A/N: So… After the tiny bit of a cliffie I left you on… I decided to come back in a timely fashion. Because I'm actually a kind person, deep (deep, deep, DEEP) down. (gives one's best innocent smile)
Before getting to the actual business, though… THANK YOU, a million times, for your AMAZING reviews, love and support! DANG. It means A LOT that you're all enjoying this wild flight! (HUGS)
Awkay, because I don't wanna get overly mushy… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride.
SONG THE AUTHOR HAS LISTENED TO: 'Ashes' from Celine Dion (which would've worked WAY TOO WELL as a 'Infinity War' theme song)
The Beginning of the End
The gun slipped from Steve's fingers as soon as the bullet met its target. It hit the ground at the exact same second the one he shot at did. Steve stared, unable to look away, unable to howl out the agony tearing at him. He had no idea of the tears streaming down his cheeks.
What had he done? What had he done? What had he done?!
You had no other choice, a voice tried to whisper in the back of his mind but it was as little comfort as the cold winter air.
For a while it was eerily, unnaturally silent, like the gunshot had sucked all other sounds from the whole world.
"Maybe I'm getting soft with age. But you'll get the chance to say goodbye before we leave." Edith shrugged, her facial expression suggesting that she was doing him some kind of a favor. "Oh, don't look like a kicked puppy. You deserve that reward after playing so nicely."
Steve hissed, some of his grief and agony transforming to rage. "If you imagine that I'm going anywhere with you…!" His hand barely had the time to twitch before a gun was pointed at the friend he still had left.
Edith clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "For a soldier you're very, very bad at following orders. Do you want me to refresh your memory?" She walked closer, as though not noticing the knife he was holding. Until she nodded calmly towards the item. "Use that… and you'll lose everything you still have left. Your little friend… And your team." She went on upon seeing his frown. "Did you really think that Tony Stark wouldn't be able to trace Clint here? The little bird carried a tracking device without even knowing about it. The Avengers will be here soon. And if they get here before we leave, you with us… they're all as good as dead."
Steve shivered, his eyes narrowing. "Do you really think that you can kill Hulk?"
Edith snorted. "Aren't you a funny man… Why would I want to kill Hulk, when I could use him as my very own war machine?" She snapped her fingers. "Just like this. I wouldn't even have to touch them to tear them to pieces. Hulk would do all the heavy lifting." She was so close that the blade was practically pressed against her. Her eyes were chillingly dark as they bore into his. "And I would make you watch every second of it." She nodded towards the body. "You have enough blood on your hands already, don't you think? Are you going to start playing nicely with me again?"
He nodded, very slowly.
"That's what I thought." Edith nodded towards the man on the ground. "Now say what you have to. Then we'll go, before it gets too crowded here."
Steve didn't really want to look closer. But wasn't it the least he could do? His knees were so weak that it was a miracle he didn't slump down and his throat felt so choked that it'd be another miracle if he could speak. He didn't care. He swallowed thickly, staring at the face of the one he betrayed so horribly. "I… I'm sorry", he managed with great difficulty. "I… I wish…" He snapped his mouth closed. What was he supposed to say? There were no promises he could give and even the mightiest of words would do no good at this point. He blinked several times and wondered why his line of vision remained blurry. "I'm sorry", he whispered again, because those words were the truest.
Edith took a stand beside him. "Oh, Steve, you heartbreaker", she mocked him. "Now let's get going before you get more of them killed."
Steve couldn't bring himself to face the friend he still had left. Not when he knew too well the price the man's life was bought with. He walked away with Edith because he had no other choice. He couldn't look back on the greatest failure of his whole life. He felt about as alive as the body he just left behind.
The forest around the Sokovian Hydra-base was eerily calm and quiet. Tony, Natasha, Thor and Bruce didn't hear even any animals. It was like they were the only people left in the whole world.
"And you're sure that he's supposed to be here?" Bruce confirmed, eyes darting around restlessly. (Who could blame him? His quite recent experience as a Hydra-captive wasn't exactly pleasant.)
Tony's left eyebrow twitched from irritation. "For the hundredth time, yes. Clint's here. Or his tracking device is, anyway. This is the right spot."
"Then where's Hydra?" Natasha's brows were furrowed and her whole body seemed painfully tense. "We're steps away from their base and there hasn't been any resistance."
Tony was a lot of… not exactly good things. Stupid wasn't one of them. He'd been wondering the same thing. "You think this is a trap?"
"I don't know." It was obvious how little Natasha appreciated not knowing. "We have to be prepared for anything."
They passed by bunkers. Equipment that would've made the military go green from envy. And no one was there to stop them. Which left them with a chilling question.
What did Hydra obtain, that was valuable enough to make them leave all this behind?
They shuddered from nausea when they came across an area where snow was stained by a horrific amount of blood. It didn't help at all that just then a sudden burst of icy wind brushed them, like a whisper of doom. None of them wanted to know who all the blood belonged to because it seemed highly unlikely that the person might still be alive. And they couldn't afford to lose hope just yet.
Eventually the team reached the main building. The front door of which was ajar. They exchanged looks before the facial part of Tony's suit clicked to place and the billionaire entered first. The four of them practically held their breaths from tension.
Nothing happened.
But it would've been premature to take a breath of relief. Because Tony's voice carried an edge of hysteria when the man spoke. "Guys… You'd better come over here."
They did, even if none of them actually wanted to see what had their friend so shook up. Every single one of them froze. Save a few computers and other equipment, the massive room was almost empty. Except for the examination table placed in the middle of it. And the file and a black bag placed on it.
Elsewhere a jet sped towards another, even more secluded Hydra-base. Strucker had been tense to begin with. It was no surprise that he jumped when his phone rang. He swallowed thickly upon seeing who the caller was and took a deep, steadying breath before picking up. "Do you have Loki's Sceptre?" Edith Barton demanded before he could say a word.
"I do", he confirmed. Relieved beyond all belief that he succeeded in that, at least. It might just be enough to save his life. "And as far as I know the Avengers aren't aware that it was in that base."
"Good." She sounded deviously calm. "And the twins?"
Strucker gulped. This was where he really, honestly feared for his life. "I… don't know. The boy was too fast, and girl used her powers as well. We lost them", he admitted reluctantly. "But I have men looking for them."
"Why doesn't it surprise me that you failed?" Her voice was pure velvet but only a fool would've missed the threat. "Wanda is blocking me, so I won't be able to locate them. You have forty-eight hours to find them before you can consider yourself terminated. They're far more valuable to Hydra than you could ever imagine." With that she hung up.
Strucker needed several deep, calming breaths when the conversation was over. Eventually a timid voice spoke from behind him. "Sir? We'll have to tell her that we lost the…"
"Not yet", he growled immediately. "That problem will sort itself. Let's just… Let's just be quiet and appreciate that we're still alive."
Inside another jet Edith clenched her jaw and breathed sharply, which was the only sign of her losing her cool. Then she smiled sweetly at one of her companions. "I'm sorry about that. Running this business can be tedious sometimes." She leaned closer. "So… You must be wondering why you're still alive."
Steve refused to look towards her. The soldier's eyes were dazed and vacant, like those of someone long gone. "The thought did cross my mind." He didn't sound like someone who actually wanted to be alive.
Edith stretched, her mind as well as her body. Wanda continued to resist her approach. Such a stubborn girl…! But she was a patient woman. Sooner or later the girl would come to her, one way or another. "A lot of people seem to consider telepathy a curse. To know how everyone around you feels, what they think about you… To experience their emotions… It does hurt sometimes, I'll give you that. Because I'm not always in control over my powers." She took a grape and savored the taste, then went on. "But I love my powers, despite the occasional… discomfort. The human mind has always fascinated me with its complexity and the ability to manipulate it…" She smiled. "It's exhilarating. It's the greatest form of control one can possibly have, because the one who can control everyone around them… can control almost everything. And I love control."
"Even if it costs you everything?" Steve pointed out, unable to keep bitterness from his tone with the mental image of the body on snow stuck in his head.
Edith looked at him with open pity. "The key to happiness and having a peace of mind, Steve…" Her eyes locked with his. "… is having as little to lose as possible. The less can be taken away from you… the stronger you are."
The words slashed like a blade. "Sounds like a sad, lonely life", he countered. And sounded far more vulnerable than he wanted to.
"Yet out of us two you're the one grieving and falling apart." She tilted her head. "All those people you've let into your heart… All those people you consider family… They've made you so weak that I don't even have to use my powers on you to control you."
Before Steve had the time to figure out how to respond their pilot spoke. With the voice of Winter Soldier, not Bucky Barnes. "We'll start preparations for landing in five minutes."
The team hesitated sensibly for a while before approaching. Eventually, with shaking hands, Natasha began to go through the bag. What she pulled out made the room feel even colder than it had been.
Clint's bow and arrows, his most valued weapon. The tracking device that led them to Sokovia. The photograph of the archer's family he wouldn't have parted ways with for as long as he was alive.
Edith could've coaxed all those prized possessions from Clint, of course. But then Bruce opened the file. The very first page was the end of their desperate search. Whatever hope they'd been clinging to shattered to a couple of lines, the last ones the people working in the building worked before leaving.
'TEST SUBJECT: Barton, Clinton Francis
STATUS: Terminated / Deceased'
Bruce stared, one hand clasped against his mouth. Disbelief loud and clear in his wide eyes. "That's not…" The scientist shook his head but wasn't able to shake off the unimaginable view. "That can't mean that…! Right…?"
Thor simply stood there, something like shock and disbelief on his face.
Natasha didn't break down to tears or crumble physically. But she did slump in her own soundless way, like something inside her had bent and cracked beyond repair. Her face fell incredibly pale as she stared at the file stating that her best friend was gone.
Tony could only stare. Uncomprehending, not wanting to believe what was right there in front of him. He shut down entirely. Until a familiar voice spoke. "Sir? Steve Rogers is on the news."
Tony swallowed. It didn't help with the taste in his mouth. "Let's have a look", he murmured. What was another disaster when…?
The news reporter on the footage his tech revealed to the three of them seemed almost as shocked as they were. "… confirmed that it is indeed Captain America we're about to see … Viewer discretion is advised, because the content may shock some viewers …"
It was something out of a security camera. Edith's voice could be heard but it was the three men visible. Bucky, who was holding a gun. Clint, who was down and barely conscious with a bleeding wound on his chest. And Steve, who also held a gun as he stood between the two with torn expression and tears running down his face.
"What the hell…?" Bruce sputtered at the same time with Tony.
On the footage Steve was told to choose which one of his friends he'd kill. Clint, who was already critically injured. Or Bucky, who was obviously under mind control again. Tony's eyes widened with disbelief when the soldier eventually lifted his gun, tears all over his face.
"No, no…!" Tony wasn't rational enough to realize that of course the Captain wouldn't hear him. "No, Rogers…! Tell me you didn't…!"
But the gun fired before the sentence was finished and Bruce gasped from shock when the bullet found a home. From Clint's chest. Tony was in too much of a shock to do anything but stare as the archer gasped, already glassy eyes widening from pain and betrayal before they slipped closed. After having visibly fought a war to remain conscious for so long Clint gave in and faded away.
The whole world spun in front of Tony's eyes while his mind struggled to comprehend what he just saw.
Steve chose Clint over Bucky. Steve was the one who shot Clint. Steve was the one who executed someone who was supposed to be family, left Clint to die alone.
And they were too late to stop it, and now Clint was gone.
Tony dashed outside because he couldn't fucking breathe inside. He threw up the second he saw the blood on snow. In the building Bruce grabbed the table the archer lay on and squeezed with all his might, desperate to keep Code Green at bay. Thor stood a few steps away with a morose expression, aching as life slammed him with another loss. Because the last thing they needed was something else going wrong. And Natasha stared at her best friend's items, of what there still was left of him, unaware of the tears in her eyes. All that fit into her buzzing head was that she'd soon have to make the most difficult phone call of her entire life.
Only, she was too late.
When Laura Barton's phone started ringing Cooper Barton was watching TV. The news were on. And what he saw… It would've been too much on any child.
His dad wasn't – couldn't be…!
Cooper's eyes filled with tears. "Mom?" he called out, his voice trembling. He had no idea of the sparks his hands produced. "MOM!"
Siberia was incredibly cold when a group made its way towards a massive building. "You remember this one, don't you Bucky?" Edith inquired. "High time you come back home."
The metal-armed man shivered but said nothing.
"Is this why I'm alive?" Steve had never felt quite so horrible in his life. Like such a complete, utter failure. And the Rabbit Hole seemed to keep sucking him deeper. "You're going to brainwash me, too."
Edith snorted. "No. Why should I go through with all that trouble when I already have you doing tricks for me like a well-trained puppy?" She looked at the building with something like fondness. "It's a great privilege to show you this place. After all, none of this would exist without the Super-Soldier Serum that made you." She gave him a frosty smile. "You were a great inspiration, Captain America. We were all aiming for a full army of those like you."
It took a lot to hold down the bout of nausea. "Why would you go that far when you have your powers?" Why put Bucky and the others through… all that, when she could…?
Edith smirked and seemed genuinely impressed. "Aren't you a bright one!" She sighed. "You see… My powers can only keep someone under control for so long. That's why I worked on the Winter Soldier Program. I needed a more permanent solution. And I needed strong soldiers working for me."
Steve growled, and if it wasn't for the threat it would've brought on Bucky's life… "You… You had your own son killed." You made me kill my friend! You turned me into a monster! "If you imagine that I'd work for you…"
Edith laughed. "It's adorable how you seem to be delusional enough to imagine that you have any choice. You see, Steve… You already work for me. You're destroying the Avengers for me." Her hand caressed Bucky's face gently, meaningfully. "You're my soldier now, Captain America. I didn't even have to snap my fingers to make it happen. And by now the whole world knows."
In a small cabin a safe distance away from Sokovia's Hydra's base the twins were trembling from fatigue, cold, adrenaline and far too many emotions. While Pietro worked on the fireplace Wanda did what she could to help their nearly dead companion. She hoped from the bottom of her heart that they'd be able to save at least one of those three men who met the monster.
Pietro gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze when he joined her. "How is he?"
She sighed and shook her head. "He has lost a lot of blood. Possibly too much. I managed to pull the bullets away, but… He would need a hospital." And they both knew far too well that they couldn't risk a hospital. If that monster of a woman would find the three of them… Wanda ran a tender hand through the stranger's hair when the man groaned and shivered. The amount of pain he was in nearly brought tears to her eyes. "His head… It's in chaos. He's suffering from more than physical wounds."
Finally seeing Hydra for what it was, the twins felt sick. Pietro took a deep breath. "That woman… Can you keep her out of your mind?"
Wanda nodded. "I can", she assured her brother. "But… She isn't the only problem, is she?" They had nowhere to go, no one they could still trust. And they had a possibly dying man in their care. She swallowed and looked at her twin. "What are we going to do?"
There was no mirth or grin on Pietro's face. The boy shook his head. "I don't know."
On the bed Clint remained unconscious, his violently altered body struggling to try and start healing.
TBC
A/N: Oh, boy… So, it's pretty safe to say that the Avengers are in shambles – and will be even more so as this tale continues… This is 'Civil War' and 'Age of Ultron' rolled into one, and then there's Edith Barton's still mysterious little plan… For now everyone's alive, but how long will they stay that way…?
SO, folks… The word is now yours! Was that any good, at all? PLEASE, do let me know! Hearing from you is ALWAYS awesome.
Until next time! I really hope that you'll join in for that one, despite the turbulence.
Take care!
SomeRandomHuman: The good guys SERIOUSLY have it rough right now. (winces) We'll see just HOW rough it'll get, as the story continues… (gulps)
I REALLY hope that you'll keep enjoying the ride!
Massive thank yous for the review! Until next time.