7
Stark Tower, Meeting Room 2C
August 17, 2015
Tony paces up and down behind the chairs. Thor, Clint, and Bucky are eating and Bruce is reading at the end of the table. They are waiting for Natasha to show up. She's been missing for the past month- for the 40 time in the last year- so they called a meeting to order where they can find out where she is.
Just as Tony is finishing lap number 20, the door opens and everyone turns, expecting Natasha, when a Damien walks in covered in dirt and blood.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Clint says through a hamburger.
"Sorry," Damien flips his hair. "I was doing a Victoria Secret shoot and met up with a few members of Hydra." He drops a large folder on the desk. "They're aiming to make copies of the Winter Captain-"
"Who?" Tony asks. Bruce sighs and pulls up different files while Damien continues.
"-and they are all done with the machine so it's going to be happening soon. That means we have to find him before Hydra does. With Natasha gone, we have one less person searching. So that means-"
"What does this Captain look like, Brother Damien?" Thor asks as he stares out the window.
"Well, I mean, kinda like you but a bit less muscly and intimidating. Wears all black and carries around a shield and enough weapons to power an army. Why?" Damien sits in the chair next to Bruce to grab a hologram. "Like this." He throws the picture to Thor who looks at it and then out the window.
"I've found him, my friends."
Everyone turns to where Thor is looking to see a man climbing up the side of the tower with a woman strapped to his back.
"Jarvis? Unlock the window they're at."
Everyone stands at the same time.
Dubai
One week earlier
Natasha hated the Winter Captain. For as long as she can remember, he always was the harshest to her out of everyone in the Red Room. But that's not why she hates him. While they run around Dubai, she remembers running from him through these same streets with her target- remembers the sharp stings of bullets entering her body and the dead weight of her target in her arms as she bled out.
She looks over at him now, dressed in robes and sandals looking nothing like the Ice Man the rest of the girls called him. After the past year tey spent off and on together, she noticed that her father, Steve, was the Captain's mission. When she asked, Grant had told her that they made an agreement long ago to keep Steve safe for Bucky.
"Steve is much better than both of us put together." Grant had said one day. "The Captain and I both agreed to protect him from that moment on."
He looks over at her and nods towards the other side of the road. They cross and Natasha pulls out a grenade from beneath her red gown. The Winter Captain opens the door and they run through the building as Hydra agents take aim at them. She drops the bomb in the middle of the room and then the Captain grabs her and pushes her out of the window into the alley. They pick themselves up just as the explosion takes place. Natasha covers her head as the Captain pulls her underneath him. The debris falls on him instead of her and Natasha stares up at him, confused.
"Why did you do that?" She asks after they dig their way out of the rubble. The Captain looks at her and raises a brow.
"Because I chose to." And he turned and started to walk off back towards his motorcycle. Natasha stares after him and stands to follow.
'Steve, we're going back to America now.' Grant says as he walks away from the Winter Captain. Steve glances over at him.
'And I should care because...?' He stands up from his place against the wall.
'You'll be able to see the surprise that the Captain discovered.' Grant clasps Steve's shoulder. 'It's amazing, Steve. He found that Hydra base where they're keeping Project Duo. Think of it, Steve. Your own body to love Bucky with. No me or Captain bothering you every second of the day. It will be amazing-'
'Grant!' Steve shouts as he shoves Grant away from himself. Grant stumbles and glares at Steve. 'We can't associate ourselves with Hydra! That's fucking insane! We are trying to destroy them for what they've done to us!'
Grant frowns. 'You have to admit that this thing could be amazing for us! Just think about it, Steve. We would bring the technology to Stark first to make sure and have him do it!'
Steve sighs. 'I'll think about it.'
Grant smiles knowingly. 'Alright.'
Lawrence, Kansas
August 16, 2015
As they approached the last Hydra base- which contained Project Duo- Natasha loads her guns up with bullets. The Captain is loaded with enough weapons to power the US navy. He kicks down the door and every agent is dead within minutes. Just as Natasha is setting up a bomb, Grant points the Winter Captain in the direction of where they are keeping Project Duo.
"Natasha," he says as he waves her over to where he found it. Natasha walks over and her eyes widen. "Help me set this up. Grant said it was safe. And besides, you'd be able to kill me this way. You help me move into a new body and Grant stays with Steven until we get back to Stark tower. Once we are there, you do this safely with Grant and Steven." The Captain sits in the chair that reminds him of so long ago. He sticks the mouth guard in his mouth as Natasha just stares at him.
"You'll let me kill you? Steve won't mind?"
'Yes I will, Captain! You can't leave me!' Steve tries to unlock the door of his mind. Grant holds him back.
"Steve isn't the one deciding this. Grant said it was safer this way." The Captain leans over and flicks on switches. The machine hums and the tank next to him whirls to life. It starts to create a body. Natasha can see the red hair peeking out from the window on top of it. Natasha sighs. He's obviously dead set on this. She attaches wires to his head and chest and steps back. The Captain takes a deep breath and nods. Natasha presses the release button and bows off the chair he is on. He doesn't scream but he starts to release tears from his eyes. Natasha has to look away. Once the humming of the machine shuts off, she opens the tank the red haired man gasps as he sits up.
"Captain?" Natasha asks as she helps him out of the tank. The man looks up at her then down to her belt. He quickly grabs the gun there and shoots Natasha just as she had her hands full. The bullet enters her stomach and she gasps as she falls to the ground. The red head kneels next to her.
"Oh little Natalia, I remember you from training. You never trusted anyone back then. What ever happened to that?"
Steve woke up at that point and struggled against the cuffs that were placed on him when the machine powered on.
"Angel! Don't talk to him! He's Hydra! Jesus Christ, I trusted you-!"
"Shut it, Steven!" The red head turned back to look at Natasha. "This is a farewell for now, little spider. The Captain should've known better than to trust what I say." He stands and heads to the door. Natasha squeezes her eyes shut as she tries to stand. She hears metal creak.
"Grant! Grant, you lying mother fucker! I trusted you! I trusted...Steven, he's gone. We have to go. He most likely set off the bomb."
Natasha stands and sees Steve standing next to her. He grabs Natasha bridal style and they run. Just as he jumps out of the window, the bomb was detonated. Natasha blacked out after that.
Stark Tower
August 17, 2015
The Winter Captain kicked the window in as the AI unlocked it. He crawls inside with Natasha on his back. He closes the window just as the other Avengers enter the room. When he sees Damien, he fires his gun. Damien falls back from the gut shot. Clint has his gun out just as Natasha shouts, "Hold your fire, Barton!"
"You lying ass motherfucker!" The Captain snarls. Damien crawls to sit up and Tony stands in front of him.
"What the hell is going on?!" He shouts. Bucky steps forward.
"Steve? What's happening?" He asks as he slowly walks towards the Captain.
"Steve's not here. I'm the Winter Captain. And this filthy piece of shit is Hydra agent." He points his gun at Damien as Damien pulls his own at the Captain.
"It worked then. Excellent." He says as he stands. Thor helps Natasha stand and presses the blood soaked cloth closer to her stomach.
Bucky and Clint held their guns up at Damien.
"Well, are you going to shoot me or not? Because if not then I better get going. I have somewhere to go in about oh..." He looks at his bear wrist. "Now-ish. So I you don't mind..."
The Captain snarls and shoots Damien's shoulder.
"Jesus fuck me! What the fuck, man!" Damien yelled as he fell back to the floor.
"Well, you did say to shoot him so he did." Clint says as Bucky gives him a tired look.
The Captain strides to where Damien is Latin down. He grabs him by the shirt collar just as the sound of soft beeping is heard. The Captain shakes Damien and a small bomb falls out of his pocket.
"Get down!" The Captain falls on the bomb just as everyone else runs out of the room.
"Steve!" Bucky tries to grab him but he's being pulled back by Tony. Clint locks the door while Damien and Steve are trapped inside. "No!"
The bomb explodes and the door flies off its hinges.
"Steve!"