Chapter Seven
Steve's POV
"Steve? What happened? What did they say?" Pepper asks and when I do not reply, she says quietly, "Steve, I need my phone tomorrow."
"Sorry Pepper." I say as I give it back to her, hoping I didn't crush it to death.
"What did you say about Peggy? Is she coming over soon? I thought she was on a mission." Pepper asks and I really do not want to tell her.
"She was."
"Why were Natasha and Clint talking to you about her then?"
"Pepper," I gasp, "Pepper, she has been taken." Pepper's eyes widen.
"Sorry, Steve."
"If Natasha and Clint have to go to get her back, then it's bad." I realize.
"They're S.H.I.E.L.D.s best agents, they'll get her out." Pepper assures me.
"Dead or alive? It's HYDRA, Pepper, they killed so many people. I thought I gave up my life to stop them."
"Steve it's-"
"If you dare say that it is ok Pepper, I will not be responsible actions." Pepper looks in to my eyes. I look away. " Pepper tell the others I'm not watching any more, but do not tell them why." Pepper nods as I walk to my bedroom. I lie down on my bed and cry in to my pillow. It is a rare thing for Captain America to do, cry, but it happens, to show I'm only human.
Clint's POV
I can't believe I didn't fight more for Steve to come. He fought to come with me when Tasha was on deaths door, now Peggy might be and I didn't help him at all. We have been sitting on this jet for a while now. To my left Tasha looks uncomfortable and keeps stealing glances at who ever is driving the jet. I know she doesn't trust them to drive this thing, she would not trust anyone to drive this except from herself or me. I am getting uncomfortable from these stupid seats, next time S.H.I.E.L.D. get a new jet, I'm going to insist that the seats are softer. Personally at the moment I am hating HYDRA for making their base this far in to Canada. And for taking Peggy, I wonder how well Steve is taking the news. I feel so bad for leaving him in New York. I just go around in circles.
"Clint?" Tasha asks.
"Yeah?" I reply, looking to the left in to her eyes.
"I- never mind."
"What Tasha?"
"I said never mind, Clint" She sighs.
"Tash, you have made me want to know now." I say.
"Agents, 10 minutes until you have to get out." The voice says. Natasha jumps up and begins strapping holsters to places on her body and her widow bites to her wrists. I sling my quiver over my back, grab my bow and sit back down again.
"You will need these two." Mitchell stalks in to the room, throws us each a backpack and stalks out. Natasha flinches away from hers but my quick reflexes allow me to catch both. These are parachute backpacks.
"Tasha? It will be fine, they don't normally do that." I tell her. Last time we used parachutes like the ones in these packs, Tasha's malfunctioned and I was barely able to catch her. I did though.
"I can't, Clint. I actually cannot." She informs me. If she has decided that, it is already time to resort to last resorts.
"What about Peggy, Tash? We are the only two who can save her. What about Steve? You know how much he loves her. Would you ever be able to look in to his eyes again if we don't do this? What if it were me Tasha? What if he was the only one who could save me, and he didn't go because he was afraid of a stupid parachute?" I look up to what was supposed to be her face but her head is bowed, a mass of red curls in its place.
"Everything alright?" Mitchell says, swinging back in. Natasha's head snaps back up.
"Yes, Sir," She says rather hurriedly. Mitchell shoots me a look. Natasha has never called him sir before. She grabs a parachute from me and as she struggles to put it on says, "Mitchell? Can we jump out together?" He shoots me another look which plainly says, 'Why?' I nod and mouth, 'Tell you later,' To Tasha he replies,
"Sure. Barton you might want to start putting that on." I smile. I'm glad Tasha is doing this. For Steve, for Peggy.
After around 10 minutes later, the jet stops. I'm sure that this is just part of the plan but Natasha and I both look at each other, worried. Mitchell comes back and hands us each a comm. We insert them in to our ears as the door opens. Tasha grabs my hand and together we jump. I can tell she is pulling on her string to release her parachute, it hasn't worked yet. I pull mine out as she puts two arms around my neck. Once mine is up I say to her, "Tasha, honey, it will be ok. I've got you and I will never let you go." She whispers,
"I know," before we softly land.
"Agents, you need to go approximately 1.5 miles north west and there will be a fence. The rest is up to you." Mitchell says on the comm. He probably heard what I said to her but I don't care.
Breaking into the base is simple. One arrow disables all the security cameras, the fence is made of a thin wire which Natasha can easily break. Finding Peggy is harder. Endless corridors of similar doors, similar walls and similar lengths. We tell Mitchell after every turn where we go so we can get back. My memory may be good, Natasha's even better, but this would be too difficult. The next corridor is different. Instead of the clean white walls, the walls are grey and dirty.
"She must be here. It is like a prison." She pushes open the first door. Empty. The second door has one woman strapped to a table. It is Peggy.
"Steve?" She croaks.
"No," Natasha says, "Peggy it's us. Clint and Natasha. Black Widow and Hawkeye." She has only met me once, I have always been on a mission when Steve has brought her round. Natasha however, was around when she stayed for a week. They have talked since then I am sure.
"Take me to Steve," she rasps, "Please, just take me away from here."
"Can you walk?" I ask, undoing the shackles. She shakes her head, "This is going to be a bit uncomfortable but it will help us get out faster." Natasha helps her climb on to my back and we back out of the cell. Three gunshots later the three men who had appeared outside the cell, are dead.
"Come on." Natasha whispers. Mitchell feeds us the directions and Natasha occasionally shoots someone creeping up on us. We finally make it outside and find quite a lot of men waiting for us. I shoot an arrow and explode it. Most of them drop dead and Natasha picks off the rest.
"Overhead jump on as soon as you are close enough." Mitchell says. I shoot a rope arrow which pulls Peggy and myself up. The jet swings low and picks Natasha up. We both immediately stitch up some of her worse wounds and apply dressing to the rest. We sit back in to those stupid uncomfortable seats and hope for the best.
Steve's POV
"Steve, mate? Are you okay?" Bruce's voice is on the other side of the door. I look at the clock. 3:12...pm. No wonder they are worried about me. If Pepper has told them though... Gosh I hope for her she has not. "Steve? Are you there? Why did you not want to watch the rest of the film last night? Pepper would not tell us."
"I'm fine," I croak, not sounding fine at all.
"Steve. What. Is. The. Matter."
"Nothing. I'm going to shower."
"Steve. Do not make me break down the door."
"Bruce. Leave me alone. I might have some lunch after I have a shower." I say, noticing I am hungry.
"I will be coming back." I hear his footsteps fade away and go to have that shower. Afterwards, I come out of my room and for some reason, no idea why, I bring my phone. I go into the kitchen, only to find it empty. I make myself a sandwich and go to eat it in the lounge. The others are all in there. They all look at me as I sit down and munch. "Are you ok?" Bruce asks and before I can reply my phone rings. This thing named caller I.D. tells me it's Natasha. This is either going to be very good or very bad.
"Hi Natasha." I say as I bring it to my ear.
"Steve. It's me. I'm so sorry. I did not mean to. Honest." It's Peggy. That means that Natasha got her out alive.
"Oh gosh, Peggy. I love you so much. Never leave me like that again."
"I won't. I promise."
"Tell Natasha and Clint thanks."
"I will. Steve? I love you."
"Come back to me, Peggy. I love you. I miss you."
A/N sorry for not updating yesterday I am staying in a place with no wifi :-( and probably won't be able to update next week. This is the second last chapter.