Chapter 11
"I'm not seeing anything," Falcon reported, swooping low over the trees, hoping to spot something, anything that would give away a HYDRA base.
"Then search harder," Nick Fury replied. Even through the radio, Falcon reflected, the guy's aura of authority was undeniable. So was the glare that he was no doubt directing at the nearest person. It seemed to be the director's natural expression, and an intimidating one at that.
"This isn't as easy as I make it look," Falcon grunted, shooting back up into the sky for a wider view. "I could use a little more appreciation around here."
I don't really mean that, but c'mon. I'm flying! That's gotta count for something around here, right?
Falcon thought about the other people he knew Fury associated with. There was Thor, god of thunder, who was basically a powerhouse on two legs with a beat-all end-all hammer, the Hulk, who didn't even need description, Iron Man, who defied all logic when it came to his version of logic, Captain America, a patriotic hero who was a great man at heart, Black Widow, who was merciless and highly trained in nearly everything, Hawkeye, who was both the most unpredictable man Falcon had ever met and the world's best archer.
Compared to those guys, a man with mechanical wings doesn't amount to much. But I'll be damned if this isn't awesome.
Falcon let out an exhilarated yell as he did a barrel roll, smirking as he realized that most people would be feeling pretty queasy at this point.
Does resistance to puking amount to anything?
Falcon sighed.
Probably not, though I can brag about it to Cap later . . . once I find the guy.
Fury did say that Falcon would be assisted by other airborne search parties, so Falcon tapped into that radio frequency.
"Anyone find anything?" Falcon called, his eyes scanning the landscape. There was a second's pause, followed by a chorus of "no, sirs" from the other search parties.
Well, so much for that.
Falcon was so preoccupied with his internal sulking that he barely noticed the flash of bright light on his left. However, all the training he had gone through made him double back and fly lower and slower, focusing on the spot where the flash had come from.
He flew low over the canopy, until eventually Falcon realized that he would need to go below the treetops, which was pretty inconvenient. Gently and with great skill, the soldier made it through the top layer of trees and down to the rainforest floor, his feet sinking a few centimeters into a puddle of water. Falcon suppressed a groan, and then activated his radio.
"Fury, I think I've got something. Give me a second to check it out."
There was no reply, but Falcon knew that Fury had heard and was probably speaking to his agents, getting some teams ready. The man was prepared for everything.
"Alright," Falcon muttered to himself, looking around, "I know it's around here somewhere. Show yourself, you freaking secret HYDRA base!"
Surprisingly enough, there was no large flashing light to reveal the secret HYDRA base. Falcon was suitably disappointed, but refused to give up hope.
Falcon gave the area a thorough search, trusting his instincts.
"Anything?" Fury's voice crackled through Falcon's earpiece.
"Working on it," Falcon replied, bending around one of the thicker trees to see if there was anything there. "I saw a flash of something, but I'm not sure what."
"Keep searching." The radio channel went dead.
"Thanks for the support," Falcon sighed, sitting down on a nearby convenient rock. His surprise was considerable when the boulder shifted, nearly throwing the man off. He rolled to the side, coming up with a hunting knife in his hand, expecting a trap, but all he saw was the rock slowly shifting to the right. It was hard to miss the sudden flash that came from the metal underneath that caught the tiny amount of sunlight that made it to the rainforest floor. The tiniest bit must have been exposed in order for Falcon to see it from the air.
"Fury," Falcon said into his earpiece, "send your men. I found an entrance."
Before Natasha and Clint could, too. I'm just that awesome. Apparently a guy with wings is a lot more important than they give me credit for.
Needless to say, Falcon was quite proud of himself as he sat down on another rock, confident that this one wouldn't move. In that position, he waited for reinforcements to arrive.
…
"Natasha," Clint gasped, "this is really not how we are supposed to be spending our time."
The world's greatest archer was currently suspended from a small ledge that was a good three meters tall. Hawkeye had accidentally mentioned Natasha's figure and was currently paying the price for it, though he really hadn't meant to be insulting, not that Natasha was one to forgive and forget.
"Take it back," Black Widow ordered, holding onto Hawkeye's ankles. If she dropped him, Hawkeye would likely end up in a very painful situation, though nothing fatal, not by a long shot.
"Okay, okay! I admit it. You're perfect. Now pull me up, Natasha!"
"You don't sound honest."
Hawkeye could feel his partner's grip on his ankles loosen ever so slightly and he hurried to assure the woman that he was being sincere.
"No, it's not like that! I'm being perfectly honest, okay? I'm really, really, really sorry."
There was a brief moment's pause in which Black Widow was most likely seriously considering dropping her partner, but in the end she hauled him back up the ledge. Hawkeye lay on his back for a minute, breathing hard due to the blood that had flowed to his head due to being suspended above the ground by his ankles for a few minutes.
"Please . . . don't . . . do . . . that . . . again," Hawkeye gulped, slowly getting his breath back.
"No promises," Black Widow replied. "Especially if you make a comment like that again, Clint."
"It was an accident!" The archer protested, but the raised eyebrow he got from the woman near him showed that she didn't believe him. Hawkeye groaned, slumping back to the ground.
"We need to get moving," Natasha eventually said. "I heard that Falcon has found an entrance to the HYDRA base. It would be smart if we got there quickly; Fury is already angry enough as it is right now."
"He's just pissed because he lost the American idol," Hawkeye muttered, smirking at his own comment. He sat up and found himself face-to-face with Black Widow. They were centimeters apart.
How did she move without me hearing her?
"Natasha . . ." Clint began, but Natasha's soft lips on his silenced him completely. Even his thoughts momentarily blurred, but he quickly pulled away. "What was that?" He demanded, jumping to his feet. Black Widow grinned slyly at him.
"Never heard of a good luck kiss, Clint?" She replied, vaguely, disappearing into the trees. Hawkeye stared after her, utterly confused, but had enough presence of mind to follow.
As he ducked through the rainforest, Hawkeye felt his mind going back to that place. That piece of himself that he'd locked away after the events in New York all that time ago. It had taken the archer months of therapy and intense self-deliberation to get over how Loki had played with his mind, how the god had switched his loyalties so easily. Even now, that place still plagued Hawkeye, but he'd gotten better at blocking it out, as he was doing now.
At first, he had been a wreck once his mind had caught up to his actions, and not even Natasha had been able to really help him. Once he'd gotten his mind under control, of course, things had been more than understanding between the two of them, which suited Hawkeye just fine.
She always did like it when I got myself into trouble.
Hawkeye sighed. He knew that his relationship with Black Widow was by no means "healthy" on any level, but that was fine with him. Natasha was the perfect puzzle for Clint, and while he knew he would never solve the deadly woman, he could at least help her deal with her life. They were similar enough in skill sets and in past experiences that Clint had no trouble understand Natasha even in her angriest of moods, which only happened in the mornings.
"Ah, whatever," he said aloud. "I've just gotta rescue Cap, and then I can worry about my feelings."
He nodded once to himself and then increased his speed, chasing after Black Widow.
…
"This isn't working, Bucky!" Captain America yelled, throwing his shield and managing to knock out five separate HYDRA soldiers before the spinning disk returned to his hands. Immediately, he had to use it to deflect incoming bullets.
"I am well aware of that!" Bucky yelled back, ducking and dodging the hail of gunfire that permeated the corridor he was in. Somehow, he weaved around each bullet, sensing where it was likely to go and moving his body in a way that went away from that course. Although, with the sheer number of projectiles flying through the air, it was impossible for Bucky not to be hit, but he managed to keep the damage minimal enough so that he could continue to fire back at the HDYRA agents.
I've got to end this quickly, Bucky thought, but there's too many of the soldiers.
To add to the man's troubles, an ominous click emanated from the pistol in his hand.
"Out of ammo," he growled, switching his grip on the gun. Without a second's hesitation, he charged at the nearest group of HYDRA soldiers, using the gun as a blunt weapon on top of his metal arm to knock each enemy out of the fight quickly and easily. In moments, the hallway was quiet.
"I don't think we can go through another firefight like that again," Captain America gasped, staggering to his feet.
He doesn't look too good. Then again, Bucky thought with a mental sigh, neither do I.
"Agreed. Don't worry – we're almost at the exit."
The two men began cautiously moving towards the exit, which was maybe twenty meters away from their current position. All they had to do was turn right, and they would be at a ladder that led to the outside world above. Captain America stayed back, holding his shield up in case a HYDRA soldier tried his luck at shooting the two men from behind. If he did, the soldier would be in for an unpleasant, metallic, and thoroughly painful surprise.
Bucky rounded the corner, a rifle he'd picked up from a downed HYDRA soldier in his hands. He took two steps-
And froze. Captain America froze as well, sensing that something was wrong with his friend.
"What is it?" He asked, turning around to see what it was that had his comrade so panicked.
"That's . . . a HYDRA general," Bucky replied in a strangled voice. "I remember him . . . he was one of the ones who experimented on me . . . and he outranks me."
He gave me orders, and I followed them. He gives me orders, and I follow them.
Bucky stared at the harsh-looking soldier a few meters away who was blocking his method of escape with a cruel smile on his face.
"Soldier," the general growled, his voice grating on Bucky's mind, forcing him to unwillingly focus all of his attention on the general's next words, "subdue the captain."
Captain America turned to his friend in shock as Bucky physically trembled, battling against the "treatments" he had undergone from HYDRA.
It's a direct order . . . I have to follow it . . . but I can't . . . I can't betray Steve!
"That's an order!" The general yelled, the smug expression on his face indicating that he knew what effect he was having on the Winter Soldier, who was now kneeling and clutching at his pounding head.
I need to follow orders . . . I need to follow orders . . . I need to follow orders . . . I. Need. To. Follow. Orders!
The Winter Soldier grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown out the world. His head hurt, like someone was ripping it open.
Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, he flinched, but this hand wasn't there to hurt him. It was there to support him.
"You don't need to follow orders that you don't believe in, Bucky," Captain America said softly.
I don't need to follow orders? But . . . I do. They said I did. I know I do! I have to! But I can't! Not now!
The Winter Soldier yelled something incoherent and collapsed, unconscious.
"Bucky!" Steve cried, kneeling next to his friend. His glare immediately went to the general. "What have you done to him?"
"I do believe he yelled 'get out of my head'," the general mused thoughtfully, ignoring Steve. "How ignorant of the both of you to think that you could escape HYDRA so easily."
"Not ignorant," Captain America spat. "Smart."
"If you were smart," the general replied icily, "you would've stayed put. Now I'll have to kill you and hope your dead body yields the same results we would have gotten from you when you were alive. And, on top of that, we'll have to wipe Bucky's memory again. How sad."
He didn't sound very sad about it. The HYDRA general sounded more annoyed, as if erasing everything that made Bucky Bucky was a trivial chore.
"How dare you," Captain America seethed. "You have no right to play with people like this!"
"I have every right. Now be quiet and surrender!"
All of a sudden, the door leading to the escape route that Bucky had been heading towards burst open, colliding with the opposite wall and letting in a cloud of smoke. Two figures burst into the hallway, one holding a high-tech bow and the other brandishing her twin pistols.
"I could say the same to you," Black Widow announced coldly, her pistols aimed directly at the HYDRA general's heart.
Yes! More reviews! You guys are amazing! (And apparently you like this story a lot more than I was anticipating. The support on this website is incredible!)
So, um, one of you guys was wondering about when this story ends, and I'm really not sure. I guess it will happen at the most convenient moment, when I feel like most of the loose ends left hanging at the end of CA2 have been relatively tied up to the best of my ability. Sorry about the crummy answer, but it's all I've got.
Please continue to review (or review for the first time!), as it does play a huge role in how quickly I get these chapters out!
-RoR
P.S. I just have to mention that this is my longest chapter so far since I simply had to include the Hawkeye/Black Widow scene.