New chapter, late at night, yay :). As always, I hope you guys enjoy!
I don't own Marvel.
The hospital was mostly quiet, which was strange for a hospital in the middle of a busy city. No nurses were rushing around, in fact, no one was around to begin with. No weeping family members, no new parents, simply no one.
Natasha went up to the second floor and stopped by the front desk where a single attendant was typing at a computer. "I'm looking for Steve Rogers. What room is he in?" she asked.
"He's still in surgery," the woman at the desk replied and went back to looking at the computer as if Natasha was not even present.
"He was in surgery yesterday. He should be out by now."
"There were complications. If you want, the doctor is down the hall to the right," she replied.
Natasha spun away on her heel, almost running down the hall. Something was not right, anyone would be able to tell that. She heard a large smash when she reached the end of the hall, but on the left side. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Natasha pulled out her gun and advanced slowly down the left corridor. A normal corridor, with windows to the outside on the left and windows to the rooms on the right.
"Let me go!" a man yelled, his voice very familiar.
A man suddenly flew out one of the glass panels separating the hallway from the room.
Natasha ran towards the man. He was dressed in HYDRA gear, a gun in his hands. His head rolled to the side, blood dripping from a gash the glass had made in his cheek.
She advanced towards the room and peered around the broken glass.
"Sedative," someone ordered. The same doctor that had told her to leave yesterday was pressing the plunger down in a long syringe into a man's arm.
Natasha moved slightly and set her eyes on the man's face who was receiving the sedative.
Surrounded by the doctor and four other HYDRA agents, wrapped in bandages, was Steve. Scarlet drops of red were showing through the wraps that covered his midsection and his bright blue eyes were only half open. If they wanted to keep Steve sedated, they would have to use extremely strong medicine.
Natasha knew that she had to act fast. She took aim and fired at the closest agent. He collapsed onto the floor as the other agents looked at her and drew their own weapons. She fired twice more, two more men dropping to the floor as the doctor hid and the last agent advanced.
Natasha drew out her widow bites. She dropped down as the man fired, narrowly missing her arm as she engaged the weapons and electrocuted the man. He dropped down and convulsed for a few seconds before laying still.
The only people in the room now were her, an unconscious Steve, and a cowering doctor.
"What did you do to him?" Natasha ordered as she approached the doctor.
"Maybe nothing. Maybe something. But he will be to sick to tell you anything. Hail HYDRA," he said and crunched down on something. Foam covered his lips as the cyanide worked its way through his body until he too dropped dead.
"Steve," Natasha whispered as she came around to his bed.
He was not wearing a shirt and bandages were wrapped around his midsection, where his main wound was. Sweat glistened over the smooth muscles in his chest, as they contracted and relaxed with his uneven breaths. There were more pieces of cloth around his shoulder and thigh, all turning a light shade of pink.
"Steve," she tried again and was met by his eyes opening slightly.
"Hey Natasha," he whispered.
There was no way to get him out by herself, he was simply to heavy. Unless...
She looked out the window and saw in the distance, still by the front of the hospital, Bucky was curled up on the grass. He was sitting up, his knees pulled into his chest, his arms slung around his legs. He had not left over the course of the cold night, instead, he had offered his support for Steve, even though Steve had no idea where he was. In Bucky's mind, just being around Steve in hard times was enough to comfort him.
The window was simply a glass pane and had no way of opening, so she simply stood back and kicked the glass, watching as it fell onto the pavement below.
That got Bucky's attention as his eyes snapped open and alert, and followed the falling glass up to where Natasha was.
Natasha made a waving motion for him to come up. "Can you get up through here?" she whispered down to him.
Bucky nodded and pulled a grappling hook out of his belt. He threw it up and climbed until he had jumped into the room next to Natasha.
"Look, putting everything aside, we both care about Steve. HYDRA is in control here, probably sending more men as we speak. I need your help to get him out of here. Can I trust you?" Natasha asked.
"He's my brother. I would do anything to make sure he is safe," Bucky replied. "How can I help?"
Natasha went to Steve's side and Bucky did the same. "Lift on three. One, two, three!" Natasha grunted with the effort of lifting the heavy soldier up, until he was in a sitting position on the edge of the table. More red spots started to show through his bandages.
"Ow," Steve murmured, his eyes starting to open a little more as the sedative started to wear off.
"What now?" Bucky asked.
"We need to get him out of here. The hallway isn't an option. So, how do you feel about lowering a super soldier through a window?"
A look of confusion crossed Bucky's face as he realized that she was serious.
"I can hold a rope up here while you repel down, holding Steve." Bucky looked at her as if she was insane, which she was at least a little. But he knew that it was the only way to get Steve out safely. It was only two stories to the ground.
"What then?"
"I have a friend I can call to come and pick us up and take us somewhere safe," she replied.
"This friend is…?" Bucky questioned.
Natasha grabbed a rope from one of the nearby tables that had probably been used while cleaning the windows and wrapped it around the table, which was stuck securely to the floor. She handed one end to Bucky before replying, "all in good time."
Bucky let out an annoyed breath and gave a small curse as he lifted Steve up, fireman style, and grabbed onto the rope. Natasha held on and bent backwards, giving extra support as Bucky climbed carefully out the window.
Natasha waited a moment before the rope went slack. She looked outside to see Bucky, supporting Steve in an upright position, give her a thumbs-up.
She positioned herself and grabbed the rope as she began repelling down the building.
"Freeze!" someone yelled as she went out the window. Agents had burst into the room, weapons ready. Natasha let go of the rope, falling for about ten feet before tucking and rolling upon landing. Her shoulder screamed in agony as she stood up fast and put an arm around Steve so that she and Bucky were supporting him.
"Go, now!" she yelled.
HYDRA agents started peering out the window, each yelling for more weapons and that the prisoner was getting away. Typical.
Natasha activated her earpiece and called the man she hoped could help.
"Hey, little red. How's life?" Tony Stark's voice filled her head with annoyance. Sure, she couldn't stand the man, but right now, she needed his help. Steve needed help.
"Look, no time for formalities. Steve's badly wounded. We're outside the hospital with HYDRA agents closing in. We could use a ride," she stated as she and Bucky began to move away from the building.
"The great Black Widow, the do-it-yourselfer, the loner, the-"
"If you call me one more name I will personally hunt you down and kill you," Natasha reeled.
Tony may not have known much about women, but he did know that when Natasha made death threats, especially on his life, she was serious. "On my way. Meet you in five," Stark finished as the line went silent.
"How you holding up Steve?" Bucky asked as they ducked behind a wall of the hospital, hidden from view.
"Could be better. Yourself?" Steve replied, wincing as he stopped moving.
"Better knowing you're alright," Bucky responded and gave a small smirk. It hurt like hell for him to see Steve this way, beaten up and bloodied. But he was used to it. All the fights on the streets, everything he had done, Steve had always fought through it. No way a bunch of metal spheres would get him down.
Dun dun dun daaaaaa, Avengers are coming next chapter! So be sure to stick around ;). Thanks for reading.