Hey Folks!
Long time, no write! I know I know, and I feel awful for it!
Lots been going on around here and it kinda' sucked out the inspiration for a while.
Fortunately, it's beginning to reboot.
So, where did we leave Cora and Steve?
Well... On the roof of SHIELD HQ. In the rain.
... Oops.
Last we heard, they were becoming quite close until Tony Stark accidentally let the cat out of the bag as to the fact that she's been frozen for 70 years or so. Naughty, Iron Man! As you can imagine, it didn't go down well. Cora was distraught and angry, and Steve was riddled with guilt for lying, and rage at Tony for obvious reasons.
Luckily, after a few days to cool off, Cora came around to see things logically. She forgave Cap for keeping it from her, and they reconciled their friendship... And had a very sweet moment under the vibranium umbrella.
Steve then had to go on a mission to investigate a possible sighting of Dr Erwin Richards, the head scientist who had been torturing Cora through experimentation in an attempt to copy her telekinetic powers.
This is where we shall pick up the story!
Sorry again for the long delay, and I truly appreciate and love you all for sticking with me, Cora and Steve.
Don't forget to favourite, follow and/or review!
Here we go...
CHAPTER 11 - Safety.
Steve stood in the middle of a bright hi-tech lab below ground, his hands on his uniformed hips as the anger and disappointment flowed through him, his team moving through the space with precision to check every corner and crevice for personnel or anything that could be salvaged. All around him in the extensive laboratory lay broken equipment that sparked with the aggressive yet thorough destruction, computers no better than paper weights as small wisps of smoke rose from the numerous hard drives, and the monitors declared all data to be erased. Everything that may have helped Cora understand her gift and the life she had lost was gone.
"They must have caught word we were coming." Said Natasha, walking to stand beside him, "No idea how though."
"They may have spotted us on our fly in somehow." Steve said, easing his calm back into place as he strolled over to the nearest computer workstation and dipped his finger in a spilled puddle of coffee on the desk. It was warm. "They didn't get much of a warning. They left in a hurry."
Walking around the desk, he stepped over to a familiar metal dais in the centre of the lab, exactly the same as when he had found Cora on the ship. Except this one was missing the recovery pod and the various tubes lay discarded at the top of the grated platform.
Steve's hearing twitched as he picked up a quiet methodical sound, a monotonous beeping that he couldn't pinpoint as he glanced around the dais with the hope that something was overlooked in their rush to escape. Something with helpful data.
"Still..." Natasha began, easing closer as her brow creased with thought, "Someone careful enough to avoid us for so long, you'd think they would do a better job of covering their tracks than just destroying hard drives."
Steve stopped looking, standing still as his thoughts began to turn more sinister in regard to the beeping's origin.
"They wouldn't have risked leaving any clues for us to find." She added thoughtfully.
"I don't think they did." He replied flatly as his gaze lifted to the ceiling and the source of the intermittent sound. There, attached to the high steel girders, were several blinking devices. And none of them looked friendly.
"Everybody out!" Steve commanded loudly, grabbing everyone's attention instantly, "Evac, now!"
The teams immediately pulled back, sprinting with calm efficiency for the stairwells, passing the Captain and Natasha who dutifully stayed to make sure the very last man was out of there before following them, charging up the many flights of stairs to not risk the elevator during detonation.
Bursting out onto the ground floor of the dilapidated factory building which disguised the labs below, Steve could feel the first tremors through his boots as the bombs detonated many floors below them, the vibrations intensifying to shake the concrete ground and brick walls around them as they dodged the various debris of the abandoned factory.
"Get clear!" He shouted to the team as they exited the building, Natasha pushing herself to keep up with Steve's stride, even though he would never leave her trailing behind him. Especially as the explosions finally reached their crescendo and the floor began to fall away to take sections of wall with it.
A burst of debris and flame ruptured just behind them, forcing them to shield their heads as they ran, finally making the exit doors just as the rest of the building tumbled around them, biting at their heels as they fled at high speed into the weathered courtyard outside. However, the ground continued to give way in their wake, the labs spreading further underground than the factory foundations.
Steve began to think they wouldn't make the distance in time when one of the high-speed SHIELD aircraft shot into view to hover a short way in front of them, a rope tossed out of the back to hang low enough for them to grab. The ground crumbled only a few feet behind their furious sprints, spitting up clouds of dust as Steve reached out for Natasha's waist at the same time she circled her arm around his neck in perfect unison. At the last moment, they propelled themselves off a concrete divider with a powerful yell of determination, launching towards the aircraft's lifeline with the help of the Captain's strength. He grabbed the rope with his free arm, holding onto Natasha securely as they dangled from the plane and it immediately pulled up from the chaos. They watched as the entire factory yard descended into a hazy sink-hole, taking whatever information they may have found with it.
Steve sat inside the aircraft as it sped back to SHIELD HQ in Washington DC. It would be several hours until they arrived, and he was anxious to get back to Cora. It was only himself and Natasha in the back of the dark plane, the rest of the team, except the pilots, dispersing between the other crafts to allow them privacy after the disappointing end to the mission.
They hadn't been able to recover anything, and the site was far too unstable to even attempt a salvage operation. They had known what they were doing when they took up residence there, and when they blew it up.
"They knew we were coming." Steve said, bent forward on his knees in thought as Natasha sat opposite him, wiping the grime from her face with a towel, "They purposely delayed the self destruct to catch us in the explosion and take us out."
"If they did have warning, that means we may have a security leak within SHIELD." Said Natasha calmly, taking the possibility in her stride as she wiped the back of her neck.
"A mole." The Captain confirmed, his interlinked hands tightening as his worry increased, making his leather gloves creak slightly with the pressure. He glanced at the pilots at the front of the plane and was satisfied that they wouldn't be able to hear their quiet conversation over the noise of the vessel. "That puts Cora at further risk."
"Agreed." She replied as she cleaned her hands, "Until we find the source, she'll need extra protection. Fury won't like it, but I'm going to suggest removing her from HQ in case the mole is planning on weakening SHIELD via Cora's skills. We can move her to another secure location, somewhere off the grid..."
"No."
His calm response surprised Natasha, making her blink as she mentally double checked she had heard him correctly. She would have thought him supportive of removing her from potential harm.
"If they were planning on unleashing her on SHIELD then they would have acted by now, whilst she was more unstable." Steve explained calmly, though under his professional exterior he was anything but calm, "They've got something else up their sleeve, more likely trying to find a way to extract her. If we move her, the mole will quickly find out where she is, I have no doubt."
"We could keep her on the move? The Heli-Carrier?" She suggested.
"I won't risk it. They're waiting for their chance to pounce whilst she's still vulnerable, but they can't get to her at HQ. If they could then she'd be gone by now, they've had plenty of opportunity. No... It must just one mole, feeding information. Besides, Cora isn't fond of heights and I don't want to put her under stress on a confined flying vessel. Not till she's got a handle on her power."
"Then what do you suggest, Cap?"
"For now, as far as everyone else is concerned, we keep to the original plan." He sighed, his stomach grinding with his words, "We don't give the mole any reason to panic and do something drastic whilst we smoke him out. So... We act normal, we keep this between us and Fury."
"And Cora?"
Steve's heart twisted as he considered the secrets he may have to keep from her again. He had thought he was done with lying to her after nearly losing her a few days ago. Fate it would seem was a cruel mistress.
"I don't know yet." He answered quietly, "She deserves to know, but she also deserves to feel safe at SHIELD."
"You'll think of something, Cap." Natasha offered in support, "In the meantime, we have a plan?"
He nodded, grateful for her understanding, "We train her. Improve her skills to protect herself, help her learn control... We need time, Natasha. She needs time. After seeing that test footage of her... Once she finds the hold on her gift, I doubt there's anything they could do to get her back against her will. We just have to get her there."
The Widow nodded once, confirming her dedication. Natasha was many things due to her assassin training: calm, calculating... Some would even call her harsh and cold-hearted. But there were times when Steve could see past it all and catch a glimpse of the righteous caring soul that believed so deeply in saving lives. According to Clint, her personality had blossomed since trading in the KGB. Steve was just thankful that she had found her humanity again, and was helping him to protect the one person on earth that he cherished above all.
"The moment we get back to SHIELD we'll discuss this with Fury." Steve added, "Then the second the meeting ends, I won't be parted from Cora for any reason."
"And you're sure?" Asked Fury, his fingers steepled with thought as he leant forward on his desk. His office had been secured for their private meeting, the windows darkened against the day and the room soundproofed to block any eavesdroppers. "You couldn't have been spotted on your way in?"
"No chance." Steve replied, standing in front of the desk with Natasha at his side. They had both marched to the Director the moment the aircraft had arrived back at HQ. "The only way they knew we were coming was if someone told them from the start. They were one step ahead of us, and until we can flush out the mole within SHIELD, no-one is safe here. Especially Cora."
"And where do you think she'll be safe, if one of the most secure buildings on the planet isn't it?" Nick queried, though he could already take a guess at the answer.
"With me." He replied calmly and convincingly, "At all times until this is resolved. I'll help train her, educate her... The mole mustn't know that we're onto him. When she's confident enough with her gift then we can remove the collar and the only hold they have on her to ensure their own safety. If they want her, then it won't be easy for them."
"I've no doubt." Fury responded, getting up out of his chair to casually walk over and stand in front of Steve, "But is that the soldier speaking?... Or the lover?"
"That has nothing..."
"Of course it does, Steve." Natasha interrupted calmly, "Personal emotions can jeopardise missions if they're not strictly controlled. You know that."
"Which is why you need to keep an eye on the bigger picture." Fury added, "There's more than just her life at stake if there's a mole in here."
"Then what are you suggesting?" Asked Steve, the hint of agitation tainting his words.
"Nothing." He answered with a friendly shrug before he returned to his chair, "I like your plan. I just wanted to give you a wise reminder to not let your feelings cloud your judgement when it needs to be crystal clear. Especially when it comes to tough choices."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Mr Stark?"
Steve's muscles tensed, not only with anticipation because he heard Cora's angelic voice, but because she had confirmed that Tony Stark was with her. After the day he'd had, he had hoped to not have to deal with Stark's poor manners. He hadn't exactly forgiven the billionaire for dropping the bomb on Cora. Nor had he forgotten his flirting. Steve knew very well that he was with Pepper Potts now, and that the charm was merely platonic with remnants of his playboy days and the goal to annoy the Captain as much as humanly possible, but it still grated on his territorial nerves. It almost felt like Stark was seriously flirting with his long lost wife.
Steve waited outside by the side of the door, out of sight, listening in on the happenings of the lab as he patiently calmed and galvanised his emotions to deal with the Iron Man's attitude. Strangely, he thought he would have gotten used to it by now, having had experience with Stark's father back in the day. But now that he was bringing Cora into their little love/hate ball game, it seemed far more personal.
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that..." Tony mumbled playfully, before brightening up with a reassuring smile, "Just relax, it's fine. It'll only take a few seconds. You ready yet, Bruce?"
"It's booting up..." Banner mumbled as he tapped at a computer, his steel rimmed glasses hanging from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated, "And... It's ready."
"Alright, now we're cooking." Stark replied enthusiastically as he pulled on a pair of black gloves and took position above Cora's head as she lay on the examination table.
"Are you sure this won't set it off?" She asked.
"Absolutely." He replied with a confident tone as he gently cradled the top of her head, "The devices are triggered by the brain waves that control your power. No external influences could do that except for the remote that runs it. And I'm pretty sure there was a remote for controlled usage, which means there's an off switch in there somewhere. We just gotta' find it."
Cora nodded nervously, not sure if she believed him or not.
"Try not to move." He added softly.
"Let's get this over with quickly." She breathed, her nerves beginning to tremble as she stared up at the complex scanning ring mounted over her face.
"Again, if I had a dollar..." He mumbled, smiling with satisfaction when she grinned at his joke. "It'll be fine, Cora. Just breathe. Jarvis, you ready, buddy?"
"Ready when you are, Sir." Replied the polite A.I.
"Initialise scan sequence..." Tony began, quickly double checking the positioning of the rotational cradle around her head, "... Now."
Taking a deep breath as a high-pitched whirring hum began to echo from the lab, Steve quietly walked in to find Cora lying on her back on an examination table. Tony was standing by her head, his gloved hands holding her still against any flinching as one of Stark's technologically advanced toys whizzed around on a circular metal track, scanning her head and neck with the collar and disc still in place as it moved down in sections. A 3D hologram of Cora's neural paths and the device's inner workings steadily assembled in slices onto a large blue-print pad in front of Bruce as he stood before the lab desk, watching the various components and physiology appear from thin air in high detail.
"Scan complete, Sir." Jarvis informed politely as the cradle stopped.
"Ah, the Wonder Boy returneth." Tony chirped, spotting Cap as he stood in the doorway and moved to disengage the equipment, "Just in time actually. Fun's about to start."
"Your idea of fun is sometimes questionable." He replied calmly but steely, walking towards Cora as the billionaire folded back the scanning cradle.
"Thank you, Mr Stark." Cora smiled with a breath of relief as she was now able to sit up.
"Told you he wouldn't be happy to see me." Stark grumbled, feigning disappointment before chirping up as he removed his gloves, "And are you ever gonna' call me Tony, or do we have to continue this polite flirtation? I am taken, you know. As heartbreaking as that must be for you..."
She giggled at his eccentric behaviour, shaking her head with amusement. She was getting to like his personality in a way, "I'm sure I can cope somehow, Mr Stark. Now... The scan?"
"Ah yes." He responded enthusiastically as he walked over to join Bruce by the holographic diagram of her head, "You know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"
Cora smiled, "I'll be sure to let Jack know if I ever meet him."
"Ooh, I love it when she's witty and English." He teased as he picked up his computer pad and started to look through the scan analysis with Dr Banner.
Steve just breathed through their playfulness, trying his best to not feel jealous at all. It wasn't entirely working. Fortunately, the moment she turned back around to look at him with that heavenly smile, his boyish concerns melted away.
"How did it go?" She asked, "You've been gone a long time, I was worried."
Steve couldn't help but smirk as she looked at him with such affectionate relief, swinging her legs over the side of the table to face him properly. He noticed that she was wearing a different outfit now, and it only then occurred to him that it had actually been yesterday morning when he saw her last.
"Sorry." He replied with a coy smirk, "Long flight."
Her brow creased as she suddenly noticed his uniform, "Is that... Is that debris?"
Steve mentally cussed, realising that he should have changed first to get rid of the evidence, "Not exactly. I... had to do a bit of crawling around in dusty places."
The lie felt sour on his tongue, but he didn't want to worry her.
"Yeah... After the building collapsed on you." Tony commented as he tapped the computer pad in his hand, then looked up with a whistle, "They sure got you good by the looks of it."
"What does he mean?" She demanded, her face clearly unimpressed by the implications.
"I have no idea." Steve fibbed again, shooting a warning look at the playboy.
"Oh please, Cap, I built weapons for a living..." Tony said, carrying on in his work, "I know the aftermath of a bomb when I see it."
"Bomb?" She exclaimed, turning to look at Stark with wide eyes, and then back at Steve, "What bomb? Are you okay? What happened?"
Steve put up his hands in an attempt to calm her and ease his urge to strangle the billionaire on the other side of the room, "It's nothing to worry about, Cora. No-one got hurt, it was just a way of them destroying evidence. It just made a very large dust cloud, that's all."
He could see Tony was about to comment, but fortunately Bruce grabbed his arm and silently advised him to keep it to himself.
"Are you sure?" She asked, her brow creased with concern, "You're not hurt?"
"No, ma'am. I'm not hurt." He smirked charmingly, trying his best to be reassuring and soothing, "How about you? Last thing I expected to see was you strapped in for a scan."
"Oh, yes I'm fine." She smiled, "We're just trying to figure out how the collar works. Normal x-ray couldn't penetrate it so we had to go a little more advanced."
"A little?" Tony commented with a playful hint of offence.
Cora just shook her head and smiled at his behaviour, "You don't need your ego stroking any more, Mr Stark."
"I agree." Bruce said quietly, giving her a discreet wink of camaraderie.
"What, is this Gang-Up-On-Tony day?" He asked, looking between them which just made them smile.
"Found anything in the scan?" Steve interrupted, moving the conversation back to more important matters, though he was quietly pleased to see Cora and Bruce forming a bond. It would make his teachings on control that much easier for her.
"We need to look through the analysis properly." Bruce explained, "The collar is very... complex."
"But there is a chance to remove it...?"
"Absolutely." Tony chirped, having produced a bag of blueberries from somewhere beneath the desk and started to munch on them, "Just need to make sure it doesn't fry her in the process."
"I'd appreciate that." Cora smirked.
"In the meantime, you two might as well busy yourselves. We might be a while." Said Bruce thoughtfully as he rubbed a hand through his curly hair.
"I agree. You two should definitely get busy." Said Tony, popping a blueberry in his mouth and managing not to grin at his double entendre.
Cora, however, immediately flushed pink with embarrassed shock, "Tony!"
"Ah-ha! She finally calls me by name. I win." He grinned with victory.
Steve wasn't quite sure how to react. He was blushing, embarrassed, nervous... Yet at the same time he was both amused and angry at Stark for putting them in that situation, and also happy that Cora had found it bashfully funny rather than disgusting. It gave him more hope.
"How about we get a coffee...?" Steve suggested to Cora, though he was looking at Tony with tense eyes.
"Alright." She agreed, slipping off the table and heading for the door.
"We'll beep you if we find anything." Bruce said to Steve, accepting the appreciative nod from the Captain.
"Have fun, you crazy kids!" Tony called after them as they turned out of the lab and into the corridor.
"You seem to be getting on well with Tony and Bruce." Steve pointed out as he sipped at his hot coffee.
They were on the roof of SHIELD HQ again. It was quiet, peaceful and they were alone, perched together on the wall, but thankfully with their feet on the gravel roof this time. After they had left the lab, they had made their way down to the cafeteria where they sat together and chatted about the mission. However, Steve immediately felt rotten about keeping the details from her. Somehow, she seemed to have sensed his discomfort and suggested that they head up to their sanctuary on the roof, though he was uncertain whether she knew the reason for his mood.
"So far." She smirked, holding her own cardboard cup of tea, "Tony did seem a little abrupt at first, but... After what happened in the lab, Tony sought me out to apologise and talk things over."
"He did?" He exclaimed with surprise. He couldn't remember ever hearing Stark say sorry.
Cora sipped her tea, "Mmmhmm. Without any hint of a joke either. Bruce was just as aghast as you when we returned to the lab."
"I can imagine."
"May I ask you something?" She queried politely as the gentle wind tussled her long hair.
"Uh... sure."
"Why do you let Mr Stark rile you up so much?" Cora asked, taking another sip of her tea.
"What makes you think he does?" Steve countered with a smirk. Her response was a sarcastic raise of her eyebrow which made him chuckle. "Tony is... different from me, so it grates on my nerves from time to time. He's brash and showy, has little understanding of being a team. He's also sarcastic, rude..."
"And thoughtful, generous and compassionate." She interrupted gently, making him pause with curiosity as she explained, "When we talked, I got a sense of his character a little. Before a came here, he didn't know me... Only that I was dangerous. Very dangerous. Yet, he still came without a second thought. Why do you think he did that?"
Cap didn't have an answer.
"Clearly it's more obvious to me." She smiled, "He came for you, Steve. He torments you because he cares. You're his team mate. I'm sure at one point in time there was real tension between you, but now... You are almost like a brother he can annoy. The truth is, he came here to help me because it would help you. Give him that credit, at least, and forgive him for his mistakes recently. We're only human after all."
He thought about what she said for a moment, both confused by her explanation and marvelled by her clarity. He and Stark had fought together to save New York from Loki, and in a way it had repaired his loathing for Stark's legacy and replaced it with camaraderie. Of course, he still drove him crazy from time to time.
"So..." She asked gently, "I didn't get a chance to ask you... It was mentioned you were frozen. Lots of ice jokes from Tony."
Steve took a deep breath and sighed, knowing with some relief that he could finally talk to her openly, "Yeah. They never seem to get less irritating."
"What happened?"
"I was on a mission at the time, on board a plane that was filled with bombs and heading for the coast. I had to put it in the ocean to stop it detonating amongst civilians. It was kinda' cold. I got frozen. Super-soldier serum kept me alive."
She smiled proudly at hearing his noble sacrifice, "That was very brave."
"Didn't have much choice. I could die in the explosion with millions of innocent people, or I could die for them. I did what any soldier would do."
"When did they find you again?"
"Last year." He explained, "It was strange waking up to modern New York when last you remember was being at war with Nazi Germany."
"Must have been hard."
"No harder than what you're going through... but I'll do everything I can to help it go smoother."
She hesitated for a moment, her lips pressed together as she silently battled with a decision. Which question to ask first: Stories of her life, or were they ever together? As much as she wanted to know the latter once and for all, her courage wasn't ready for it. Besides, she barely knew him. Well, this time around, at least.
"What was I like... back then?" She asked slightly nervously.
Steve looked at her with kind eyes, "No much has changed actually. You're still the Cora I knew, minus the wartime fashions and mannerisms. You haven't even aged past 22, and you still have your English accent."
"That's nice to know." She smiled. "I will admit it seems a bit awkward when I'm the only one amongst hordes of Americans."
Steve chuckled lightly, his chest bouncing softly as he smiled.
"Did I have my... talent back then?" Cora asked, emphasising her meaning to which skill she was referring.
"If you did, I never knew about it." He answered, his smile fading to seriousness as he once again wondered if he had missed the signs of her gift. "Truly."
"I believe you." She replied with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, clearly troubled by unanswered questions before she forced herself to perk with a dispelling deep breath, "So, Captain Rogers... Are you going to tell me what really happened on the mission?"
His head snapped around, startled by her casual abruptness to find her smiling reassuringly at him, as if amused that he thought he could hide it from her. It was hopeless. He had promised to never lie to her again. He would keep it.
"I'm sorry, Cora." He said with a sigh, "I..."
"You're following your instinct to protect me." She said, her hand gently reaching out to rest on his as he held his take-out coffee cup, "But I managed to handle finding out I'm over 90 years old and spent 7 decades as a guinea pig for experimentation. I think can manage what you need to say now."
Steve was immediately sensitive to her gentle touch, her delicate fingers were warm and soft against the back of his hand. He really wished he had taken off his leather gloves.
"Right." He said, clearing his throat slightly and secretly mourning as she withdrew her hand to cup her hot drink, "What I said about the lab was true, but they had deliberately delayed the detonation to try and catch us in the blast. Which means they had warning that we were coming."
Cora immediately froze mid-sip of her coffee, her cup lowering slowly as the truth sank in and she met his worried gaze, "Someone here told them? One of them is in SHIELD?"
"Maybe. It's a strong possibility that we can't overlook, at least." He explained, trying his best to assure her, "That's why I'll be staying with you from now on. No more missions until this is resolved. We stick together at all times, just in case."
She nodded nervously as she looked at the gravel, the wind blowing strands of red hair into her face but she didn't seem to notice.
"Cora." He said gently, his hand placed on her shoulder blade for comfort and to get her attention, "I will keep you safe. You have my word. I won't lose you again."
She looked up at him then, her worries draining away to be replaced with questions. Steve swallowed, knowing exactly what she was thinking, and not knowing how to answer.
"How close were we as friends?" She asked softly.
Steve looked down at his boots, pulling away from her back to hold his cardboard cup in both hands, a substitute for stuffing them in his pockets but wishing he could fiddle with the compass he kept there. His heart was beginning to thunder, his blood heating his skin uncomfortably and threatening to flush his cheeks. He remembered those precious days, too few yet perfect until her disappearance. He could still recall everything, down to the smallest detail: Her scent, her blush, her touch... Her kiss. So soft, sincere, beautiful... So many nights he had dreamed of those times when she had made him weak at the knees and showed him stars. So many nights he had terrible nightmares of her being ripped away from him and being powerless to stop it, no matter how hard he had fought.
"If I had known you were alive back then..." He said, his voice low with honesty as he met her eyes, "I would have spent the rest of my life trying to find you if that's what it took. You were... You are... You and Bucky..." He breathed out a sigh to steel his resolve, "I mean to say..."
An incessant beeping interrupted his failing attempt of heart-felt admission, thankfully saving him from floundering. He hadn't exactly had much practice with intimacy, and he was still nervous about how she would react to the truth of their bond.
Steve brought out his sleek phone to find a message from Dr Banner summoning them back to the lab.
"What is it?" She asked with a hint of worry and disappointment for the interruption. What is just her imagination, or was he being romantic?
"It's Bruce." He explained, pocketing the phone once again, "Think they may have something. We... We should head back."
"Rain check?" She smiled softly, refusing to let the conversation be forgotten.
"Promise." He smirked charmingly, gesturing for her to lead the way in his gentlemanly manner.