Hydra Cabin in the Woods
Clint’s piloting the quinjet, ignoring the way his stomach grumbles. Tony and Bruce are both huddled around the computer reading the data output.
“These readings are crazy. Hey Thor, one of your buddies doesn’t happen to be dropping in, right?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Thor says seriously.
“No, look how steady the readings are holding now. There’s virtually no fluctuation. This is a machine, not a person,” Bruce says.
“If it’s a machine, do we have any idea what type of machine?” Steve asks.
“Sorry Cap, not a clue,” Tony says. He looks over the data with a hungry expression. He wasn’t sure what this was, but anything that put out this kind of energy was exciting and full of possibilities.
Steve turns away to look out the window at the forest below. From so high up, it looks rather peaceful. Steve has a natural aversion to the woods though. A city boy through and through, the forest was the stuff of boyhood legends. Once in fifth grade Bobby Johnson told everyone that his cousin had gone camping in the woods and never came out. Speculation to his fate ranged from bear attack to a mountain man eating him. Then the war came and Steve saw many men enter the forests of Europe and never come out. Overall Steve was a city boy, and no matter how peaceful nature looked he would never trust it as much as some dirty back alleyway in the middle of the city.
“We’re getting close. If this is a recon mission, not an attack, we might want to park it now and go on foot from here,” Natasha says.
“Agreed,” Steve says. Clint begins to lower it down. On the ground Steve splits them up.
“Natasha and Clint scout ahead. Bruce and Thor, hang back, but stay close. Hopefully we won’t need your services. Tony give air support, but try to stay out of sight. I’ll scout out the other way. Everyone keep your comms on.”
“Yes sir, Cap, sir,” Clint says with a sloppy salute as they all break off. Steve lips tilt up in pride. They had a rocky start, and sometimes in their personal lives things were messy, but out hear in the field they worked like a well-oiled machine. He just wished that any of the boys from the Howling Commandoes were around to see this.
All forests look the same in Steve’s opinion. He’s sure that’s not objectively true and anyone who knew anything about trees and nature could probably tell him exactly why that’s wrong, but until they did Steve was going to stubbornly cling to the opinion that all forests look the same.
Alone out here he could almost hear the sounds of machine guns in the distance and angry shouting in German. Tramping through muddy snow, knowing the enemy was doing the same and never knowing exactly when you would cross paths… Steve shivers.
“Cap, we have eyes on where the energy source is coming from. It looks like a rangers outpost was converted into some sort of lab,” Natasha reports over the comm.
Her steady voice pulls him back to the presence and he shakes off the lingering chill of past decades. It’s spring now, not winter. It’s the twenty first century not the 1940s. He’s on a mission with the Avengers, not the Howling Commandoes and he needs to focus.
“Copy that. What’s the security look like?”
“Guards on the outside. There’s something on the roof…Shit, Stark they’ve got EMP canons.”
“Tony, out of the air now.” Steve says.
“I see them. On it – shhhhvvvssssh.”
The static is abrupt and deafening in their ears.
“I see him. They’re taking him inside.” Clint reports, his voice calm and professional with only a hint of worry that only those closest to him can pick up.
~*~*~*~
It’s not Tony’s first time being knocked out of the air by an EMP, but damn is it never a fun experience. Jarvis’s reliable voice in his ear disappears and his world goes black as all the joints lock up and he goes tumbling towards the ground.
He hits with a clunk. It’s painful, and he’s sure he’s going to be bruised tomorrow, but the suits safety measures were invented for just this type of situation and they perform admirably. Nothing is broken, and he didn’t even lose consciousness.
He just needs to pull the lever and pop out of the suit and make it to the others. Step one works perfectly. The suit opens and he sits up, none the worse for wear. Step two is an immediate failure because before he can even stand he is surrounded by guards.
They’re dressed in generic black because villains have no sense of fashion, but the red little octopus pins let him know exactly who he’s facing.
“Up,” the man closest to him snarls. He’s weaponless but the other men are holding enough firepower that Tony doesn’t argue.
The leader is tall, blonde and looks almost as muscled out as Steve. Tony dubs him Evil Steve in his head, something that he has no doubt would annoy Cap later. He can’t wait to tell him.
Evil Steve has two of the guards carry the Ironman suit behind them. Inside, more people, by the looks of them scientists not guards, are working around a large metallic pod. It’s huge, easily big enough for someone to stand in, and Tony can practically feel the electricity it’s throwing off.
“Intrigued?” Evil Steve asks, seeing Tony stare at it. Tony is, but he doesn’t say anything, focusing instead on glaring at the nearest scientist who is looking up from his work at them curiously. The scientist hastily looks away.
“I assume if you’re here the other Avengers can’t be far behind. Not that it matters. It’s too late, we’re ready.” Evil Steve continues. He nods and a man who has been in the back steps forward. He is…not what Tony is expecting. He’s wearing dark grey trousers and a button up shirt with suspenders. His hair is slicked back and a fedora is pulled down over his face. He looks like something out of one of the old time movies that Cap likes.
“Your big plan is a man in an old fashioned suit? Points for originality, but I think the Avengers can take him,” Tony says.
“Watch Mr. Stark,” Evil Steve says, unconcerned with the level of snark Tony is displaying.
The man picks up an equally old fashioned looking briefcase and gun before stepping up to the pod. The pod opens and he steps inside. The machines whirl as the pod closes around him. There is a flurry of activity as the scientists seem to activate every piece of equipment at once. The resulting surge of energy blows every light in the building and, though he’s not near a computer to check, Tony’s pretty sure it’s even greater than the original surge.
In the darkness the pod opens, revealing an empty space where the man was standing seconds ago.
“What the hell? Did you just vaporize that guy?” Tony asks.
“Of course not. He’s been sent on the most important mission anyone in hydra has ever been on; putting an end to Captain America,” Evil Steve says. Tony gives him an unimpressed look.
“Really? Because he just disappeared and Captain America will be bursting through these doors any second now to save me, so I’m guessing his mission is going to fail,” Tony says.
“Except there won’t be a Captain America to save you. Steve Rogers is never going to get the chance to save anyone,” Evil Steve says, and the pure joy in his voice sounds shivers down Tony’s spine, “tell me Mr. Stark what year did Captain Rogers receive the super soldier serum?”
“1941” Tony answers, and Evil Steve nods smugly like he already knows. He leans over, so that he’s uncomfortably close and says in a low voice, like he’s sharing a secret, “That’s why we sent our agent back to 1939.”