Chapter 56
“They’re surrounding it and trying to approach it carefully.”
Sydney whispered as she and her four partners were hiding behind a group of large trees while they watched the scene nervously.
“Obviously the electromagnetic field that fucker released is still working.” Tony muttered with furrowed brows.
“It is a whole army of them. We can’t face them all.” Dean whispered in frustration. “Maybe if we waited till nightfall-“
“Who will let us wait?” Steve cut him off with pierced lips. “They saw the ship and they must have reported back to their leaders. Another hour and the whole area will be full of German soldiers that you won’t be able to step a foot in here.”
“Also they will get bolder by time.” Sydney sighed. “It will not take them long to break into the ship and cause damage to it.”
“Fuck, so there is no hope after all this to go back home?” Dean said frustrated.
“Our only hope is if the robot guardian is activated.” Sydney shook her head grimly.
“What if we called Alain and told him to send someone to destroy the device over the Eiffel Tower?” Brigitte suggested anxiously.
“The Nazis will also receive the message and will stop him before he can.” Tony sighed tiredly. “Besides, that will take at least two hours.”
“I don’t think we can wait for even half that time.” Dean announced anxiously as he pointed at a car that stopped next to the ship and jumped from it a group of military engineers carrying tools for cutting metal.
“They will tear it apart!” Brigitte said in panic.
“We can’t let them do that.” Tony muttered anxiously.
“What can we do?” Sydney murmured bitterly.
Steve suddenly straightened up and made his way towards the jeep they hid between the trees. “We will do Brigitte’s suggestion. But I will call Bucky instead.” They all stared at him in surprise. “With a slight change.”
They didn’t understand what he was talking about, so he just smiled slyly and brought the radio’s horn to his lips: “From Captain Rogers to Sergeant Barnes. I know you can hear me. We’re in grave danger. They captured our ally Holdstein, but he is still wearing the watch. Try to get it back at any cost.” Steve’s Captain America voice was slightly different because of his accent, Tony noted idly. But it was still hot as hell and doing lots of nice things to Tony’s insides.
“Oh! I get it!” Sydney murmured with a grin.
“Try to stop them from pressing that small button in the side of the watch. Try as hard as you can or we will lose everything.” Then his smirk widened as he finished the message with the sentence that will tell Barnes that this is a trick: “By the way, Misha is saying hi.”
“This is genius.” Dean said with a huge grin. “I can imagine everything! The Nazis getting that message because you sent it on their same wave, and they will think they will ruin our plan if they pressed that button.”
“Exactly.” Steve nodded, still smirking. Tony was staring at him with an overwhelming feeling of pride. God, he loved that man.
“I can almost see it!” Dean continued with a laugh. “Himmler snatching the watch from Holdstein’s wrest and the fucker would scream to try and warn him fruitlessly, then Himmler presses the button and-“
“-and the robot guardian is back online.” Sydney finished and shared a grin with Brigitte.
The same moment she said that, the golden ball started to move away from the ship and darted viciously towards the Germans surrounding the ship.
“Come on!” Dean exclaimed as the ball started its work perfectly.
The five of them ran towards the ship at the same moment the Nazis were trying to run away from it.
“We did it, guys! We did it.” Dean let out a loud laugh as he ran as fast as he could.
The Ball caught Dean’s voice and turned towards him but Sydney exclaimed excitedly: “No! They’re all with me!”
The guardian fell back and moved around the ship to protect it from all directions.
When they reached the ship, Sydney turned towards Brigitte and already felt her heart shattering.
“Brig, I-I don’t know what to say, but-“ she started brokenly but Brigitte interrupted her with a small kiss.
“You will have lots of things to say in our journey through time.” She said with a playful smile.
“Our journey?!” Sydney looked at her in confusion. “No, Brigitte, I can’t! God knows how much I want it but it’s not fair to snatch you away from your time, from your home.”
“My home is where you are, Sydney.” She murmured with a soft smile. “I found out that I can no longer live without you.”
“It won’t be easy to live in my time.” Sydney muttered sadly. “It will be too much on you.”
“Well, of course it will be.” Brigitte chuckled. “There will be lots of things I will need to learn.” Then smiled affectionately at her. “And I will count on you to teach me all of them.”
Their eyes met for a few seconds before Sydney grinned and took her hand. “Let’s go!”
They grinned at each other as they jumped inside the ship while Dean just smiled at them gently and shook his head with a soft chuckle before following them. “God, why do we always fall for crazy, blue eyed idiots?”
Tony followed them with his eyes with a small smile then turned back to Steve who was smiling at him with a close version of the smiles Steve reserved for him. He felt his heart ache. He was afraid it will be the last time he will see that beautiful face.
“I-I would go with you, but apparently I still have lots of things that must be done here.” Steve chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “But I am guessing that I will not wait long for you, right?”
Tony studied his hopeful face for a few seconds. How the hell did Steve manage to fall for him in such a short time? It was-it was exhilarating. To have such an amazing man to fall for him in any version of him. If that wasn’t a soulmates thing then he didn’t know what is.
“Yeah, Steve. Not long.” He whispered and felt something break in him as Steve’s face lightened up. He didn’t know the tragedy that will happen to him. He didn’t know that he will see his best friend die right in front of him soon. He didn’t know that he will lose everything, even his life, soon.
He can’t do this.
“Steve. Steve I-I need t-“ he started but Steve just stepped closer to him and cupped his face gently then kissed him chastely, sweetly, on the lips. It wasn’t a goodbye kiss. It was a promise. Like Steve was promising him that he won’t be late. That He will come for him.
He can’t do this. He can’t.
“Steve, please.” He let out in a strangled voice as he broke away from Steve. “Please, just-don’t get on that plane. Find another way, but please, don’t get on that plane.”
“What plane?” Steve asked in confusion.
“Y-you will understand then. You will remember these words then.” Tony answered while swallowing down a sob. He was doing this for Steve. He just wants him to be happy.
“Okay.” Steve whispered as he just looked at Tony with a soft smile before forcing himself to step back. “I will see you soon, Tony.”
“Yeah. See you soon.” Tony was doing everything in his power to keep himself from crying. He already felt cold without Steve’s touch. He turned and walked towards the door of the ship. Just before he got inside, he took one last look back at Steve, who was still standing there, watching him with a soft smile that tugged at his heart.
“Goodbye, Steve.” Tony whispered brokenly before jumping inside the ship.