje guards surrounding him. As he walked into the room, the warrior women fell back to the sides along the walls to be more unobtrusive. But there was no hiding the imposing feeling their very presence made on the group.

"Welcome, Mr. Lang. And it is good to see you again, Falcon," T'Challa smiled at him while giving them both a handshake before turning to Clint to do the same. "You also, Clint...now that I know who you are."

Sam saw a smile from Clint at the comment, and figured it was something that the two of them shared as a personal joke. He wasn't sure exactly when they would have had time to accomplish that. Maybe it was a topic for later too.

"Your Highness," Clint nodded his head respectfully. "Thanks for allowing us to come here. I hope that it will not bring you any trouble."

"Nobody outside of my country knows that you are here, and those here who do, I trust with my life," he told them as he sat at the head of the large wooden table that seemed to be formed of a single thick slice of a very old tree. As T'Challa looked around the group he had been fighting with roughly a week ago, his eyes rested on Polly, sitting near the far end, so very quiet and inconspicuous. "I take it that this guest," he indicated with his hand towards Polly, "is the reason you asked to speak with me?"

"Yes, T'Challa," Steve nodded. "We found out that Ross was secretly holding only one other prisoner on the Raft and I took it upon myself to…liberate her."

A servant of the villa then appeared in the doorway, catching everyone's attention. T'Challa nodded his approval for her to interrupt.

"Your rooms have been prepared and are ready for anyone that wants to head to them," she informed them.

Most of the group accepted the offer since they already knew Polly's story and were escorted off towards living quarters to get freshened up and changed out of the prison jumpsuits. Steve and Bucky were the only ones to stay with him and Polly.

Over the next few minutes, Sam gave most of the briefing since he'd been the one to read the file. He detailed out the best he could with the events in the order they had happened to her, including allowing him to view the amusing video of her interaction with Ross and the groin punch to show proof of her powers. He had never heard Bucky laugh aloud and knowing what he had done and was capable of, it was an impressive jovial sound.

The entire time during their discussion, Polly sat at the table and never once moved.

"I still wonder at the cruelty of the outside world sometimes," T'Challa stated when Sam was done. "We have had naturally enhanced in our society for generations. They are not treated as such, like a weapon, but instead taught how to control their gift for the betterment of our society, if that is what they want."

"You mean that you teach them how to use their powers?" Bucky asked sounding curious, probably thinking of how Hydra had used Polly for hers.

"We call it 'Alternative Studies', but yes, we do not fear or wish to control those with such powers," he then turned to Steve. "Are you confident in your assessment that she would mean us no harm? If so, I will have my medical staff prepare to receive her to remove the items."

"Yes," Steve nodded while glancing over at Polly. "I know that she is scared but I am not keeping her as my prisoner, like Ross did."

T'Challa looked over at one of the female guards, nodded, and she left the room...he didn't even have to tell her what to do, she anticipated his request.

"So does that mean that you'll let Polly stay with our group while we're here?" Sam asked hopeful, and needing to actually hear it.

"We will have an additional room prepared for her and while she is here, Polly will receive as close to the same status as your group is with being my guests."

Another servant off to the side then left at hearing that, probably to get her room ready.

"Thank you, T'Challa," Steve looked very relieved now knowing he hadn't gotten them all in trouble with his spontaneous stunt.

There was something very different about this base, and she was not sure if that was good or bad. It worried her since it could effect if she managed to escape from here.

The jet had landed outside and she could hear the distant, constant roar of some strange machine. The thick humidity in the air reminded her of home on a foggy day, lots of moisture. And she was almost sure that she had heard bird calls. But none that were familiar. If nothing else, she was sure that this was not one of the Hydra bases she'd been to before. At least that was partially reassuring.

Sitting in the very comfortable chair, she ran her throbbing hands over the soft fabric and tried to remember the last time she'd felt anything like it. It had been before all of this started, before Ross, and before Keeling, so many years ago. Why would an interrogation room have such a nice chair? Was this actually the base's leader's office they were in? They had not walked very far and most offices were deeper inside of a base's building where they were more secure.

From the introductions, it sounded like the one called T'Challa was in charge of this base. And from what she heard around her, it didn't sound like it was very secure. There was no groups of soldiers moving around and there didn't seem to be guards with guns lining the halls to control people's movements. Even the air which was usually heavily stale with oil and chemicals was lighter, cleaner. But when T'Challa had entered, the sound of multiple footsteps told her that he did travel with guards at least. Did he not trust this group she found herself with?

As Sam began to explain why she was there, she focused her thoughts more on her location, trying to formulate a plan. Their jet had definitely landed outside instead of an enclosed hanger, even though she had not felt the sun. The bird calls sounded natural, not like they were sitting up in the rafters of a hanger. If it was a matter of a simple metal fence surrounding them, she might be able to get through it if a gate was open. If it was any more than that, her hands may become a liability. Thanks to Keeling, she could not depend on them if any type of intricate moves were needed.

The sound of someone nicely laughing aloud drew her back to the others still in the room talking about her. Keeling's laughs were much sinister. Sam had finished explaining what was in the file from the Raft. Now she waited for them to turn on her, to lock her away like the dangerous creature that Ross had called her, like the tool that Keeling said she was.

But then, the one called T'Challa had told of how people like her were treated here, wherever here was. They were supposedly trained to use their powers. Was he lying so that they would allow him to do his own tests on her, to see if he could use her abilities, just like Hydra and Ross? Were they saying all of this as a way to trick her? But when would they have had time to set that up? Were they for real?

She was still trying to figure out the relationship of this group, but Steve and T'Challa seemed to have leadership roles but on different levels. Steve had already mentioned that they only here for a short time. But what did that mean for her? She was not part of their group. There was no reason to take her with them expect as their prisoner.

Would they leave her here to be locked up in the dark when they left in a few days?

But as they continued to talk, there was a decision about freeing her from the headgear. T'Challa was having medical prepped to have everything finally removed.

With it gone, she would finally be able to see and speak...meaning she could hopefully get out of this base and finally be free.

While the others were still chatting about new information from Berlin, Sam glanced over at Polly. He had waited for her to do something, anything, during their discussion about her, but she sat like a stone in the chair. Didn't she at least want to try and interact with them? Then he began to consider that maybe she knew it was pointless with the devices on.

T'Challa had informed them that in case it was ever needed, this villa had a small medical area on a lower level thanks to the remoteness away from any large cities or towns. The guard that had been sent for medical personnel to come up had returned by the end of their talk. She informed them that nurses would be along shortly to take Polly so that they could evaluate her medical condition. Sam knew that there could be complications thanks to the feeding tube being used on her so many times for so long. He hoped that the news for her was good.

Now as the others rose to leave the dining room, T'Challa headed off with his guards while Steve and Bucky headed towards the wing with the private rooms they had been assigned to. He told Steve that he would wait with Polly until the medical staff arrived, earning him an approving nod. Sam then moved to take a seat next to her.

"Polly, It's Sam," he started and noticed a slight drop in her head. It took a moment to decipher her body language, but he thought he understood. "You recognize my voice. You don't need me to tell you my name every time, do you?"

Polly gave a single slow nod.

"Sorry," he said a bit embarrassed. She may have learned their entire group by now just by voice. "I know that Polly is not your real name, but the file didn't tell me your real one. So I hope that until we can actually talk, you don't mind being called that."

He saw her give a single shake indicating she didn't. After two years of being called Polly, she was probably used to it.

"I'm going to stay with you until the medical team gets here. I'm sure you heard, but they are going remove the feeding tube and devices. You'll also receive a health examination. I can already tell that you are underweight from how they've been feeding you on the Raft. After that, you'll be given a room in the same hallway that all of my team is in."

Again she just sat listening without acknowledging his comments. From the hallway, two women in white lab coats came in while chatting in Wankandan. They actually paused when they saw him sitting next to Polly, more than a bit shocked at what she looked like. Maybe the guard had not fully described what the metal blindfold and gag looked like on her. Whispering between each other for a few moments, they seemed to compose themselves before starting to walk towards them.

"Good afternoon, my name is Kilani and this is Ras'zu. We are here to escort you to medical."

Polly just continued to sit, not acknowledging them.

"I'm Sam. This is Polly. She understands you but she can't really interact right now unless you ask specific yes or no questions," he explained to them, which they both nodded in understanding.

"We will take that into consideration until the devices are removed and we can better converse," Ras'zu told him, reaching for Polly arm. The second she touched her, Polly jerked away just as she had with every other touch she had received so far, shrinking back in fear. They'd just done the same thing he had multiple times. "I'm sorry, I did not think. Polly, I am going to help you up and guide you through the halls and down a set of stairs to medical. Is this acceptable?"

Polly gave a single nod.

Accepting their help, he watched as the two women guided her towards the passageway, and Sam could see that even though she went with them, her body language was tense as her hands simply fell behind her just like they had done at leaving the jet. Hopefully in a short while, they would all be able to have a talk about what she had been through to make her so weary of people and touches.

Sam watched the group as Polly was helped down the stairs while her hand rested on top of the handrail to guide her. He then turned to head down the other hallway, following the direction where the rest of his team had gone towards their sleeping quarters. As he walked, his mind began to fantasize about taking a real hot shower for the first time in weeks.

She sat on the examination table listening to the flurry of activity around her while wishing that she knew what was going on. Every so often, her paranoia would strike up when she heard a familiar sounds of some piece of medical equipment or a tool being used. She had to keep reminding herself to not panic until they got the devices off of here.

Until they were gone, it was pointless to try and escape.

Wherever this new group had brought her, even though they spoke a heavily accented English, it was not the language they normally were accustomed to speaking when working. When she could understand their speech, nothing told her that they plotting something. But when long periods of time passed in their native language, her mind began to race with all the possibilities of what they were planning to do to her.

Her hands were trembling with a mixture of fear at the darkness, now knowing that the light was just minutes away, and excitement at the possibility of getting out of here. Hopefully they were just at the edge of large town where she could slip into large crowds of people walking around. As long as a gate for her to pass through had a guard, she could just command him to let her pass. At least her legs had never been injured by Keeling since he needed to move her around so much.

Hearing footsteps approaching, the voice Kilani instructed her, "We need just a few more minutes to prepare to have the devices removed. Someone is searching for bolt cutters now."

She just gave a single nod again. Since she could pick up parts of their speech from around her asking about the bolt cutters, she had no reason to think that she was lying to her. Besides, if they removed them and then tried to restrain her in some other way, she would just use her powers to get herself out of here.

"Polly, we are now going to break the lock. Do not do anything once that happens. It will take a few extra moments before they are ready to come off."

Kilani was standing in front of her and she could hear movement behind her. Hands then began to move over the locks she had fiddled off-and-on with for years even though she knew they could not be removed. But she figured it couldn't hurt to try. It took all her composure to not jerk away from the examining fingers from numerous hands. Even when the doctors needed to examine her on the Raft, they had always knocked her unconscious. The only other time she was aware of being touched was for a beating.

Still so much better than when Keeling touched her.

Seconds later, she heard the loud sound of metal breaking before the broken lock was removed.

"Polly, after so long, your eyes will be very sensitive to the light so please keep them closed. We have a pair of special glasses for you to use. I will hand them to you to wear until they have had a chance to adjust to the brightness."

The top piece metal blindfold was lifted away already lightening up the extra weight she had gotten used to dealing with. Even with her closed eyes, she could tell a difference in the brightness surrounding her. They didn't have her in the dark.

Reaching up, she gently touched her eyes for the first time in days remembering how Ross had been there personally that time to demand her compliance. Normally he only appeared on a TV screen but he had been at the Raft base for some other reason and taken the opportunity to see her again. Now that she considered it, Ross' visit probably coincided with this new group's arrival at the Raft. They were important enough for Ross to oversee personally. At least it had been a change in routine for a few minutes.

The guards had knocked her out, applied the ball cuffs, and dragged her to medical, leaving her there so that she and Ross could talk once she woke up. He was just as arrogant that time as on his previous visits. But his questions to her had been nothing new, and she hated him even more now. So why would he think that she would help him?

So she had answered his question with her own about how his sex life was doing. She had no idea he could turn that color of beet red so quick. Displaying her ball cuff for him to clearly see, she'd asked him to guess which finger she was holding up as an answer as to if she wanted to work for him. He tried threatening her so she'd just started cursing at him in response before eventually being knocked out from the shock collar. He wasted no time leaving her to her fate. Once she had woken back up in her cell, she had found out that her own question had gotten her reduced feedings for a week, as if that weak liquid crap they gave her was filling anyway.

Now that she was away from the Raft base, would things really change for her?

Being brought back to the now, she was told, "We are now going to remove the mouthpiece and then feeding tube. Now, can you try to open your mouth as wide as you can?"

She nodded her head for Kilani as hands now began to touch her face. After the initial reaction of a slight jerk backwards, she held in place as they gave a small slow pull so the edge of the mouth-guard was exposed. There was a lot of talking at that point and the movement stopped. For the next minute, the discussions went on around her before Ras'zu's voice sounded.

"Polly, we are going to have to take this a bit slower now that we know what we are dealing with. Please be patient for a few moments."

Sitting there, she felt like she could wait hours as long as the damn thing was finally gone. But she figured that what they had not been expecting was the large flat plate that was inside of her mouth.

Hydra...Keeling had designed the gag so that she was not able to close her teeth and grind on them. Not only did it separate them with a hard rubber, there was a flat metal piece which held her tongue down to the bottom of her mouth. He was not taking the chance of any words being enunciated. There had been many times when her mouth would become dry and she would have to improvise a drink. Luckily the shower had a handle that she could turn even with her hands still secured. Sticking her head under the falling water, it would seep between her skin and the gag to get inside of her mouth. Having to swallow the water after doing so had been difficult so she did it only when necessary. The only downfall was having to sit around in the partially wet clothes.

"Alright, it seems that it will be fine to pull it out, and that it will not hurt you," Kilani told her. "Please open wide again as I carefully remove the gag."

Doing as she asked, the item began to slowly slip from her mouth until it finally was gone. The first thing she did was take a couple of deep breaths, such a simple act that she missed so much.

"We are ready to now remove the feeding tube, which will be unpleasant," Ras'zu told her. "Now, take as deep of a breath as you can. When Kilani starts to pull, exhale the entire time. It will be painful but it will finally be out."

They had no idea how many times she'd dealt with that tube being shoved in and out of her body through the years. Doing as she was told, the moment that they told her to start, she began to exhale. The familiar burning sensation started deep in her belly, traveling up her throat until it reached her now stinging nose. But finally the tube gone. As a bit of residue of bile from her stomach reached her taste buds, she felt the gagging sensation start, the burning in her nose.

"Here, spit into this," she felt something like a bowl put into her hands. Spitting out the foul tasting bile seemed to help. After a few moments, hands took the bowl away once they were sure she would not vomit, but they didn't understand that there was nothing for her to expel. Kilani then told her, "Here are the glasses for your eyes. They will cover the entire eye area with a dark lens. You will be able to see through it, but it will prevent the light from hurting you until you are used to the brightness again."

Feeling something in her hands, she managed to slip them on. A bit nervous since she knew how painful it had been the last time she'd looked around. Ross had not cared that her eyes would hurt after being in the dark for so long. He had not even turned down the lights in her cell during the first days after getting the blindfold off, not that she minded too much, her fear of the dark never having been discovered by him. She had to basically squint with one eye to be able to see anything for a few hours.

Carefully she now lifted her lids to form small slivers. The white room around her was filled with medical equipment around the stone walls, and there were people walking everywhere while trying to keep an eye on her. It did not look line any medical room possessed by Hydra or Ross.

One familiar trait was that there were no windows to be seen leading outside, only the one near the entrance exposing the hallway beyond. There was no mistaking the couple of men hanging around the main doors either. Guards had been put into place in case they were needed. They already had her trapped underground, considering they had gone down a long set of stairs. But they hadn't secured her yet so there was still a chance of escape. She only had to wait for an opening.

"Are you alright?" the lady next to her table with Kilani's voice asked. Her hair was an intricate braided pattern that formed a large, tight bun high on her head. There were small metal beads woven into the braids, unlike any metal she'd seen before.

A gravelly "yes" was the best she could manage after so long of not talking.

She then nodded, looking down at the awful devices resting on the small rolling workbench next to where she sat. Motioning with her hand, she lifted it to indicate that she wanted something to drink. The other lady near her then produced a plastic cup with water in it. At least it seemed some gestures were universal. With her fingers hurting like they always did, it took both of her palms to hold the cup so that she could quickly sip the cool liquid until it was gone.

"Careful, your body would normally need time to readjust to consuming all forms of sustenance," Ras'zu told her lifting up another small plastic cup. "But this is a special formula we have for patients who have been in comas for extended periods of time. It helps to strengthen your stomach lining and restart the metabolizing system of your entire digestive track."

She was pretty sure she understood just enough of that to get that it would help her to be able to eat again soon. That alone made her drink the entire glass to the last drop as she studied Ras'zu's intricate beaded necklace. Looking around, she realized that even being a medical staff that everyone in the room was dressed less strict than she was used to seeing. Even their clothing had bright intricate patterns...definitely not styles found at a Hydra base.

"And for our records, we would like to get a full body scan, if you don't mind," Ras'zu asked her while using her hand to gesture to what she thought was a glass wall.

This was not information that could hurt her so she needed to comply to keep from being thrown straight into a cell. If she cooperated then maybe they would let their guards down long enough for her to get out of here.

Hopping down from the bed, she slowly followed Ras'zu over to it and stood on the soft rubber mat. A series of bright lights lit up all around for the next few seconds but she didn't noticed anything else. She'd never seen this type of technology and wondered how much more stuff was out there for her to learn about.

"We are almost done," Ras'zu said leading her back to the bed.

For the next few minutes, she sat and just looked around the room, happy that she was able to do such a small thing. Even with the glasses, certain areas with brighter lighting would still cause her eyes to burn a bit, but it was worth it.

Kilani and Ras'zu were chatting away while pointing at something on a screen across the room from her when one of the male staff approached, carrying a tray.

When he put it down on the small table next to the examination table where she sat, and she was able to see the unfortunately familiar medical devices resting on it, she knew then that they were just like Hydra.

She needed to get out of here! Now!

Author's Note: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. It's about to get hectic for our group in the next one. Thanks for all of the positive reviews and I hope to hear from more of you as the story progresses.