7th March, 1945, Bavarian Alps, Germany.
They had outran the perimeter guards, taken down the men on bikes – and though that had already been difficult; Adeline's healing body and Steve's burnt shoulder testament to the fact – the approaching wall seemed momentous.
Steve had suggested the idea, had said to 'knock on their front door,' with all the seriousness of a kamikaze pilot. It had made her guilt grow, her worry fester – because Steve had a look in his eyes that she recognised. It was a look she'd seen on her own face, the kind of reckless abandon that came with caring so little about yourself, that it didn't matter whether or not you lived through the battle.
She held him tighter as they approached the gate, wrapping her arms around his midsection. The tank stationed at the gate began to open fire, Steve's shield taking the brunt of the hit. She heard him mutter something like a curse, before he flicked another of the fancy buttons – and a small missile shot out from the front of the bike, sending the tank up in flames.
He angled the bike towards the ramp-like structure, and Adeline reached for her pistol as they drove up, up – and soared over the barricade.
The floating, flipping feeling in her stomach at the moment of free-fall wasn't enough to distract her, and as they came back down to earth, she had already pulled the trigger. The first of the guards fell before they hit the ground, her machine-pistol making quick work of the men closest to them. The jolt as they landed almost made her slip, but for Steve's quick hand coming down to hold her arm to him.
Her stomach flipped again, for a different reason.
Not for the first time, she cursed herself for her weakness.
He patted her hand once, a warning – and she withdrew as he stood – jumping from the bike before he did, and rolling out of the way as the bike exploded.
She didn't have time to look for Steve as the nearest guards converged on her.
The first fell quickly, taken down by the spray of bullets from her gun – but when the clip emptied, she didn't waste time refilling, continuing her mad dash towards the door. She was no stranger to getting her hands dirty, and bowled over the men in front of her, paying no head to the blasts of the weapons on her body. She slashed and struck, wielding her knife like an extension of her body, blood covering her front.
It was the flash of orange flames from beside her that caught her eye, and the sudden pause of the soldiers. She looked up, baring her teeth.
"Wir haben deinen Captain, schlampe. Kapitulation." We have your captain, bitch. Surrender. The German was spat at her, and to her surprise – she recoiled at the sound of her mother tongue. She was moving the next second, lurching at him and bringing him to his knees with one punch to his helmet, cracking the black material.
It was the uniform attack of the others that forced her back, back into the open – until she was surrounded by dozens of them, bleeding and skin cracking under the energy blasts. There was no mistaking Steve in the centre of it all, shield lowered in defeat.
She stood still, allowing herself to be marched towards Steve. His face fell slightly at her approach – and at the faint rebuke, she felt her heart sink. Of course, he wouldn't understand why she would stop.
It was the faint buzz that should have warned her – the sudden pain across her body enough to make her yelp as the taser was shoved into her body, sending her convulsing and hopeless to the ground.
Roughly, she was pulled to her feet, and a pair of buzzing cuffs were strapped around her wrists, a thick collar around her neck, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a thrill of fear about her life. Perhaps this time, they really could kill her.
They marched them through the facility, and Adeline felt a rising pressure the further they went.
They were getting closer.
She could practically smell his putrid mind, festering and rotting in it's cruelty.
The room they entered was mostly lit my daylight, and the view from the windows should have been beautiful. But the accented voice that rang out sent her heart into overdrive and bile flood her mouth.
"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone." Schmidt strode towards them, out of the shadows, and Adeline fought a recoil at the sight of him. He may not look like the man she had known, not with this new monstrous face – but he was still the same monster.
Was that what she had become? If she pulled back her face, would she find one underneath? One that looked as twisted as she had become?
His eyes fell on her then, and he smiled. "There are limits to even what you can do, Captain, but you have brought my pet back to me. And for that, I can forgive some of it." He stepped closer, and Adeline lurched in the hold of the men. It was Schmidt that made her freeze, his hand darting out to catch her around the chin, grip like steel. "Easy, kleines haustier. I do not want to hurt you. Much." She snarled at him, straining at her cuffs. His other hand came up slowly, and stroked down her cheek. "I have missed you whilst we were apart. I am glad you have returned to me, even if it is in untasteful company."
"Fuck you." She spat. His face contorted, and he slapped her – holding none of his strength back, splitting her lip and sending her face to the side.
Steve growled. "Don't touch her." There was an edge to his voice now, one that Adeline hadn't heard before, but her head was too woozy to process.
"She is my property. I can do what I like." Schmidt said almost airily.
Steve shook his head. "Erskine did tell me you were insane."
"Ah." Schmidt breathed, "He resented my genius, and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine, but he gave you everything." Schmidt's eyes lingered on the pair of them. "So, what made you so special."
Steve chuckled, Adeline raising her head slowly. They exchanged a look and Steve gave her a half-smile. "Nothin'." He turned back to Schmidt. "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."
Schmidt's sudden explosion of violence made Adeline gasp – as the man drew back his fist, lashing out at Steve's face, before kicking at him, making Steve buckle over, winded. Adeline strained against the men holding her, as Steve coughed. Under the noise, Adeline pulled hard at her cuffs, masking the crack of her wrist and thumb snapping under Steve's panting.
Steve looked up at Schmidt. "I could do this all day." Adeline let out a relived breath. Slowly, she began to wriggle her fingers, pulling at her restraints. One hand free, she paused, waiting with baited breath.
"Oh of course you can, of course." Schmidt said derisively. "But unfortunately, I am on a tight schedule." He pulled out a small, shining pistol – and the whining noise it made was so similar to the sound of the weapon from the train, that Adeline felt her heart stutter.
But then – the dull clinks from outside the vast window drew the three enhanced's attention. Schmidt's face gave way to shock, as the figures of the Howling Commandos appeared, rocketing towards the window. Right on time. Adeline smiled.
"So am I." Steve said lowly, and as Schmidt turned back to him – he yanked the man holding him over him, shielding himself from the weapon. Adeline only had a second to worry about the weapon's capabilities, before she swung out at Schmidt – making him lurch backwards. He bared his teeth at her, and stepped back towards her, but before she could move again, the Commandos opened fire.
Schmidt gave a wordless growl, and turned, running from the room. Adeline moved to follow him, but Steve grabbed her arm.
She turned on him, snarling. He just raised an eyebrow, and grabbed at the collar around her neck. It only took a jerk of his arm to shatter the thing. She paused. "Thank you."
He smiled. "Anytime."
"Rogers!" They both turned at the call of his name. "You might need this!" James Falsworth tossed the shield across the room. Steve caught it easily.
"Thanks!" he nodded to his men, and turned back to Adeline. "Ready?"
"Ready." She rumbled. Her blood was up – and it was the prospect of having him so close, the embarrassment of having his hands on her, the way he had stumbled back from her – that was making her so close to losing it.
They ran together – they were untouchable, too fast to catch, too stubborn to stop. Adeline could hear the assault around them, gunfire and bootsteps in the corridors, yelled commands, German and English alike. She hoped Schmidt could hear it all, she hoped he could hear his world collapsing.
She could smell him, hear him – could practically taste him – as they stalked him through the corridors. Steve had taken to following her as she turned and twisted through the winding space. She was hunting him now.
But they caught up sooner than she thought, and the blast from Schmidt's gun caught her off guard – the energy eating away at her flesh and sending her crashing backwards. Steve faltered, raising his shield.
Adeline looked at him. "What are you doing?" she hissed, clutching at her shoulder.
Steve opened his mouth. "You're-"
"Healing. Go!" she barked. He snapped his mouth shut and followed. Adeline grunted, pulling herself to her feet. The wound was taking longer to heal – and she wondered what exactly was in the power source for it to damage her so badly.
She had only lingered a second behind but the scene she came upon was destruction.
Fire engulfed the corridor, and through the heat she could just make out Steve sheltering in a doorway. She gritted her teeth – and ran at the flames.
The man in the flame-suit seemed almost surprised to see her form appearing, buckling backwards under her weight obediently. He didn't put up a fight, the suit perhaps to heavy to move properly, and she had her knife sunk to the hilt in his neck as Peggy and a group of soldiers rounded the corner. She staggered upright, smoking.
"Alright, Ads?" Peggy breathed.
Adeline knew she looked a sight, clothes smouldering and barely there, hair singed away to the scalp, skin blistering and cracked. She smiled slightly, tiredly. "Never better, Pegs."
Steve ran up to her, face pale and tight. "Are you okay?"
Adeline shook her head slightly. "I've had worse. We can't stop." She reminded him. He looked conflicted for some reason, before turning his head from her sharply, nodding jerkily.
She ran after him, ducking past the shield holding the hangar door open and stumbled out into the large hangar. She only had a second to take in it's vastness, the size of the plane – eyes zeroing in on Schmidt's form at the bottom of the ladder, before she was running again – as he disappeared from sight.
This time, she didn't waste time with fighting, ducking through the Hydra soldiers, Steve behind her – close to her, always with her – trying desperately to get to the ship as its engines started up.
She was fast – she was lean, built for speed, genetically engineered to be faster and stronger and better – but she was no match for the speed of a machine. She knew it, Steve knew it, even as they pushed themselves harder, breath beginning to saw in their throats.
They almost came to a halt – before the screeching of tires behind them made Adeline turn. Phillips and Peggy pulled up beside them in Schmidt's treasured car. Adeline didn't need Phillip's barked command, leaping for the bonnet of the car as Steve got in the back. Phillips punched the gas, and they were off again – and her heart jumped back into her throat as they steadily gained on the plane.
They might make it.
The hangar doors sliding open made Phillips swear colourfully; her only warning before he put the car into overdrive, digging in her fingers to hold her grip as the car sped up.
"KEEP IT STEADY!" Adeline yelled as they approached the back of the plane – the wind current increasing the closer they got to the turbines.
Steve moved behind her, she could feel his body bracing hers – a silent support. She almost leaned into him.
"Wait!" Peggy's voice was just audible over the roar of the wind and engine. They both turned. She was smiling, something like tears in her eyes. "I believe in you. Go get him."
Adeline swallowed thickly, a sudden lump of emotion making her throat tight. She looked away from her friend – perhaps her best in the world – and back at the plane. Steve's hand came up to rest between her shoulder blades, and she closed her eyes briefly.
They had to do it.
They were getting closer and closer to the edge, closer and closer to the deadly sharp turbines – but Adeline couldn't stop.
Everything zeroed down as she fixed her eyes on the plane. The edge was approaching, the window closing.
She jumped.