Chapter 43
“Idiots! Idiots! “
Holdstein screamed in rage over and over again while pacing in his hideout like an angry tiger. “They couldn’t have killed them just like that!”
A shiver ran through Steve’s weakening body at his words.
“What do you mean? Who killed who?” he asked trying not to panic.
“Your fucking friends killed the future people!” Holdstein screamed turned sharply towards him. “They shoot them after a stupid fight!”
Steve’s face paled and felt his heart drop. “No way. No way would Alain do this. Even if he did, Bucky is there and would stop him!”
“But he did! Him and your stupid friend lost their tempers and blamed the future people for losing you and killed them mercilessly!”
Steve’s face got paler and paler at this, and felt hollowness filling him at the thought of Tony. He didn’t know when or how or why, but he felt something attracting him to the beautiful man from the moment he laid eyes on him. Something inside him was demanding him to be closer to the genius. Like he waited his entire life just to look at those big, expressive brown eyes until the end of time. To touch him and feel the electricity that run through him when he does. Even though he could barely understand half the things Tony said, he just loves to hear the sound of his voice. He feels like he knew him for years instead for just a day.
And now Tony was probably dead and Steve felt the hollowness in his chest suffocating him.
“How did you know this anyway?” Steve snapped, trying to hide his feelings. “We didn’t leave this place since your future thing brought us here.”
Holdstein leaned towards him, eyes shining in anger. “With another ‘future thing’, Pea brain. A very small device, I put it in your future boyfriend’s hair when he was unconscious. It let me hear everything happening around him from here.” Steve’s eyes widened in disbelieve. “I know you can’t even understand it. I doubt there is a fucking brain in this pretty head of yours! I can’t even understand why a genius like him would tolerate to deal with an empty brain like yours!”
Steve gritted his teeth but didn’t comment. Honestly? He might have thought the same thing at some point.
Suddenly, Holdstein’s hand wrapped around his neck tightly, pure rage lighting up his eyes.
“You know what bugs me the most?” Holdstein snarled as he brought his face even closer to Steve’s. “That a worthless airhead like you is important in the future. That you actually matter! You are just a lucky bastard that Erskine saw by pure luck! If he wasn’t there at the right time you would have lived your whole life a worthless piece of shit. Tell me! What is so important about you?”
Steve hid the effect of Holdstein’s words behind a cold determined mask. “Nothing. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn. Nothing more, nothing less.” Then he straightened himself up as far as he could even though he barely could sit upright. “And I am telling you. There is no way what you said happened. Alain might be short tempered and would blame them for everything but he won’t kill them like that. Even if he decided to, neither Bucky nor Peggy would let him. They are both level headed people no matter the situation.”
Holdstein’s brows furrowed as he stared at Steve’s face thoughtfully.
“We will see about that now.” he muttered then sent Steve a glare before adding. “If I found out they are dead, I will make sure your death will be as painful as I could make it.”
Then he turned around and left the hideout leaving Steve behind in the darkness of the room.
***
Castiel was tired. He wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Everything around him was pressuring him and the burden on his shoulders was almost too much.
He was fooling everyone around him by his cool demeanor. They don’t know how tired he was. Physically and emotionally. Dean was still too far away from his reach and he wasn’t dealing with this very well. Dean was always a constant, comforting presence beside him. His absence was suffocating him and he was barely holding himself back from breaking down from the loneliness he feels right now.
He wasn’t really alone, he knew that. But he will always feel lost and alone when Dean wasn’t around. At the beginning he felt a little reassurance with Steve’s strong presence beside him, sharing his burden and pain. But Steve was no longer available to reassure him and he felt truly alone since now everyone was relaying on him to stay strong.
He wasn’t sure he could do this anymore.
He was thinking about all of this while sitting on a chair next to Steve’s unmoving form, Sydney’s files in his lap while the others continued to do their tasks around him.
He was vaguely aware of Sam’s worried looks he keeps sending towards him, but he was too tired to look at him and reassure him that he was fine. He didn’t really want to lie to Sam.
“Mr. Winchester, there is someone who is asking to enter the tower.” JARVIS’ voice cut through his thoughts and everyone stopped to look at each other in confusion.
“Who is it?” Castiel asked in confusion.
“He refuses to say his name. He just said that he is here to help.”
Castiel looked over at the others who just shrugged tiredly at him.
“Let him in.” Castiel ordered.
“As you wish, sir.”
A few minutes later, the elevator’s doors opened to reveal their mystery visitor.
He was a man around Steve’s age, with long dark hair and blue eyes that held so much fatigue, sadness and guilt in them. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt but it didn’t hide the metal arm Castiel caught him trying to hide as he approached them.
Castiel stood up to greet him and the man stopped in front of him and studied him carefully.
“You are the angel Castiel?” he asked with a hint of wonder in his voice.
“I am.” Castiel confirmed confidently as he felt the others coming closer behind him.
The man raised his normal hand towards him to shake his.
“My name is James Barnes. You can call me Bucky.” He said and Castiel’s eyes widened in recognition. Steve told him everything about that man. He didn’t think he would really show up for this. “And I am here to help as much as I could. If you let me.”
***
Carl was nervous and frustrated as he paced around the remains of the headquarters’ building.
“Did you make the call?” he shouted at one of his men. “I want the coded message to reach Berlin now!”
“We are trying, sir. But the attack ruined everything and-“
“I don’t care. Fix the machines or buy new ones. You must send this message. It is very dangerous.”
“And why is it dangerous, Carl?” a stern voice demanded behind him.
Carl jumped violently and turned sharply towards the voice. He stared at Holdstein’s face for a few seconds before straightening up and did the military greeting.
“Why is the message dangerous, Carl?” Holdstein repeated ignoring Carl’s greeting.
“Because of you, sir.”
“Me?” The general asked viciously.
Carl hesitated before adding hastily. “You disappeared completely after the attack and I thought I should tell the leadership about that, in case the resistance managed to-“
“No need to send it anymore then.” Holdstein interrupted firmly.
“Of course, sir. Of course.”
Holdstein gave him a long look before looking around at the remains of the building. “Worst than I thought.”
“Actually sir we-“
“I want a tank and a group of men.” Holdstein interrupted again. Carl stared at him in shock so he added while turning away from him. “We will attack the resistance.”
“And where are they?”
“Don’t think, Carl. Just obey. And fast.” Then he turned around and walked towards his car.
Carl followed him with his eyes before turning towards one of his men. “Do what the general ordered.” Then he turned towards the communications officer. “Send the message.” The officer stared at him in surprise. “Now.”