A/N hey guys! Sorry that it's taken me a while to update, I've had to deal with a BUNCH of stuff lately and I honestly haven't had much time to write. Nevertheless I have enjoyed being able to continue this story even if it has been at a slower pace. Here's chapter six of Cold as Ice. Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my imagination.
Chapter Six: Captain America
My head aches from the fall I took earlier when the floor suddenly decided to disappear from under my feet. The chains that have me restrained to the wall don't even budge when I pull against them with all of my strength, they must be made of some seriously stout stuff. My wrists are rubbed raw from my constant straining against my bonds and I can feel a small trickle of blood flowing from the wounds down my arms. The walls of my cell are all made of concrete except for the one directly in front of me, it looks smooth but I'm not quite sure what it is. The only opening in the entire room is a reinforced steel door set into the wall to my right. I've been alone in this room for over two hours and I'm starting to wonder what my enemies are hoping to accomplish by leaving by my lonesome. I have an itch on the side of my face and I move to scratch it on my shoulder, when I do my ear rubs against my shoulder and I can feel something inside it. It only takes me a moment to realize what it is, they didn't remove our comm. links. Immediately I try to contact the others.
"This is Captain America, does anybody copy?" I'm met with nothing but static. "I repeat, this is Captain America does anyone hear me?" Still no response. "Somebody answer me." At first the line is quiet but then I hear a voice, it's just above a whisper and I can't really make it out. "I'm gonna need you to speak up." The voice comes over the line again, this time louder, and I can tell that it's Bruce. Even over the comm. link the scientist sounds weak and tired.
"I said I can hear you. Are you hurt?" I almost smile at his question, once a doctor always a doctor.
"I'm alright. What about you?" I can hear a sigh and for a minute I think that he's not going to answer. Eventually though he speaks up.
"I'm mostly intact, just a few bumps and bruises. But they gave me an improved version of their anti-hulk serum. I can't change into the Hulk no matter how hard I try."
"Are you sure it won't wear off when you get mad like it did last time?" I hear a chuckle on the other end of the line.
"Trust me, I'm about as pissed off as a guy can get but its not working. They made some alterations to their original formula and it keeps the Hulk at bay. Anytime I try to transform into the other guy it sends a electric shock through my system that keeps shocking me until I pass out." I can hear his disappointment and I quickly try to divert his attention away from his current situation.
"Do you know anything about the others? Are any of them hurt?"
"I don't know, the last time I saw Thor he was too busy falling through the floor and I haven't got a clue where anyone else is." I open my mouth to speak but I'm cut off when the door to my right suddenly bursts open and the Red Skull comes walking in, a sadistic smile on his face.
"Hello Captain. Did you miss me?"
"Yeah, like a dog misses fleas." I growl at him. The German scowls at me and I can already see the anger seeping into his features. Suddenly his mood shifts and a smile adorns his face. The hair on the back of my neck stands up at the sight and I leans back into the wall slightly.
"Have you run into the Winter Soldier lately?" The randomness of the question catches me off guard and I shake my head in confusion. Red Skull gets quite a bit of amusement out of this and his grin widens. "I can't imagine how hard it must've been. First you had thought you lost him in the war and then suddenly you find him again, only to have him slip through your fingers once again on that train all those years ago. Then he pops up out of nowhere and you think that you've gotten your best friend back, then you realize he has no idea who you are. I mean how many times is he going to die on you? You and I have lost a great many friends since our time in the war, well you more so than me. All of the Howling Commandos are long since gone, the woman you loved is dying, and your best friend, your only friend, from the war barely remembers who you are. And now your new team is suffering at the hands of your greatest enemy. Tell me, Captain, how does it feel? How much pain does it cause you to know that your team mates are being tortured and there's nothing you can do about it?" I say nothing, instead I just stare at the red skinned man in front of me. The Skull doesn't appreciate my silence and a lard slap lands on my cheek, barely even fazing me. He quickly regains his composure. "It must take a lot of trust to accomplish what the six of you have been able to achieve. Taking down an entire alien army, defeating a maniac A.I. that was created by none other than the genius Tony Stark, none of those are easy feats. Even I must admit that it is somewhat impressive. But how much trust do you think your team is going to have left in each other after your orders sent all of them straight into a trap?" After his last statement the wall directly across from me lights up, showing camera feeds from five different places. My breath catches in my throat when I realize just what it is that I'm seeing. My teammates are all chained up in musty, concrete cells. On the first section of the footage Bruce sits with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head bowed. Just to the left Tony hangs from the ceiling by his arms, blood running down his face from a gnash on his forehead. Next is Thor who simply sits with his head turned to the side, staring into space. My eyes land on Natasha and I can tell she's not in great shape. There's blood flowing from several wounds across her legs and arms along with a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lastly my eyes travel to Clint. His lips are blue and I can tell that he's shaking, there's also an arrow carved into his chest and he's unconscious. I look away, unable to see my friends in pain any longer. Anger boils in me and I snarl at Schmidt.
"When I get out of here I'm going to kill you." The German doesn't even flinch.
"You may want to refrain from making threats when I hold the lives of your friends in my hands." My eyes narrow into slits.
"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise." My captor glares at me for a long moment before stalking out of the room and slams the heavy steel door behind him. My vision slowly wanders back to the wall/screen in front of me and there's a pang of guilt in my chest. "I never should of had us split up. If we had just stuck together we might not be in this position." I say to the empty space in front of me. The statement hangs in the air for a long moment before slowly dying out in the quiet room. I take a deep breath and let my eyes flutter closed. I refuse to open them because the first thing I'll see is my friends in pain, all because of my actions.
It's been maybe an hour when the door bursts open. Light pours into the dark room and I have to squint in order to adjust to the sudden brightness. The Red Skull comes waltzing in before coming to a stop about three feet in front of me. He kneels down so we're eye level with each other. "It's your lucky day, Captain. It's time to go see your friends."
A/N well that's it for chapter six! I really hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it's kinda short, but it's all I can do with the time I have. Again reviews are welcome and I'd really appreciate it if you would leave one. I'm Looking forward to writing the next chapter and I will get it posted as soon as I possibly can.