Chapter 10
Steve frowned deeply as he stared at Rhodey and Fury who were seated on the other side of the table in the meeting room they had in the tower. The whole Team was around him.
Fury showed up with Rhodey an hour ago in the tower, looking anxious and insisting to talk to the whole team, saying it was urgent.
Which turned out to be very urgent.
The room was silent after Rhodey finished telling what happened anxiously and tiredly. He never saw Rhodey so distressed before. Not that he blamed him.
“Oh God.” Steve murmured breaking the silence. “It must be the time ship Sydney used to come to our time.”
“There is no need for hasty assumptions.” Fury retorted in frustration. “Just for-“
“For what, Fury?” Tony interjected angrily. “It is more obvious than it should. We found a hidden button in Sydney’s house. And from the moment it was pressed it started to receive fixed signals which turned out to be a countdown, from the area Rhodey just told us about. And that’s before we knew that the army is facing an unknown ship, in the same area, and sending the same fixed signals, and can protect itself from any sort of attack no matter how strong it was. It is too easy and there is no point in denying it.”
Steve noticed that Dean’s face was getting paler and paler in each passing second. Probably blaming himself for everything. He saw Castiel and Sam also noticed Dean’s distress and were looking at him in concern.
Fury was about to yell something at Tony but was cut off by Rhodey.
“So the signals turned out to be a countdown?” he asked curiously, ignoring Fury’s frustration.
“Yes.” Natasha answered. “A countdown that will end in two hours and forty four minutes from now.”
“And what will happen then?”
“Well, the logical explanation is that it will leave our time.” Sam commented shrugging. “But from the pure panic Sydney received the news with, and made her viciously violent, then her insistence that she was trying to save us, suggest that there might be something else will happen when the countdown reach zero.”
“Like what?” Fury asked nervously.
“An explosion.” Thor announced loudly, making everyone turn to him with wide eyes.
“What?!” Clint exclaimed in slight panic.
“An explosion.” Thor repeated firmly. “It is just a probability. That the red button is just a way to rid of the time vessel or vengeance from an era that wronged her profoundly. It might be a small explosion that will rid only of the vessel so it won’t fall in the wrong hands, or a massive explosion that will annihilate an entire city. Or an entire time.”
The room went silent after Thor finished as they looked at each other nervously.
“God, you just made the whole thing really dark.” Bruce murmured anxiously.
“Just putting a probability to consider and take cautions to.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Castiel asked Steve intently.
“To ask Sydney herself.” Steve answered looking over at Fury sternly.
“What you are asking is not available currently, Captain.” Fury sighed tiredly.
“Fury, now is not the time for-“
“Hunter is currently under the influence of a very strong drug. Nothing can wake her in any way until another hour and half.”
“The agents shot you with the same thing and you are standing right in front of me now!”
“It is not from the darts.” Fury was getting more and more agitated by the second. “We injected her with it to calm her violent behavior.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Tony yelled in frustration.
“We have no idea what could happen in an hour and a half.” Sam sighed nervously.
“Is there any way to wake her?” Bruce asked in worry.
“Unfortunately, no. We used a new, strong drug. There is no antidote for it yet.”
“Fine, we will see what we can do until she wakes up.” Tony sighed in frustration.
“I really didn’t want to involve you, guys.” Rhodey said guiltily and sadly. “It is too dangerous. But I had no other choice.”
“It’s okay, buddy.” Tony said smiling and walked over to him to place a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “We got your back.”
“Thank, Tones.” He smiled gratefully at Tony but his eyes were filled with worry.
He obviously thinks that something bad will happen to his friends and he will never forgive himself for it.
***
Dean went straight to his and Cas’ suite after Fury and Rhodey left.
He couldn’t face the others. He knew that no one blames him. But he was blaming himself for every soul that ship took because of his stupidity. God, why did he pressed that damn button?!
He was setting hunched over on the bed, his hands covering his face, when he heard the door open and closed.
He knew who it was without looking up. He immediately felt Castiel’s reassuring presence inside him from their bond even before the angel touched him.
He felt Castiel walk towards him quietly, then sank to his knees in front of Dean’s hunched form.
The angel took Dean’s hands gently and removed them from his face. Then he cupped Dean’s face gently and wiped his tears from his cheeks, smiling warmly at him.
“It wasn’t your fault, Dean.” He whispered gently, eyes never looking away from Dean’s.
Dean got lost in Castiel’s beautiful, warm eyes. He was sure he will never get tired from having those eyes looking at him that way. He lives for those gazes.
“How can you say that?” Dean murmured quietly while trying to look away from Cas’ warm gaze but the angel was having none of it.
“It is not your fault.” He repeated more firmly. “No one is blaming you. So you should stop blaming yourself. We both know that if you weren’t the one who pressed it, it would have been Tony or Natasha. We are all to blame. We all will carry it. Don’t try to carry it on your own. I mean it.”
“But I-“
“Shut up. I mean it.”
“Cas, I am-“
The words stopped on his tongue by Castiel raising his eyebrow in warning, so he just sighed.
“Fine. I will try.” He muttered in defeat.
Castiel smiled gently at him then leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to Dean’s lips that left the hunter feel warm all over.
They heard a muted thud coming from the closed door. They pulled away to look over at it in confusion and then heard someone swearing from outside the door then a hushed ‘Seriously, Steve? How the hell am I going to reach my wallet for a dollar right now?!’
Dean chuckled while Castiel smirked at the door. He waved his hand and the door opened suddenly, revealing the team who were pressed against the door. Tony and Clint tumbled towards the floor with a yelp, Thor landing on top the both of them, while Sam, Steve, Nat and Bruce stood there staring at them with wide eyes and sheepish awkward smiles.
“Holy fucking shit! Why are you so goddamn heavy?!” Tony yelled from under Thor while Clint let out choked out sounds. Steve moved to pull out the swear jar. “Steve! Remove that truck from over me then pull out your damned jar!”
Dean and Cas burst out laughing as they watched Steve and Sam trying to remove Thor from the floor, who looked content to stay there on top of Tony and Clint, completely ignoring their yelling and swearing.
***
“You can exclude the second probability, Steve.”
Castiel announced firmly when they went back to the meeting room to discuss what they should do.
“You really think so?” Steve asked, giving him his full attention.
“Yes. While we were talking to her I studied her with deep attention, and I heard every word she said and the way she said them while she was telling us her story. I am pretty sure that that young woman would never cause such a massacre, no matter what.”
“Well, thank God for that.” Steve sighed in relief as he relaxed back in his chair.
“So now it is either the ship will explode or it will leave our time.” Dean concluded carefully.
“And that will happen in two hours and thirteen minutes from now.” Natasha added helpfully. “What are we going to do till then?”
“Well, Sydney will not wake up for another hour. Which mean we need to try to do anything until then.” Steve said with a frown.
“The army had stopped any hostile attack towards it.” Sam reported. “They just laid a siege around it with three hundred meters radius.”
“Isn’t it strange that the ship didn’t initiate any hostile attack either?” Steve wondered with interest. “And the golden sphere didn’t chase after the men who came back to collect the bodies.”
“Maybe because they didn’t attack it.” Dean suggested with a shrug.
“Exactly!” Tony exclaimed excitedly while adjusting in his seat. “That’s what everyone didn’t notice! That ship had meant no harm!”
“Meant no harm?!” Thor boomed with confusion. “After all the destruction it caused?!”
“It is just a machine, Thor. That’s the problem with machines. They just follow what orders they had without thinking.”
“And that’s why I loath them.” Thor muttered grimly.
“That ship is preparing to do something when the countdown is finished.” Tony continued, probably not hearing Thor comment. “Until then, its system held a protection program that protect it from any attack no matter what it is until the ship finishes its purpose. And the army initiated every attack or made a hostile movement. That ship was only protecting itself.”
“It crushed more than a hundred people, Tony.” Clint commented sharply.
“But it didn’t touch who came towards it in peace!”
Steve looked carefully at his over excited husband.
“Tony, what are you thinking exactly?” Steve asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Every info we have about that ship is limited to the sightings of those who stayed alive and from who received the victims’ calls before dying. But what we really need is to see for ourselves!”
“You don’t mean-“
“Yes! We need to head over to where that ship is.” Tony finished looking at Steve with determination.
Steve just looked at him silently for a few seconds.
“Actually that was what I was thinking exactly.” Dean announced, earning a grin from Tony for supporting him. “There isn’t anything we can possibly do from here anyway. We need to get inside that ship and see what we will find.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Castiel sighed while he rubbed his face with his hands nervously.
Steve just studied them carefully, before also sighing in defeat.
“Not all of us, of course.” He finally announced looking up at all of them.
“What that supposed to mean?” Sam asked carefully.
“We still need what Sydney will say when she wakes up.” He explained. “Maybe she will guide us to what we are supposed to do or the purpose of the countdown. So, Sam, Nat and Clint will stay behind.”
“What?!” Clint exclaimed sharply.
“Steve, what-“ Natasha started but Steve interjected.
“It is purely a practical decision, guys. Nat is a great hacker and will be able to hack to whatever Sydney will tell you about. Also you and Clint are good at interrogating and I am sure with Sam’s help you will be able to convince her to help us out. Meanwhile, Bruce will help in trying to remove the protective shield surrounding the ship to help Dean and Tony enter it, while I, Cas and Thor will be at the ready in case that ship decided to attack.” Steve turned towards Dean then. “You don’t mind going there with Tony, do you?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Dean smirked at him, making Castiel sigh again in frustration.
“You will probably need to leave your weapons behind.” Tony remarked with his own smirk.
“What? Why?!”
“If the ship sensed any type of weapon it will crush us. I will not be wearing my armor.”
“This just keeps getting better and better.” Steve muttered tiredly.
“Just before you guys go.” Bruce started, opening a brief case in front of him, it was filled with syringes. “I managed to make the protective serum that was found in Sydney’s blood. It is pretty powerful and I think it will help you guys, who doesn’t have healing abilities, a lot. So, line up. You are about to get injected.”
***
Sydney’s eyelids trembled for a second while she was laying in her suite. The agents following her progress from another room saw the movement from the screens.
“She is dreaming now.” one of them commented to his colleague.
“I wonder what she is dreaming about.” The other commented with interest.
“Why?”
“She saw a lot of things and from another time. Her dreams must be something else. I’d die to see that.”
They were talking without knowing that Sydney’s dream was more like a storm of memories.
“Remember Sydney, your mission will be dangerous. You might not come back from it, but you are our only hope. We are counting on you.”
A voice echoed in her dream.
She saw a huge base.
A countdown.
Large maps that covered every wall.
Air paths maps.
And space maps.
And… time maps.
“You will face things that no human had faced before.”
Another voice echoed. God, how honest his sentence was.
Like he knew what will happen.
Then the countdown started.
Her mind went back to her life history.
To her family.
Then the ship launched.
And her mission started.
At that point, the memories started to merge.
A large emptiness.
Black holes.
A typhoon of colors and sounds.
An era after era.
Fight after fight.
And the mission was never accomplished.
There was a huge explosion then-
Her body shook violently and she opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling of the room.
In the observation room the agents were startled.
“Oh God! She regained her consciousness fast!” the first agent exclaimed. “She wasn’t supposed to wake up until another thirty minutes!”
Sydney sat up sharply, removing all the wires they attached to her body violently.
“Goddammit! They are ruining everything!” She yelled in anger. Then she jumped out of the bed and paced the room like an angry tiger. “Get me out of here you sons of bitches! I am trying to protect you! You don’t know what will happen to you if you kept me here! Let me out before it is too late!”
The agent frowned as he heard all of this then turned on his comm.
“Get me to director Fury immediately.” He said nervously. “Tell him it is urgent. Hunter woke up early and she is enraged.”
***
Fury got the call from his office and scowled.
“Is that nightmare ever going to end?” he muttered in frustration.
“Let us meet her.” Natasha said calmly. “I am sure we can reason with her.”
“She is not the same calm and collected woman that Rogers and Winchester interrogated earlier. She had gone mad! She almost killed me to get out of here!”
“That means she is probably under a tremendous amount of stress that is making her this violent.” Sam remarked.
“And we are authorized to be here and meet her.” Clint added with a raised eyebrow.
“I know that!” Fury answered sharply, then he pressed a button on his disk. “They will take you to her now.”
***
The moment Sam entered the suite followed by Nat and Clint, Sydney rushed towards them, eyes wide with hope.
“Sam! Nat! Clint, Thank God you are here!” she exclaimed looking at Sam like she had known him her whole life. Which caught him completely off guard as he stared at her with confusion. “Tell them they are making the biggest mistake in their lives! If I didn’t get out of here, a disaster will happen! Sam, please you have to help me!”
Sam stared at her with shock. He took in her vivid, familiar green eyes, her freckles, her features, the color of her dark hair, the way she was carrying herself, the stubborn jut in her jaw, the way she speaks. The way she said his name. The way she was looking at him.
All that was so achingly familiar.
Could it be? No, no that’s impossible.
He found himself, however, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.
“Calm down, Sydney.” He spoke in a gentle, calming voice. “Tell me what is going to happen?”
Natasha looked at her intently, while Sydney trailed her eyes between the three of them.
“Dean had turned on the launching program in my ship.” She said in frustration.
“So that’s what happened?” Clint asked.
“Yes. The problem is, there is no way to stop it. The moment the countdown is finished, the ship will launch and will go through another black hole from the Nil Zone, towards another era in the past or the future.”
“And what is the disaster in that?” Natasha asked carefully.
It seemed like the question took her aback, she turned towards Nat slowly.
“What the disaster in that?” she repeated distractedly.
That caught Sam’s attention.
“Yes, Sydney, what is the disaster in that?” He repeated more firmly.
Sydney just looked at them silently, like she was thinking it through or looking for an answer.
“What is the disaster?!” Clint demanded sternly.
“Fucking hell, those bastards are listening to every word we say!” she hissed in frustration. “But I am entitled to explain everything anyway.”
“I think that is for the best.” Sam remarked firmly.
She was silent for a few more seconds then spoke: “Actually, they are two disasters not just one. One that will affect me personally and the other is general on everyone else here.” she took a deep breath before she continued: “The personal one is that the ship will leave without me, which will mean I will never be able to complete my mission or return home.”
“And our disaster?” Natasha inquired.
“The ship has an advanced defense program that have many jobs, mainly to keep the ship safe from any attack and to keep me safe personally.”
“You?” Clint asked carefully.
“Of course. Sure the autopilot could pilot the ship but-“
She cut herself off suddenly, and frowned deeply like she just realized the danger of what she was about to say.
Sam shared a look with Nat and Clint, then leaned towards Sydney.
“What are you hiding, Sydney?” he inquired calmly.
“What makes you think I am hiding something?” her face was devoid of any emotion suddenly and was giving Sam an emotionless look that he was sure he saw somewhere before.
“We are not thinking that.” Nat answered equally calmly. “We are sure of it.”
“Sure of it?” Sydney’s face remained emotionless.
“Yes, Sydney. In case you forgot, we are pretty good at knowing this stuff.” Clint exclaimed in frustration.
Sydney was quiet for a second.
“The whole truth is not always comforting.” She said sternly. “Sometimes it is better to know only part of it.”
“Without the whole truth, you are not getting our help.” Sam reported in the same stern voice.
“The only truth you need to know is that if I didn’t get out of here before the launching of my ship, terrible consequences will happen.”
She said in a way that suggested that the disaster is coming. Soon.