A/N: Hello and welcome! This is a collection of one-shots/aus of my OC Seren & Steve outside of their fics. I'll post any random ideas I get that I can't really fit in their fics (currently Alignment, posted on my profile!).
This is part 1 of a multiple one-shot series! ;)
He was on a steady mission.
Rescue as many people as possible, and definitely rescue Bucky.
Two things. Two not-so-simple things.
Still, it was fine. Steve had somewhat of a game plan in his head. He ran through the HYDRA base, stealthy and quickly, taking down soldiers left to right. He freed the prisoners down in the literal dumps and cages and was on his way into the hallway when he heard two collective voices, one familiar and the other unknown. The first one was repetitive and very familiar; a monotonous recital for memory.
"Barnes, James Buchanan. Sergeant.
32557038…Barnes, James Buchanan. Sergeant."
Steve couldn't run any faster. He followed the voice of his best friend into a room and sure enough, right at the center was none other than Bucky Barnes, lying on a metal bed looking like he'd been through hell and back.
Bucky was in bad shape but not enough not to recognize his own best friend. "Steve?"
Steve was already pulling him up and off the bed. Alarms were raging around them and Steve was sure that at any moment, the whole factory would go off in some bomb if the inmates did as they were told. "I thought you were dead…" Steve said and pulled Bucky with him out the room. The latter had to lean on Steve for full support.
"I thought you were smaller…" Bucky mumbled distractedly. His nose scrunched, along with one side of his face. He couldn't set his mind clear enough just yet. Way too many things had been pumped into him just that day. But the fact that Steve had pulled him into the ruddy hallway helped clear some of Bucky's senses. It was then that he realized how now. Steve was actually helping him right now. "What happened to you?"
"I joined the Army." Any other moment, Steve would've hoped that he made a good joke, but not right now.
Right now, there were so many things happening. They were everywhere—
The second voice that Steve had heard just minutes before finding Bucky was still going strong. It was only then that Steve finally realized it was a woman screaming her head off.
There were cages everywhere and barely any light to guide them, but even then Steve was not going to give up. Leaving someone behind was never the plan and most certainly not if there was a lone woman in the facility. He had not seen a single female inmate nor soldier on his way into the place.
"Hey, Buck, do you know who's that yelling?" Steve tried his luck for any help finding the woman in the place.
Bucky shook his head languidly, feeling just a tad dizzy at the moment. "Some…girl, I — they — they used her — the experiments—"
Steve didn't understand half the things that came out of Bucky's mouth, but he still nodded in acknowledgement. It didn't take rocket science to deduce the woman was also part of the cold experiments being done in the facility.
They followed the source of the noise and it turned out there was only one cage with one remaining inmate inside, only this inmate was very different. Where all the other male inmates were kept like cattle all clumped in a cage, this woman had her entire upper body encased in a straight jacket like she belonged in a psych ward. She was relentlessly banging the straight jacket against the metal of her cage, screaming in a kind of language that Steve didn't recognize.
She saw them coming her way and immediately backtracked, retreating into the corner of the cage. She was dead silent now, watching Steve like a hawk as he pulled the cage door open with his hands.
Something was up for sure.
She instantly recognized the other man leaning against the bars of the cage. He was one of the few who managed to survive the horrid experiments. If he was free, then…
She made a run for it, or rather tried, because only three steps forward she nearly fell. Steve made to catch her but she managed to balance herself on her own, though it still proved to her that she was not strong enough to leave on her own.
Dammit. She met Steve's gaze, swallowing hard, as she waited to see what he would do.
Steve was on a clock. He could not waste a second, so he went forward. "I need to take that thing off you, alright?" He nodded at the straight jacket around her body. "I'm going to get you out of here," he promised. "But we gotta hurry."
The woman's eyes once again flickered over to Bucky. He was weak, but free. Her eyes shifted back on Steve and then, a moment later, she nodded. Steve still approached her cautiously but as soon as he was within arm's reach, he ripped the straight jacket off her and then yanked her arm with him towards the exit.
The woman was stunned with his strength and in it that he managed to bring not only her but Bucky as well like it was nothing. They were doing more or less fine until their escape way got blocked by the series of explosions that rocked the entire building. Their only escape was a lone catwalk that seemed on the verge of breaking loose as well.
It was also there that they saw — or rather Steve met — the head of HYDRA himself, Johan Schmidt. He missed the way that both Bucky and Seren seemed to cower at the sight of Schmidt.
Schmidt taunted all three of them, but no one more than Steve given that they shared similar versions of the serum. There was something his assistant was holding onto — a gray silver box — that seemed like the utmost importance with the way he gripped it to his chest. When they made their escape, the woman tried going after them, but the moment she stepped foot on the catwalk, Steve yanked her back.
She frowned at him, seemingly about to say something, when he told her absolutely not.
"They're not worth it — right now," he said quickly when her expression changed to incredulity. Of course he wanted to take them down, but the priority at the moment was to make it out alive!
"The thing's gonna go down," Bucky remarked as he eyed the catwalk. He could hear the groans and creaks from it. "Let me go first," he told Steve, eyes briefly flickering to the woman between them. "Make sure it's safe."
Steve agreed somewhat, preferring to do it himself but the idea of leaving either Bucky or the woman behind didn't sit well with him either. Neither option was ideally suitable. They had to do with what they had.
Bucky climbed on the catwalk first, taking slow steps. He was halfway when he heard a creak much too loudly for his taste. He froze for a minute, arms on either side of him, waiting until it calmed down. From the other end, Steve watched anxiously. Finally, Bucky continued and so Steve had no choice but to send the woman next.
"I'll be right behind you," he told her, meaning to help her climb on. She recoiled her arms away from him, startled. Steve wasn't surprised. Her entire appearance showed the face of someone who had been prodded way too much. With the fire's light, he saw the fresh and old cuts lining her face and arms. Not even the dirt could hide what she'd endured.
She would not trust strangers.
Steve did what he could and just motioned her to step on. She did so then, albeit slowly, and still with suspicious (green?) eyes.
She walked slightly easier than Bucky, however it was still clear that she lacked a significant amount of strength. Her legs wobbled and at some point they buckled halfway through. She was only a few feet away when the gantry started groaning again, this time harder and longer than before.
Bucky heard her soft gasp, and saw her eyes widen with fear. He was confused when she tried to jump up, rather than towards the end of the gantry, like she wanted to literally fly out of there. "Jump here!" He called to her, motioning the spot he stood in.
Her brows pinched for a slight second, and then she tried jumping up again. With one final sigh, she made a run for it and jumped towards the end of gantry. Bucky managed to grab her arms and helped her land the rest of the way. She fell on her side, breathing heavily. Her whole body hurt, leaving her steady on the ground for another moment.
Bucky had jumped to his feet the moment he heard the gantry again. It had collapsed down, disappearing into the pool of fire below, and leaving Steve stranded on the other side.
Steve was already looking for another way out, though he quickly realized there wasn't one. "Just get out!" He called to Bucky.
"No!" Bucky said incredulously. "Not without you!"
Steve looked around one more time before deciding his only way out. It was stupid, and probably wouldn't work, but at least if he tried and failed he wouldn't die without having done anything.
The woman sat upright then, both she and Bucky watching as Steve backtracked many steps. He made a run for it.
~0~
It was chaos coming out of the facility. Between bombs and bullets, there was no clear way of telling who had made it out and who hadn't. It wasn't until they all caught up in the first clearing — at a decent distance from the base — that the numbers began to make sense.
Steve had a good memory. He recalled the men he helped escape and was glad to see that they had managed to liberate even more men afterwards. They were all in dire need of medical attention, not to mention in a severe state of hunger, but they were all alive. They were just about to set out back to the camp when Steve noticed one ex-inmate was missing from the group.
"The woman — where's the woman?" He began to look around, calling out for someone to tell him where she'd gone.
"Think she wandered off…" One of the men called.
"What's her name!?"
"No one knows," Bucky said.
"How'd she even end up there in the first place?"
"No one knows," another man repeated like Bucky. "She was already there when we got there."
Steve looked to Bucky for confirmation. The latter nodded. He told Steve that the woman had been in her own solitary cage throughout their stay and was brought into experimentation very often.
Steve accepted that as a truth given the substantial cuts he'd seen on the woman earlier. He ventured to the outside of the clearing, hoping to catch her nearby. The last thing he wanted was for any surviving HYDRA agent to find her first.
Luckily, he found her sitting in front of a small lake. She was dowsing her face with water when she heard his footsteps behind her. Immediately, she looked back at him and that was the first time Steve got a real look at her.
Now that her face was free of dirt, he verified her big green eyes, plump cheeks, and pink lips. Her long golden brown hair was still knotted and dirty, something she seemed to remember as she quickly looked back at the lake and began throwing water at it. She ran her fingers through it as best as she could in the absence of a hairbrush.
Steve didn't know how to approach her, but he also knew that they couldn't risk lingering there. They had to get out of there fast. "Hey," he called, swallowing nervously, "We, uh, we really need to leave…" But the woman kept thrusting water to her hair, not sparing him a look. Steve stopped, remembering the way she had been screaming when he found her. It hadn't been in a language he recognized. "Do you speak English?" The question tumbled out of his mouth. It would make sense if she didn't. HYDRA didn't care about nationality when it came to their experiments. Any breathing creature was viable in their eyes.
"You speak in another language…" He assumed with her silence. He took a step towards her. "What is it? I…I don't know what to say—"
The woman finally looked back again, and very clearly spoke. "I speak English." Steve stayed still for a couple seconds. In those seconds, she stood up from the ground, revealing herself to be an average sized woman. "I do speak English, but you'll understand that for a very long time now I haven't been around real humans."
Steve nodded, slowly getting back from his nerves. "I'm…I'm Steve Rogers."
The woman regarded him for a moment, although that silent period gave Steve an ample sight of just how exhausted she seemed to be. He didn't miss the subtle wobble of her feet. She was weak and needed medical attention, just like the rest of the men.
"My name is Seren," she said, clearing her throat (an act that seemed to hurt her judging by the hand that flung to her throat right after). She let out a breath, fingers rubbing her neck.
"You're hurt," Steve said, "We should get you back to the camp. We can take care of you there."
Seren let out another breath, this one shaky. "I…I need a lot…" But it seemed to be getting harder for her to speak, like she was growing breathless. "Those animals…they…pulled a lot of my…"
Steve was already rushing forward when her legs buckled. "I got you! I got — Seren? Seren!" She'd fallen limp in his arms, totally out cold.
There was no question about it now, they needed to get back to camp as soon as possible.
~0~
It was quite the scene coming back to camp. Flooding it with old and newfound soldiers wasn't something anyone at the camp had expected. Their day had been designed to create letters for the dead, but now they readied to tend to their wounded.
Steve had made sure that Seren had been left in good care with the nurses, and hoped that when she woke up, she would be better. He then met Colonel Phillips to turn himself in. When that resulted in a sharp 'no', he moved onto priorities.
He had a lot of intel from the HYDRA facility, along with what Bucky had to say. There were plenty of more bases they needed to hit and now they had to figure out a way to go after HYDRA. It was then that they began to hear some commotion outside. It took them a few minutes to realize it was coming from the infirmary.
Steve hurried out of the tent and saw a couple nurses coming out of the infirmary tents, either angry or frightened.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Colonel barked at the group. Beside him, Peggy Carter was eyeing the infirmary, intently listening to the commotion. Her brows raised when she heard the only female voice she didn't recognize.
Steve had heard it as well. "It's Seren!" He rushed towards the ward, leading Phillips, Peggy and a few other soldiers in the process.
Seren was wide awake, fighting off a series of nurses and even soldiers who were recuperating and trying to hold her down. "STAY BACK!" She frantically yelled at them and pushed her way forward. She easily pushed the men away, sending them toppling over their beds. Nurses were thrown across the tent, hitting other medics and others, unfortunately, hit important medical tools.
"Seren!" Steve exclaimed and rushed forwards.
"I SAID GET AWAY!" Seren shoved Steve like he was just another soldier and then bolted from the infirmary. Phillips and Peggy quickly got out Seren's way just as she ran past them and out of the camp.
Steve was disoriented on the ground for a moment. Nobody had managed to pull him down like that, at least not since he'd taken the serum. Hearing the cries outside helped him snap out of his moment and hurry outside.
"Go after her!" Peggy ordered him as soon as he was out, although with great concern for the sight. Peeking inside the infirmary, she was startled with all the nurses and soldiers on the ground. The small woman and done all that?
Steve listened to Peggy's orders and ran after Seren. To his greater surprise, Seren made quite the run into the woods. The only reason he could catch up was because of the serum — another strange blow from Seren in general. Everything about her was strange so far.
"Seren! Seren!" He stopped in a clearing, out of breath, and looked around. "Seren—"
She had come out of nowhere and rammed him down to the ground. Steve was wide-eyed, absolutely stunned, with the woman on top of him.
Seren didn't waste another moment. "I am not going back there!" She pulled herself up, glaring daggers at Steve. "You'll have to kill me before I go back!"
"What—?" Perhaps it was the instinct in him, but the moment Steve saw Seren's legs shift he seized her right ankle and tripped her. He'd apologize later for the face-first landing. He quickly got up from the ground. "Seren—!"
Seren yelled and turned herself on her back. "I'M NOT GOING!" She balled a hand into a fist, although not a second after she did she growled at herself. Something wasn't working.
"I'm not your enemy, Seren! I'm your friend!" Steve wanted to help her up but every time he leaned down she tried kicking him.
Seren ultimately jumped to her feet and, warding Steve off with her hands in front of her, she backtracked. Steve's gaze fell on her feet and watched as they stumbled every second.
"Seren, you need medical attention—"
"I said NO!" She screamed through gritted teeth. "I am not letting any more people cut me open! I'll ki— ah!" She had backtracked into a tree.
Steve had stopped trying to reach for her when she spoke her last words. His eyebrows knitted together, mind racing as he replayed her words over and over…until he understood. "You're afraid of doctors," he realized.
Seren said nothing but her glare spoke volumes. She used a hand on the tree to support herself.
"Seren, it's okay," Steve raised his hands in front of himself. "I get that fear. You have no idea how much I get it. You don't have to be afraid here. If anything, with what you did back there, the nurses and doctors will be the ones who need attention. Please, come back to the camp with me."
"No," Seren said, hard, and seemingly backtracked around the tree to hide herself. "I'm not — no one is t-touching me again."
Steve heard the way her voice cracked and sighed. "HYDRA experimented on you, didn't they?" It was the only explanation for her exceptional strength. Seren lowered her head. Steve took it as a sign of shame. "Hey, they're the bad guys here, not you, nor anyone else they ever put their hands on. Whatever they did to you, they're gonna be sorry for it, I swear."
Seren's eyes lifted for a moment. "They didn't experiment on me."
"What do you mean?" Steve frowned. "They — that's what they did to so many people, my friend included. You remember him?"
Seren nodded. "He's the one they experimented most on. I would know, I was their source of power." Her dry smile led Steve to the conclusion he never thought about.
"Wait, you — they experimented on people using you?" Steve didn't recall Bucky mentioning that part at all. Then again, poor Bucky barely remembered what happened in the experiment rooms. "H-how — why? You're…but you've got the strength — you put me down. Nobody's been able to do that. Are you enhanced?"
Seren seemed to consider her answer and in it made Steve go through the craziest of theories. He was close to begging for the answer.
"No, I'm not enhanced…" Seren let out a shaky breath, "I'm naturally strong. It's, uh, one of my abilities."
"But you just said you're not—"
"I'm not from here."
"You're not," Steve agreed with that on the spot. "When I first saw you, you were screaming in a different language. I don't think I've ever heard it. Definitely didn't sound like anything I've learned about. Where exactly are you from?"
Seren pursed her lips and then, very slowly, she raised a finger above her head, pointing up at the sky. Steve looked at her a moment then the sky…and then her…and then the sky.
"But that's…" His mind was beginning to race again. His deep confusion caused a laugh, a laugh that he had no idea how to handle. He swallowed hard and met Seren's waiting (and patient) eyes. "You're not actually saying that you're…"
"From space? Yes, I am," Seren had spoken in a very different language, one that Steve had never heard of. And to further prove her story, she held a hand out and put all her might into conjuring something…
Steve was absolutely stunned when colorful sparks flew from Seren's fingertips. They were the smallest sparks and lasted all of two seconds, but it happened. His mouth fell open.
Seren was breathing heavier again, whether it was from nerves or her depleting health was unclear. She gripped the bark behind her to keep herself on her feet. "I had the misfortune of crashing and injuring myself right in front of a stupid HYDRA base. They captured me with no effort. That was last year."
Steve snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "Last year?" Seren nodded. "So all this time you've been a prisoner of HYDRA?"
"Prisoner, prime experiment guinea pig, take your pick. Once Schmidt figured out I wasn't human, he kicked it up a notch. Zola — his little scientist — did everything in his power to learn what I was."
"The cuts…" Steve's eyes fell over Seren's body. Her arms were exposed and so were the deep cuts and stitches.
"They're insane. They want to make alien hybrid soldiers to win your war." Seren's eyes shined with tears. "Using me for every ounce of power I have. So no, I will not go back to a camp full of more soldiers, more doctors, and more needles. I'd rather die right here."
"Well then I guess we're going to have to disagree with each other," Steve said, and did something quite strange. He lowered himself to the ground and sat down, eyes never leaving Seren.
She was frowning at him, confused with his tactic. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm going to sit here and wait."
"Wait for what?"
"For you to pass out. And when you do, I'm going to bring you back so you can get proper medical attention."
Seren's frown turned into a deep scowl. "I will not pass out."
"And yet, you seem like you need to sit down for a moment." Steve's gaze flickered to Seren's hand on the bark. It was shaking and little by little, her entire body came to lean against the tree.
Seren exhaled with a shaky breath. "I don't like you, Steve."
"I get that a lot," Steve said, smiling widely at her. "It stopped hurting a long time ago."
Seren seemed on the verge of breaking down. She was exhausted, her body hurt, and she just wanted to—
"Where are you from?" Steve asked all of a sudden.
"I already told you—"
"You told me you were from outer space. I'm asking where from."
Seren had slowly slid down the bark until she was sitting on the ground, clutching her stomach. She hated that it was getting harder to stay awake.
"C'mon, throw me a bone," Steve said, and laughed at her reaction.
"Why would you want me to throw you a bone?"
"It's a figure of speech. It means, give me something please. I've never met anyone from a different planet."
"And you don't seem very frightened either," Seren observed. "You're either really dumb or…just plain weird."
"I'm a little of both, actually." Steve felt a spark of pride when he saw the brief smile that marked Seren's face. When she did that, she seemed even less threatening. "C'mon, talk to me."
Seren shook her head slowly. "Celessia. That's the name of my planet. I was born there. It's…quite far from here."
"And it's just you here?"
"Mhm, I was on a mission. It hasn't gone well. My mother…she probably thinks I'm dead by now. Time runs a little different the further in space you are."
"I'm sorry, but maybe we can help you get back. The camp—"
Seren shook her head. "Once your little camp knows what I am…they're going to do to me what HYDRA did. I will not go back to that."
"We are not HYDRA," said Steve sternly. "We don't hurt the innocent, and you Seren, are another victim. We would help — I would help you. But you gotta trust me."
"These days, I can't trust anyone."
"Trust the men you were locked up with," Steve said, "My friend Bucky? You said you knew him better."
"Sort of. It's not like we chit-chatted during the experiments…"
"But you still trusted his judgement when you came with us. Have I failed you yet?"
Seren swayed her head until it made her dizzy.
"Seren, you're hurt. More than that, you need to rest."
"I can heal fast. It's just taking longer because of how long I've been locked up."
"Even then, you should still let somebody take a look at you. How about we compromise?"
"What'd you have in mind?"
"We get one nurse to look at you, outside of the infirmary ward." Steve had a feeling that even if she wasn't traumatized from HYDRA experiments, the medical world wasn't something Seren was a fan of. The heavy fear and alarm she carried every time he mentioned a nurse or a doctor was proof enough.
Seren pulled her legs close to her chest. "How do I know they won't study me like a lab rat once they figure out what I am?"
"Because I won't let them. And you can trust me, I swear it."
Seren continued to breathe hard, and soon it became like a chore rather than an instinct. The fact is she knew she couldn't remain out there on her own. HYDRA used her but they tended to patch her up every now and then to keep her alive.
"I'll have a nurse, and then another woman with you, if that makes you more comfortable." Steve was pulling himself up from the ground. "And I'll be right outside if anything happens. Sound like a deal?"
Seren watched him approach her, instinctively trying to lean further away but the tree was still right behind her. Steve stopped in front of her and held a hand out.
Almost begrudgingly, Seren accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her up. As soon as she was up on her feet, she fell forwards. Steve caught her and helped her stay standing.
"You're very weak, you need to rest," he told her, turning with her to walk. There was no way she'd let him carry her.
"They…they injected me…many times…" Seren said breathlessly.
"With what?" Steve asked her, eyeing her worriedly. He hadn't asked Bucky because he barely remembered. Seren's memory seemed intact.
"Many things," Seren replied. "Ever heard of the Tesseract?" She looked up at him and saw his blank face. "Figures."
"What is that?"
Seren sighed. "We have a lot of things to go over."
But that would be when she woke up again.
~0~
Steve and Peggy Carter stood over Seren's bed, watching the latter finally rest (even though it'd been induced). As it turned out, Seren was heavily afraid of doctors and nurses. Even with them in the tent, it was a struggle getting Seren to cooperate. Finally, her own exhaustion caught up with her and slowed her anxiety until she eventually fell asleep. It had been several hours since then and many things had begun to happen.
Before falling unconscious, Seren agreed to Steve's request to divulge her background and that was exactly what he did. Peggy couldn't believe her ears.
She stood with her hands on her hips, eyes blinking several times, gaze glued on Seren. "You mean to tell me…that woman…" She barely lifted a finger to point at Seren. "She's a…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Instead, she looked at Steve waiting for him to take it back.
Of course, that didn't happen.
"After everything, this really shouldn't be the tip of the iceberg for you," he said.
"I think…" Peggy's voice was more than incredulous. She shook her head. "They captured an alien! HYDRA actually captured…an extraterrestrial. Do you know what this implies? HYDRA is much stronger than we previously thought."
"I agree," Steve nodded. "Which is why we should thank the heavens that Seren seems to be on our side. At the very least, she's got a grudge against HYDRA. We need her with us."
Peggy didn't seem as convinced and it showed. "Steve, I…" She shook her head. "She took down a whole ward of medics and beaten soldiers!"
"She was afraid — she is afraid of medics, Peggy. Everyone has fears, even aliens."
"If she has that kind of strength, what makes you think she won't turn on us?"
"I trust that she won't," Steve said, plain and simple, despite it leaving Peggy with a gaping mouth. "I talked to her, Peggy, and I didn't get the feeling that she would willingly harm someone. She was traumatized, just like the rest."
"Steve, you talked to her for all of 5 minutes out there. You still don't know what kind of person she is."
"You guys took the chance on me, so why can't we do the same again?"
Peggy didn't seem to like the question because she had no answer to it. She came out with something different instead, but it was technically still an answer. "How would you even explain this to the higher-ups?"
"With all due respect, I don't think it's so much as explaining as it is being logical," Steve said, and just as Peggy turned to him incredulously, he explained it in the simplest terms. "She—" he nodded over at Seren — "can take the whole camp down, no questions asked. She's been weakened by HYDRA but at her healthiest, she gives me a run for my money. Plus, she's got knowledge that we don't. We'd be idiots to let her go."
Peggy's mouth opened several times but she closed it each time, unsure what to say. Finally, with one look at Seren, then at Steve, she responded. "Well, I certainly don't like looking like an idiot." Steve started to smile. "But you," Peggy pointed at him, "are in charge of informing the rest."
Steve nodded, agreeing to the terms. Something told him that he would have the best way of explaining things to everyone else.
~0~
When Seren woke up, she was no longer surrounded by the nurses and doctors — well, technically one nurse but it had still felt like there were a dozen of them. Instead, she woke up to find Peggy Carter sitting beside her bed.
Seren vaguely remembered the woman and began to look around. The tent was empty save for them two. "Where's—?"
"Steve is with the Colonel," Peggy said like she knew exactly what was running through Seren's head. "He asked me to sit in for him but he's been here every minute, I promise."
Seren warily eyed Peggy and the latter didn't miss the way she clutched her blanket.
"It's alright," Peggy said, "You can trust me too."
Seren continued to stare at the woman nervously. Peggy knew that words would mean nothing to a woman who had been tortured, poked and prodded for over a year. Actions would speak louder.
"Our medics said that you were making a fine recovery," Peggy said, offering her brightest smile. "They were astonished with your healing rate. It's on par with Steve."
"I'm supposed to heal quicker than I am…" Seren said, clearing her throat. Hearing it, Peggy rose from her seat and walked over to a table full of different medical tools. She missed Seren stiffen behind her. "But I…I've been weakened for so long that I…" She watched as Peggy rummaged through the table for something. "I…my body needs more time to heal…" She cleared her throat again, and for a moment wondered if she was good enough to make a run for it.
Peggy then turned around with a bottle of water. Relief washed over Seren's face as the woman neared her bed again, holding out the water bottle.
"We assumed the same," Peggy said, none the wiser about Seren's entire panic. "But no worries. We're confident you'll be good as new in no time. Thirsty?"
"Um…" Seren had no choice but to nod. She took the bottle from Peggy and took a small drink (though Peggy didn't miss the subtle sniff Seren took of it before drinking). "When's Steve coming back?" Seren asked again, deciding to forego the bottle altogether.
"Soon," Peggy assured her and sat down again. "He's just talking out details with the Colonel."
"About me," Seren muttered. " I can't imagine how that conversation is going. The only reason I'm here is because Steve swore that I would be safe here."
"And you are," Peggy agreed. "No one has stepped in here since you were brought in. Steve is making sure that we're all on the same page. He thinks you can become a good ally for us."
"An ally?" Seren raised an eyebrow. "So you only want me here to fight for you."
"Is that what you think?" Peggy flashed Seren a strange smile, like she wanted to challenge the latter's presumptions. Whatever it was, it worked.
Seren shrugged meekly. "I've met a lot more terrible humans than good ones so far."
"Mm," Peggy's hum was that of consideration. She held her chin and nodded, her eyes never lifting off Seren's. "And so you think the same terrible humans are right in front of you?"
"I don't know you," Seren said, making it simple and plain. "And now after helping me heal, you're telling me you want me to fight for you."
"Not fight for us, fight with us," Peggy corrected, dropping her hands on her lap. "Our world is at war with some really terrible people. People that want to oppress us. What they did to you and all the other soldiers is what they will no doubt do to everyone else."
Seren lowered her head. Her hair fell over her shoulders and in front of her face.
Peggy stared at her for a long minute, studying every movement Seren did, no matter how small or subtle. She began to see what Steve meant. Seren didn't seem like a bad guy, not when she looked so genuinely afraid right now. She looked like someone caught in the middle of a war…just like the rest of them had.
Peggy looked around the room and then suddenly got up. When Seren heard her steps, she looked up and immediately watched what Peggy was going to do. Her heart rate went up for a couple seconds until confusion flooded her as Peggy returned with a hair brush.
"May I?" She motioned with the brush.
Seren's brows furrowed. "What? Wh-why?"
"I should think it's obvious why," Peggy came around the bed. "There aren't many women around here and after your stunt with the nurses, it might be hard finding you some proper clothes but I'm sure we can make something up for you. Sister solidarity. Ever heard of it?"
"I don't have sisters," Seren said, straightening up in bed. "I'm an only child…" She tentatively reached for the brush but Peggy went ahead and started brushing the back of her head.
"My apologies if I pull," she said, "It's a bit, uh, knotted…"
Seren scoffed. "You're being kind. HYDRA isn't known for its hair care. I look like a rat."
Peggy couldn't help the laugh that slipped from her. She quickly apologized and cleared her throat, moving on. "We're heading to the city today. You being awake makes it easier to transfer."
"The city?" Seren blinked. "I-I don't want to—"
Peggy was quick with the brush and strategically turned Seren's head away from her, forcing the woman to be still. "Steve collected some important intel on HYDRA, and with the other captured soldiers' testimonies, we're building strategy plans. You're welcomed to listen in."
"I don't know, I…I have some things to do…"
Peggy raised an eyebrow at that. "What kind of things? Steve said that you crashed here, implying you're new to the, uh, planet." It was so strange talking like that. Peggy wasn't sure if she'd get used to it.
Seren licked her lips (which were very chapped). "I…I did," she agreed. "And being imprisoned for a year sort of backtracked my plans. My mother — she must think I'm dead. I have to find a way to communicate with her."
"The SSR can do anything to help you, and we do have a man who is, quite literally, a genius," Peggy said. "We have him working on the bits of HYDRA weapons we managed to acquire."
"Weapons?" Seren's eyes widened. She flipped her head in Peggy's direction, utterly alarmed. "N-n-n-no! They can't — tell him they're going to get hurt! They don't understand what HYDRA's done! They've—"
"Carter!" Colonel Phillips himself strode into the tent. Immediately, Seren jumped off her bed and scooted back as much as she could. "We're leaving now! Prepare the extra—"
"Sir!" Peggy made a cutting motion across her neck, hoping that Phillips was smart enough to see how nervous his presence made Seren.
Phillips, however, continued to demand their preparation to leave at once. It didn't help that he had one of the doctors, and a few nurses, come into the tent.
"N-n-n-n-no!" Seren started to cry, shaking her head. "Stay away from me!"
"Seren, it's alright!" Peggy tried to calm her down but as she reached to touch Seren, the latter pushed her hands away. "Seren—!"
Seren gave a hard shove and Peggy landed against the wall. "Stay away from me! I don't want to go anywhere!"
"We'll have to sedate her," Seren heard one of the medics say and practically lost it.
"NO!" She screamed, eyes glowing dangerously orange. The sight had the medics and the Colonel backtracking. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She could hear Peggy calling out to her from behind.
You can't take any chances, Seren thought. You should have run the moment you woke up. Why didn't you?
Someone else ripped through the tent and shouted. "What the hell are you doing!?" It was Steve, going against Phillips. "I told you not—"
"Are you insane!?" Phillips was incredulous with the reaction. "She's—"
"I told you to let me handle it!" Steve cut him off. "You're scaring her!"
"We're scaring her? She's scaring the living daylights out of everyone else! She's a walking hazard!" The doctor behind Phillips argued.
"Get out!" Steve yelled and made the gesture towards the entrance. He didn't wait to see if they would leave — he was positive that they would given how scared they allegedly were — and turned towards Seren. He'd heard and recognized her voice right away but he didn't expect to see the energy she used with her hands now shining in her eyes. He could see where the others would be frightened but he knew the truth behind those powerful eyes.
"Seren, it's okay," he called to her in his gentlest voice. "It's — they're not going to touch you." He crossed gazes with Peggy who remained stuck on the wall for fear of pushing Seren even more. She encouraged him with a nod to keep talking. "You're perfectly healthy again. We're just…we're going to head to the city. There's more room for you there, definitely better food, I swear."
Seren had not moved from her spot but her hands were raised in a defensive stance and her eyes had yet to stop glowing. Still, Steve could see the strain creases on her forehead and near her lips.
"Seren, I told you that you could trust me. I'm not going to hurt you." Steve put his hands down on either side of him, straightening himself up. "I want to take you to the city. I know you'll be safer there."
"I don't…I've never been there…" Seren's voice shook, "Soon as I got here…"
"I know," nodded Steve. "HYDRA found you. Well, they're not doing it again. Come with me."
Seren's lips pursed, and little by little the glow in her eyes began to fade. "The medics — I don't — I don't want them to touch me again. I won't…I promise I won't hurt anyone. I'll — I'll keep my hands to myself, I swear." She sounded like a frightened kid, and resembled one too.
Steve felt the overwhelming urge to hug her and only resisted out of fear that he would make her jump. "I know that," he said instead. "I know that you're a good person and you don't hurt people."
As soon as he said that, Seren gasped and all the energy faded around her. She spun around to face Peggy, eyes wide.
"I'm — I'm sorry! I didn't — I got scared — they—"
Peggy nodded at her. "It's alright. I'm okay, see?" She stepped away from the wall and opened her arms. "Perfect, as usual." She was glad to see Seren crack half a smile. "Now then, clothes?"
Seren looked back at Steve, almost like asking if that's what she should do. He smiled at her. She then nodded at Peggy, quietly thanking her.
Peggy walked in a hurry (wanting to get things done before Seren changed her mind) and whispered a quick "I'll be back" to Steve on her way out.
"Seren?" Steve gently called who had yet to turn around. "Are you…are you okay?"
"No…"
At least she had answered right away.
"I-I'm sorry about that, I…I told them not to come in. I was going to come in and tell you what we were going to do."
Seren finally turned and met his gaze. She shook her head at him, saying it was her fault. "I just don't know what to expect anymore," she said quietly. "Your friend — she was so nice and I'm pretty sure I hurt her. Maybe the best thing for me is to just go…before I really hurt someone."
"Seren, I don't mean to scare you but if this camp alone puts you on edge, I can't imagine what the rest of the world will do to you. Let us take you to the city," Steve said. "And then we'll help you do whatever it is you need to do. Do you trust me?"
"I…I think…" Seren sighed. "I'll be honest, I don't know what I think. My head still hurts a little."
Steve chuckled. "That's fair. Bucky says the same thing. So, can we head to the city then?"
Seren nodded. "Will you stay with me?" He'd already helped her go through the medics before, she supposed she could trust that he would help her around this time as well.
"Of course," Steve assured her with a comforting smile.
A short moment later, Peggy returned with some clothes for Seren to wear. Despite actually wanting to change, Seren was still nervous to see Steve go.
"I'll be outside waiting," he promised. He exchanged glances with Peggy on his way out.
"It's alright," Peggy told Seren, holding out the clothes she'd found. "Now I don't know what kind of clothes you're used to, but this is what we tend to wear around here — er, when we're not at war, I meant."
Seren stared at the folded clothes. She was sure it was a dress. "I had a suit," she said, "But HYDRA tore it apart for experiments."
"Oh, well, if it's a new suit you're looking for, our partner — his name's Howard Stark — might be able to help you. He'll be in the city when we get there." Peggy once again made show of the clothes.
Seren took the clothes from Peggy and, with a sigh, went to get changed.
~0~
As it turned out, Seren was indeed very nervous coming into the city. She was anxious on the ride to the city, and getting off was only a matter of making it worse. There was way more action on the streets and noise to fill her ears. As soon as she stepped on the sidewalk, she was bombarded with car horns and people yelling and bells and just about everything else one would typically hear.
She covered her ears and ducked her head. Just as she was getting overwhelmed, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Flinching, she dropped her hands to her sides and looked up.
Steve was looking at her, concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Strong hearing," she explained. "Does…don't you have it?"
"I…hadn't thought about it," Steve said, making a face. He looked around, focusing on the street, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Some things felt a little sharper but not the point of having to cover his ears.
"It's just been a while," Seren said in the end, deciding she was drawing too much attention to herself. The medic staff was definitely giving her some dirty looks. "But I wouldn't mind getting out of here…"
"Yeah, we'll—"
"Rogers!" The Colonel called and was motioning to Steve to come over.
Steve seemed at a loss between staying and following orders. Luckily, Peggy walked over and offered to stay with Seren until things got sorted. With her came Bucky who told Steve he'd been ordered to accompany him.
"Wait, are you not coming where we are?" Panic flashed across Seren's face. She then looked at Peggy before Steve could answer. "Where are we going?"
"Just…headquarters," Peggy said, taking Seren's hand. "You'll be very safe there, honest."
"It won't be long, Seren," Steve said, offering her a smile. "Just some stuff."
"But I — you won't be long?" Seren flinched as a car passed by. She knocked into Peggy and the strength of it made the latter stumble a few steps back. "Sorry!" Seren immediately apologized, not wanting to repeat her mistake from before.
"It's alright, don't worry!" Peggy chuckled and fixed herself. She glanced at Steve and Bucky, motioning them to get going. "Don't just stand there. Follow your orders. We'll be fine."
Steve's gaze lingered on Seren even while Bucky started pulling on his arm. "Won't be long, promise!" Steve said. He watched Peggy take Seren's arm and pull her in the opposite direction. Eventually, Bucky yanked him hard enough to turn him around and they could walk together.
That's when he noticed the wide smirk on Bucky's face.
"What?" Steve raised a brown at him.
"'Won't be long, I promise'," Bucky nudged Steve's side.
"Stop it," Steve rolled his eyes. It was crazy to say he missed the interaction, even if roles seemed to be reversed (for the first time in forever).
"What?" Bucky would most certainly not stop it. He looked over his shoulder, presumably after Seren and Peggy who were walking away. He bobbed his head pensively. "Sure changes with some new clothes, right?"
"Shut up," went Steve who then nudged Bucky — or rather stabbed his elbow into his side.
"I'm just saying…" Bucky's smirk was even wider than before. "Doesn't want to leave your side, right? Already seems made—"
"Be quiet now, thanks." Steve picked up his pace, leaving Bucky behind to laugh at him.
~0~
Seren may have been new to Earth but she recognized soldier attire. The SSR headquarters were filled with soldiers and, apparently, special agents. Seren didn't like a single one of them.
Peggy assured her that nobody but them knew about Seren's situation and they wouldn't until she decided otherwise. Still, Seren couldn't shake off her nerves. She had no idea what she was doing and more importantly what the hell was going on around her. Peggy tried her hardest to explain things as simple as possible to Seren. She didn't want to overwhelm Seren. They spent hours going around the headquarters so Seren would be familiar with the place, ultimately landing in a laboratory. There, she met the man that Peggy had been talking about earlier.
Howard Stark was, at first glance, an intelligent man and a bit cocky, though Seren wondered if she'd gotten the wrong impression about that last part. He was the only other person who knew about the truth about her.
"I must say, it's very fascinating!" Howard said, leading the two women down the lab. There weren't many other employees working around, giving Seren a better feeling of freedom. "I won't commend HYDRA for capturing you, of course, but they did get lucky with you, am I right?"
"Unfortunately," Seren said in a low mutter.
"Seren was telling me about a suit that HYDRA took from her," Peggy said, "And I told her that maybe you could help her build a new one."
Howard's eyes sparkled with the idea, almost making Seren laugh. It would have been the first time she laughed in a long, long time. Peggy saw it.
"I would need to get a better understanding of your abilities," Howard said as he stepped closer to Seren. "Agent Carter tells me that you specialize in, uh, star matter?" He was nothing but excited about the prospect, especially when Seren confirmed it. "Amazing!" He spun on his feet and walked a few steps away, babbling to himself about ideas.
"Is he always like that?" Seren found herself asking Peggy while they waited for Howard to remember they were still there.
"Sometimes he's slightly less annoying," Peggy said, earning a small chuckle. She did a double take at Seren, stunned.
"I like him," Seren admitted. He was about the only man she felt at ease with — well, besides Steve. "And you think he can help me make a new suit?"
"That's the hope," Peggy nodded. "He's the smartest around."
"And we're sure he's not with HYDRA?"
Peggy smiled. "We're sure."
Seren let out a breath and announced that they should get to work.
~0~
Steve truly worked his hardest to get back to the headquarters as fast as possible. He barely registered Colonel Phillips telling him about the stupid medal some people wanted to give him for saving the soldiers HYDRA kidnapped. He was worried how Seren might do on her own surrounded by SSR agents and soldiers. He knew that Peggy would be there with her but he would feel a lot better if he was there in person to verify that everything was okay.
So he was very disappointed, and perhaps disillusioned, when he and Bucky returned to the SSR headquarters only to find out from Peggy that Seren was currently working with Howard Stark in his lab. When Peggy turned away, Bucky wouldn't stop smirking at Steve.
The day went by very slowly for Steve. He had a ton of work to do that there was no way he could go find Seren and see how she was doing. It was honestly driving him crazy not knowing, something that Bucky had laughed at until Peggy scolded them both for being disruptive.
It wasn't until later in the evening that Steve had some relief. He was busy drawing out the rest of the maps he'd seen in the HYDRA facility when he heard a familiar voice. He dropped his pencil and looked at the door just as Seren walked in with Howard.
"…I'm sure we can find the right one…" Howard was saying, with Seren seeming to agree.
"Your inventory is impressive," she admitted, leading Howard to laugh.
"Well…" There was no denying the smugness on Howard's face.
Steve didn't quite like it.
"I take it everything went well?" Peggy asked the two. She sensed that Seren was a lot more cheerful than she'd been earlier in the day.
"It did," Seren was the one to answer. "Howard agreed to help me with the suit and we're going to work on a method of communication with my mother."
"There's not a challenge I won't say 'yes' to!" Howard said. "This woman is amazing! Did you know she can 2 fly!?"
Seren's cheeks became a bright pink. She laughed nervously. "I didn't properly fly. My energy's not completely back yet."
"It was amazing!" Howard insisted, still over the moon. Seren watched him explain all that she'd done to show her abilities. Her smile grew wider and wider, unsure what to do with all the compliments thrown her way.
Steve frowned and turned back to his drawings. He picked up his pencil and continued the sketch.
Peggy calmed Howard's excitement with the cartridges that they managed to retrieve from HYDRA. Seren wandered over to Steve's table and noticed all the maps around them. Steve of course felt her presence next to him.
"You draw?" She gazed at the sketch he was currently working on.
He nodded silently. As irritated as he was, outright ignoring her just wasn't something he felt he could do.
Phillips entered the room a second later, grumbling. "Rogers, you just embarrassed a senior senator in front of a dozen reporters and ten members of Parliament!" He barked and held up the medal in question.
Seren got the feeling that it wasn't a surprise to Steve as he didn't seem shocked with the shiny medal being brandished in his face.
"You should get a medal just for that." Phillips almost smirked then. He left the medal beside Steve on the table and walked over to Peggy and Howard.
"What was the medal for?" Seren asked Steve, inching forward to catch sight of the medal on the table. It was actually quite nice.
"Nothing," Steve said quickly. He finally looked at her and realized how close she actually was to him. She looked very different from when they first met, almost like any other human girl. Her hair was sleek and wavy, her face cleaned up, and the plaid dress she wore was impractical for SSR matters but more than pretty for her.
"I like your drawings," Seren said, smiling lightly. "Do you only draw maps?"
"Uh, no, not…" Steve cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. Seren's green eyes were intense yet still innocent. He ducked his head and focused on the last bit of the map. It was urgent, after all.
Seren watched him silently. Her eyes would flicker to the medal every now and then, back and forth until it dawned on her what happened. "The humans — the ones in charge — they awarded you for saving us?"
Steve felt an incredible heat rise up his neck and to his cheeks. "Uh, well, that's — maybe—"
"And you blew them off…" Seren continued. She began to smile the more Steve stuttered as he tried to explain something he really didn't have to. It was endearing.
Steve met her eyes again, immediately regretting it again. He didn't notice before but she actually had freckles on her cheekbones.
Seren's smile just grew under his stare. "Will—"
"Have any of you figured out what this is yet?" Colonel Philips' call startled the two and made them look across the room. Philips was pointing at the cartridge in Howard's hands. "I thought leaving you all here was going to speed up the process."
Seren didn't like him very much.
"Well, if you believe Rogers, it's apparently the most powerful explosive known to man," Howard said, making a nod at Steve. "Or so I've heard."
"Well, either you're wrong or Schmidt's damn near rewritten the laws of physics," Philips said, "And I'm rather fond of the laws of physics…"
"That's not going to abide by your human laws of physics," came Seren's voice, leaving the room rather startled for a moment. She had made it very clear from the start that she was not comfortable making her presence known, much less in groups of people. But this time even Steve heard the strange certainty, and authority, in her voice.
"What do you mean?" He abandoned all thoughts of his maps and turned to her. "Do you know what those things are?"
Seren nodded firmly. "I know what they were made with."
Philips, Peggy and Howard moved towards the table and waited for Seren to continue. She'd realized how suddenly everyone's attention was on her and for some reason her gaze shifted to Steve. He encouraged her to keep going.
She took a breath in and started again. "What you're looking for is the Tesseract." It was like she had spoken in her native tongue because nobody understood what she had just said.
"The tess…what?" Howard was making a face as he tried to repeat the word.
"The Tesseract," Seren said again, for their benefit. "It's what's been infused into those cartridges," she nodded at the one Howard held. "It's not from this world."
"What exactly is it?" Peggy asked. "And how did they acquire it?"
Seren deliberated with her answer. To answer would be to give her purpose for being on Earth away.
"Well, speak already!" Philips exclaimed, startling Seren.
"Give her the moment she needs!" Steve all but snapped at the man. He then looked at Seren again, quietly telling her to take her time. "We'll wait."
Seren afforded him an appreciative smile. "Well, it's a bit complicated, and I…it sort of involves me too."
"Is the Tesseract yours?" Peggy asked.
"No," Seren said immediately, shaking her head. "But I was tasked to find it. The Tesseract is a source of power that was once owned by the Asgardians — another alien race. My planet, Celessia, we're sort of, uh, at odds with Asgard right now. But we don't want war. Our superiors, they came up with a strategy for a peace offering. My family is very high up and we were tasked to find the one object that Asgard hasn't been able to get back. The job fell upon me. I traced remnants of the Tesseract to this place, and I quickly discovered why."
"HYDRA is using the Tesseract on their weapons…" Steve realized.
"And on their human experiments," Seren nodded. "I discovered that when they used me as their trial and error. See, the Tesseract can't physically be held by human hands. It's too powerful of a source. But its powers can be extracted. If they continue to use the Tesseract, they will win your war in no time."
"Then we better come up with a way to stop them." Phillips looked directly at Howard. "See what you can do with it," he pointed at the cartridge. "Now."
Howard nodded. "Uh, Seren, wouldn't mind a little of consulting, would you? Seem to be the expert on this, after all."
Seren agreed but only after pointing out to the group what she would do at the end. "The Tesseract is coming back with me. It doesn't belong here."
"I don't know how the higher ups will take that," said Phillips.
Seren tilted her head at him. For the first time, she stood quite differently in the eyes of the group. "That wasn't a request. I'm telling you what's going to happen."
"Excuse me," Phillips blinked at her, affronted.
Seren's expression did not waver. " I know that I am way out of my comfort zone here but do not mistake me for being weak, because I assure you that I am not. I will go through whoever I have to, to get the Tesseract back. Don't forget you can't even touch it. It's mine."
There was a terse air left in the room. Seren wondered if she'd finally made herself out as the enemy. As bad of a price, she had to follow through with her orders.
Finally, it was Howard who moved things along. He asked Seren if she would still come with him back to the lab to do more research on the cartridges. She agreed, and moved to follow him. However, before she die, she touched Steve's arm. Startled, he looked down at her, not expecting her hard expression to quickly change into a much more friendly one.
"I'm sorry, but I have to" she whispered to him, sounding genuinely guilty. Unbeknownst to her, Steve understood her perfectly at that moment. Orders. She was following her own orders.
If anything, all Steve felt when she left the room was irritation and not even at her. She hadn't left the room on her own; she'd gone off with Howard.
P.S. As always, I have an AO3/Wattpad account under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)